Livingston Mayor Judy B. Cochran recently presented a program for the Rotary Club of Livingston, providing a ‘State of the City.’
“The one thing I’m most proud of is that the city is financially stable, financially sound and has not had an ad valorem tax since 1988,” Cochran said.
“I am pleased to announce that we still are having new businesses opening in our city. Denny’s is open with a steady flow of customers and a crowded parking lot. The Mason Jar is open and serving good food. The Meat Market is open at 1017 W. Church in the old Golden Corral building. The Oyster is coming soon at 930 US Hwy. Loop N in the old Longbranch Steakhouse building. 7 Brew Coffee Shop will be building a new location at 1700 W. Church Street. Chick-Fil-A will be constructing a new play area and Burger King is remodeling their interior and there is ongoing work on the old Taco Bueno building which will be a McAllister’s Deli. Stay tuned for more information. The last day for El Burrito to be open is April 19 and Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp will be opening in the El Burrito location on July 1,” Cochran said.
“Pine Hill Apartments completed their rebuild after the terrible fire and those apartments are all occupied. A new apartment complex has been approved for Livingston Estates Housing. It will be an 80-unit, gated complex like the one behind the hospital and it will be located behind the new meat market. There are several houses under construction. Kelly King is remodeling the ‘old Jackson building’ on North Jackson Street for a learning center. The Fain Theater has completed their roof repair, and the city is waiting for plans to approve the interior work,” Cochran said.
“Other projects underway include the Highway 190 Apartments, First United Pentecostal Church and the new Lion Stadium at the high school. Sanctuary of Hope is building a family life center. Dedicated Orthopedics is remodeling. The community development staff has been busy,” Cochran said.
“The 2025 Hometown Christmas was a huge success with crowds bigger than ever before. We’ve added more vendors and extended the vendor space. There were over 130 entries in the lighted parade. We’re grateful that our city electric crews and parks and recreation department still create the many lighted attractions all over town with most of them being at Pedigo Park,” Cochran said.
“We have completed the installation of new digital electric and water meters throughout the city. The new meters will report the usage directly to our city staff, eliminating the need to manually read the meters, which eliminates the possibility of errors. Our citizens will be able to monitor their usage through an app on their smartphone. The app is ‘Utility Hawk.’ You can register for this app on our city webpage. If you have any questions, please contact our staff and they will be happy to assist you,” Cochran said.
“We’re thankful to Lynn Riley and her Main Street crew who are always busy with events in our downtown area. Some of the events that they have upcoming for 2026 are Main Street’s ‘Local is our Love Language’ Sip & Shop on February 6; the BIG Easter Eggstravaganza at Pedigo Park on March 28; Main Street’s ‘Red, White & Blue’ Sip & Shop on May 23; Christmas in July on July 18-25; Main Street’s ‘White Linen’ Sip & Shop & Artwalk on August 8; Main Street’s ‘Broomsticks & Brews’ Sip & Shop on October 24; Fall into Small Event on November 1-30; Hunting Widows Weekend on November 6-7; Shop ‘Local Pink Friday’ & Main Street’s Sip & Shop on November 20; and Shop Small Saturday on November 28,” Cochran said.
“The city has been approved for a TxDOT sidewalk grant; however, we can’t start with design or engage engineers until October as it is a part of TxDOT’s 2027 plan. The city also received a grant from the Texas General Land Office for two of our city streets. Willis and North West streets are currently in the process of being completely reworked and they will be curb and gutter upon completion. The projected completion date is the end of summer 2026,” Cochran said.
“Thanks to the help of several individuals there are now concrete cart paths at the Livingston Municipal Golf Course. Work has begun on a pilot’s lounge and new restrooms at the municipal airport.
“F.A.I.T.H. Military Support Group is joining us in planning a big 250th birthday celebration on July 4 at Pedigo Park. It will begin at 9 a.m. with a patriotic parade of bicycles, golf carts and ATVs. There will be music, inflatables, a dunking booth, jeep, car and motorcycle show, face painting and hot dogs provided by F.A.I.T.H. This is a FREE event and all donations will go to F.A.I.T.H. The planning committee is working on it now. We will also move our 9/11 ceremony to Pedigo Park for the 25th anniversary and will recognize first responders,” Cochran said.
“Our staff still provides excellent customer service while promoting all of the programs that we have. We are very fortunate to have lots of volunteers who are ready and willing to assist with some of our events each year. I am honored to continue serving as your mayor alongside the city council, the staff and many volunteers. We strive to make Livingston a better place to live. I’m proud to live here. Livingston is a great place to call home,” Cochran said.
