GUNTER, Texas (KTEN) — Gunter residents are getting a new city council after the previous members resigned.

That leaves the incoming city council members to try and get Gunter back on track.

"There are a lot of problems in Gunter," conceded new Seat 5 Alderman William Stevens. "There's a lot of baggage that got left, and somebody has to step in and clean it up."

Incoming Seat 1 Alderman Cyndy Davis believes the city's immediate challenges include water, infrastructure, and the BNSF Railway proposal to build a logistics center in Gunter.

"My other focus will be engaging my neighbors in the downtown area to find out what they want," Davis said in a written statement. "For far too long, this segment of our population has been largely ignored, and I think it's time they are heard." 

While some residents are looking forward to the new council, others are hesitant about the changes coming to Gunter City Hall.

"If it's going to bring a bunch of regulations and changes to myself and my business, then I absolutely wouldn't want that," said Keith Hickman, owner of Hickman's Creations. "People live in this town because of the freedom to be able to just kind of live your life without all these strict rules and regulations."

William Stevens believes the new city council will be different than the last, giving Gunter citizens more opportunities to have a say in the city's future.

"One of our goals we'd like to have is more city council meetings more often... more workshops — sort of an informal city council meeting, so you can take up topics without having to have agenda items set and have a more open discussion," Stevens said.