Brownwood City Manager Bobby Rountree reminded Brownwood City Councilmen Tuesday that time is running out to decide whether or not the city will use funds available from the Texas Water Development Board to build a water reuse plant to recycle the city’s waste water.
The council must decide to authorize the borrowing of these funds for the project, approximately $8.9 million dollars, before the end of May. If the city does not move forward on the reuse plant, they must make some redesigns on updates planned for the current waste water treatment plant.
“If we do not move forward on the reuse plant, we need to make some changes in the waste water treatment plant specifications,” said Rountree. “Some of the items that are in the reuse plant affect the waste water treatment plant and we will need to so some redesign to its upgrades. We need to know this in a timely fashion and have the plans altered. If we do proceed, we will have to have some specific staff training and we need to get started if we are going to get started with the plant.”
This was simply a discussion item at Tuesday’s city council meeting, so no action could be taken. The city will need take action in the next few weeks to take advantage of the Texas Water Development Board funding that is available and approved for this particular project.
Rountree stated the importance of being able to support the local need of water for industries which are the heart of our employment base and the city’s financial stability.“If we are going to have economic growth and if we are going to support our industry, if we are going to have a future for water, we have got to do something. We have got to make a move, we need to have a solution of some kind. We don’t want to fall back into 2011 when some of our industries were considering trucking in water,” said Rountree. “Our issues however; are limited, we know that. There is not a pipe of freshwater running near Brown County or central Texas, the well water is shallow and deep water is difficult to treat and expensive to treat, so we have to make some decisions soon regarding our reuse facility.”
Many cities are struggling with the current drought and the recent growth of the state, Rountree explained.
“Every city in Texas is doing exactly what we are doing, in regards to water. If you are a city in Texas and you don’t have water, you are not going to grow, you are not going to economically grow,” Rountree stated. “We are going to continue to meet with the water board (Brown County Water Improvement District), and continue to see what options they may have, but as I am saying, our options in Brownwood and Brown County are limited.”
Mayor Stephen Haynes stated that his main concern is the cost of the plant and whether the cost to build it has increased over the last year, how that would affect water rates to Brownwood’s customers and just how the city would pay for any additional expenses if necessary.
Rountree stated that the city can do some of the work to minimize any additional costs and that Certificates of Obligation can also be issued or the city could go back to the Texas Water Development Board and request an increased amount to cover the difference if bids came in high. The best scenario would be if the cost of the plant has not increased; however, the city employees doing part of the work, this could minimize the additional funding if needed.
Dr. Chris Stephens addressed the council as a concerned citizen. Stephens stated he was concerned about the cost of water to customers; comparing the cost of the reuse plant to that of conservation initiatives such as hefty tier pricing of water and enforcement of restrictions and fines; and that other county water customers would benefit without the burden placed on the Brownwood water customers. He highlighted the subsidy of delivery of irrigation water costs by municipal users of Brown County water.
“How can Brownwood water customer be asked to both subsidize other users and pay a higher water rate. With these questions, further funding of the reuse plant doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.
Resident Robert Porter also addressed the council as one supporting the water reuse plant. Porter stated that he agreed that conservation must be our first priority but that Brownwood must be a leader willing to make hard decisions and promote water facilities that will provide for the approximately 30,000 customers, which is far more than the number of customers when Lake Brownwood was built in the 1930s. He outlined the importance not only for residential use but also for the area’s economic stability.
“We are growing into our water system. We have businesses and industries that if we fail to deliver one drop of water to those industries, they leave, they don’t come back, and we start to die on the Bayou,” said Porter. “That is not something we can afford to do. So, conservation while it is extremely important, we have to do that first. We have to make sure we are using the resource correctly.”
Porter explained that although it will rain again, the lake will eventually fill back up and that there will be periodic droughts that will affect the area, but that planning is still necessary for the future.
“Would that change our need to plan for the future, to plan for the next 50, 60, 70 or 80 years? I don’t think so,” Porter stated. “We have to deal with the things we have control over and part of that is planning–planning for the future generations, and that planning has to be in a partnership. The City of Brownwood and the Brown County Water Improvement District are an inseparable partnership.”
Porter summed up his support for the project and explained that the water reuse plant will clean the water released from the waste water plant to a quality that is so high, minerals will have to be put back into it to give it some body.
Rountree also reminded area residents that the city continues to enforce current water restrictions.
“We need to remind our customers that we continue to be in Stage 3 water restrictions. We are very grateful and thankful for the rains that we have had, although few and far between,” said Rountree. “We are still seeing people even today running their sprinklers because it is their day to water.”
Rountree stated that the City of Brownwood has been under Stage 3 water restrictions for nearly 3 years.
The council will take up the matter again in the next few weeks for possible action on the reuse plant.
In other matters on the agenda Monday:
*Council heard a request from Nancy Byler, representative of the Texas Silver Haired Legislature regarding taxes for senior and disabled citizens. She requested that city property taxes be capped for those 65 and older. City officials said that they will analyze during the budget process what the impact would be on the city budget.
*Council agreed unanimously to partner with the Chamber of Commerce, Brown County, City of Early and the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation to enter into an agreement with Rural Issues Consultant Bob Turner for services during the 2015 Texas Legislative Session in the amount not to exceed $7600.
*Council approved Mayor Stephen Haynes appointment of Eric Wiley to the Airport Board. Wiley will fill the unexpired term of Stuart Coleman who resigned from the board due to health problems.
