The Brownwood City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to withdraw from the commitment of the Texas Water Development Board loan in the amount of $8,560,000 for the proposed supplemental water treatment plant (also known as the wastewater reuse plant).
The council had authorized an application to be made to the TWDB on April 24, 2012 for a $12 million loan to fund the costs of two projects, improvements to the existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and construction of a new supplemental water treatment plant (SWTP). November 12, 2012 the council authorized the issuance and sale of City of Brownwood Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2012A totaling $3,440,000 funded through the TWDB for improvements to the existing wastewater treatment plant. The remaining funds in the amount of $8,560,000 for the SWTP have not been issued. Multiple extensions have been requested by the city manager, the last of which was April 8, 2015. This last extension expires September 30, 2015 and the TWDB has informed the City of Brownwood that no more extensions will be granted.
Options of either moving forward with the commitment and closing on the loan within about two months or allowing the commitment to expire and sending a formal letter withdrawing from the commitment.
Mayor Stephen Haynes explained that heavy rainfall in July (6-8 inches in Brownwood), Lake Brownwood being at capacity, no water restrictions are in place, and the fact that the Brown County Water Improvement District is continuing to pursue the viability of a well field for an additional water source, made the timing of building a supplemental plant less urgent. He recommended declining the loan.
Mayor Haynes explained that the wastewater reuse plant was permitted for Brownwood to build. Similar types of plants were constructed in Wichita Falls and Colorado City and that Abilene is also in the process of constructing a similar supplemental or wastewater reuse plant as well. He stated that Brownwood has never voted to implement the plan partially because Lake Brownwood had stayed at levels higher than those of areas that he had mentioned.
“Now however, we find that Lake Brownwood is full and so it does not appear there is an imminent need to build that plant. My primary concern all along has not been the health and safety of the issue, but the cost of the issue,” said Haynes. “As we see in the item that we have withdrawn from this morning, these things never come back to be the cost we project them to be, and so I would anticipate that the $8 million project could turn into a $20 million dollar project and would not be very cost affordable or feasible.”
Mayor Haynes then recommended that the council allow the commitment to expire.
Councilman Larry Mathis made a motion to withdraw from the TWDB loan.
“I am going to move that we do that (withdraw from the loan), but with the caveat that we understand that we are blessed, that we have a full lake now, and that may or may not always be the case. Sometimes the best planning is before it becomes a crisis rather than having to build while it is a crisis,” Mathis stated. “So we just need to stay on top of what happens with this well field with the Brown County Water Improvement District. Now is not the time to move, but that we need to at least keep it in the back of our head, and that we look for other solutions in case we get in a bind again and that we be prepared before a crisis happens.”
Haynes stated that this project was being developed before the legislative session of 2013 where money was set aside from the State of Texas’ Rainy Day fund for these types of projects. He added that the City of Brownwood should be able to go back to the TWDB to get financing should the necessity be determined to build the plant in the future.
In other matters on Tuesday’s agenda:
*Council ratified mayoral appointments and re-appointments to various boards and commissions of the City of Brownwood. These included H.D. Jones to the airport board, Draco Miller to fill the unexpired term of Carl McMillan on the Brown County Appraisal District board, Draco Miller to the Center For Life Resources board, Suzanne Prosise to fill the unexpired term of Tom Adams on the Library Board, Wayne Keeler to fill the unexpired term of Don Bostic on the Transportation Museum board, Daniel Hutson to fill the unexpired term of Ashley Chilcote who resigned from the Zoning Board of Adjustments, and of standing council committees.
*City Manager Emily Crawford reported that road construction on Coggin Avenue is expected to be completed Wednesday and that citizens are asked to continue to use alternate routes. Construction on Indian Creek, Stephen F. Austin and Calvert Roads are nearing completion as well and should be completed before school starts next month, according to Crawford. Construction on Clark and Waley near the Howard Payne University campus is also in progress, slated to be completed before HPU classes begin.
*Crawford also reported that the Camp Bowie Soccer Complex is continuing to see progress with the sod completion on the fields along with completion of the electrical conduits within the complex. Grass around the fields has been delayed due to the recent heavy rainfall but even with the delay, the complex should be completed in time for Centex Soccer to begin their season the second weekend of September. “The project is running up to the wire, be we feel like it will be completed in time,” said Crawford.
