Brownwood City Manager Bobby Rountree asked city council members to consider a variety of future capital projects to improve city facilities and infrastructure.
According to Rountree, in September 2012, the city will pay off their 1992 Wastewater Bonds which will free up $480,000 annually for additional debt service. Because of this, the city will be able to concentrate on new projects which could benefit the city if approved.
City staff is in the process of developing project cost estimates for these proposed improvement projects. All estimates are rough numbers said Rountree. Firm cost estimates will be established on all of these items which will then be brought back to the council for official action should the council decide to proceed, said Rountree.
Proposed projects include:
New Central Fire Station/land acquisition: $3.5M to $4M cost estimate. The current facility according to Rountree is in a busy intersection which often makes entry and exit of emergency vehicles difficult. The existing station would be demolished (demolition costs were not included in the above estimated price). According to Rountree a couple of locations for the new station are being considered.
Street reconstruction: $4M to $5M cost estimate. Higher traffic and high visibility areas (possibly around schools, etc.) are being considered stated Rountree.
New Soccer Fields Construction: $1.5 to $2M cost estimate. The completion of the Parks Projects included demolition of the existing ball fields and construction of new soccer fields at the old Camp Bowie Park. The sale of Certificates of Obligation would allow the city to finish what was started in the project. With the land currently being used for the soccer association is on the market for sale, its use could be nearing an end, leaving the city with no soccer complex.
Irrigation for the Massey Sports Complex: $80K-$100K cost estimate. This project includes drilling water wells and installing storage tanks for irrigation of the ball fields at this complex.
Wastewater Treatment Plant: According to Rountree, a loan in the amount of $8M to $10M from the Texas Water Development Board for Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements ($2.5M-$3M) and the new Water Reuse Plant project ($8M-$10M) which Rountree stated will be funded primarily by savings in treated water cost to the Brown County Water Improvement District; however it is unlikely that this will pay all of the costs.
Rountree pointed out that some of these projects are time sensitive, such as road construction which cannot be done during the winter and the construction of the new plant to avoid water shortage should the drought continue.
These items were only introduced and will be brought before the council in future meetings for consideration and action. The next Brownwood City Council meeting is scheduled for March 6th in place of the regularly scheduled meeting of March 16th due to Spring Break, which is the week of March 13th.
In other matters on the agenda:
*Council approved an ordinance on first reading changing the zoning classifications for Lots 9 & 10 of Block 2, of the Porter Addition, located in the 1600 block of Dublin Street, from R3 Multi-Family Residential District to MH Manufactured Home/Mobile Home. This new zoning will allow the owner to sell the property to a buyer who wished to place a mobile home on the lots for his personal residence.
*Council approved an action taken by the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) Board of Directors, which will allow for a BEDC loan for $100,000 to be approved to Ratliff Steel for expansion of the business. Ratliff steel will be expanding from a steel supplier to a steel service center, which can offer cut-to-spec steel, pre-fabrication, fabrication, assembly, inventory management, storage, transportation and plasma-cut finished products. Since 2010, the company has grown from 4 to 15 employees during phase I of their rebuilding and expansion plan. During phase II, the company will need to buy equipment to maintain and increase their production such as a forklift, welding machines, overhead crane and shop tools. The loan will feature a job credit of $2,000 per job retained or created with a maximum credit of $10,000 per year. The loan also gives 0% interest on payment of the loan balance after job credit of $4286/year or $30,000 for term, if full job credit is applied, according to city officials.
*The annual audit report given by Tony Krischke of Krischke CPA, PC for year ended September 30, 2011 was accepted as presented. According to Krischke, the city did well in operating within the budget and, in fact, was $491,000 better than the budget projections for the year.
*An ordinance was passed on first reading extending the term, and providing for the renewal of, the franchise granted to Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, to use City right-of-way for the construction and operation of an electric transmission and distribution system. City Attorney Pat Chesser explained this renewal was the same as the previous agreement approved by the council on April 24, 2007; however its only difference is the extension of the term of the agreement.
*Financial Director Walter Middleton gave the budgetary control report and thanked city employees that were instrumental in keeping within the budget, such as the department heads, his staff and those in purchasing. Middleton stated that, “Our department heads are really first class, for staying in budget, the credit goes to them.” According to Middleton his current worries of staying in budget this year are caused by fuel costs which are exceeding the budget projections and the lower amount of water consumption, which reduces revenue, both of which were expected variables.
*Brownwood Police Chief Mike Corley presented the annual racial profiling report to the council. According to the report which was prepared by the Professional Development Institute of the University of North Texas, Brownwood Police Department was in full compliance with Texas law and the one and only complaint of racial profiling received by BPD was determined to be unfounded.
