CITY COUNCIL
Public Works could get a new building, but improvements to the city’s animal shelter are off the table for now while city leaders consider floating a bond issue next year.
At Thursday’s specialcalled City Council meeting, leaders directed staff to create a proposal for $20 million to $25 million in capitalimprovement projects to be funded if the measure meets voter acceptance.
Approval to place a bond referendum on the May ballot will be considered at a future meeting.
“Public Works lives in a dump. Let’s just call it,” said Mayor Dwayne Ariola. “To have our own property with the ability to possibly expand in the future, in a decent spot, I think it’s the right move.”
The city’s public works facilities are scattered in old buildings along Main Street.
Officials said the structures are problematic, with some areas not having air conditioning and all being outdated and too small.
Chris Casey, an architect with HDR, presented several options for consolidating the Public Works Department in a larger and more functional building. The council supported the possibility of purchasing an existing 13,600-squarefoot metal building at 1403 Welch St., in an area formerly known as Hidalgo Park.
A vacant lot is adjacent to the site, which is already city property, so in total there would be 6 acres available. Casey said that is enough room to house public works, the utility crew and the fleet.
The estimated cost of the property and renovations is almost $3.6 million.
City leaders discussed delaying renovations to Fire Station 1 for a year in order to fit the new public works building into the target bond budget if necessary.
However, renovations to the fire house must be complete before the new ladder truck arrives in 2026.
Council members delayed support to a suggested investment of $300,000 needed to renovate the city animal shelter. The shelter was updated in 2023, but has faced issues with temperature control in the kennels.
City leaders indicated the price tag seemed exorbitant for the 1,500-square-foot facility, with the area in question having enough space for only 16 dogs.
“This was a touchy subject. It was either shift the animals to Williamson County and pay them a monthly rent or build a brand new animal shelter,” Ariola said, noting that, just a year ago, the community was happy to have the new facility. “We spent $2.7 million on this animal shelter, and all I’m hearing is what a terrible facility this is.”
Other items the elected officials directed the staff to include in the capital-improvement bond proposal included:
• Street maintenance on Wesley Miller and Davis streets
• A cost-estimate for adding sidewalks in high-pedestrian areas north of town
• A downtown master plan streetscape project
• Surveillance cameras to increase safety and security in the downtown area
• Drainage improvements on Gabriel Street, North Drive, McLain Street and Mariposa Lane, with Debus Drive being added to the list, depending on the budget
• A parks master plan update
• Renovation of Fire Station 2
• Renovation of Fire Station 1 before 2026
• The new ladder truck for Fire Station 1, which has already been ordered
• Funds committed to support the county’s extension of Samsung Highway from FM 973 to Texas 95 Chief Financial Officer Jeff Wood said one reason bond funding is preferred for infrastructure has to do with shifting some of the financial burden to people who will be using it in the future.
“One of the main reasons (to not fund with cash on hand) is you’re taking dollars that are being paid by today’s citizens for improvements that (are) going to last for the next 30 years, and everybody that comes after today gets the benefit of that improvement and doesn’t pay anything for it,” Wood said.
Councilman Gerald Anderson agreed debt funding is necessary for larger municipal projects.
“You can’t look at this as our personal house banking account, the city needs these services to function, and if we keep denying the money to get these city services, we’re actually doing a disservice to our citizens who need this flood mitigation, who need these roads fixed,” he said. “There’s a difference between being cheap and conservative. The time for being cheap is out.”
