The Kennedale City Council on July 15 unanimously approved Change Order No. 2 for the T4 ground storage water tank with Texas Aquashore, increasing the project’s scope to add components required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Council members voted to proceed after staff said funding is available and construction should be complete in early August.

City staff explained the change order adds double check valves, cathodic protection and other items required by the TCEQ. “These items are necessary for us to make sure that that tank is functioning efficiently, correctly and how it should based on the TCEQ,” said Christian, a city staff member presenting the item.

At the meeting Christian said the project’s original budget was “just under a million.” He and council members said the two change orders now put the project cost at approximately $1.5 million — about $500,000 over the original budget. Christian identified one cathodic protection line item as $35,000 for piping and valve surrounds.

Mayor Brad Horton described how the city will cover the increase, saying the city has unspent capital that generated investment revenue and available water impact fees. “The investment money is in the water fund, so that's really one in the same. So we're initially gonna use as the bond. We wanna use the bond money that we had allocated for these projects first. Then if we exceed that, which we are going to, we'll look at the investment revenue in the water sewer fund,” Horton said. Staff also said they had discussed the change order with the finance director and city manager and that sufficient funds exist to cover the additional cost.

Council members pressed staff on timing and remaining risks. Christian said piping is underway and the contractor is finishing construction; if weather cooperates, the tank would be filled, tested and operational in early August. Christian cautioned only minor work remains and said he hoped there would be no further change orders.

Councilman David Glover moved approval; the council recorded the motion as passing unanimously. The council did not take additional related financial actions at the meeting.

Why this matters: the T4 tank is part of Kennedale’s water infrastructure; added equipment is intended to meet TCEQ requirements and to reduce future maintenance. City officials said the chosen tank design should minimize maintenance because of its steel and glass-lined construction.

Next steps: Staff will complete piping and testing, then place the tank into service pending final inspections and testing.