White House council approves emergency public-works repairs, orders further cost reports

The White House City Council in April approved emergency repairs to several public-works assets and authorized staff to proceed with smaller repairs using existing certificate-of-obligation and utility balances while returning to council with bids for larger projects.

City staff told the council that unbudgeted needs at multiple public-works facilities had reached a level requiring immediate work to protect infrastructure and services. The projects discussed included roof and restroom repairs at the public works shop, replacement and electrical modifications for wastewater-treatment pumps, drainage repairs on Topaz and Lexington, rehabilitation of the Austin Bank elevated water tank and a proposed water/wastewater master plan.

"Most of these none of these have been budgeted, but I think doing it now ensures our long term sustainability for our operations and services," said Miss Black, a city staff member who briefed the council. She said the city hopes to fund some work with remaining balances from prior certificates of obligation issued in 2018 and 2022 and with utility fund balance.

Staff provided specific cost estimates for several items: roof repair at the public works shop ($42,000) and a bathroom renovation ($10,900); a pump replacement at the wastewater plant ($30,600) and electrical work on the second pump ($18,280); an estimated $400,000 to rehabilitate the Austin Bank 100,000-gallon elevated storage tank; a proposed water/wastewater master plan estimated at $350,000; and about $12,000 for critical safety equipment including chlorine leak detectors and replacement sensors.

Miss Black said one of the headworks pumps had been out of service for roughly 18 months and that the plant has been operating on backup pumps in that time. She described drainage failures on Topaz as causing sinkholes and risking the loss of a property fence. The Austin Bank tank rehabilitation follows a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality inspection that gave the city until December 2026 to rehabilitate that tank and a second tank on Hagan Road, she said.

A council member moved to approve repairs to the public workshop, wastewater pump replacement and modifications, and drainage infrastructure repairs; another council member seconded the motion and the council adopted it by voice vote. The motion authorized the emergency repairs discussed and directed staff to return with formal contracts and final cost estimates for larger items where procurement thresholds or contract amounts require council action.

Council members asked staff to bring back the full engineering estimates and formal contract documents before proceeding with the larger rehabilitation and master-plan work. Miss Black said staff will present those items to council for approval as costs are finalized.

Funding sources discussed included remaining balances on 2018 street and stormwater certificates of obligation (approximately $935,947 available for stormwater work), the 2022 certificates of obligation (primarily issued for City Center/109 East Main) and utility-fund balance for wastewater-related repairs.