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Council approves Operation Lone Star overtime grant and several city measures; hires utilities director and approves billing software contract
Summary
Alpine City Council approved applying for Operation Lone Star overtime funds, certified unopposed candidates for local election orders, hired a director of utilities, and approved a five-year utility-billing contract; vote counts and next steps are listed below.
At its meeting the Alpine City Council approved a series of action items including a police grant application for Operation Lone Star overtime, certification and cancellation orders for an unopposed local race, the appointment of a new utilities director, and a five‑year contract for utility billing software.
Police grant: The council approved Resolution 2025-03-05 to authorize the police department to apply for Operation Lone Star funding for fiscal year 2026 to cover overtime only. City staff said the department will not request equipment this round and sought roughly $60,000–$80,000 for overtime to cover additional patrol hours. Police leaders said prior grants had funded license‑plate readers and other equipment; the current application is overtime‑focused. The resolution passed with four council members voting in favor and one against (Council member Stone recorded as voting yes in the roll call; one council member expressed concern about the program but the council approved the overtime‑only request). The council recorded the formal passage of Resolution 2025-03-05.
Elections orders: The council approved orders to certify unopposed candidates for the May general election and to cancel the unopposed Ward 3 race under Texas Election Code §2.052. The orders were approved unanimously.
Hiring and contracts: The council approved the City Manager’s recommendation to hire David Luce as Director of Utilities with a starting salary identified in the hiring memo; council members praised Luce’s prior local and regional experience. The council also approved a five‑year, cloud‑hosting contract with Continental Utility Solutions, Inc. (CUSI) for meter reading, billing and a customer portal; staff said the project aims to consolidate utility billing, reduce manual data entry, and prepare the system for future smart‑meter integration. The CUSI contract includes a one‑time implementation fee and ongoing monthly hosting charges; the council approved the contract unanimously.
Votes at a glance: 1) Resolution 2025-03-05 (Operation Lone Star overtime application) — approved (yes 4, no 1); 2) Order 2025-03-02 (certification of unopposed candidates) — approved unanimously; 3) Order 2025-03-03 (cancellation of unopposed Ward 3 race) — approved unanimously; 4) Hire — Director of Utilities (David Luce) — approved unanimously; 5) Five‑year CUSI utility‑billing/cloud contract — approved unanimously.
Council did not take immediate action on items requiring new appropriations at this meeting; staff will return with implementation details, procurement steps and budget amendments where required.
