Commerce City Manager outlines strategic-plan progress; wastewater repairs and financing loom

Commerce City Manager Jamie Lisonbee updated the Commerce City Council at a workshop on the status of the city’s strategic plan and upcoming budget and infrastructure decisions, focusing attention on an estimated $6 million repair program for the city’s wastewater treatment plant and near-term financing choices.

Lisonbee said the city’s strategic plan, adopted about a year earlier, centers on four council‑approved objectives: develop new revenue streams, build sustainable infrastructure, improve the city’s appearance, and improve quality of life. “The city of Commerce will be a vibrant, self sustaining community where families can put down roots in the soil and grass,” Lisonbee said, quoting the plan’s vision statement.

Why it matters: Lisonbee said repairs at the wastewater plant are not optional and must be funded soon to avoid enforcement action and to preserve the city’s capacity to serve growth. The council was told it will decide in mid‑February whether to finance the repairs directly or pursue a Texas Water Development Board State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan; each path has tradeoffs in cost and timing.

Key findings and commitments reported

- Wastewater plant condition and scope: Lisonbee described a roughly $6 million scope of work to restore the wastewater treatment plant’s full permit capacity. He said the plant, more than 70 years old, currently treats about 600,000–700,000 gallons per day on an average day, can treat up to about 1,000,000 gallons per day with current equipment, but is permitted for 2,000,000 gallons per day. Problems include failing aeration blowers and piping that lose a large share of delivered air, damaged diffusers, inoperative drying beds for sludge, and clarifier repairs. Lisonbee said partial fixes to pumps and filters at the potable water plant have restored that facility toward a 3,000,000‑gallon‑per‑day treatment capability.

- Timeline and financing choices: If the city designs and builds the wastewater repairs immediately, Lisonbee said the engineering/design phase…