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 would take about 12 months and construction about 6–9 months (approximately 18–24 months total). Pursuing SRF funding would add roughly a year to the start of design because the city must submit a Project Information Form (PIF) in early March, wait for the SRF intended‑use plan in the fall to learn whether it is above the funding line, and then apply and wait for loan approval—making the total timeline nearer 3 years. SRF loans typically offer lower interest rates (about 1.5 percentage points lower, he said) but the SRF route can add federal compliance costs, origination fees and one additional year of inflation and material‑cost pressure. Lisonbee said staff will present comparative cost and rate‑impact scenarios from the city’s financial advisor at the council’s Feb. 18 regular meeting so councilors can choose a path.

- Affordability and socioeconomic context: Lisonbee reminded the council that roughly one in four households in Commerce have annual household incomes at or below about $25,000, and that a substantial share of households live in poverty. He said those constraints make the choice of financing and the resulting utility‑rate or debt‑service impacts an important equity consideration.

- Grants and previous applications: The city applied for several grants over the past year. Lisonbee said the city’s $20 million EPA climate initiative submission narrowly missed the funding cut and was resubmitted after addressing reviewer comments; the city did not receive the EPA grant in the first round. The city also applied for the downtown revitalization (DRP) grant but was disqualified on the prior‑administration record of incomplete grant projects (what staff called being in “grant jail”); staff said the city was invited to reapply in the next DRP cycle. The city was accepted into a HOME program that allows up to 10 homeowner replacement projects per year with a typical city match of about 10% (often provided as in‑kind demolition/permits); Lisonbee said about ten applications had been received immediately after opening.

- Water supply planning: The water master plan submitted to council covers 50 years of supply and delivery options. Lisonbee said about 75% of Commerce’s water currently is delivered under contract from Lake Tawakoni (Sabine River Authority), with a contract expiring in 2027; the quoted price under renewal would jump from $0.03 per thousand gallons to $0.36 per thousand gallons. Commerce also holds water rights in Chapman/Cooper Lake that are currently used under a 99‑year arrangement; staff are evaluating a 2‑mile pipeline to tap a nearby North Texas Municipal/Irving pipeline to draw that water, with design and construction each taking roughly a year.

- Economic development and housing: The city’s EDC and a retail recruiting consultant have generated interest from multiple retailers and restaurants (lists provided to council), and several residential developments are in progress or planned, including Phase 2 of East Oak Creek, a 102‑unit townhome project, a proposed 58‑lot subdivision on Pritchard Road, and a developer proposing up to roughly 700 homes on land east of town contingent on annexation and utility service. On the industrial side, the former Covidian/Nexi 330,000‑square‑foot building has sold to a consortium tied to Signature Solar, Big Battery and Outback Power; staff said those employers expect to create at least 200 jobs in the next two years and are hiring immediately.

- Streets and equipment: The council reinforced the street‑maintenance program funded by a small monthly street fee. The city has purchased an “asphalt zipper” reclamation attachment and will receive it the month following the presentation, enabling the city to reclaim base material and perform longer‑lasting repairs; staff explained they will practice on lower‑traffic streets before deploying to main corridors. Reconstruction projects under way include Washington Street, Park Street and planned work on Sterling Heart and Oak Lane.

- Code enforcement and vacant buildings: Staff reported stepped‑up code enforcement and that a vacant‑building registration ordinance is under development with an initial enforcement focus on downtown commercial properties. For a long‑vacant complex at 224 Live Oak (Live Oak Apartments) staff reported multiple fires, asbestos in the structures and roughly $250,000 in unpaid taxes; staff instructed the city’s tax attorneys to begin tax foreclosure proceedings and prepare for a sheriff’s sale if a buyer does not materialize.

- Public‑safety, equipment and facilities: The city is acquiring a ladder truck (about $1.9 million) and Lisonbee said the university has agreed in writing to contribute $500,000 toward that apparatus. The city has three finalists for police‑chief recruitment (Paul Oden, John Dinsmore and Corley Weatherford) and staff will complete a department staffing and equipment evaluation when the new chief is on board. Staff also reported work with Paris Junior College and local employers to develop workforce training for incoming solar and manufacturing employers.

Quotes from the presentation

Jamie Lisonbee, city manager: “We are not going to run out of water.”

Jamie Lisonbee, city manager: “If we don’t get into this plant and fix these problems, they’re not going to get better. They’re going to get worse.”

Next steps and council timing

Staff will deliver financial scenarios and specific rate‑impact estimates from the city’s financial adviser at the Feb. 18 regular council meeting, with a recommended decision point that day about whether the city should pursue SRF funding or fund the repairs with local borrowing (certificates of obligation or similar). Lisonbee asked the council to weigh lower long‑term interest against added SRF compliance costs and a longer schedule that could raise construction prices.

Ending

Lisonbee closed by thanking staff and the council and noting the strategic plan marks the city’s priorities for the next 3–5 years. Council members and staff thanked Lisonbee for the briefing; the workshop ended after a motion to adjourn was seconded and carried.