Todd, a consultant working with the city’s design team, and city staff presented updated renderings and two cost options for the proposed community-center master plan at the Dec. 10 council workshop: a roughly $35 million option and a roughly $45 million option, with the primary difference being the new covered arena roof type.

City staff and the consultant described the fabric‑membrane roof option as a system that sits over a substantial steel framing system; staff emphasized the quoted product was the firm’s top‑of‑line membrane with a 25‑year warranty. The presentation compared the membrane’s maintenance profile, light transmission and modular replacement advantages against more traditional metal roofing. Staff noted a nearby example at Texas A&M University uses the same roof product. The consultant also provided video and product literature that staff said they would forward to council.

On funding, staff presented a menu of sources under the state venue-project framework and offered how those sources could be packaged to support revenue bonds. Key funding elements discussed were a 2 percentage‑point increase in the hotel occupancy (wholesale) tax to support approximately $8 million in revenue bonds; a car‑rental tax projected to support roughly $3 million in bonds; and an expected county contribution the staff listed at about $3 million. Staff also described an additional 1.5 percentage‑point uplift of existing occupancy-tax receipts as part of the package. Staff said the marketable revenue-bond amount from the venue tax approach would be determined after the city completes required steps with the state comptroller’s office and voter authorization.

City staff recommended polling registered voters (a 300‑respondent survey through Cooksey Communications) to measure support; that poll is scheduled for after the holidays with results expected in late January. Staff presented two timing options for a ballot measure: May 2025 (shorter timeline, design and construction schedule that aims to start construction March 2026 and finish in time for the 2027 livestock show) or November 2025 (more time for outreach, construction would start later). Staff noted a May schedule would require rapid steps: a venue‑project qualifying resolution to the state, ballot placement and a Feb. call for the May election.

Staff discussed implementation details: possible countywide election (to give county residents who use the facility a vote), separating hotel‑tax and car‑rental propositions on the ballot so voters could approve one and not the other, and the need to decide whether to use some utility fund cash for site/drainage work. Staff also proposed bringing a resolution to the council to send to the state comptroller to confirm the project qualifies as a venue project.

Ending: Council asked for more information, including the polling results and more technical detail about the membrane roof; staff said the roof vendor and the consultant would be available for follow‑up briefings and offered a site visit to a comparable Texas facility. No binding council action was taken; staff described next steps toward a ballot measure if council chooses to proceed.