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Council approves HDR work orders for lift-station relocation and force main routing; reimbursement resolution adopted
Summary
The council approved two HDR Engineering work orders — $62,000 for lift-station site assessment and $83,700 for force-main routing to Houston Southwest Wastewater Plant — and adopted a resolution declaring intent to reimburse expenditures from future tax-exempt bonds.
Bel Air — The City Council on Sept. 8 approved two work orders under an existing professional services agreement with HDR Engineering Inc. to advance design and investigation for two major wastewater projects, and adopted a resolution preserving the city’s option to reimburse eligible project costs from future tax-exempt bond proceeds.
City staff and engineering consultant Beth Jones described work order No. 3 (not to exceed $62,000) as a site investigation and utility coordination to relocate the existing Bel Air lift station that currently sits in a median. The work will include underground utility investigations, site options and recommendations; easements or land acquisition may be required depending on findings.
Work order No. 4 (not to exceed $83,700) funds preliminary engineering to pin down the route and force-main alignment needed to connect Bel Air’s wastewater facility to the Houston Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant. Jones said HDR cannot complete final design until the city and the downstream utility agree on the connection alignment.
Councilmember Gordon declared a recusal on these items because he said he had an unrelated business matter with HDR; the recusal was noted on the record and he did not participate in the votes on HDR items. The council approved work order No. 3 by those eligible to vote; later work order No. 4 also passed. The council then adopted a resolution declaring its official intent under federal tax rules to reimburse project expenditures with proceeds of tax-exempt bonds should the city choose to issue bonds later.
Why it matters: The lift-station relocation could require easements or land purchase but would move critical wastewater infrastructure out of a traffic median; the force-main route decision is the prerequisite for final design and construction of a significant regional connection.
What happens next: HDR will perform the subsurface investigations and alignment studies; staff will return with recommendations, cost estimates and, if appropriate, requests for easements or property acquisitions. The reimbursement resolution allows the city to consider bonding later and to retroactively designate prior expenditures as bond-funded under IRS rules if the city sells bonds.
Votes and formal actions: Work order No. 3 (HDR) approved (6–0 with one recusal); work order No. 4 (HDR) approved (6–0); resolution declaring intent to reimburse expenditures from tax-exempt bond proceeds approved (unanimous).
