Bellaire council approves consultant contract, park lighting and routine items in Aug. 18 meeting

The Bellaire City Council on Aug. 18 approved several contracts and routine ordinances, including a $100,000 professional‑services contract to hire HR&A Advisors Inc. to prepare an economic and implementation strategy for the city’s downtown and commercial districts, and a $146,950 purchase-and-install agreement with Musco Sports Lighting LLC to replace and upgrade court lights at Mulberry Park.

At the start of the meeting the council adopted four consent‑agenda ordinances by single motion: (1) a temporary suspension of the city’s prohibition on dogs and cats in parks for a Nature Discovery Center event (pumpkin patch); (2) a contract authorization with ACI Pipe & Supply for water and wastewater supplies (initial amount not to exceed $100,000, with renewals); (3) an agreement with 4 & Main for similar water and wastewater goods and services (not to exceed $60,000); and (4) a Tyler Technologies software‑as‑a‑service contract for the city’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system (initial amount ~$107,218). The consent agenda passed by unanimous vote without discussion.

Economic consulting contract: The council discussed a recommended award to HR&A Advisors (supported by local partner Levasseur Ventures and the William Fulton Group). Staff said the three‑phase project — analysis, recommendations and action planning — is intended to identify realistic development opportunities, program and policy options, and an implementation roadmap to help the city recruit appropriate businesses and guide redevelopment on key parcels including the former Randalls site. The contract price is not to exceed $100,000 and the work is expected to be completed in the coming months; council members asked staff to watch staff‑capacity and funding implications for any implementation work that may follow. The council approved the contract by unanimous vote.

Mulberry Park lights: Parks staff said an April pole failure and ongoing deterioration prompted removal of older poles; the Musco proposal replaces six older poles with four new poles for the courts, relocates and buries electrical lines, and adds two lights serving the parking lot. The vendor presented target foot‑candles and a shielded design intended to meet the city’s lighting limits and to minimize spill to adjacent properties; the lighting system includes remote and scheduled controls. The purchase and installation agreement (including budget amendment) passed unanimously.

What the council approved (high level): - HR&A Advisors Inc. professional‑services contract (economic development consulting): not to exceed $100,000; approved unanimously. - Musco Sports Lighting LLC (Mulberry Park court lights): not to exceed $146,950; approved unanimously; includes undergrounding of electrical lines. - Consent agenda ordinances (adopted by single motion): temporary park animal waiver for a Nature Discovery Center event; ACI Pipe & Supply contract (water/wastewater supplies); 4 & Main contract (water/wastewater supplies); Tyler Technologies ERP SaaS agreement.

Why it matters: The HR&A contract represents a forward‑looking investment in strategy and market analysis intended to guide downtown redevelopment and to identify implementation steps that could bring new businesses and revenue to the city. The Mulberry Park lighting project replaces outdated infrastructure and addresses an identified safety concern after a pole failure.

Votes at a glance: All items described above passed by unanimous vote of council members present on Aug. 18, 2025.

Implementation notes: Staff said the HR&A engagement is expected to yield specific implementation tasks; if additional staff or budget are needed to act on recommendations, council would review those requests separately. The lighting installation is expected to proceed following procurement and a manufacturing lead time; Musco representatives estimated equipment manufacturing of 6–8 weeks followed by an installation period.