Dickinson council approves budget amendment, interlocal street funding and several appointments; ordinance amendment on fireworks fails

The Dickinson City Council held a meeting in which members approved several items of fiscal and intergovernmental business and designated representatives to regional agencies.

Key council actions included: adopting a mid-year budget amendment to cover mutual-aid EMS calls with the Galveston County Health District; approving a resolution to accept partial county funding for city street improvements; designating representatives to the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) general assembly and the Gulf Coast Transit District; and approving a construction change order for the Hughes Road drainage project to upgrade cathodic protection on a railroad crossing.

Budget amendment: Council voted to amend the adopted fiscal 2024-25 budget to cover mutual-aid EMS calls. The packet and discussion show the city had already recorded roughly $114,030 in EMS charges for the year; council approved an additional appropriation in the neighborhood of $115,000 to cover project expenditures through the fiscal year. The council's motion to add that funding passed.

Interlocal street funding: Council approved a resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement with Galveston County to partially fund street improvements within the city limits. Council members praised cooperation with county leaders and noted the action allows the city to capture grant/bond funding for pavement work.

Regional representation: The council designated a primary and alternate to the HGAC general assembly and to the Gulf Coast Transit District board for FY2025-26. For the HGAC general assembly the council named Council Member Mark Townsend as primary and Council Member Bill Schick as alternate. For the Gulf Coast Transit District the council appointed Mayor Travis Magliolo as primary and City Manager Rich Gap as alternate.

Hughes Road project change order: Council approved a change order to substitute an impressed-current cathodic protection system (electrically powered and remotely monitored) in lieu of a galvanic sacrificial-anode system at the railroad crossings in the Hughes Road drainage project. Engineers and staff advised the impressed-current system has a longer service life (projected 30'40 years versus roughly 10'15 years for the sacrificial anode design) and reduces recurring railroad mobilization and inspection costs. Staff stated that the change order will be paid from the project contingency within the grant, not from the city's general fund.

Other business: Council approved a small amendment to Chapter 8 (business regulation) of the city code (definition change) and held a number of procedural housekeeping items. The packed agenda also included public comments on permitting and storm recovery (see separate article).

Votes at a glance (actions on the meeting record): - Budget amendment for EMS mutual-aid (agenda 7a): passed (motion carried; additional appropriation ~ $115,000). - Chapter 8 code definition amendment (agenda 7b): passed. - Interlocal agreement for street funding with Galveston County (agenda 7c): passed. - HGAC representative designation (agenda 6b): passed (Mark Townsend primary; Bill Schick alternate). - Gulf Coast Transit District representatives (agenda 7d): passed (Mayor Travis Magliolo primary; City Manager Rich Gap alternate). - Rytec Construction change order for cathodic protection on Hughes Road (agenda 7e): passed; payment from grant contingency. - Fireworks ordinance amendment (agenda 6a): failed (motion as amended failed 3'4).

The council discussed whether to schedule additional or special meetings to address the fireworks ordinance before the July Fourth holiday; no special emergency ordinance was adopted at the meeting.