Bay City council ratifies HMGP generator application, approves water-plant contracts and construction services

Bay City — The Bay City City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution ratifying a federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) application for generator installations at critical facilities and voted to award and amend several contracts and work authorizations tied to water and sewer infrastructure projects.

The council approved a resolution to ratify the city's DR‑4798 HMGP application for generators at four lift stations and the public library and designated the mayor as the city's authorized representative. City staff said the total project cost in the application is $961,427.25 and the city committed to a 25% local match. "With that, I recommend that council approves the resolution that ratifies the application under d r 4 7 9 8 appoints mayor as the city's authorized representative and commits the 25% local match," city staff member Gabriel told the council.

Why it matters: the generators are intended to reduce service disruptions at wastewater lift stations and at a public facility during storms or other power outages. Council members asked about fuel sources and integration; staff said the proposal calls for natural‑gas generators to limit competition for liquid fuel during emergencies.

Council also approved a contract with Lehi Construction for rehabilitation work at the 6 & I and Mockingbird water treatment plants under the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) 2023 Series Drinking Water SRF program. The mayor was authorized to execute the contract and the amount was presented to council as not to exceed $5,517,800. Council approved the Lehi contract with an explicit direction that staff and the city's engineering consultant return with additional value‑engineering and cost alternatives for the generators (including brand and service implications) before final procurement of those units.

City engineering and operations staff explained the Lehi contract and related items had been developed to secure economies of scale across multiple treatment‑plant projects, and that the package includes equipment, electrical work, and allowances for site improvements. "Most of that savings was associated with a potential for adding a canopy over the equipment...and some insulation and jacketing decisions," said Tyson Hahn, the engineering presenter, explaining recent value‑engineering discussions with the contractor.

The council also approved:

- Task Order No. 2 with Urban Engineering for engineering design, bidding and construction management services to rehabilitate the El Camino (Del Norte) sanitary sewer lift station and associated force main (presented cost $75,875). "This is for the rehabilitation of the Del Norte Lift Station," Crystal Mason, assistant director of public works, said when presenting the task order.

- Contract amendments and work authorizations with Garver LLC to provide construction engineering, construction inspection and SCADA/application engineering for the Mockingbird and Sixth Street projects and for the East Water treatment plant (work authorizations referenced and approved as part of the broader SRF package).

Council also approved the city's second quarter financial report for the period ending March 31, 2025, and accepted staff recommendations tied to investment and reserve policy reporting.

What council discussed: council members pressed staff on generator brand and maintenance issues — specifically, whether keeping a single brand (Cummins) across city assets justified higher upfront cost compared with alternatives (the contractor's bid included a Kohler generator as a lower‑cost alternative). Council asked about parts availability, service contracts and whether the city or contractors would hold spare parts. Staff said monthly preventive maintenance is performed in‑house and major repairs are contracted to third‑party service providers; council directed staff to return with a value‑engineering analysis that weighs lifecycle service, parts availability and cost.

Votes at a glance:

- Resolution ratifying DR‑4798 HMGP application for generators at four lift stations and the library; designating the mayor as authorized representative; city commits 25% local match; outcome: approved (vote recorded as unanimous on the floor). Total project cost in application stated as $961,427.25; the transcript did not present a clear numeric calculation of the 25% match.

- Contract with Lehi Construction for 6 & I and Mockingbird water treatment plant rehabilitation; amount not to exceed $5,517,800; outcome: approved with direction that staff return with value‑engineered generator options.

- Task Order No. 2 with Urban Engineering for El Camino/Del Norte lift station and force main rehabilitation; amount presented $75,875; outcome: approved.

- Contract amendment No. 1 to Garver LLC work authorization for Mockingbird design (administrative reallocation of fees); outcome: approved.

- Work authorizations Nos. 13, 14 and 15 with Garver LLC for construction engineering/inspection and SCADA/application engineering for Mockingbird, Sixth Street and East Water plant projects (TWDB funding); outcome: approved.

- Second‑quarter financial and investment reports for quarter ending 03/31/2025; outcome: approved.

What happens next: staff will proceed to finalize contracts and task orders and will return to council with the requested generator value‑engineering analysis and cost‑comparison information before procurement of the generator units. If the city is awarded the HMGP funding, staff said pre‑procurement engineering and grant administration arrangements are in place to move quickly into design and construction phases.

The council approved the items during its regularly scheduled meeting; multiple presenters included city engineering staff, consultants and the finance officer. No litigation, ordinance adoption, or changes to local code were enacted as part of these votes.