Bay City council approves architects contract, PID assessment update and backs TxDOT truck‑route study; reviews $128 million five‑year CIP

Bay City — The Bay City Council approved several contracts and policy items and spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing a proposed five‑year capital improvement plan that includes street and drainage work, water‑system upgrades and park and airport projects.

Council voted to approve a contract with FGM Architects for phase‑2 design and construction administration services for the city’s planned public safety building. The contract cap the council approved is $1,670,000; the work covers design development, construction documents and construction administration through the end of construction.

The meeting also produced several other formal approvals: the council adopted the 2025 update to the Russell Ranch Public Improvement District (PID) service and assessment plan and assessment roll; ratified the mayor’s signature to participate in the Purdue opioid‑related settlement; authorized awards for disaster debris‑clearance contracts following a joint RFP with Matagorda County; and approved a resolution asking the Texas Department of Transportation to fund a feasibility study for a possible State Highway 35 truck route in the Bay City vicinity.

Why it matters

The architect contract commits the city to the next design phase of a major public safety facility. The Russell Ranch PID ordinance sets the annual installment and assessment roll that will affect lot owners in that new subdivision. The opioid‑settlement ratification allows the city to receive and spend settlement proceeds under the terms of the master agreement; council discussed restrictions and internal sign‑off required for expenditures. The truck‑route study, if funded by TxDOT, could produce a recommended alignment that would move heavy truck traffic away from downtown — a possible public‑safety benefit that council members warned could also harm downtown businesses, and one that council members said should include local input during scoping.

Key vote outcomes and context

- FGM Architects contract (phase 2 design and construction…