Plainview council accepts clean audit, approves airport grant reapplication, water sale and easements; rejects sewer bid

Plainview City Council met March 20 and accepted the city's annual comprehensive financial report, authorized a reapplication for a federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant for a new airport terminal, approved several local agreements including a bulk water sale and an underground utility easement, and rejected a single bid for a sewer pipe bursting project. The council also heard the Plainview Fire Department's 2024 annual report. All formal motions recorded at the meeting passed by unanimous voice vote.

The auditor's report opened the meeting. Christie Fay, audit manager for Moss LLP, told the council the firm issued an unmodified ("clean") opinion on the city's financial statements and found no material weaknesses, no significant deficiencies and no compliance findings. Fay said the city's total assets increased from about $151 million to about $160 million, driven largely by a $17 million rise in capital assets tied to a landfill expansion, metering projects and park improvements. Fay reported the city spent roughly $4,200,000 in ARPA grant funds in the year and had about $300,000 of ARPA funds remaining at fiscal year-end. She summarized: "Our opinion this year is an unmodified opinion ... it's just a clean opinion. We had no findings, no problems, no areas of concern." The council voted to accept the financial report on a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Weiss, seconded by Council Member Rascon.

Why it matters: The unmodified opinion signals the independent auditor found the city's financial statements reliable for the fiscal year under audit. The audit also documents the scale of recent capital investment and the near-term drawdown of ARPA funds, which informs budgeting and capital planning.

Votes at a glance (motions and recorded outcomes) - Accept comprehensive annual financial report: Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Weiss; seconded by Council Member Rascon; outcome: approved (unanimous; vote reported as 5-0). - Reject bid for Fourth Street pipe bursting (Beau Simon Inc.): Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Weiss; seconded by Council Member Dickerson; outcome: approved (motion to reject; unanimous). Staff reported an engineer's probable cost of about $63,000 and one bid above $250,000. - Authorize donation agreement with Wayland Baptist University for softball-field signage ($25,000 donation, logo permitted while lease remains in force): Moved by Council Member Rascon; seconded by Council Member House; outcome: approved (unanimous). - Accept 14-foot underground utility easement from Larry Gloria for property in the Emdele subdivision (to protect a water line): Moved by Council Member House; seconded by Council Member Dickerson; outcome: approved (unanimous). - Adopt resolution R25-659 to reapply for an EDA grant for the Plainview-Hale County Airport terminal building: Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Weiss; seconded by Council Member Rascon; outcome: approved (unanimous). The EDA application sought $1,500,000 after an earlier $2,000,000 application was unfunded; staff said additional federal funds, TechStack and BIL/IIJA funds are potential sources to reach an estimated $6.1 million project total. - Authorize sale of bulk (raw/untreated) water to Fuller and Sons for a TxDOT-related project in Randall County: Moved by Council Member House; seconded by Council Member Rascon; outcome: approved (unanimous). Terms reported: $6.11 per 1,000 gallons up to 3,300,000 gallons; $10.22 per 1,000 gallons for volumes over that amount with a 4,000,000-gallon cap; meter-installation and reading costs to be passed through. Staff estimated revenue at just over $20,000. - Convene executive session under Texas Government Code 'section 551.087 (economic development incentives): council recessed for closed session and later returned; no final action was reported in open session.

Details and supporting items Audit and finance: Fay said governmental fund balances increased by about $1,300,000 overall, with restricted balances up roughly $521,000 (driven by hotel/motel and other restricted receipts) and assigned balances increasing by about $777,000 after transfers to capital improvement funds. Property tax revenue rose by about $668,000 and sales tax by about $450,000; enterprise (water and sewer) revenues rose by about $3,600,000, driven by increased consumption. Fay said Moss LLP performed required federal single-audit procedures because ARPA spending exceeded $750,000 and reported no findings.

Fire department report: Fire Chief Bobby Gibson presented the department's 2024 annual report. Gibson said the department responded to 2,485 fire-related calls (including structure, vehicle, grass and rubbish fires) and 2,893 EMS calls, with 2,253 patient transports and 497 refusals/no-transports. Gibson described staffing at 36 members across three stations and summarized training and certification gains: 19 members completed certification advancements (EMT basics, paramedic training and firefighter certifications) and several instructors obtained state-level instructor certifications. A council member praised the department's response to a recent house fire, saying the professionalism and tenacity of first responders prevented greater loss.

Capital and infrastructure items - Sewer pipe bursting bid: Staff opened bids for a pipe-bursting project on Fourth Street between Xenia and Vernon with a probable cost estimate of $63,000. Only one bid was received and it exceeded $250,000; staff recommended rejecting the bid and rebidding the work. - Airport project and EDA grant: Public works staff described a multi-year effort to relocate and rebuild the airport terminal informed by a 2015 master plan and Airport Improvement Program work. Staff reported the airport's FAA classification changed from general aviation to regional, increasing certain annual federal entitlements (staff cited a change from about $145,000 per year to around $290,000). The council approved reapplying to the EDA for $1.5 million toward a project estimated at $6.1 million; staff said the city and county would together be responsible for roughly $2 million if all other grants come through. - Wayland Baptist University scoreboard sign: As part of a lease agreement to use a field at a new softball complex, Wayland Baptist University will donate $25,000 toward a scoreboard and may place its logo on the sign while the lease is active.

Utilities and agreements - Underground utility easement: The council accepted a 14-foot underground utility easement from Larry Gloria for the Emdele subdivision (between Southwest Fourth and Southwest Sixth) to protect an existing water line discovered during platting. - Bulk water sale: Staff presented an agreement to sell untreated water allocation to Fuller and Sons for a road-construction project in Randall County. City staff said the water treatment plant is currently offline for maintenance but wells are meeting city needs; staff said the allocation sale would not jeopardize local service.

Meeting close: The council recessed to an executive session under Texas Government Code section 551.087 to discuss economic development incentives and later returned to open session with no final action reported. The meeting adjourned at 7:37 p.m.

Ending: The council scheduled no further action on the presented reports at this meeting; staff will return with next steps on rebidding the sewer work and pursuing grant funding for the airport project.