Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lago Vista tables adoption of final water master plan after cost, schedule questions
Summary
City council delayed formal adoption of a Freese Nichols water master plan after councilors and staff debated projected costs, timing for major projects and how to match capital work with state water capacity requirements.
Lago Vista city council on Feb. 6 delayed adoption of a final water master plan prepared by Freese Nichols after councilors pressed staff and consultant Jessica (Freese Nichols) for clarified cost and timing estimates for the next 5–10 years.
Councilors and staff said the draft contains materially different cost estimates from earlier versions and that some high-cost projects could be moved out of the near-term five-year capital improvement plan. Freese Nichols’ Jessica said the updated plan reduces the previously reported Water Treatment Plant 3 cost from almost $39 million to about $18 million, and that the packet’s summary number had been corrected to approximately $37.2 million for the five-year CIP.
The change lowered the five-year total but prompted more questions about when the city must expand its water treatment capacity to meet Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) guidance. “The water treatment plant expansion…will get us to the 10-year window and not much beyond that,” Jessica said, adding the proposed elevated storage tank and many line projects are sized for buildout. Councilors asked whether the city may request an alternative capacity requirement from TCEQ to delay some investments.
Councilors also discussed whether to keep or decommission an existing elevated storage tank (the “golf-ball” tank), how to time small-diameter pipe replacement with street maintenance, and if the Lohman Ford 16-inch waterline could be shifted into the 10-year program rather than the five-year program to reduce near-term budget pressure.
Mayor and councilors said the city must balance spending against grant and federal funding timetables. Councilor Prince pressed for the plan to be as conservative as possible in the five-year CIP so that shovel-ready projects for funding requests are accurate while not overstating immediate needs.
After extended discussion and clarification of the correct figures, Councilor Prince moved and Councilor Owen seconded a motion to table the item and place the final, finalized (sealed) plan on the Feb. 20 consent agenda so staff can finalize the corrections and the consultant can “seal” the document. The motion passed unanimously.
The city manager and consultant said staff will finalize the corrected plan, include a sealed final version and bring it back as a consent item on Feb. 20 so the council can proceed with grant applications and federal funding deadlines.
