Council voted to authorize professional services agreements with BRW Architects of College Station to provide design and bid‑phase services for Fire Station No. 9 and Fire Station No. 11.

Council members debated the recommendation at length. Supporters pointed to BRW’s statewide experience designing fire stations and said reusing elements of past designs can lower design fees. "We are seeing some economies of scale from working with the same firm," staff said. Fire Chief Brandon Wade also described operational design efficiencies and said prior familiarity with the department’s needs reduces repeated startup work.

Opponents and some public commenters urged more local participation. Council members asked staff about the scoring criteria used in the evaluation committee; staff said relevant experience—specifically fire‑station experience—was heavily weighted. Several council members asked whether local firms had opportunities through the selection process and whether points were assigned for local experience.

Public comment included an allegation that a named individual associated with other projects was under investigation for altering a document; a resident urged the council not to do business with contractors currently under investigation. Another commenter defended the principle that a person under investigation should not be excluded unless proven guilty.

After discussion, a motion to authorize the BRW contracts passed. Staff said the next step is to finalize contract terms and return any materially changed scopes or fees to council.

Council directed staff to consider drought‑resilient and energy‑efficient design elements when feasible (rain capture, solar, drought‑tolerant landscaping) and to communicate those priorities to the architect.