The San Benito City Commission voted on Nov. 4 to advance procurement and financing steps for a water-line relocation project funded through the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). City staff said the work would replace roughly 13,500 feet (about 6.1 miles) of water line with 12-inch pipe and estimated the total project at about $9.2 million, with an expected local share of about $2.7 million.

City staff told commissioners they must advertise for professional services — a financial adviser, engineer, bond counsel and administrative services — to comply with TWDB requirements and to position the project for loan and grant funding. “We’re on a kind of a tight timeline,” city staff said during the meeting, urging expedited procurement to meet TWDB deadlines.

Commissioners pressed staff on technical and schedule details. Staff said the award was competitive and that San Benito was among a small share of successful applicants; they noted follow-up steps would include project scoping, a rating/priority list of candidate construction projects and pursuit of additional state and federal funds once the plan is in place.

The commission approved the four agenda items tied to TWDB compliance in a single motion. Staff said further engineering work, bond validation and final budgetary commitments will follow as the project advances through the TWDB process.

Next steps: the city will issue requests for qualifications and proposals for the listed professional services and return contracts to the commission for formal approval as required.