Granbury council approves nearly $10M in TxDOT‑related water/sewer contracts, radio fees and staffing changes
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Summary
In a single meeting the Granbury City Council approved four water/sewer relocation contracts tied to the TxDOT US‑377 project (totaling about $9.99 million), adopted ordinances to add regional radio fees and to fund two new city manager‑office positions, approved a GIS electrical inventory, and authorized a support letter for annexation of Project Patriot.
Granbury — The Granbury City Council on Dec. 16 approved a package of infrastructure contracts, fee changes and staffing budget amendments that city officials say prepare the community for a major Texas Department of Transportation highway project.
Contracts for TxDOT US‑377 relocations: Council awarded four construction contracts for water and sewer relocations related to the upcoming TxDOT improvements to US Highway 377. City staff reported a combined construction total of $9,991,133.25 and an additional contingency of $2,000,000. The projects were split into four contracts to help with scheduling and to ensure timely completion; staff said the proposals were competitively scored and ranked.
Chris Hay, the engineer of record with EHT, told the council the city received strong participation from bidders and that the recommended proposers were the highest‑scoring in the evaluation. Mr. Kaufman said funding is expected from the State Infrastructure Bank through TxDOT, with a 20‑year note at 3.99% interest queued for formalization at an upcoming TxDOT commission meeting. He added that if the SIB loan is not approved the city would need to issue bonds to pay for the work.
Radio network fees: Council adopted Ordinance 25‑78 to amend the city’s master fee schedule to add collection of fees for the Granbury Regional Radio Network. Somervell County is joining the radio program and the per‑device monthly fee for mobile, portable and desktop radios will be reduced from $20 to $14, officials said.
GIS electrical inventory: Council approved an engineering services proposal from SE Energy LLC (Synergy) to create a GIS‑level inventory of the city’s electric distribution system, including mapping all city‑owned poles to high accuracy, photographing attachments, scoring equipment condition and auditing franchised attachments (a $20,000 component). Staff said the inventory will inform a five‑year capital improvement plan and help identify equipment that should be replaced proactively.
Staffing and Project Patriot: After returning from a closed executive session in which no action was reported, the council unanimously authorized the city manager to send a letter to the developers of 'Project Patriot' supporting annexation and appropriate zoning. The council also adopted Ordinance 25‑79 amending the FY2025‑26 general fund to create and fund two positions in the city manager’s office: director of strategic projects and assistant to the city manager.
Votes at a glance: Items were approved by recorded unanimous votes (6‑0) across the agenda items described above. Several motions were moved and seconded by council members as noted in the meeting record.
What to watch next: Staff said the TxDOT commission will need to formalize the State Infrastructure Bank loan next month; if that loan is not awarded the city would consider issuing bonds. The awarded construction contracts will proceed with standard project scheduling, permitting and construction administration steps.
