Council approves Gateway Monument agreements, approves contractor and MDD funding amendment

The Fair Oaks Ranch City Council on April 17 approved multiple measures to advance a Gateway Monument project, including a construction contract recommendation and an MDD budget amendment to fund construction through previously collected sales tax proceeds.

City procurement manager Clayton Hoelscher said the project followed a formal request‑for‑proposals process that produced three submissions and recommended AAA TimeSaver Services as the highest‑ranked, lowest bidder. Hoelscher said the initial bid of about $218,000 was reduced by roughly $18,000 through specification adjustments; the city approved a construction agreement in an amount not to exceed $199,840. "We issued a request for proposals on January 7 and received three proposals," Hoelscher said, explaining the selection factors of price, experience and project approach.

Finance Director Summer Fleming told council the Municipal Development District board has approved an amendment to appropriate $2,224,840 that will reimburse the city for the monument; the amendment was presented to council because city ordinance requires MDD budgets to be approved by council. Fleming added the grant is expected to be reimbursable in full and, as staff explained, the net fiscal impact to the city's general fund would be zero after reimbursement.

Council members asked about contractor experience, notification to nearby residents and construction staging. Hoelscher said contractors had provided examples from comparable municipal projects and that the city will hold a preconstruction meeting to finalize notifications and a traffic control plan. He also described line‑item reductions (lighting options and minor dimension changes) that produced the lower contract price.

Council approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the construction agreement with AAA TimeSaver Services and separately approved the MDD budget amendment to appropriate the MDD funds for the Gateway Monument. The city also advanced a first reading of a city budget amendment that appropriates $199,840 in the strategic projects fund and increases related grant revenue by $224,840 to reflect the reimbursable MDD grant.

The project timeline presented by staff estimated a construction duration of up to 120 days if the council proceeds; officials said residents will be notified before construction begins and traffic impacts will be handled through an approved plan. The MDD funds appropriated for the project were described as coming from previously collected sales tax proceeds and not from property tax revenues.

Actions recorded: council approved the construction contract authorization (not to exceed $199,840) and approved the MDD budget amendment to appropriate $2,224,840 for the gateway monument; the city approved the first reading of the related city budget amendment. The city indicated it will post formal project notifications and hold preconstruction coordination with the contractor and engineering staff.