City staff presents 2025 five‑year CIP update; top‑line estimate $16.2 million

City CIP manager Patrick Hubbard presented the City of Lucas’s 2025 update to its five‑year Capital Improvement Plan on Jan. 15, reviewing completed projects, newly added items and anticipated future needs.

Hubbard said the city completed its West Lucas Road elevated storage tank project and has Forest Creek Park functionally complete pending final inspection. He said staff added a facilities section to the CIP (fire auxiliary building, public works storage, and police department improvements) that had historically not been reflected in the plan. Hubbard told the council the plan’s five‑year total for listed projects is “something like $16,200,000,” noting that the total represents multiple projects and phases, not a single lump sum obligation.

Councilmembers asked about alignment with a recent rate study; Hubbard said engineering cost opinions were provided to the rate‑study consultant to ensure correlation. He described the AMI smart‑meter rollout as largely complete (roughly 93–98% reading reliability during a 30‑day period) and said staff is troubleshooting the remaining meters and antennas. On timing for an actionable road‑maintenance portfolio, staff said vendor deliverables for a condition analysis are expected in March with a likely April presentation of recommended projects.

Council discussed TxDOT corridor widening and the need to identify utility conflicts, and several members suggested bringing a facilities workshop and a focused roads package back to the council at a later meeting. There was no formal vote on the CIP update; council provided direction to staff.