Giddings council approves body-armor grant application, reviews permitting and water infrastructure plans

The Giddings City Council adopted Resolution No. 616 Jan. 27 authorizing staff to submit an application to the Texas Public Safety Office for the FY2027 Rifle-Resistant Body Armor Grant Program. Interim City Manager Heather Garner said the resolution was updated to designate Barbara Ashcraft as the city's financial official because the PSO does not permit one person to fulfill both roles on the grant application. The vote was unanimous (Ayes: Casey, Pruitt, Janda, Rinn).

On permitting and inspections, Garner told council the city has seen about a 60% increase in annual permits over the past 10 years and currently operates with a two-person department that covers permitting, inspections, planning, and code enforcement. Staff reviewed pros and cons of outsourcing inspections versus hiring an additional third position; staff suggested adding a third position in the next budget cycle to provide more consistent local control and reduce scheduling issues associated with some third-party services. Council took no action on staffing at the meeting.

In the City Manager's report, Garner said the environmental review cleared procurement for the Well 12 generator under a GLO Mitigation-Monitoring and Modelling (Mit-Mod) grant and procurement should move forward soon. She said construction to connect the raw water line to the ground-water storage tank will likely require approximately two weeks of reduced storage operations; staff warned residents that Stage 3 water restrictions (targeting a 10% reduction in use through designated watering days and limited hours) may be necessary during construction. Garner also announced a TxDOT public meeting Feb. 19 to discuss the proposed US 77 widening and a 10-foot shared-use path from West Independence St. to Giddings High School.

Council did not take further action on these operational items during the meeting.