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Brownwood City Council approves Oncor franchise, new dozer purchase and downtown incentive
Summary
On June 23 the Brownwood City Council approved Ordinance No. 26-04 granting Oncor an electric franchise, declared surplus equipment and authorized purchase of a replacement CAT dozer up to $349,000; the council also ratified a $55,000 BMDD incentive for downtown sidewalks and streetlamps.
The Brownwood City Council on June 23 approved a series of measures affecting utilities, city equipment and downtown redevelopment.
The council approved Ordinance No. 26-04, granting Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC a franchise to use the city's streets, alleys and public rights-of-way to deliver electricity to Brownwood residents and businesses. City Attorney Pat Chesser told the council the ordinance was published in the Brownwood Bulletin on June 6 as required by the City Charter and will take effect 20 days after that publication. The ordinance was read by City Secretary Christi Wynn and passed on second and on third/final reading; the votes carried unanimously.
The council declared multiple items surplus and approved a resolution to declare the City's 2022 CAT D4 landfill dozer surplus and to authorize purchase of a replacement dozer through a purchasing cooperative contract not to exceed $349,000. Public Works Director Henry Wied said the current D4, with about 5,740 operating hours, was out of service for an extended period and developed additional fault codes after returning to service. While the City rented a replacement at about $6,500 per month during repairs, Wied said the replacement machine would include a full maintenance program and a no-cost loaner if repairs cause extended downtime. Staff reported the City will owe an estimated $91,500 on the current machine at the end of June and expects auction proceeds near $100,000; monthly payments for equipment are expected to rise from about $14,030 to approximately $16,000 beginning in October 2026. A motion to approve the surplus declaration and purchase authorization carried unanimously.
Separately, the council ratified action by the Brownwood Municipal Development District (BMDD) to provide an infrastructure incentive not to exceed $55,000 to the owner of 100 N. Center Ave. (Dippel 100 N Center Ave., LLC) for sidewalk work and three historic-style streetlamps tied to a private renovation to create the Dippel Museum of the Wild. Deputy City Manager Ray Tipton said staff estimated sidewalk construction at $45,211.13 and streetlights through Oncor at $9,308.69; the incentive would be reimbursed after the owner completes the work to City specifications. Councilmember Melody Nowowiejski asked whether the sidewalk would be lowered; Tipton said it will remain at its current height. Staff noted the initial renovation phase is expected to exceed $2 million, with completion anticipated in early 2027. The ratification motion carried unanimously.
Procedural notes: several motions in the meeting were recorded as carrying unanimously; minutes and claims and accounts were also approved. No individual roll-call tallies for each councilmember were recorded in the transcript beyond the "carried unanimously" notation.
