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Del Valle ISD reports costs to meet SB546 seat‑belt requirement; estimated retrofit $427,797 or $4.12M to replace buses
Summary
A district presentation on Texas Senate Bill 546 reported counts of buses by restraint type and provided estimated retrofit and replacement costs to equip 24 buses with 3‑point seat belts, noting the mandate is unfunded and the state is collecting reports to inform grant options.
Mr. Willoughby briefed trustees on Senate Bill 546 and the district’s reporting obligations, describing options and cost estimates required by the law.
He reported Del Valle ISD has 24 buses that would need retrofit to install 3‑point seat belts; the estimated cost to retrofit those buses is roughly $427,797 (presented in the packet as approximately $428,000). Purchasing 24 new buses was estimated at $4,120,000. Mr. Willoughby said four buses in the current fleet have no seat belts (primarily substitute buses), 20 buses in regular service have 2‑point lap belts, and 64 buses already have 3‑point belts. He characterized SB546 as an "unfunded mandate" and said TEA is requesting cost counts to help shape potential grant opportunities.
Trustees asked about deadlines, phased implementation and where the 24 buses fall on replacement/amortization schedules; Mr. Willoughby said the technical deadline language in the statute was not definitive in the presentation and recommended waiting to see what grant opportunities develop before committing local M&O funds. Trustees also asked about ADA‑equipped buses, repair‑cycle timing and whether the district could phase retrofits if reimbursement grants were not available.
No final fiscal action was taken; staff will return with a feasibility recommendation and further timeline and amortization details at a subsequent meeting.
