Bandera council approves resolution to pursue $300,000 resilience planning grant, staff warns of tight deadline

The City of Bandera on Nov. 17 approved a resolution to pursue a resilience planning grant that staff said would fund an updated all-hazards/hazard mitigation plan for the city.

Stephanie, a city administrator who presented the item, told the council the grant’s "maximum award for this is $300,000" and that the program is a reimbursement grant that requires no cash match from the city. She said the city must follow program guidelines carefully to secure reimbursement and that the award is intended for planning-level activities rather than construction.

Councilors asked whether the grant would cover updated flood maps and whether firms responding to the city’s RFP for grant administration were competitively priced. Stephanie said the updated map would be included and that three firms responded to the RFP: one proposed a $20,000 administration fee and two proposed roughly $33,000. She said the administration firm would help select eligible activities in coordination with the city engineer.

Staff emphasized urgency: the presenter stated the program deadline as Dec. 31 and that funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so the city may request the maximum but might not receive the full amount. Council identified an inconsistency in the draft resolution that named the administrative assistant as the city's authorized representative in one section but designated the mayor as the chief executive officer in another. The council approved resolution 2025-037 with a motion to modify section 4 so it mirrors the authorization language at the top of the document; staff committed to correct and reprint the resolution before submitting.

Council members and staff repeatedly clarified that the grant covers planning activities; one councilor stressed that the funds are not intended for construction projects. Staff said a management firm (Langford’s management referenced in the scoring) had the highest scores among RFP respondents and would likely be engaged for administration if the city proceeds.