Advisory committee forwards semiannual CIP briefing highlighting $160M water plant, major raw‑water line and funding concerns

Abby Morrison, the city’s Public Works Services director, opened the Capital Improvement Advisory Committee’s semiannual briefing and said the report will be filed with the city manager to satisfy a state statute requiring the update. She told the committee there are 58 active CIP projects, with 41 in design and 17 in construction.

Jeff Dunsworth, utility assistant director and city engineer, described what he called the program’s “big three”: a water treatment plant expansion (about $160 million), a new wastewater treatment plant being delivered as a SEMR project (about $250 million) and a 42‑inch raw‑water transmission line estimated at approximately $130–135 million to bring Colorado River water to the city’s lake. He said the water treatment plant is roughly 35% complete and will expand capacity from 17.7 million gallons per day to 30 million gallons per day to meet projected demand through 2040. “No water means no new development,” Dunsworth said, stressing the projects’ role in supporting future growth.

Katie Cam, assistant director of traffic and transportation, reviewed transportation components of the CIP: multi‑phase street reconstruction packages (Package 1A is nearly complete; Package 1B is about to begin), intersection projects including new traffic signals, and larger roadway projects largely at 90–100% design. She noted the city received a TxDOT technical/traffic grant of over $2 million to implement ADA improvements and that signal installations are scheduled as contractors and crews become available.

On parks, staff reported that the Gilan Creek pool project is expected to finish this summer, Phase 2 of 1849 Park has completed permitting and design work has begun on Phase 1B along Cameron Road; construction also started on the Wil Barger Creek project, with a dog park planned as a subsequent element.

During committee discussion, members expressed both support for progress and concerns about near‑term reliance on an outside water provider identified in the transcript as “LC.” Staff said short‑term use of that provider is part of current plans while the city builds capacity and pursues reuse strategies (indirect or direct potable reuse) to improve drought resilience and reduce vulnerability to priority calls. A committee member who raised questions about taxes noted the city currently shows about $2.1 billion in total projects; staff said the three major utility projects will be the biggest near‑term expenditures but that the city is actively pursuing grants and low‑interest loans, including programs administered by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (WIFIA). Staff said WIFIA‑like programs can include deferred repayment periods (staff cited a five‑year deferment) to align payments with expected new customer revenues.

Committee members praised staff efforts to secure outside funding and to keep project schedules current, and several members said they supported building now to avoid higher future construction costs. A motion to forward the CIP report and staff recommendations to City Council was moved and seconded and passed on a voice vote; the transcript did not record mover or seconder names.

The committee voted to recommend the report to City Council and adjourned at 6:21 p.m.

Notes: dollar amounts and timelines are reported as stated by staff during the briefing; some names and place spellings appear inconsistently in the transcript and are presented here as they appear in meeting remarks.