Council ratifies TCEQ agreed order signatures for wastewater plant; staff says fine offset by project spending

The Pleasanton City Council voted to ratify signatures for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality agreed order concerning the city wastewater treatment facility. Council action was taken after staff said time-sensitive documents had to be signed to meet an Aug. 21, 2026 deadline.

Public works director Walter told the council staff pursued an alternative-expenditure or supplement program that allowed the city to apply eligible project spending toward environmental work in lieu of paying the fine directly. "We were able to use the project from the plant so that it offset the fine," Walter said, adding the plant had been compliant for the last three years. Council members pressed staff to confirm the city’s procedures for tracking maintenance and inspections that feed TCEQ compliance reports.

The council asked whether the roughly $60,000 offset represented reclassification of a previously budgeted project or an unplanned expense. Walter said the work used to offset the penalty had already been part of a phase-1 project and therefore did not create a new net cost. "Because it was already part of the project that's already done, I was able to use that towards this," he said.

Council members also discussed preventive maintenance and recordkeeping. One council member urged a stronger asset-tracking and preventive-maintenance program, including checklists and prepopulated work orders to avoid future violations. Staff said daily log checks and equipment-hour monitoring are performed and committed to follow up with additional information for council.

The motion to ratify the agreed order signatures was moved, seconded and called; the chair announced the motion carried. The council did not take additional policy action on plant operations during the meeting; staff identified follow-up items on maintenance tracking and documentation.