TEXARKANA, Texas - The City Council on Monday voted to authorize more than $1.84 million in spending that was planned for in the city's recently passed annual budget.
The budgeted expenditures were all on the consent agenda for the Council's regular meeting, meaning the Council voted on them together, without discussion.
The first ordinance authorizes a contract with A.L. Franks Engineering Inc. for services related to improving the Wagner Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The plant was built in 1986, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has notified Texarkana Water Utilities "to initiate engineering and financial planning" for expanding and upgrading it, according to background information published with the meeting's agenda.
The $458,535 contract is for design of the plant's improvements, an inspection fee and preparation of an operations and maintenance manual.
A.L. Franks estimates the total construction cost of the project to reach more than $6 million. Preliminary plans include doubling the plant's capacity from 2 million gallons per day to 4 million.
Another ordinance authorizes spending almost $238,000 for the Texas side's portion of a new combination vac-jet truck - equipment used to clear pipes and sewers - for TWU. The total cost, more than $376,000, will be split with Texarkana, Arkansas.
The third expenditure approved on the consent agenda is for expanding sewer mains in the western areas of the city. The ordinance awards a contract worth more than $980,600 to Kampco Inc. of Texarkana, Arkansas, to do the work.
A separate ordinance relates to expanding sewage service to the areas recently annexed into the city limits. It awards MTG Engineers and Surveyors a $102,500 contract to do preliminary surveying, engineering and planning for the project. MTG estimates the total cost of the work will be $950,000.
The fifth is a resolution authorizing a reimbursement of more than $62,000 to the Texarkana Convention Center for installation of sound panels.
Also on the consent agenda were a pair of budget amendments to account for recent income.
One adds $95,000 to the city's Metropolitan Planning Organization fund. The Texas Department of Transportation recently approved supplemental funding in that amount for the Texarkana MPO.
The second accounts for a National Endowment for the Arts grant of $13,787 recently awarded to the city.
The council also approved a budget amendment on the regular agenda that accounts for a donation of more than $6,700 from the ArkLaTex 100 Club. The donation is to fund the Texarkana, Texas, Police Department's purchase of plates that improve the effectiveness of ballistic vests.
The plates will supplement the vests donated to the department recently by the Colorado nonprofit Shield 616, said TTPD Police Chief Kevin Schutte.
"The organization made donations to 10 police departments in Texas and we were fortunate enough to be one of those agencies," Schutte said.
The Council also conducted a public hearing and voted on accepting and allocating a grant awarded to TTPD and the Bowie County Sheriff's Office.
TTPD's portion of the federal Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, $15,518, will be used to update the department's firearms simulator and to purchase a crash and crime scene mapping system.