SM City Council Holding Special Monday Meeting To Hear Bond Committee Recommendations
The Community Improvement Program Task Force will be presenting their findings to the San Marcos City Council on Monday evening, January 23.
The San Marcos City Council created the Community Improvements Program Task Force in October 2016.
In that time period, the committee has held 7 official meetings along with two nights of facility tours with the committee members for a total of approximately 20 hours’ worth of education.
The Task Force has finalized their recommendation for the City Council to consider for the May 6, election, and their recommendation will ask the City Council to consider two separate bond initiative.
The first will be the Public Safety Projects with a tax rate impact of 5.30 cents and separately, the second will have the Library Expansion with a tax rate impact of 3.07 cents.
City Hall Reconstruction and Public/Community Services Facility would be to pay debt service using existing general fund capacity, and the Public Safety Projects and Library, with 15% of debt service and operating expenses coming from the existing general fund capacity.
The Task Force is recommending a Public Services Maintenance Facility along with a new City Hall also be constructed. They recommend that these two items be paid for with certificates of obligation and not be part of the proposed bond election.
The committee believes these two buildings are needed and can’t afford to fail on an election ballot due to the “extreme necessity.”
Once the City Council hears the presentation, they will be asked to provide direction as to whether they recommend a bond election be brought back to the City Council on February 7th.
zzz
The first initiative is centered around Public Safety and will include the following projects:
|
Project |
Capital Costs |
Operating Costs On Going |
Notes |
|
Police Department Renovations |
$5.5M |
|
Will make improvements to existing 911 center, add security and parking lot improvements, create new office and functional improvements. |
|
Holland Fire Station #2 (Holland) relocation |
$5.2M |
|
Relocation to a more efficient and effective site and replaces a substandard structure. |
|
Highpointe Fire Station #8 (Contractually obligated to build) |
$4.5M |
$1.4M |
Part of this station is being funded by developer but does include an additional Fire Truck which is not needed at Station 2 and includes $1.4M in operating costs. |
|
Fire Training Field |
$2.0M |
$50,000 |
Live Fire Training is not being conducted within the SM Fire Department because the nearest facility is in Buda. |
*The Task Force is recommending a tax rate increase of 5.3 cents for the above initiative.
zzz
The second initiative is centered around the expansion of the San Marcos Public Library.
|
Project |
Capital Costs |
Operating Costs |
Notes |
|
Library Expansion |
$14.5M |
$500,000 |
Expand existing Library by 29,000 square feet and renovation of existing facility. |
*The Task Force is recommending a tax rate of 3.07 cents for the above initiative.
This would mean an increase in the tax rate of 8.37 cents if both initiatives were to pass.
The Task Force is recommending a Public Services Maintenance Facility along with a new City Hall also be constructed. They recommend that these two items be paid for with certificates of obligation and not be part of the proposed bond election.
The Task Force believes these two buildings are needed and can’t afford to fail on an election ballot due to the extreme necessity.
Once the City Council hears the presentation, they will be asked to provide direction as to whether they recommend a bond election be brought back to the City Council on February 7th.
The City of San Marcos Community Improvement Program Task Force was made up of 30 members 4 of which were non-voting, ex-officio members. The first meeting was held on October 20, 2016 and the last meeting was held on January 5, 2017.
This committee was Chaired by Naomi Narvaiz and Co-Chair was Arthur Taylor.
Additionally, Narvaiz serves on the City of San Marcos Ethics Review Commission and the 2017 SMCISD Bond Proposition Committee, who is also planning for a May Bond Election.
Hays CISD and New Braunfels ISD is also contemplating Bond Elections.
To view Monday’s nights agenda HERE.
zzz
FY 2016 – 2017 Community Improvement Program Task Force Presentation to San Marcos City Council Monday Night.
[gview file=”http://smcorridornews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/SMCC-Presentation-to-SMCC-For-May-Bond-1-23-2017.pdf”]
