Marlin City Council calls for May 3 election

The Marlin City Council addressed the water situation and other topics during a meeting on Feb. 11.

The council also called for a May election for mayor, and council members in precincts 1, 3, and 5. The election will be on May 3. 

Marlin City Manager Elza Daviss gave the council updates including a thank you to all the employees for taking care of the city during this challenging time.

She said that USDA has introduced the city to the Communities Unlimited program to provide the city with water rate studies, emergency response plans, capital improvement plans for water, drainage and street improvements, TCEQ notifications, and other programs.

Representatives from MRB Group presented updates on the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) projects and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) initiatives.

There have been a total of three projects funded - two clean water projects and one drinking water project. That totaled about $13 million. The drainage project one is at $4.245 million. The second clean water project is $2.88 million. The drinking water project is for $6.33 million.

The MRB representative said that a question that has come up is where is the money coming from and who is getting the money?

He said an escrow account is set up by the TWDB for the funding of the projects that can’t be commingled with any other city funds. Funds are given to the city after invoices are reviewed and then the city is wired the money to pay for the invoice.

He said the projects are ongoing but they are moving very slow. 

He said his staff is looking for the best way to reroute the water lines on Falls and First Street and find what valves need to be shut off.

Daviss said the problem is there are a lot of maps but they aren’t all in one place, so the city is currently documenting and itemizing maps that tell the city where the valves are.

Mayor Susan Byrd asked council members to make a list of what streets need to be repaired in their precinct in order to make a formal capital improvement plan for street repairs.

In other business the council also discussed: a new lease agreement for a police Tahoe; considered increasing the City Manager’s spending authority; and discussed matching funds for license plate recognition cameras.