City continues addressing February storm

The San Marcos City Council will be looking at another ordinance to address impacts from February’s devastating winter storm during its regular meeting Tuesday night. 

The ordinance would temporarily change the method for calculating residential wastewater rates to exclude the month of February 2021 from the months used to calculate average water consumption due to higher than average consumption from Winter Storm Uri. 

Residential bills are determined annually by averaging the three lowest outdoor consumption months of the year, usually December, January and February, and the average is used to bill monthly amounts of a full year. 

Since the winter storm caused damaged pipes and leaks, as well as many customers running and dripping water to prevent pipe damage, the councilmembers will vote on an ordinance to ensure this higher usage will not impact future rates. 

The change would only be applicable for 2021.

In other business, the councilmembers will vote on approving a substantial amendment to the  Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Action Plan related to the Clarewood/Barbara Stormwater Infrastructure Project, the Blanco Gardens Stormwater Infrastructure Project and a housing cap on construction costs. 

They will also amend funds in the city’s 2020-2021 Fiscal Year budget to allocate funds from the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds. The city has submitted for reimbursement of $2.67 million for Police and Fire personnel expenditures. 

City council decided to utilize the reimbursed funds to provide additional COVID-19 relief including utility relief.

The councilemembers will also designate categories and criteria for the use of reallocated General Fund Dollars from the reimbursed $2.67 million CARES Act-CRF funds, and partially allocate some of those funds. 

Staff is recommending $371K go to ongoing unbudgeted pandemic expenses, $1 million for utility bill assistance, $200K for small business assistance, a one-time grant fund of $640K for agencies serving San Marcos, to be evaluated by the Human Services Advisory Board, $450K for a one time not-for-profit capacity building fund and $10K for approximately 12 homelessness case management system licenses. 

Councilmembers will also consider a resolution for the submission of an application for low income housing tax credits to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for the proposed Sendero at Centerpoint multifamily housing project located in the 100 block of Centerpoint Road.

Staff will give a presentation prior to a discussion on allowing goats for urban farming. The proposed ordinance would allow for miniature goats to be allowed in the city.

Councilmembers will also vote on the Council Committee Rules of Procedure and discuss approving the San Marcos Regional Airport Master Plan to guide the airport’s future development and operations.