The Blanco City Council held a workshop style meeting Dec. 30 to discuss the bond program the Capital Infrastructure Asset Management Advisory Committee (CIAMAC) has been working on in recent months and the potential relocation of city hall.
CIAMAC chairperson OJ Armstrong stated that the Environmental Protection Agency has predicted that Texas will spend $61 billion in the next 20 years on fixing and upgrading water infrastructure. He provided that number for context around the magnitude of the projects statewide, and the competition Blanco would face for funding through grants programs amongst other communities.
Armstrong also laid out a possible worst-case scenario where cities can be placed in receivership by the state if they do not address infrastructure issues. The bond program the committee is proposing depends on a fixed long term debt ratio tied to APV (assessed property value). The cap would be a 5% debt to asset ratio. There is a current CIP (Capital Improvement Projects), which lists top priority projects identified by HR the following assumptions regarding rehab of the city annex building at 503 Pecan and rehab and rental of the current city hall and the Byars Building. The building on Pecan and 5th streets could be rehabilitated at a cost of $500,000. The remodel would Green’s survey.
