City resumes street rehab project
The Navasota City Council met Monday, April 25 and awarded the Professional Services Agreement for engineering services for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 Street Rehabilitation Projects to Gessner Engineering, LLC. The amount is not to exceed $57,500 for civil engineering, $3,200 for UAV flights and $610 for construction inspection services.
According to Streets Director Jose Coronilla, the project includes streets slated for maintenance in 2020- 2021 but was postponed. Coronilla reiterated that this project is strictly maintenance of streets which were rehabilitated from 2013-2019 and not part of the Capital Improvement Project.
Work will take place on all, or portions, of Ninth, Stoneham, Willie, W. Virginia, Grace, Doris, Florida, Texas, New York, Cullen, Baker, Canary, Nolan and Frazier streets. Oakland Cemetery will receive a new roadway, entrance road loop and chip seal of the existing Rest Haven Road.
To be discussed at a later meeting is the addition of two asphalt parking lots at August Horst Park.
Councilman Bernie Gessner recused himself from voting and Mayor Bert Miller was absent.
Farquhar light industrial approved
After a public hearing with no comments against, council approved a zoning request by Anton Drabek for property at 808 Farquhar to rezone from R-1A Single Dwelling Residential District to M-1 Light Industrial district.
According to Development Services Director Lupe Diosdado, the property has functioned as a warehouse and distribution operation since approximately 2014. Drabek’s brother currently ships medical products from that location and will be relocating the business to another site in Navasota. The prospective owner will operate a small distribution warehouse.
Diosdado said, “The application will bring the property to meet the adjacent zoning which is light industrial. It won’t be considered spot zoning. You will just be correcting that property to match.”
City reserves get praise from auditors
Council approved accepting the Single Audit Report and Annual Financial Report for fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021, as prepared by Belt Harris Pechacek, LLLP. The auditors issue a clean opinion (an unmodified report) and noted no deficiencies or material weaknesses in the City’s internal controls. One recommendation, related to completing annual year-end journal entries prior to the audit, will be accomplished with the assistance of the newly hired budget analyst.
Following the auditor’s positive comments describing the City’s fund balance as a “very healthy fund balance,”
City Manager Jason Weeks told council, “Overall, great fund balance when you compare where we were the previous year at 45.8% fund Balance. This year… it actually comes out to 53%. That comes out to 193 days of reserves. What that means is that we could go 193 days without bringing any revenue in and still do business. It’s very healthy. You’ve done a great job and I want you to understand the great job the staff have done over the last year.”
Other council action:
•Approved accepting the City of Navasota Quarterly Investment reported presented by Finance Director Lance Hall.
Reports from City staff or City officials:
•Received introduction to new employees Budget Analyst Matt Bowen and Utilities Clerk Alicia Alvarado.
•Received an update on Development Services from Director Lupe Diosdado who reported that 54 new home permits were issued during the 2022 first quarter and that Chicken Express is surveying, and Jack-in-the-Box is clearing land.
•City Secretary Susie Homeyer advised that Early Voting has begun for the May 7 City Election.
•Interim Police Chief Mike Mize reported that NPD was awarded an NRA Grant and received 25 Walker’s Razor Slim Electronic muffs for ear protection, Challenge Target Outdoor Plate System and $25 toward an electronic, motorized targeting system.
View city council meetings in their entirety at www.navasotatx.gov/city-council/pages/ meeting-videos.