Round Rock City Council Packet Briefing - March 25, 2025
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Round Rock City Council Packet Briefing - March 25, 2025
This was a briefing session held on March 25, 2025 at 7:30 AM in the City Council Chambers, preceding the regular City Council meeting scheduled for March 27, 2025. The Mayor was absent due to a conflict; Mayor Pro-Tem Kristin Stevens presided. Councilmembers Michelle Ly, Rene Flores, Melissa Fleming, Frank Ortega, and Hilda Montgomery were present. No public comments were made. Staff briefed the council on several agenda items for the upcoming meeting, and council members asked clarifying questions. No formal votes were taken.
Consent Calendar
- Five consent agenda items were listed for the March 27 meeting. Councilmember Fleming asked about item G4, a large increase in a contract. Staff explained that the increase was a ‘stopgap’ to cover rising parts costs (approximately 30% higher) and to bridge the gap until a new cooperative contract is ready in a few months. No other consent items raised questions.
Discussion Items
- CDBG 2025-2026 Annual Action Plan (Public Hearing on March 27): Staff (Joe) outlined the three-step CDBG process: needs assessment, action plan adoption, and year-end CAPER report. The March 27 public hearing is the first step, seeking input on low-income resident needs. The current year’s CDBG allocation is about $642,000; a similar amount is anticipated for the upcoming fiscal year, with the announcement expected around May 15, 2025.
- Entrepreneur Economic Ecosystem Development Plan: Staff noted that a presentation on this plan (developed with Hickey Global, the Chamber, and the City) will be given on March 27.
- H1 – Development Agreement with Frontera Hillside Land LP: Staff (Bradley) presented a combined development and out-of-city water/wastewater services agreement for property at the northeast corner of County Road 172 and State Highway 45. The developer plans 365 multifamily units in two buildings (three and four stories) with up to 183 living unit equivalents (LUEs). The agreement includes a hybrid of MF2/MF3 development standards, surface parking, and compliance with city codes. The developer is partnering with the Texas Housing Foundation, requiring at least 50% of units be affordable for households earning 80% or less of area median income (e.g., $78,250 for a two-person household, $97,800 for a four-person household). In exchange, the property will be exempt from property taxes and will remain in the ETJ (not annexed). Councilmember Ortega questioned the tax-exempt status duration, emergency services (provided by county/ESD), and applicability of recent landscaping ordinances (staff confirmed new standards apply).
- H2 & H3 – Vehicle Upfitting Parts and Services: Staff (Chad) explained that due to vehicle shortages, the city will proactively purchase upfitting parts in advance to avoid long waits. H2 authorizes a contract with Far West Environmental Supply for parts; H3 authorizes a supplemental agreement with Dana Safety Supply for public safety and fire vehicle upfitting. Both are funded within the adopted budget.
- H4 – Transportation CIP Amendment (Type B Board): Staff (Michael) presented several amendments to the Transportation Capital Improvement Program (TCIP) totaling $20 million in new funding. New projects include a sidewalk on Chisholm Trail at Brushy Creek ($1.5M for engineering) and Northeast Downtown Improvements Phase II on Shepherd Street ($2.5M for engineering). Existing projects receiving additional funds: County Road 118 (right-of-way $2.5M), Gattis School Road Segments 4 & 5 (right-of-way $1.5M), Greenlawn Boulevard (construction $11M), and Sam Bass/Harry Man Road roundabout (right-of-way $1M). Councilmember Ortega asked about a traffic signal at AW Grimes; staff clarified there will not be a signal there, only at the other end.
- H5 – 2024 Residential Street Maintenance Program: Staff (Michael) recommended a $5.1 million contract with Lone Star Paving for rehabbing three neighborhoods: Kensington Place, Southern Terrace, and Round Rock Ranch (where soil conditions require more work). The city will conduct citizen outreach via a website and door hangers.
- H6 – Change Order for Wastewater Main Rehabilitation: Staff (Michael) reported a $526,000 positive change order (quantity adjustment) from Texas Pride Utilities, returning funds to the city due to overbidding and design changes (e.g., open-cut instead of pipe bursting under roads).
- H7 – West Transmission Main Valve Replacement: Staff (Michael) recommended a $144,000 engineering contract with DCS Engineering to add gate valves at three locations along the 1431 water main, improving system flexibility and reliability. Councilmember Fleming noted the existing butterfly valves are outdated and prone to failure.
- H8 – Chandler Elevated Storage Tank Rehabilitation: Staff (Michael) recommended a $125,000 inspection services contract with Hot Inspection Services for the 1984-built tank, which requires repainting every 15-18 years. The actual painting work will be a separate contract.
- H9 – Rule 11 Settlement Agreement for Gattis School Road Segment 3: Staff (Michael) presented a $245,000 settlement to acquire the last remaining 0.063-acre parcel from Stephen R. Meeks and 711 Inc. to complete the under-construction road segment. Councilmember Fleming inquired about the legal term; staff explained it is a standard written agreement under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 11 to resolve a condemnation lawsuit.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken at this briefing.
- All items discussed (H1 through H9, plus the CDBG public hearing and entrepreneur plan) will be presented for action at the March 27, 2025 City Council meeting.
- Staff will proceed with preparations: the CDBG public hearing notice has been published; the developer agreement will be on the consent agenda; the vehicle upfitting contracts will be presented; the TCIP amendment will go before the Type B Board on March 27; and the street maintenance program outreach will begin.
Meeting Transcript
And will you do the roll call, please? Mayor Morgan. Mayor Pro Tim Stevens. Councilmember Lee. Councilmember Flores. Here. Councilmember Clemen. Here. Councilmember Otega. Here. Councilmember Montgomery. Here. And we are absent a few people this morning, but um there's a um economic development uh trip, and then there's uh the mayor had a conflict on his schedule. So we will carry on. We have enough to carry on. And so we will go to item C citizens and communication. Anybody here wishing to speak to the council. Seeing none. We'll move on to staff briefing. Um, and we'll consider the um items on the agenda for the March 27th meeting. Let's see here. Bear with me. All right. So um first item there's there will be a public hearing on the CDBG 2025-2026 annual action plan. Joe. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. So the CDBG process has three steps. The first is the needs assessment, then the adoption of the action plan, and then finally the end of uh year report called the CAPER. So on Thursday will be the public hearing for the first step, which is the needs assessment. Uh this is requesting public comment on the needs of the low income residents of Round Rock. Nonprofit agencies have been notified and are encouraged to attend to testify on uh on the needs of their clients, some of whom will be in the audience on Thursday. Uh the public meeting notice was published in the Round Rock Leader here at City Hall, and as well as on the website. The second public hearing is normally held in June once the annual action plan is drafted, and we have the details of those proposed projects to be funded for council's consideration. And our C BG allocations for this upcoming fiscal year. Uh, we anticipate to be announced uh on or around May 15th. Our current year funding is about 642,000, and we anticipate a similar amount for this upcoming fiscal year. And with that, I'm available for any questions you may have. Any questions for Joe? All right, you're good. Thank you, sir. All right, and then on Thursday, we'll have a staff presentation regarding the uh entrepreneur economic ecosystem development plan. I don't think there's anything at this moment, but that is just kind of the uh the uh corresponding um plan that was developed with the Hickey Global um uh plan for the chamber and this in the city. So that's that should be presented come Thursday night. All right, and then there are um five things on the consent agenda. Does anybody have a question or concern with any items? Okay, council member Fleming. Um I just had a question on G4. I was just wondering what had prompt the increase. Is that standard?
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