City Council hears updates on water projects, police chief search

By Lindsey Vaculin

General Manager

The Cameron City Council heard an update on water projects and the hiring of a new police chief during its meeting March 20.

Cameron City Manager Rhett Parker told the council that the city is still taking applications for the police chief position and will begin the interviewing process today, March 23. He said the CPD sergeants are doing a great job of keeping up with things until a new chief is hired.

Public Utility Director Gerald Brunson told council that things are moving along with the city’s water projects

Brunson said he has a pre-bid meeting set for this week for clarifier project. 

“They will have their bids in by March 30,” he said. “Once we pick a contractor, those bids go to Texas Water Development Board for certification.”

He said that he thinks they should be able to start pulling equipment out of the clarifiers by the end of April and work should begin the first of May on the clarifier project.

He expects to have proposals for wastewater treatment techniques and equipment in hand on April 3 and hopes that by early May he will be able to make a recommendation to the council on what type of plant to build.

Councilmember Robert Davis asked Brunson if he has a timeline for when the projects will get started.

Brunson said he anticipates the wastewater plant groundbreaking to be in March of 2018. Work on the water plant should begin in September or October of this year.

“We are hoping to have the streets on Harding, Cleveland and Country Club started in June,” he said. “I was hoping to get that started sooner but I don’t see that getting started before June.”

Burnson said the next two years will be very busy with this project.

“I know the public knows we have plans for this, but they don’t have any clue when it will get started,” Davis said. “They know their water bills went up and are wondering when it will start.”

Parker said the city has already begun to make payments on the project and that is why bills went up.

Brunson said that if the city would have waited any longer to get the project funding started interest rates would have doubled. 

“It is dealing with Texas Water Development Board and it just takes time,” Parker said.

In other action the council: heard a complaint from resident Betty Wadlington about sewer line concerns but took no action on the topic; and approved the Sept. 30, 2016, audit report as presented.