As part of the Temple City Council meeting beginning at 5 p.m. today in the Municipal Building, the council will consider calling the general obligation bond election, which comes on the heels of the successful November 2007 $9.75 million election for parks improvements.
During a workshop beginning at 4 p.m. the council will discuss the Temple-Belton Regional Sewerage System expansion project and discuss appointments to city boards.
The May ballot will also include the at-large mayoral seat and the District 2 and 3 council seats. All of the positions are for three-year terms. Patsy Luna (District 2) and Marty Janczak (District 3) have filed for re-election, as has Mayor Bill Jones III.
Jones said he anticipates the council will vote in favor of the bond issue election. The money would fund a new Central Fire Station; a combined Fire Station No. 8, training center and emergency operations center; and three engines. Of the engines, two would replace engines at stations 1 and 4, and the third would be a new engine for station 8.
The vote comes with the conclusion this year of the city’s fire master plan, done by Emergency Services Consultants Inc., which laid out a number of options for dealing with potential growth in the city and the corresponding need for additional fire and EMS protection.
Study by the city staff narrowed down priorities listed in the document.
“We’ve been working on our fire study for quite some time and the needs in our community are growing,” Jones said.
“The needs and the growing community are such that this is the appropriate time to move this issue forward,” he added.
Jones said the measures in the issue are needed to keep up with growth in the city.
“We need to improve Central Fire Station and we need to look at the western part of our community to decide where to place the next fire station as the community grows,” he said.
The bond package estimates the new Central Fire Station at $7,174,840, the combined facility at $4,775,160, engine 8 with air packs at $565,000 and the two other engines at $540,000. The cost of bond issuance is estimated at $400,000, for a $13,995,000 total.
If the election is approved, the city could also authorize a joint election agreement that would include the Temple school district, Temple Health and Bioscience Economic Development District, Temple College, and Clearwater Underground Water and Conservation District. The city would conduct the election and share the cost with entities that choose to participate, according to the city.
