Just so you know , the current City Council has been extremely diligent and active despite the unusual situations that have occurred . I am proud to serve with every member of this City Council and respect our city staff led by City Manager Margie Rose . Ms . Rose and her staff have been working diligently with this City Council preparing and presenting at regular City Council meetings and workshops that we are holding almost weekly , sometimes twice a week !
We have done more than talk , though . Just to give you an idea of some of the key actions taken by this City Council , we have :
• Approved construction contracts for more than 11 street bond projects , many of which are now underway or will begin shortly , and there are more in the pipeline . We have also proceeded with construction on a variety of other bond ( Parks , facilities , and others ) projects . As a result , the vast majority of all the previous bond projects are scheduled for completion in or before 2019 . This amount of construction around the city , when coupled with private construction , is challenging for all , but hopefully , citizens will bear with us and applaud the signs of progress . Along with this , there has been notable progress on the street preventative maintenance , and two “ test ” residential street reconstructions will begin this summer .
• Approved equipment purchases , contracts and operational improvements to address our water quality issues under the direction of our new Water Department Director . These actions are in accord with plans and agreements previously approved but not implemented .
• Proceeded with an application for SWIFT funds from the Texas Water Development Board to take the next step toward a future , new water supply for our region - desalination . For some reason , this has drawn little attention but is a major step for our region . This application was developed in collaboration with San Patricio Municipal Water District , our large volume industrial customers , the Port of Corpus Christi , the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Commission and other entities . After decades of talking about desalination , we are moving a process forward to make talk a reality when our next source of water is needed .
• Taken a hard look at our water and wastewater rates and policies , including the confusing winter averaging system and the drought management plan .
• Adopted a London Area Wastewater and Storm Water Master Plans .
19 BUSINESS MATTERS JUNE 2017