Council amends 2024 capital budget

By Melinda L. Lucas

Amending the 2024 capital improvement budget took most of a 45-minute Albany city council meeting held on Wednesday, Jan. 15, with city manager Billy Holson going over the capital improvement expenditures for the year in advance of the end of the city’s fiscal year on March 31.

Holson explained that the five-year plan is always adjusted for various reasons, usually depending on unexpected costs and lack of personnel to complete projects.

“Something is always going to break or need to be replaced,” the city manager said. “It always changes pretty drastically every year. It just gives us a guideline and an overall plan for the next five years.”

Holson pointed out that almost all water lines on the south side of town are now tied into the loop around the city boundaries, with $205,000 spent on that project, the biggest single item in the budget.

He also mentioned ongoing work on the city’s new subdivision along Hwy. 6.

“We hope to have that subdivision finished in the next two years,” Holson said.

Buying a new chipper and attachments totaled $100,000, but was an expense that Holson felt was needed because the old chipper is no longer operational.

Installing metal awnings at the softball field, replacing two lift stations, and buying a new SCADA system for the water plant, which is used to monitor and control in real time, were among the bigger expenditures on the 2024-2025 list.

Other big-ticket items were the purchase of a truck for the water plant, a pickup for administration, and a tractor for mowing at the airport.

Put off until next year because of a lack of personnel and inability to get needed supplies were street repairs and radio read water meters.

“Sometimes we don’t get to all these projects, and we kick them back a year,” Holson said.

Total expenditures for 2024-2025 to date tallied $522,000.

Austin Sherwood made the motion to approve the amended capital improvement budget, with a second from Lester Galbreath. All were in favor.

During the discussion, Holson briefly summarized an airport expenditure in the 2026-2027 column of the budget.

“This is close to a $6M TxDOT project, with our part just 10 percent of that,” he said, indicating that the city’s portion would come from “restricted,” or donated, funds. 

As for the general budget, it is in “good shape,” according to the city manager, with about two months left before the city’s fiscal year.