The Dublin City Council voted to move forward with the construction of a new EMS building and reviewed the 2021-22 final budget during a short regular meeting Monday night.
Dublin EMS director John Tadlock presented bids to the council for the construction, which will convert and expand the original EMS building behind city hall. The original building had been in disrepair for years and was too narrow to allow for the departments vehicles.
Earlier in the year, the council approved the demolition of an old rock building beside the facility that allowed for expansion.
Tadlock reported that five contractors picked up plans and three returned bids. The lowest came from Covington Contracting in Austin.
He reported the total was just under $769,000 after the previous demo and initial work.
The council also elected to follow the proposal of using a Government Capital tax note, which was offering only 4% interest provided it was paid off in seven years. Tadlock said that a tax note is paid off in the same way as a Certificate of Obligation (CO), but offers a much quicker closing.
City Manager Bobby Mendez assured that the city could handle the repayment with those terms.
The city had also received a bid from a local contractor, but Tadlock didn’t feel that bid was complete. He also added that Covington uses local subcontractors.
The council unanimously voted to approve the bid. (Lee Jones was absent.)
Mendez reported that the city came in $933,000 under budget as he presented the final budget for 2021-22.
The report presented amendments from un expected expenses and received funds, such as grants to the Dublin Public Library and loans for sewer work and public works vehicles.
The council was informed that the city was roughly 3.5% over in revenue and had only spent 81% of the budgeted amount from the enterprise fund after all considerations and changes were factored in.
Mendez also informed the council that they were planning to change how they hand the budget with monthly amendments and consistent updates so they can keep better track of the budget throughout the year.
The council also approved the holidays for 2023, which includes all Federal holidays and an extra day and a half for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray was unanimously granted a request to deem a list of outdated items like cell phones as zero value, allowing for their disposal.
A homeowner spoke in public comments about the construction of a fence on a residence which would make drainage worse during rainfall events. Mendez reported that code enforcement was attempting to reach out to the person building the fence, but hasn’t been in contact yet.