Council Delays Stormwater Hearings, OKs Contracts

Published 8:30 pm Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Victoria City Hall. (Contributed Photo)

With Mayor Duane Crocker absent, Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Young presided over Tuesday’s Victoria City Council meeting. Councilwoman April Butler was also absent.

Prior to the meeting, the council removed two public hearings related to a proposed stormwater drainage fee from the agenda, citing the need for additional time to review the proposed ordinances. The hearings will be rescheduled, and a town hall meeting is planned to allow residents to ask questions about the proposal.

In recognition of Texas Independence Day on Monday, Young presented a proclamation declaring the week of March 2 as Texas History Week.

The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included a $236,371.12 furniture purchase for the Public Safety Headquarters and amendments to the city’s contract with Populous, Inc. for the Community Center expansion and renovation project. The amendments bring the total contract value to $2,040,873.

In connection with the Community Center expansion, council members approved a contract with CivilCorp, LLC for final surveying and design work on the reconstruction of North Street from Laurent Street to Ben Jordan Street in front of Patti Welder Middle School. The Phase 3 project contract is valued at $844,000. City Manager Jesus Garza said CivilCorp is already under contract for the Community Center project, and assigning the additional work will help streamline the process.

Council members also unanimously approved an extension for the Lone Tree Acres infrastructure project. Grant Administrator Katy Connally requested moving the project’s completion date to August 2027, and the extension was granted without opposition.

The council’s final action item was approval of a contract amendment with Garver, LLC for Water and Wastewater Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition design improvements. The amendment increases the contract by $126,000.

According to the agenda memo, the upgrades are necessary to accommodate growth and will implement an open-architecture SCADA system, allowing interoperability among hardware and software from multiple vendors and reducing vendor lock-in.

Council members also heard a presentation from the Housing Authority Program on its newest affordable housing project.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. March 17.