Flooding relief OK'd for Donna Channel Fire chief wants owner accountability for vacant structures
EDIE ZUVANICH Special to the Press
The City Council has awarded a nearly $6 million construction contract to fix flooding issues affecting more than 40 homes and buildings around the Donna Channel.
The approval came during the council’s Aug. 28 session, though the actual improvements are more than a year away.
At last week’s meeting, the council also considered a program for vacant buildings and civil-rights compliance.
Regarding the Donna Channel, the city has been working since 2020 to correct storm-water hazards and accepted a $5.99 million bid from Texas Road, a company that already performed road work in the area.
Texas Road was the lowest bidder among eight. The highest was for $7.94 million.
The work will be funded through a combination of grants, 2022 bond money and loans.
The project, which is expected to start construction next month and be mostly finished by December 2026, will include four drainage-improvement areas:
• Donna Channel will see the biggest focus, with work being done on the detention pond, channel, storm drain, culvert, pedestrian bridge, street reconstruction, water and wastewater improvements. This should reduce street flooding along Mallard, Davis and Drake streets and reduce flooding through Bull Branch Creek.
• The Bull Branch Trail project will replace 2,000 feet of existing trail and include drainage improvements.
• The Donna Drive project will regrade 250 feet of Donna Drive so it drains to an existing 30-foot drainage easement and reduces yard and street flooding.
• The Travis and Franklin streets project will include street and drainage improvements that reduce the risk of yard and home flooding.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Mayor Dwayne Ariola. “This is great for the entire city of Taylor that it’s going to get fixed.”
City considers vacant building program
The council asked city staff to do more work on a plan presented by Fire Chief Daniel Baum to register vacant buildings downtown; it would also require owners to maintain the buildings in a safe condition.
A fire earlier this summer that destroyed the historical Dickey-Givens Community Center, which was caused by “human activity” but never ruled as arson, played a part in the chief’s request.
“The recent fire at the old Dickey-Givens Community Center I think is just a wake-up call for us. The risks and challenges we have with vacant buildings in this community, I think, are all painfully obvious,” Baum said. “When I drive to work and drive over the overpass I see boarded up windows and buildings in that condition every day.”
Baum said vacant structures are often not maintained, potentially causing a fire hazard and risk of structural collapse or other hazards. The vacant buildings attract squatters and criminal activity, have a negative impact on property values, pose a risk to emergency responders and deter investment in the community, he told the council.
The fire chief’s plan would require owners of a vacant building to register their sites with the city, keep up with minimum maintenance standards and allow inspections and enforcement by the city.
Baum said the city should require owners of vacant properties to provide a plan of action including an intent to lease, renovate, sell or demolish the building.
“This permit is not compelling anybody to take one of those actions but at a bare minimum they must have annual inspections and they have to maintain the building to some safe standard. They want to choose to keep it vacant they can, but it has to be maintained,” Baum said.
He told the council the goal is to return properties to productive use, encourage reinvestment, secure buildings and eliminate the appearance of being abandoned.
“I think this is beyond needed, especially in our historical downtown,” Ariola said. “We’ve got a lot of people investing in those buildings, hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars and their next-door neighbor is vacant and boarded up. It’s kind of an eyesore, but that’s not the reason to do it. It’s for the safety of our firefighters.”
City codifies equality program Also during the Aug.
28 meeting, the council adopted a policy to bring the city into compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after receiving a heads-up from the Texas Department of Transportation.
The federal law prohibits discrimination by any entity that accepts federal funding.
“Risks of staying noncompliant could be loss of current or future federal funding. They could easily request that funds that were given to the city are returned,” said LaShon Gros, interim managing director of internal services.
The government could also take legal action against the city.
A TxDOT Title IV specialist earlier this year notified city officials about a lack of compliance, and the state gave Taylor a deadline of Sept. 15 to fall in line.
To be in compliance, the city adopted a nondiscrimination policy statement and a complaint process for residents and employees.
The city will also need to provide additional translated materials for residents with limited English proficiency, and in Taylor that means more forms and documents in Spanish.
Gros will be the Title Vi coordinator. She said access to file a discrimination complaint will be added to the city’s website.
Tax rate
City officials plan to hold a public hearing 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at City Hall, 400 Porter St., on a proposed tax increase. According to a city website, under consideration are a proposed tax rate of about 58 cents per $100 valuation or a nonew- revenue tax rate of about 51 cents per $100 valuation.
“The proposed tax rate is not greater than the voter-approval tax rate,” according to the city website. “As a result, city of Taylor is not required to hold an election at which voters may accept or reject the proposed tax rate.”
For more, visit www. taylortx.gov/1370/ Proposed-Budget-and-Tax-Rate.
