A timeline reviewed by the City Council this week indicates construction on a combined City Hall and Police Department could start in March with completion in November 2027.
Preliminary work approved Thursday by the council includes relocating a sewer line on Second Street beginning in January for the proposed Justice Center.
“As of today, we’re still in shape to move in October of 2027,” said City Engineer Jacob Walker during a presentation to city officials.
In other business, the council on Thursday heard about new apartments, guidelines for vacant properties and unused funds in city coffers.
Meanwhile, the schedule Walker presented shows the project design being finished by Jan. 8, the bidding and cost proposal being presented by March 6 and the council reviewing a guaranteed maximum price proposal, also during March.
After approval of the price, construction is slated to begin immediately. The project is expected to be fully completed by November 2027.
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, the company retained by the city as the contract manager at risk, is responsible for guaranteeing the project does not exceed the budget. The company submitted a guaranteed maximum price proposal of $1,078,066 to move the Second Street sewer line.
The GMP is $571,934 under the budget set for the relocation project.
The $53 million, 60,300-square foot complex will be built on Second Street, near Washburn and Elliot streets. It will house City Hall, city municipal services, the Police Department and the Municipal Court.
More apartments proposed for Main Street
A 21-acre lot in one of the city’s busiest traffic areas could soon bring hundreds of new families to Taylor, the council heard.
A project dubbed the Taylor Apartments has applied for a zoning change to build 422 living units, including 384 apartments and 38 town homes, at 3601 N. Main St. across from the Walmart Supercenter.
The apartments will include four-story buildings and the development is planning an amenity center with a swimming pool.
The main entrance will be on Main between Advance Auto Parts, 3508 N. Main, and Chicken Express, 3506 N. Main.
A secondary entrance is between Tractor Supply, 3600 N. Main, and Whataburger, 3510 N. Main.
The lot will also offer 10,194 square feet of commercial space. The property is owned by Neil Crouch LD Taylor TX LLC.
Thursday’s meeting was a public hearing for the zoning change. The council is scheduled to take action Dec. 11.
Other council news
New rules for speaking during the citizensto- be-heard portion of council meetings passed with only one change from an Oct. 23 presentation: Speakers will continue to be able to donate their time to other commentators, allowing one person to address the council longer on behalf of a group.
Also, an ordinance governing rules for vacant downtown commercial structures presented by Fire Chief Daniel Baum received approval with only a few changes from what was outlined last month. The amended guidelines remove a requirement for building owners to have their personal contact information posted publicly and narrowed a list of building codes the vacant structures have to pass.
“The intent is not to bring these buildings up to current code. It’s to maintain the buildings under their current use or occupancy type, at least at the time they were last used, in a safe manner that’s not a firecode violation, that’s not imminent structural collapse,” Baum said.
In addition, Chief Financial Officer Robert Powers presented a budget amendment with suggestions on how the city could use funds that have been set aside for projects but never used. He said some of the funds date to 2013 and include private donations, capital project funds and special revenue funds.
Powers suggested using the money for capital projects the city has committed to funding in order to avoid future debt.
These include:
• A $3 million costshare agreement with Williamson County for the A2 Corridor Project
• More than $2 million for a ladder truck for the Fire Department with expected delivery in December 2026
• $200,000 for a cost-share agreement with Williamson County for the CR 366 road improvements Powers also identified an $830,000 error in the budget, which he credited to being new in his position. The budget did not include funds for the work HDR provides to the Development Services Department.
Meanwhile, city staff is looking for ways to cut costs in other areas to rebalance the budget.
