Gonzales City Council moves forward with flood mitigation grant development

After having suffered damage from flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in Aug. of 2017, the City of Gonzales is seeking a grant that would award a minimum of $3.3 million for infrastructural improvements to mitigate the damage of future flooding.

The council discussed moving forward with receiving a recommendation from a committee of city employees for companies to choose for the project if they are awarded the grant. This committee recommended Jet Development and Doucet and Associates to the council for engineering and grant administration services. The cost to the city to the development of an application for the grant is around $6,000, and is not reimbursable under the terms of the grant. The total amount of funds necessary to address flood mitigation needs in the city is $3.7 million.

This grant is being offered by the Texas Government Land Office and uses funds from the Community Development Block Grant to fund projects for flood mitigation.

City Manager Tim Patek said that the grant is competitive because of its size and broad application.

Mayor Connie Kacir said that if the city were awarded the grant, the infrastructural improvements run the chance of lowering some insurance policies. The resolution to allow the City Manager to award a request for qualifications and request for proposal to chosen parties for the development of this grant application was approved.

In other business:

• The council also discussed and approved a resolution which would make Mayor Connie Kacir, City Manager Tim Patek, Finance Director Laura Zella, and City Secretary Kristen Gilbert the sole authorized signatories for all accounts in the City of Gonzales’s name with Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union.
• Authorization of the use of Texas Heroes’ Square was also given to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for the 60^th Annual Gonzales Day Memorial Service to be held on Friday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m.
• In closed session, the council discussed:
• In Re Estate of J. B. Wells litigation
• Patricia Bennett and Gloria Knight v. City of Gonzales, Texas Cause No. 27,500
• A Guerra Enterprise LLC D/B/A Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cause No. 27,591