Allen City Council met on Tuesday, December 14. View the full agenda or watch video of the meeting.
Allen City Council approves contracts for smart water meter infrastructure
A citywide transition to smart water meters will begin next summer following a series of unanimous votes by Allen City Council. The new system will offer multiple benefits to customers, including near real-time water use information, equal billing intervals and a customer portal to help Allen residents and businesses optimize their water use. Learn more about the project plans and meter installation timeline.
Custer water tower and ground tank to receive exterior repaint and minor repairs
Councilmembers approved the repaint and repair of the Custer Road water tower and ground tank 1 for the cost of $743,188.
Earlier this year, these facilities underwent routine inspection, during which they were both identified as needing a routine exterior repaint. The Custer Ground #1 tank will also receive minor repairs. Water towers and tanks need regular recoats of specialized paint every several years in order to maintain safe working order.
Roof replacement for Allen City Hall and Municipal Court Parks and Recreation Building
Allen City Hall and the Municipal Court Parks and Recreation Building (MCPAR) have been approved for $1.2 million in roof replacements. Each facility has received spot repairs to its roof over the past decade but are now in need of full replacement to prevent water intrusion and further damage, and to minimize the impact of rising repair costs.
Council reviews the success of the Community Development Block Grant Program’s 2020-2021 activities
City Council adopted the 2020-2021 Comprehensive Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), recognizing its accomplishments from the past year.
The CDBG is a federally funded, formula-based grant that is allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to cities with populations greater than 50,000. Its purpose is to address the housing and community development needs in low-income communities through three national objectives:
- Benefiting low-to-moderate income persons
- Eliminating, or preventing, slum or blight
- Meeting an urgent need
Required annually by HUD, the CAPER is a summary of the results and accomplishments of the programs funded through the CDBG Program for the past program year. Review of the CAPER allows both HUD and the City of Allen’s Community Enhancement Department to assess if the previous year’s activities met their goals.
Overall, the program met the goals established in the Consolidated Plan. Fifty-three percent of the awarded grant funds were spent within the plan year and the remaining forty-seven percent have been programed and will be spent within the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2022.
The main challenges faced by the CDBG this past year were unusually long delays in materials and the increase in construction costs resulting in home rehabilitation projects that have traditionally taken 90 days averaging 180 days this past year.
Seventy-seven percent of the awarded COVID-19 relief grant funds were spent within the plan year and the remaining twenty-three percent have been programed and will be spent throughout Fiscal Year FY22.
View the 2020-2021 CAPER.
Retractable seating at Credit Union of Texas Event Center to be replaced
The retractable seating system at the east end of Credit Union of Texas Event Center will be replaced at a cost of $1 million after receiving approval from Councilmembers.
The original seating system is nearing the end of its expected life and has grown cumbersome and labor-intensive to operate, despite multiple repairs over the past decade. While the original system needed 20 people to operate over several hours, one person will be able to operate the new system in a matter of minutes. The facility will not only see immediate cost savings in labor but will be able to better book the facility with more back-to-back events due to the quicker turn-around times in setup.
The new seating system is expected to be installed late summer 2022.
Community Development Department recognized with statewide award
The City of Allen’s Community Development Department has received the 2021 Certificate of Achievement of the Richard R. Lillie, FAICP Planning Excellence Program from the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association.
This award recognizes the hard work and effort Community Development staff give to the Allen community when performing their duties.
The American Planning Association evaluated cities for this award based on criteria including the level of training of Planning Commissioners and professional staff, professional qualifications of the planning staff, breadth and currency of master plan components and completion of other planning related projects.
Allen is one of just 34 cities in Texas to receive this recognition.
Follow council news and future meetings
Allen City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Meetings are held in Council Chambers at Allen City Hall (305 Century Parkway). A calendar of upcoming meetings is available on the City website.
To receive a link to upcoming meetings by email, visit CityofAllen.org/NotifyMe and sign up for City Meeting Notices. Meeting agendas are posted at least 72 hours prior to each meeting. Agenda links are provided within the meeting details of each calendar listing and at CityofAllen.org/Agendas.