Seguin City Council meets Tuesday, October 20, at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 210 E. Gonzales Street. Here are several items worth watching.
Items of interest this week at City Hall.
6(c): Lower speed limits on FM 725
Council will consider final approval of reducing the existing 55 mph limit to 40 mph from west of Desert Willow to FM 467, with a 25 mph school crossing zone near Vogel Elementary when signed.
Staff says a traffic study examining road conditions, crash history, speeds, and traffic volumes supports the reductions. City’s explanation
6(e): What is a $148,821 rover camera?
It is a remotely operated camera system for inspecting underground stormwater pipes and culverts. It helps crews identify cracks, failed joints, roots, sediment, and other problems without digging up the infrastructure.
Staff reports crews cleaned and inspected more than 12 miles of drainage infrastructure during the stormwater program’s first year. The purchase is funded in the FY2027 Public Works capital budget. Staff memo
7(b): Another $214,713.50 for Cordova Road engineering
The widening project would expand Cordova Road to four lanes between SH 46 and SH 123, with a median and shared-use paths.
The additional work would coordinate road construction with utility relocations. AT&T and Charter-Spectrum relocations are not scheduled for completion until June 2027. This amendment would bring the engineering agreement to approximately $5.115 million.
Residents should ask whether the construction schedule remains achievable and how additional costs are being controlled. Staff memo
7(d): Commercial trash collection — could rates increase?
Yes, the proposed agreements provide ways for rates to increase. But the posted documents do not establish a specific increase customers should expect.
Council will consider five-year agreements with seven commercial trash and recycling providers beginning January 1, 2027. Staff says the city currently has four authorized providers. The proposed agreements would be nonexclusive, giving commercial customers more providers to choose from. Staff memo
Here is how pricing could change under the standard draft:
- Annual adjustments: Beginning in the second year, rates could move up or down using a formula weighted 90% to general inflation and 10% to gasoline inflation. For illustration, 3% general inflation and 10% gasoline inflation would produce a 3.7% adjustment. The standard agreement requires council approval.
- Additional increases: Haulers could request further adjustments for operating costs, disposal charges, regulatory changes, and similar expenses. The standard draft requires supporting explanations and city approval.
- Vendor exceptions: Some companies requested different terms. Waste Connections, for example, requested automatic annual inflation increases without further city approval and provisions allowing certain additional costs to be passed through. Its automatic-increase request bears an “X” in the posted attachment, so we cannot describe that request as an accepted provision. Council should clearly identify the exceptions it actually approves.
The standard agreement’s rate table remains an unfilled placeholder. That prevents a meaningful comparison of current charges with proposed starting rates using that document alone. Draft agreement | Waste Connections’ requested exceptions
The proposal also includes a 5% franchise fee and 3% administrative fee paid to the city. Those percentages do not, by themselves, establish an 8% bill increase or show whether the fees differ from current arrangements.
This item concerns commercial collection, including multifamily properties classified as commercial under the agreement. It does not itself establish a new single-family residential curbside rate.
Before approval, customers deserve to know: What will starting rates be, how do they compare with current bills, and which future increases will require a public council vote?
Also on our radar
7(a): Water-treatment expansion: Staff recommends $19.5 million including contingency, funded through certificates of obligation. Residents should ask how repayment fits into utility finances and future rates. Staff memo
7(c): Walnut Branch water and sewer work: A $4.41 million construction contract, plus contingency, would bring the recommended authorization to approximately $4.85 million, funded through utility bonds. Staff memo
9(a): Property rights: Council may authorize condemnation proceedings for utility easements along Baer Creek Trail if negotiations fail.
Stay informed, ask questions, and help keep Seguin’s decisions accountable.