Rockdale has a new city manager, but it’s a most familiar face.
Barbara Holly, who has been serving as the city’s Development Services Director for just over a year, was promoted to city manager in a unanimous vote of the Rockdale City Council during a telephonic meeting originating at City Hall.
During the meeting city water customers got good news.
Holly said even though the COVID-19 situation, and other factors, have negatively impacted budgeting, the city looks to still be on target to keep its February statement that no new water rate increases are envisioned this fiscal year.
CITY MANAGER—Holly has been serving as interim city manager since the departure of Chris Whitaker for Angleton in March.
Holly was hired by the city in January, 2019, as code official and moved up to Development Services Director on June 1 of that year.
Holly, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas, and several hours towards a PhD in planning, has extensive experience in city planning and development at Athens, Tyler, Corpus Christi, Temple, Addison and Coral Springs, Florida.
In Corpus Christi, where she was Development Services Director, she managed approximately $1-billion annually in building permits and infrastructure activity.
WATER RATES— On Monday, the council approved issuance of $29.7-million in certificates of obligation to fund almost half of Rockdale’s massive water-sewer system replacement program.
A large set of rate increases went into effect last year and officials had said in February it appeared no increases would be necessary in 2020.
Holly said interest rates came in much lower than expected on the initial project, broken down into four separate certificates of obligation.
“We got zero percent on all four for the first year,” she said. “And two of them have zero percent for the life of the certificates of obligation.”
In addition, the Texas Water Development Board is forgiving $900,000 in loans. The council approved that agreement on Monday.
Holly said it still appears the city won’t require rate hikes during this fiscal year. Rockdale’s fiscal year runs from October through September and the situation will be reviewed again in the fall.
She said customers had begun using less water even before the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We could definitely tell since the virus situation that businesses have been using less water,” she said,
Rockdale rate payers should note, however, the certificates of obligation approved Monday cover a bit less than half the $60-million project and more rate increases are forecast in upcoming years.
Rockdale is replacing a failing water and wastewater system which has been the source of 70 years of “red water” problems.
Former City Manager Whittaker noted as much as 40 percent of the perpetually-patched water system is lost to leaks.
OLD CITY HALL—Holly told the council an “anonymous bid” of $100,000 has been received for the former City Hall and Rockdale Police Station on the corner of Burleson and Cameron (US 79).
The historic building was constructed in 1895 and was vacated in 2019 when a new police station was constructed on the other end of downtown.
The council authorized Holly to perform due diligence on the offer and report back on the plans the buyer had for the structure and deed restrictions
Holly said the bid also includes the former site of the Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home behind the structure.
In other business, council members re-issued the city Declaration of Local State of Disaster due to Public Health Emergency to comply with orders issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
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