With little time to educate the public and no clear plan on what should be done, the Snyder City Council took no action on calling a $6 million bond election for street improvements Tuesday night.
The council was facing an Aug. 22 deadline for a Nov. 8 election, but after discussing the pros and cons, the matter was tabled by a 5-1 vote. Council member Vernon Clay voted against tabling the issue.
“There is no question the roads need fixing. We need to address this,” Clay said.
Council members agreed a $6 million bond would be a good start, but after the discussion turned to how the money would be disbursed the subject of a long-term plan came up.
City Finance Director Patricia Warren asked the council which roads would be worked on with the funds. Council members Rodney Dupree and Steve Rich both said the highest traveled roads should be considered first.
“I think you should get some guidelines in place before calling an election,” Warren said. “The public needs to be aware of this more than anything.”
Council member Luann Burleson agreed.
“We need to have a plan to present to the public. We can’t say that we will decide later,” she said. “Saying we are going to fix the streets is a pretty general term.”
During the budget work session earlier in the meeting, Warren asked the council to “table acquiring any additional debt at this time because of the fiscal condition of our city.”
Burleson, during the bond election discussion, said the “elephant in the room is the economy.”
“If sales tax revenue keeps going down like it is, would the taxpayers be able to afford it?” Warren asked.
Mayor Tony Wofford said the streets need to be repaired and the discussion was helping the council and city staff work toward a solution.
“Yes, the economy is down, but we need to more forward,” he said.
“I agree we need to move forward, but we need to move at a slower pace,” Warren responded.
Burleson and council member Thomas Strayhorn both said November was too early to call an election.
Another concern for council members would be the cost of holding two elections in the same fiscal year. The council election is scheduled for the first Saturday in May and it would share the cost with Snyder ISD, if it has contested races for the board of trustees. In November, the council will have to pay for the entire election.
With November not being possible, Wofford said the city needed to come up with a plan.
“We need to decide if $6 million is enough,” he said. “We are getting closer to doing something. It needs to be more concrete. Then we need to sell it to the citizens. We need to come up with a comprehensive plan for our streets. I think we are closer now than ever before.”
The council unanimously approved tabling calling two other bond elections without discussion.
The bond issues were $1.5 million for a new city barn facility and $3 million for a new city hall, which the public listed as a low priority on a comprehensive plan.
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