Ovilla city council moves money to accommodate bond election

OVILLA – The Ovilla city council voted in the October city council meeting in a 3 – 0 vote to move roughly $100,000 from the water budget to fund the sanitary sewer bid for service to Founders Park, city hall and the fire and police stations.

The shortfall comes at a time when the city is holding a bond election on Nov. 5 Election Day to fund these new projects.

Moving the money will only be necessary if the bond election is passed by Ovilla residents.

Mayor Pro Tem David Griffin and Place 4 Doug Hunt were absent from the council meeting.

The sanitary sewer bid came in at $245,502 but had only been budgeted at $150,000 by the former city manager.

The bid was also extended 15 additional days due to the costly incorrection.

A citizen’s advisory committee had strongly recommended municipal facility improvements during the summer.

Council then voted in August to hold the November bond election, which will include funding a new police station, city hall and city park improvements.

Place 4’s Doug Hunt was the lone councilmember voting against the recommendations at that time saying, “I’m not willing to vote on this because it raises the tax rate.

“I don’t think this is what the citizens of Ovilla want.”

The bond election is a multi-part bond meaning residents can vote on one proposition, for example for a new city hall, but vote against the park improvements.

Early voting began in many cities this week for the upcoming November election.

Council voted unanimously on several planning and zoning commission recommendations for preliminary plat exceptions and action considerations.

Council also has plans to appoint a temporary committee to review the city’s current thoroughfare plan, no action was taken to name committee members at the meeting.

Atmos Energy presented the Ovilla Service League a $2000 check to support the area’s first responders. It was not indicated how the service league would present this money to the area’s team of first responders or what the money would eventually be used for by the local emergency team in Ovilla and the surrounding cities.