A complete video of the meeting will be placed below this article as soon as it is processed.
“If you added up all the projects we’re currently doing, we got about 21 projects going right now,” Wilson told the board.
Wilson began his report with the parks component of Hope for the Future, saying construction activity is expected to pick up soon at Northside Park. He said work on the splash pad bathrooms should begin “this week or next week,” marking another visible step forward in the long‑planned improvements.
He then turned to the aquatic and recreation center at Fair Park, telling the board the city has issued a notice to proceed and scheduled a pre‑construction conference for April 14. A public way of getting the project going is planned later this month. “We’re doing a groundbreaking ceremony April 27 for photo ops with the board and the public at the site,” Wilson said.
Wilson said bids for the tennis and pickleball project at Fair Park are scheduled to be opened Thursday, with recommendations expected to come back to the board at its next meeting. He said planning for the soccer component will follow once the city has a clearer picture of remaining funds. “We really haven’t begun on that yet,” Wilson said, explaining staff wants to see how current projects affect available dollars before bringing options forward.
He also updated the board on the Hope for the Future fire department project, where asbestos removal has begun at the former auto care and rental buildings in the former Village Shopping Center. Wilson said contractors have already started work and estimated the removal process would take “roughly two or three weeks.” He described coordinated efforts by city staff to clear non‑asbestos materials from the site so abatement crews can work efficiently. “A lot of good things are happening with there on that site,” Wilson said, referring to the way tenants are responding while saying the street department is also lending efforts there.
Earlier in the meeting, the board took its most significant financial action of the night by approving an ordinance tied to the city’s upcoming sanitation bond issue and the rate changes needed to support it.
Wilson reminded the board that discussions about the sanitation bond have been ongoing for several months and that the city has engaged Raymond James to assist with the bond issuance and Taylor Marshall of Friday, Eldridge and Clark for bond consultation. “We’ve got three really good partners that we’re partnering with,” Wilson said.
He explained that the ordinance formally amends the city’s refuse collection rates to include a new debt service charge that will be used to repay the bond. The board had previously expressed its intent to set the charge at $7 per month for residential customers, $10 per month for commercial bag trash customers, and $30 per month for commercial dumpster customers. “The ordinance is in this packet for your review,” Wilson said, noting that highlighted language showed where changes were being made.
Wilson said if approved, the new rates would take effect May 1, with revenue expected to begin flowing in June, roughly coinciding with the anticipated bond closing. “We wouldn’t see revenue probably rolling until June,” he said.
City Attorney Randal Wright read the ordinance aloud, detailing the amended refuse collection fees and the addition of the debt service charge. The ordinance also clarified requirements for tree branches and heavy brush placement, language Wilson later said was necessary to ensure sanitation trucks can safely collect debris, including tree limbs. “We have a hard time getting them in our trucks if they’re not cut certain lengths,” Wilson said.
The board unanimously approved the ordinance and its emergency clause, allowing it to take effect immediately.
The board also approved a resolution clarifying the city’s agreement with Hempstead County on district court costs and filing fees. Wilson said the resolution was needed after a new state reporting form created confusion about how revenues were divided. In the earlier ordinance, the language did not clearly reflect the longstanding 50‑50 arrangement between the city and county.
The resolution clarifies that total court costs and filing fees are divided evenly, with each entity continuing to pay its share of court personnel expenses. “We’re dividing 50‑50,” Wilson said. “That’s really all this resolution is doing.”
Other actions included approval of a rezoning request on Main Street, the declaration of surplus equipment and asphalt millings, and acceptance of a $255,725 bid for an emergency standby wastewater pump. Wilson said the liquefied natural gas‑powered pump will automatically activate during power outages to keep wastewater flowing. “If electricity, Hope loses electricity, we lose those pumps,” Wilson said. “This standby pump would automatically kick on.”
Wilson acknowledged challenges in the wastewater budget, including previously approved expenditures that were not fully accounted for, but said staff is working on amendments and funding solutions. He noted the city has secured a $148,000 grant to help offset the cost of the standby pump.