By Robert Taylor
The summer budget workshop series continued at the July 23 City Council meeting with an update on the Boerne Utilities Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and a breakdown of key infrastructure projects as the City prepares the fiscal year 2025 budget.
The CIP is a long-term planning tool that outlines the City’s strategy for funding and completing major infrastructure projects, which often takes years of future planning and occurs over multiple annual budgets.
City Manager Ben Thatcher began the presentation by explaining how these projects align with City of Boerne’s goal of providing excellent financial stewardship by committing to strategic, responsible, and conservative financial management as well as investing in high-quality infrastructure systems and public assets.
Boerne Utilities Director Mike Mann gave a detailed presentation to the council on several projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan. These projects cover each of Boerne Utilities’ services, including electric, water, reclaimed water, sewer, and natural gas.
Watch the full presentation to council.
The council will review and approve the CIP budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which runs Oct. 1, 2024 – Sept. 30, 2025. The CIP budget incorporates funding from various sources including cash, the general fund, utility funds, impact fees, developer contributions, bond programs, grants, and other governmental partnerships. Funding for routine infrastructure maintenance is included in other areas of the budget.
The council must also consider City staff’s capacity to advance these projects and whether to utilize outside resources or firms. Changes in economic conditions like inflation also impact the CIP evaluation each year.
Electric Projects
Boerne Utilities electricity is purchased from BP Energy and delivered by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LRCA). Boerne Utilities distributes that power to 6,572 customers from two substations in town. Below are electric projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan.
I-10 Electric Line Relocation
This project will relocate a section of electric lines along I-10 as part of the City’s development agreement with Buc-ee’s. The electric lines will be realigned with a new roadway (Buc-ee’s Way) to be built. Relocation work will begin pending the placement of the new roadway’s embankment. The total cost for the project is $150,000 and is fully funded.
Water Projects
The City of Boerne utilizes three potable water sources: Boerne City Lake, groundwater wells (9 active, 2 reserve), and purchased and treated water from Canyon Lake through the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA). Boerne Utilities delivers that water to 8,162 customers.
Boerne Utilities also provides reclaimed water service to 976 customers, which is used primarily for landscape irrigation purposes and saves millions of gallons of potable drinking water each year. The reclaimed water system currently serves customers in the Esperanza and Ranches at Creekside developments.
Below are water and recycled water projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan.
Water Treatment Plant Expansion
Boerne Utilities is in the middle of a 14-month study to evaluate the current treatment process at the Water Treatment Plant at Boerne City Lake to identify additional treatment methods that can address the unique challenges of treating surface water in a changing regulatory environment.
Boerne Utilities has included in its CIP an expansion of the plant that would include additional treatment methods to further remove traces of organic material that can remain in treated surface water. The total anticipated cost for the expansion is $20 million with $2,750,000 million already budgeted.
Learn more about water quality and natural environmental influences on water.
Ammann Road Water Projects
The Boerne Utilities CIP includes three projects under design for a future GBRA water delivery point along Ammann Road. These projects include:
- Ammann Road Delivery Main: $2.75 million
- Ammann Road Discharge Main: $2.4 million
- Ammann Road Water Tank and Pump Station: $6.8 million
Carbon Filters at Buckskin Water Delivery Point
This project calls for the installation of carbon filters at the potable water delivery point at the Buckskin Drive pump station to remove disinfection byproducts and periodic taste/odor compounds sometimes found in treated surface water.
Director Mann explained the need for carbon filters has increased in recent years as the City has moved to surface water from GBRA as its primary source while using less groundwater. The total cost of this project is $500,000 with expected installation of the filters in 2026.
WCID-4 Water Mains Oversizing
This $1 million project would cover the cost of increasing the size of the water mains through the Georges Ranch development to ensure the full capacity of the Ammann Road pump and tank station back to the City’s distribution system. The developer of Georges Ranch is paying for the water mains from Highway 46 to the future new GBRA delivery point on Ammann Road and throughout the development.
Reclaimed Water Main Extensions
Boerne Utilities has included two projects in the CIP to extend reclaimed water main lines, both currently in the design phase.
The first project would extend an existing line through the Trails at Herff Ranch at a cost of $3.2 million. The second project would bore under Highway 46 to connect existing mains along Copper Creek Boulevard to Esperanza Boulevard at a cost of $200,000. These projects will facilitate system operation and capacity.
Reclaimed Water Tank and Pumps
Boerne Utilities expects to continue producing and distributing more reclaimed water as it builds out to the full capacity of the Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Center (WWTRC) on Old San Antonio Road. This project would facilitate increased production by installing a new reclaimed water storage tank and pumps at the facility. The total cost is anticipated at $1.7 million and would be done in conjunction with an overall expansion of the plant in 2025 or 2026.
Ranches at Creekside Reclaimed Water Mains
The Boerne Utilities CIP includes $864,000 for the continued installation of reclaimed water mains as part of the development agreement with Ranches at Creekside. The development is expected to be completed in 2027-2028.
Sewer Projects
Boerne Utilities provides wastewater treatment services to 7,369 customers. Below are sanitary sewer projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan.
Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Center Expansion
The expansion of the Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Center on Old San Antonio Road is included in the Utilities CIP. Design of the plant expansion is expected to begin in 2025 with construction beginning in 2025 or 2026. The total cost of the project is expected to be $11.5 million. As part of the developer agreement with Esperanza (WCID-3A), they will contribute approximately $4 million to the project.
South Cibolo Collector Main
This $8.4 million project would facilitate the transfer of wastewater flow from the Wastewater Treatment Plant on Esser Road to the plant on Old San Antonio Road. Director Mann explained that by redirecting some of the flow from the older plant to the new one, Boerne Utilities can extend the life of the older facility without the need for expansion. Design for the new sewer main is underway with construction not anticipated to begin until at least 2029.
School Lift Station Upgrades
The Utilities CIP includes design work for upgrades to the sewer main lift station at Cascade Caverns Road and Scenic Loop Road, which pumps flow to the WWTRC on Old San Antonio Road. The design of these projects is accelerated by the expected reconstruction of Cascade Caverns Road in the coming years. The design for the lift station upgrades needs to be complete to ensure it aligns with the new design of Cascade Caverns Road. Total cost for these projects is expected to be $4.7 million. Downstream force mains and gravity collector mains will also be designed and constructed.
Natural Gas Projects
Boerne Utilities provides natural gas service to 3,949 customers from two substations on the south end of the city. Below are natural gas projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan.
I-10 Gas Line Relocation
This project will relocate a section of natural gas lines along I-10 as part of the City’s development agreement with Buc-ee’s. The gas lines will be realigned with a new roadway (Buc-ee’s Way) to be built. Relocation work will begin pending the placement of the new roadway’s embankment. The total cost for the project is $150,000 and is fully funded.
East Gas Loop
This $2.5 million project calls for an extension of the natural gas main from Scenic Loop Road to the Trails at Herff Ranch area to improve the City’s ability to maintain gas pressure to the eastern service area during times of increased demand, such as extreme cold weather events. This project will be done in two phases, the first of which is already in the bidding process. The second phase is in design.
The goal is to have the new East Gas Loop complete by winter 2024-2025. If construction is not completed by then, there is a contingency plan in place to bring in a compressed natural gas trailer during extreme cold to maintain gas pressure on unusually cold mornings when demand is high.
Regent Park Gas Mains
The Utilities CIP includes $788,000 for the continued construction of natural gas mains in the Regent Park development as part of the infrastructure agreement. The development is about halfway complete with anticipated completion as early as 2025.
Ranches at Creekside Perimeter Gas Loop
Boerne Utilities has identified the need for a gas main loop around the perimeter of the Ranches at Creekside development to back-feed smaller mains in the interior of the development during times of increased demand. This project is estimated to cost $550,000 and is planned to be done by City crews with anticipated completion in 2026.
Upcoming Budget Calendar
Below are key dates in the budget development process:
- June 25: City Council Meeting | Budget Outlook and Priorities
- July 9: City Council Meeting | Capital Improvement Plan Workshop and a presentation from the Kendall County Appraisal District
- July 23: City Council Meeting | Utilities Capital Improvement Plan Workshop
- August 9: City Manager files proposed budget with City Secretary, draft budget provided to City Council
- August 13: City Council Meeting | Governmental Budget Workshop
- August 27: First public hearing on budget and tax rate
- September 10: Second public hearing on budget and tax rate and adoption of budget and tax rate
