Docks at Dennis Dreyer Municipal Harbor are in shambles as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Port Aransas City Hall is working on a plan to rebuild the docks.
The city council met on Oct. 10 and agreed to go forward with the idea of issuing certificate of obligation bonds.
According to a timeline prepared by City Manager Dave Parsons, the council is expected to meet on Thursday, Oct. 19, and could then hold a formal vote to approve a resolution signaling their intent to issue bonds.
Port Aransas City Engineer Jim Urban, standing at right, points to a schematic drawing of Dennis Dreyer Municipal Harbor at a meeting of the Port Aransas City Council on Monday, Oct. 9. Seated from left are council members Charles Crawford Jr., Joan Holt and Bruce Clark. The council was discussing the possibility of issuing certificate of obligation bonds to pay for rebuilding the harbor’s docks, which were heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
If the council approves the resolution at that meeting, the city by law then would have to advertise for 30 days the intent to issue bonds. Citizens could challenge the intent with a petition.
If they successfully petition the council, they could force the matter to a public vote, which probably would take place next year.
If no petition develops or no such effort is successful, the council could vote to issue the bonds sometime after the 30-day period is up, Parsons said.
City officials are hoping to act quickly on this timeline with the hopes that reconstruction of the marina could be finished or nearly finished by summer next year, Parsons said.
“I believe this is critical to getting our tourism and our economy back,” council member Wendy Moore said.
Council member Beth Owens agreed.
“Our marina is such a huge source of income during the summer,” she said.
Moore said, “We’ve got to move fast, because if we don’t, all these dock builders are going to be in Florida and Puerto Rico and other places in the world where hurricanes have hit.”
The marina sustained $5 million worth of damage to its docks and associated facilities, Parsons said.
The council is looking at reconstruction options with costs ranging from an estimated $4.7 to $6.3 million.
Work could range from fixing existing floating docks to replacing fixed docks with floating docks and adding to existing floating docks, plus fixing electrical systems and plumbing.
Revenue from the city’s Harbor Fund, not property taxes, would be used to pay off the bond. The marina gets revenue from slip rental fees.
To pay off the bond, the city will use revenue from the city’s Harbor Fund and will be looking for money from FEMA, Parsons said.
The city also will seek funding from Community Development Block Grants, which come from the Texas General Land Office, he said.
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