Community Wifi coming to Downtown Marlin

There will soon be a free wireless internet connection throughout Downtown Marlin, sponsored by the City of Marlin.

During the City council meeting on Aug 11, council members discussed two different options for addressing the connectivity issues within the community. 

City Manager, Cedric Davis, noted that the introduction of a centralized wifi system in downtown would be useful for patrons, businesses, tourists, as well as community members and students without reliable internet access. 

“We have students that live in certain houses close in proximity to downtown; they will be able to access the wifi,” he said. “Currently, they go sit by the Presbyterian Church just to access the Wifi over at the library.”

MediaLink Telecom and Goextele Communications are the two companies vying for the contract, but the items were ultimately tabled to give council members time to go over their options.

Medialink came out to visit Marlin before the start of coronavirus, when the subject of community-wide wifi first arose. With them, the project could be up and running anywhere from 10-15 weeks from contract commencement and would cost the city about $48.8K.

There would be five different access points spread between Ward St. and Commerce St. giving off 4G and 5G competitive bandwidth. 

There would be a 36-month contract, with multiple payment options, that would include monitoring and remote support, along with typical contract management.

A representative from Goextele Communications was on site on Aug. 11 to present information to the City Council. Goextele is offering a fiber optics system, something not widely available in the City of Marlin.

Marlin ISD invested in fiber optics last year, so any additional work would add onto the fibers set. It was stated that adding to this system would bring the City’s slow connectivity speeds up, as well as bring in a possible additional revenue stream by renting out the system to larger companies. 

A quote was not yet available for council members, but is set to be provided to the Marlin City Council by the Aug. 25 budget meeting.

This subject is set to be revisited once that is received.

Public Works Recognition.

There was a public comment from community member Mona Galvez, recognizing City of Marlin Public Works Director, Scott Fornesh, for his outstanding performance in fixing a leaking fire hydrant in her neighborhood. Fornesh took extra care to communicate with the homeowner on operations, as well as a project end date. She thanked him and suggested he receive a raise for his constant efforts to maintain the city. 

Fence Complaint

The second public comment of the evening was a citizens’ complaint, read aloud. The complaint was slightly incoherent and jumped around in subject matter, but named issues of code enforcement. It also mentioned past affairs within the city and made accusations towards multiple city officials alluding to falsifying information and unlawful practices. 

The main issue referenced Texas Transportation Code Section 250.001, Restrictions of Fences in Certain Municipalities. The complaint noted a fence set to be erected on Business Highway 6 would be in violation of this code.

Code Enforcement Officer, Jennifer Downes-Bridges, was asked to speak on the matter and was asked a number of questions by council. She confirmed that there were no restrictions that would concern Marlin. 

TTC Section 250.001 refers only to municipalities with 1.5 million inhabitants or more.

MRB Group Update

Gil Gregory of MRB Group gave his monthly update of the water grant process. He further explained to the council how the reimbursement of the grant works, stating that once invoices for the work were received by the City of Marlin, that they could then be submitted to the Water Development board for reimbursement. MRB group will expect payment within 30 days of funds being received for each project. 

Projects total about $6.9M and are expected to be completed over time. Gregory confirmed council members’ questions regarding whether all area of town would be considered, stating that the south side of Marlin was definitely included in the plans. 

Brushy Creek

Contracts for Mitamura and McMullen, engineering consultants for the Brushy Creek project, were completed, with discrepancies found in the invoices received by the City of Marlin. 

It was stated during a previous City Council meeting, attended by the firm, that there was about $7,000 left in the contract, yet there was more than $20,000. 

Officials recalled that the engineers were told to hold on their work and to not move forward without approval, leaving many wondering what work was done exactly.

Inconsistencies in the newly received invoices in comparison to ones received for previous services were noted, namely that previous invoices gave exact work details and that the new ones do not. 

Marlin City Attorney, DeAndra Petty, noted that in her position as an attorney, she is required to give exact actions completed during any and all billed hours. 

Mayor Carolyn Lofton questioned whether the contract was truly completed without the services outlined in the contract being wholly performed and asked Petty to look into the matter.

The subject was tabled for further investigation into the matter.

Nov 3 election 

Because local elections were postponed to Nov. 3 due to coronavirus, the City of Marlin will be partnering with the Falls County Election Administration to conduct the election. This election will be held at the same time and place as the rest of the elections happening that day, including the county and state official as well as presidential elections. There will be separate ballots for local and other elections. 

Early voting will take place from Oct. 13 - Oct 30 at the Falls County Courthouse. Because municipalities are required to use county voting locations, Marlin constituents will vote at the BTW Alumni Building on Nov. 3. 

The City of Marlin will compensate the Falls County Election Admin a total of $3,151, $1,500 payable to Hart Intercivic for the use of the programming software. THe City will also be required to provide 3-4 poll workers for the Marlin polling location

Sale of Land

The purchase of a 1.25 acre plot of of city owned land was discussed. The offer of $5,000 was given by local realtor Irene Tamez on behalf a of client, whom had recently purchased adjacent land and are looking to expand. Because there is not currently an accesseed value connected to the property, the item was tabled while awaiting further information pertaining to value of the land.

Street Equipment

The City Council unanimously passed purchasing the 2020 street equipment currently being leased. The equipment will be used as part of the street repair and maintenance program, which has gained large strides in the past few months with multiple streets being leveled and many potholes filled. 

The decision was between buying the 2020 equipment for $74,000 (with $29,000 already paid,) payable up to 6 years, or buying used 2015 equipment for about $50,000 outright. After discussion, it was decided that the newer equipment would be of better use in the long run and would be easier to work into the budget over the course of a couple years. 

Cedric Davis suggested spreading it out over four years, an idea which the council took to easily. This will mean annual payments of $21,041, which can be budgeted for beforehand. 

It was also mentioned that since there was already $50,000 budgeted for street equipment for the upcoming budget, it would be possible to make two annual payments if the council pleased.

The other option would be to only make one payment and leave the reserved funds in case of an emergency arising. 

Budget Hearing 

A public hearing for the FY21 budget is set for Tuesday, Aug. 25. Councilwoman Nettie Lange-Moore brought up the subject of the decreasing the water rate, but was told that the item would be considered after the new budget had been discussed. It should be revisited at the Aug 25 meeting.