Brownwood City Council moved several major city projects and public-service decisions forward during its Tuesday morning meeting, including authorization to seek bids for the first phase of the Downtown Master Plan and approval of a new health authority for Brownwood and Brown County.
The council authorized city staff to advertise the Downtown Master Plan Phase I projects for competitive sealed bids. The projects have moved from planning into engineering and final design, which has been completed by project engineer Freese and Nichols.
Three downtown projects move toward construction
Phase I includes three coordinated projects: downtown streetscaping, Founders Crossing, and the Silo Promenade and Courtyards. A City of Brownwood rendering featured the future Silo Promenade and Courtyards.
Construction and engineering for the phase are funded through the City’s Downtown Certificates of Obligation. Each project will be advertised and bid separately. The bid opening and evaluation are scheduled for Nov. 20, after which recommended contract awards will return to the City Council for consideration.
New health authority approved
Council members unanimously approved Dr. Jennifer Curry as the new Health Authority for the Brownwood-Brown County Health Department.
Curry is a board-certified internal medicine and infectious disease physician with more than two decades of clinical, public health and leadership experience. She currently serves as a staff physician and medical director for Hendrick Health’s Brownwood Rural Health Clinics.
Her background also includes a 21-year career as a U.S. Navy Medical Corps officer. During that career, she led major clinical departments, oversaw infectious disease programs, directed international research operations and served as a medical intelligence consultant for the Defense Intelligence Agency. She held academic appointments at the Uniformed Services University and is a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American College of Physicians.
The council also authorized the City Manager to sign a credentialing maintenance agreement with Financial Investigations and Reimbursement Management Inc., or FIRM. The Health Department has worked with FIRM for five years on medical credentialing functions.
Credentialing helps providers remain recognized and reimbursable by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers. Under the agreement, FIRM will handle updates involving provider or department changes, routine Medicare and Medicaid updates, and required re-credentialing and re-enrollment with current insurance carriers and payors.
The agreement runs through September 2027 and automatically renews annually unless either party ends it. Its annual fee is $1,500, which city officials said is already budgeted.
Other council actions
Council awarded the contract for bulk fuels, bulk oils and lubricants for fiscal year 2026-27 to PF&E. Campbell Oil Company of North Carolina was the only other bidder, with a proposed cost of $813,597.80. PF&E’s actual cost was $830,463.86, a difference of $16,866.07. The City selected PF&E because of its local connection.
The council also approved an exception to the International Fire Code for the 325 Haunted House at 117 E. Adams. The exception concerns requirements for a fire alarm and automatic sprinkler system as conditions for a special event permit and temporary certificate of occupancy.
On second and third, or final, reading, council approved the annexation of approximately 20 acres near Brownwood Regional Airport into the city limits.
Following an executive session, council approved a settlement agreement with Sullivan Contracting Services LLC concerning construction improvements at Riverside Park. Mayor Stephen Haynes said the agreement involves paving work that did not meet city specifications. The contractor will make corrections, followed by a six-month warranty on the repair work.
“The settlement regarding Sullivan is related to some of the paving work that was done that didn’t meet our specifications,” Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes said. “They’re going to make some corrections to that, and there will be a six-month warranty on the corrections work. We appreciate them reaching an agreement to get those repairs made and we’re hoping the disruption will be minimal, but at the end it needs to meet quality specifications.”
Haynes said Riverside Park will not need to close while the repairs are completed. The work will occur alongside the park’s ongoing Phase II renovations, including additions to the playground area.