BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TIGHTENS RULES FOR CAR WASHES & DATA CENTERS, MOVES TO SINGLE NON-CONSENT TOWING VENDOR

  

The Brenham City Council on Thursday unanimously agreed to implement new restrictions for car washes and data centers.

City of Brenham Development Services Director Stephanie Doland said the code amendments are intended to help curtail heavy water usage.

Specifically, the changes will require all new car washes, as well as existing ones that undergo a large renovation, to use water recycling systems, low-flow spray nozzles or other means to limit potable water usage to 55 gallons per vehicle wash.  The restrictions do not apply if the car washes incorporate private water well systems, which use groundwater rather than drinking water.  They also will only allow car washes by specific use permit, requiring approval from the council and the Planning and Zoning Commission, though that particular provision will not take effect until July 1^st.

For data centers, the code amendments provide official definitions for them and designate them as specific uses in industrial districts, meaning they will be subject to public hearings and a property-specific analysis.  Additionally, they will be restricted from using water-based cooling methods, and they will face requirements to submit electric demand reports; screen all ground-mounted equipment; adhere to a minimum of one off-street parking space per 300 square feet of floor area used for office, meeting, training or security personnel uses; and maintain at least 300 feet of distance between any data center building or ancillary equipment and the property line of a residential or public institutional use.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the council voted 5-2 to accept a request for proposals from BDS Towing and Recovery to provide single-source non-consent towing services for the city.  Councilmembers Adonna Saunders and Dr. Paul LaRoche III voted against.  (Editor's Note: the article originally incorrectly listed the vote as unanimous. KWHI apologizes for the error.)

Non-consent tows include situations where the driver has been arrested or incapacitated in an accident, or if the vehicle is committing a parking violation.

Public Works Director Dane Rau said the switch from using multiple wreckers on a rotation for non-consent tows to a single company is meant to provide more consistency and less confusion for dispatchers and public safety officials.

Rau said BDS, who has a yard in Burton, recently secured a single-source bid with College Station.

The proposal was met with opposition from representatives of other local towing companies, who said their companies would be negatively impacted financially with the loss of business in the city limits.  They also expressed concern about how one wrecker could handle situations when multiple accidents occur around the city simultaneously. 

The term with BDS will be for one year, with the option to extend for three additional one-year periods.  The change does not affect county-wide non-consent tows. 

Councilmembers later approved a third scheduled increase to the city’s water rates, following two other increases in 2024 and 2025.  The rate hikes are being instituted to address the city’s rising costs, mainly driven by new debt associated with expansion of the water treatment plant and groundwater well projects.

The minimum monthly bill for city residents is expected to go up by $1.77 for the first 3,000 gallons of water used.  The paid rates per 1,000 gallons used are also slated to go up between the thresholds of 3,001 – 10,000 gallons, 10,001 – 25,000 gallons, and over 25,000 gallons.

For commercial and industrial customers, the minimum charge for 3,000 gallons is increasing based on the size of the customer’s water meter, though the rates for the smallest meter sizes of 5/8” or 3/4" are not changing.  As with residential customers, the rate per 1,000 gallons used will rise in correlation with the three gallon usage tiers of 3,001 – 10,000, 10,001 – 25,000, and over 25,000. 

A full breakdown of the proposed rate increases can be seen here.

In other business, the council:

• Approved a professional services agreement with M2L Associates Inc. for landscape architectural plans, bidding, and construction management services for an open space playground and amenity project at the Brenham Family Park.  The agreement is for $127,000, and the play area and amenities will be around the $1 million - $1.3 million range.  The project is not included in the Brenham Family Park project grant, but the city did receive a donation to support it. 
• Agreed to issue a purchase order to Blackmon Mooring in the amount of $737,311 for construction-related services to be performed at the City of Brenham Maintenance and Gas Department office at 506 South Austin Street.  The building was damaged during a fire on October 29^th.
• Awarded a request for proposals to Cocktails4U of College Station for alcohol and concession services at The Barnhill Center.  Interim City Manager Megan Mainer said staff estimated a loss of about $4,051 from offering concessions and alcohol in-house during the 2025 fiscal year.  The goal is to improve the tourism department’s financial standing by switching to a contractor and charging a monthly fee to the vendor in exchange for exclusive sale rights during city events and to be the preferred in-house provider for all non-City of Brenham events. 
• Approved a professional services agreement with EMPACT Engineering, LLC for engineering services related to the city’s long-term fiber study in an amount not to exceed $72,000.
• Approved a memorandum of understanding between the city, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas Emergency Management Assistance Teams related to responsibilities and procedures for emergency activities. 
• Held executive session discussion regarding the Brenham Municipal Airport, its operations and services, and associated matters.  There will also be talks about the appointment, employment, evaluation and duties of a new city manager.  No action was slated to be taken.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.