The Brownwood City Council on Tuesday morning approved a resolution to accept funding of a $57,000 grant from The Recycling Partnership for the purchase of a baler for the Recycling Center.

Staff applied for a grant in November 2024 with The Recycling Partnership and have been awarded $57,000. In addition to the grant received from WCTCOG of $16,500, the funds will be used for the purchase of the new baler from Waste Equipment Sales & Service at a cost of $179,648.95 that was approved in the 2024/2025 budget.

Also, Council approved a resolution declaring 12 storm sirens and associated electrical equipment as surplus property.

The storm siren replacement project is underway and will be completed in early July. With the project completion there will be twelve storm sirens and associated electrical equipment which will either need to be scrapped, donated, or sold. Staff would first like to donate the sirens to other Brown County communities who have expressed interest, then list the remainder on Gov Deals and scrap those that are non-serviceable.

Ray Tipton, BMDD Executive Director, provided a report on the 1-year anniversary of the Brownwood Event Center. In the first full year, more than 60 events were held and 70 are scheduled for the 2025 calendar year. An estimated 13,835 people attended the events, which included five concerts. More than 500 people have toured the facility and over 20,000 have watched a live-stream of an event. Some events have been scheduled for the Event Center as far away as 2027.