Lubbock City Council allocates $500K to ‘unusual’ amount of damage in North Overton district

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Lubbock City Council approved a change to the budget to put an additional $500,000 toward repair costs in the North Overton Public Improvement District, an allocation from the North Overton Public Improvement Fund, which is made up of the special tax on properties in the area. According to council documents, the area has “experienced an unusual amount of accidents and vandalism over the last calendar year.”

The half a million dollars is for damage already sustained, which is estimated to be $225,000 in this fiscal year, plus money for anticipated future expenses.

“This will allow the PID to purchase additional amenities that have been damaged (traffic bollards, pedestrian lighting, storm drain covers, etc.) and pay for the installation of these items, as well as cover the cost of any additional needed repairs,” according to the council’s meeting agenda. It also said most of the damage has been caused by traffic accidents.

The North Overton PID Service & Assessment Plan, which shows how the tax on North Overton properties is spent, indicates $100,000 is normally allocated toward such repairs. The amended plan allocates a total of $600,000 for repairs with the total operational cost this year of nearly $1.36 million.

“I think it’s important that we support the PID, especially because it impacts the quality-of-life of the area, the normalcy of the area, if you will,” District 1 Councilwoman Christy Martinez-Garcia said. “We want to make sure that we’re maintaining and helping any way that we can. Because as the city is growing, we don’t want to just keep band-aiding problems. These are important for the people that live in the district. It’s important for us to show the support for those folks and for those neighborhoods.”

The PID Fund, according to the City of Lubbock, has a sufficient balance for the allocation. It’s also possible the PID could be reimbursed by insurance for the repairs.

“I think North Overton is a beautiful area that somehow we’ve kind of not given it as much attention as it’s needed,” Martinez-Garcia said. “I think by supporting the PID, it allows us to make sure that we’re bringing it up to par or addressing some of the issues of the public.”

While approving the additional funding allocation at its February 28 meeting, the City Council also approved the purchase of $145,250 worth of pedestrian light poles, traffic bollards and replacement globes for property already damaged, as well as for stock inventory for future damage.

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