Rail siding study funding passes first reading City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to amend the 2016-17 fiscal year budget that was approved in September. The amendment would increase the amount of general fund money appropriated for expenditures by $270,000 to fund a preliminary engineering study for the relocation of the rail siding in Kyle. City Council approved an agreement in November to pay that amount to the Union Pacific Corp. for preliminary engineering services. When trains pull into the switching station on Center Street and have to wait for other trains to pass, they can block the crossing for nearly an hour and create traffic jams, creating issues for police and emergency services. City staff say they are not sure where the switching station would be relocated to, but that the study would determine it. The first reading passed 5-1, with only Place 6 Council Member Daphne Tenorio voting against it. Place 3 Council Member Becky Selbera,  was not present for medical reasons. City to receive $975,671 to go toward Bunton Creek interceptor The city of Kyle has been awarded nearly $1 million through the Texas Capital Fund Grant, a program that provides funds for the public infrastructure needed to assist businesses that create jobs. At last night’s meeting, council voted unanimously to allow City Manager Scott Sellers to execute the contract with the Texas Department of Agriculture to receive $975,671, pending final contract review. City staff indicated the money will go toward building the Bunton Creek interceptor—a device used to filter and remove debris and other matter from stormwater runoff—and identifying funding to go toward a wastewater treatment plant upgrade. The work will be done in part to help accommodate an employer coming to Kyle that will provide up to 225 jobs, Sellers said. The employer will be a heavy water and wastewater user, he said. “It’s a great economic development project,” Sellers said. “We should be very proud of what we are doing.” Council approves emergency funding to fix Lehman Road bridge City Council held an emergency meeting directly after the regularly scheduled meeting to address a base failure issue on Lehman Road earlier that morning. The entire half portion of a low-water crossing between Goldenrod Street and Hallie Drive, next to Steeplechase Park, was completely under mud. Many vehicles traverse that crossing every day, Public Works Director Harper Wilder said. City Council unanimously approved authorizing the city to spend up to $25,000 for the repairs of the bridge on Lehman Road.