The Lampasas City Council on Monday voted 7-0 to reject all six bids for the Lampasas Regional Sports Complex on Farm-to-Market Road 580 West.

After CWA Construction of Waco corrected its proposal to include concrete work, the company's bid increased by $510,000. The change made Westar Construction of Georgetown the low bidder. Westar's bid, however, exceeded Lampasas' $1.9 million budget by $647,000.

City Manager Michael Stoldt said city staff plan to rebid the project the first week of June. Consultation with the project architect is ongoing to identify potential budget cuts, he added.

The city will change the base bid to include the minimum facilities -- four athletic fields, a playground, a multi-purpose court, a concession stand and parking -- required to receive grants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Lower Colorado River Authority, Stoldt said. The covered pavilion that city staff originally planned to construct is not required, he said.

Lighting for the baseball and soccer fields will be bid as alternate items, and bid specifications will include less expensive lights than originally planned, the city manager said.

"I hope we can still light all the fields," Stoldt said, noting that staff would try to illuminate at least half of the playing areas.

A fishing deck for the park's "wetland" area will stop at the water's edge, rather than extending out into the water as originally planned, he added.

City staff also plan to install a septic system instead of sewer lines. The savings, Stoldt said, will allow a general fund transfer of $200,000.

In another item, the City Council voted unanimously to award an engineering contract for $30,685 to Eckermann Engineering of Lampasas for services related to the 2009 Water and Wastewater Capital Improvement Program. The contract is about $5,000 lower than what the city paid for engineering on last year's water and wastewater capital improvements.

In a related item, the council approved a surveying proposal of $7,750 from Jerry Goodson Surveying of Lampasas for services related to the water and wastewater improvements. The city spent about $7,000 with Jerry Goodson Surveying for the 2008 capital improvement program.

In other business, the City Council OK'd a Lampasas Police Department request to apply through the Criminal Justice Division for a grant of $29,890, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The grant will fund the purchase of a four-dour pickup for Major Crimes Investigator Charlie Boswell and a Tough Book in-car patrol vehicle computer system, Police Chief Tim Angermann said. Boswell's current police vehicle, which has about 100,000 miles on it, will be used at the animal-control facility the city is building in cooperation with Lampasas County, Angermann said.

In another item, the City Council voted to lease a John Deere 2500B greens mower for three years for Hancock Park Golf Course. The cost will be $2,164 for the remainder of the budget year and $6,492 annually thereafter. The city has $11,331 in contingency funds for the purchase, Golf Course Manager Van Berry said.

Also on Monday, the council unanimously approved an ordinance amending fees and fines at the Lampasas Public Library. The charge for black ink printing will change from $0.15 to $0.10 per page. The fee for lost or damaged material, currently $1 to $5, will change to cost plus $5.

Certified letters, color copies and meeting room rentals are no longer available.

During his operational report, Stoldt noted that water and wastewater lines installed at the new Lampasas High School campus by Lupe Rubio Construction have been completed 30 days ahead of schedule.

Stoldt also said the grand opening of the 10 new hangars at the Lampasas Municipal Airport will be today at 11 a.m.

The council will hold a special meeting Monday at 5 p.m. to canvass votes of the May 9 municipal election, swear in City Council members, and appoint the Municipal Court judge and mayor pro tem.

Because of Memorial Day, the City Council rescheduled its next regular meeting to Tuesday, May 26. Mayor Pro Tem John Cole and Councilman Les Gerhardt said they will not be able to attend.