San Marcos CIP Funding Strategy

The City of San Marcos, just half an hour from Austin, is home to Texas State University, the beloved San Marcos River and some of the most frequented parks destinations in Texas.

Ongoing growth and the city’s rich natural resources highlight the importance of thoughtful planning and prioritization. As such, following the infusion of funds into federal grants in 2022, Halff’s Funding Resources team met with the City of San Marcos and developed a grants and loans funding strategy, which provided a phased approach to funding key projects in their Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). This strategy, developed in collaboration the City Manager and multiple department heads, focused on identifying projects well-positioned for grant funding.

Within the first year, Halff helped the city successfully secure $16.6 million in grant awards, including $13.9 million from the PROTECT program, $250,000 from the Bureau of Reclamation’s Water Recycling and Desalination Planning program to develop a Recycled Water Master Plan, and $2.5 million from the EDA’s Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance for roadway infrastructure to support the city’s regional airport.

These projects aimed to fortify the city against disasters, establish resilient transportation and drainage infrastructure,support alternative water sources to accommodate new growth, and retain good-paying jobs.