Royston approves $34,700 repair for Carlton-Shirley stormwater and street problems

Royston City Council unanimously approved a $34,700 bid from Benchmark Excavating Inc. on Nov. 10, 2025, authorizing repairs to both the stormwater system and street at the Carlton and Shirley streets intersection. Councilman Pressley made the motion, Councilman Hodges seconded it, and the minutes record a 6-0 vote in favor of the LMIG-funded work.

The decision moves a specific neighborhood infrastructure repair from consideration to council approval. The $34,700 commitment matters because it directs Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant funds toward fixing drainage infrastructure and the street at a named intersection, rather than leaving the project as an unfunded or unapproved proposal.

The repair first appeared on the city’s November 2025 agenda as an item for council consideration, describing a proposed $34,700 bid to repair the stormwater system and street at Carlton and Shirley. The agenda establishes the proposal occurred in November, though it does not establish an exact meeting date. At the Nov. 10 meeting, the council acted on that proposal, accepting Benchmark’s bid by the recorded 6-0 vote.

Benchmark Excavating is the contractor whose bid the council accepted. Pressley and Hodges are identified in the minutes as the council members who moved and seconded the action, respectively, while the 6-0 result shows the members voting supported the award. The council agenda and subsequent vote characterize the scope as repairs to both stormwater infrastructure and the street, financed with LMIG funds.

The proposed award is no longer only an agenda item: the council’s approval of Benchmark’s $34,700 bid is documented. What is not documented here is the next phase of implementation. No later record identifies a signed contract, construction start date, work schedule, invoice, payment or completed repair, so the vote should not be read as proof that work has begun or finished.

The next public confirmation would be a city or council record showing Benchmark’s contract and the project’s schedule, followed by records of payment or completion. Residents watching the Carlton-Shirley repair can look for later council actions, scheduling notices, invoices or project updates; until then, the council has decided the bid, but the timing and on-the-ground status of the repair remain unknown.