Two of three City Council members voted Tuesday to schedule a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, to hear comments on a proposed application for a 2009 Texas Capital Fund grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

The council had been unable to take action on a request from Joan Adkins Reilly at its Nov. 10 meeting when she initially asked for the city’s help in seeking between $300,000 and $500,000 in state funds to help build a retirement community north of the city limits off U.S. Highway 181 Business route.

Reilly said earlier that her company, Retired Living Concepts, hopes to build a 24-apartment complex of independent living and assisted living units on property she owns at 4225 N. St. Mary’s St.

The state requires that a public entity, either a city or a county, actually file the grant application. One requirement of the grant is that a project creates jobs in the community applying for the funds.

Reilly said the complex will be called River Oaks Retirement Community and it will include the living facilities, a retail area and a historical area.

She said plans would be to expand the facility by 10 more units within 18 months of completion of the first phase.

Interim City Manager Joe B. Montez said Reilly has hired Grant Works and Urban Engineering to prepare the grant application and submit it to Austin and to draw up plans and cost estimates for installing water and sewer lines and utility companies are looking at the costs of providing electricity and natural gas to the site.

Montez said a water and wastewater line are already in place on North St. Mary’s Street near the property.

The application has to be filed in Austin by 5 p.m. on Dec. 1. Montez said Reilly and her consultants have enough time to submit the application.

Reilly had told the council earlier that she expects to seek additional grant funds from the city’s Economic Improvement Corporation.

“I think it’s a pretty good deal,” Montez said. “It’s a doable project.

Mayor Santiago “Jim” Martinez and Councilman David Carabajal were unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting.

Councilman John Fulghum made the motion to call the hearing and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Scotten seconded the motion. Both men voted in favor of it and Councilwoman Libby Spires abstained from the vote.

Before adjourning, council members voted to approve a resolution approving the city’s participation in the Texas Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program.

Montez told the council that the city would become eligible for $50,000 in grant funds that could be used to improve energy efficiency for Beeville’s municipal infrastructure.