Midland City Council Awards $1.5 Million Paving and Drainage Contract

Reece Albert Inc. selected for citywide infrastructure repairs after competitive bidding process.

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Midland City Council has approved a $1.5 million contract with Reece Albert Inc. for the city's Citywide Paving and Drainage Project. The contract will cover various infrastructure fixes around the city, including asphalt removal and laying, traffic control paving, and concrete demolition. While some council members expressed interest in breaking up the work into smaller, more targeted projects, the city ultimately decided to award the large contract to Reece Albert, the lowest bidder.

Why it matters

This contract represents a significant investment in Midland's aging infrastructure, addressing issues that have been building up across the city. However, the decision to award a single large contract rather than breaking the work into smaller projects has raised concerns about providing opportunities for local, specialized contractors to participate.

The details

The city issued bid requests to 443 contractors, with only two companies submitting bids. Reece Albert, which has worked on previous paving projects for Midland, was selected as the lowest bidder. The contract has a preliminary amount of $700,000, with an additional $800,000 available through a road bond, for a total not to exceed $1.5 million.

  • The bid request for the Citywide Paving and Drainage Project was issued in December 2025.
  • The Midland City Council voted unanimously to approve the contract with Reece Albert on February 17, 2026.

The players

Reece Albert Inc.

A construction company based in San Angelo, Texas, that has worked on various paving projects for the City of Midland.

John Burkholder

Midland City Council member-at-large who questioned the decision to award a single large contract rather than breaking the work into smaller, more targeted projects.

Carl Craigo

The City of Midland's utilities director, who acknowledged the council's concerns and said the city is considering a more targeted approach for future paving projects.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“These are (items) that just pop up that sometimes, we need somebody to come in and get something knocked out for us very quickly and are sometimes unforeseen.”

— John Burkholder, Midland City Council member-at-large (mrt.com)

“A few weeks ago, we had a water wall main break, and I was driving around with the contractor (working on that), and he brought this exact thing up. He says that anything above $1 million for a small contractor, it's a little difficult to get bonding. So, I've asked him to send me what a small contractor needs, so he's giving me numbers. I think that would be a focus we could have to try to find some of these paving projects that we could put out for bid that's going to be in that timeframe, instead of lumping them together.”

— Carl Craigo, City of Midland Utilities Director (mrt.com)

What’s next

The city has indicated it will consider a more targeted approach to future paving and infrastructure projects, potentially breaking them into smaller contracts to provide opportunities for local, specialized contractors.

The takeaway

While the $1.5 million contract with Reece Albert represents a significant investment in Midland's infrastructure, the city's decision to award a single large contract has raised concerns about providing equitable opportunities for local contractors. The city has acknowledged these concerns and is exploring ways to break up future projects into smaller, more manageable contracts.