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Recent government news includes the ongoing dissolution process of the Hunters Crossing Public Improvement District and a rejected construction proposal for improvements to the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex.
Bastrop County rejects $9.8M bid for courthouse work
Bastrop County rejected an approximately $9.8 million construction proposal for projects to the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex during a Dec. 22 meeting.
In a nutshell
The approximately $9.8 million construction proposal from QA Construction was the only one Bastrop County received. It includes work on the heating, ventilation and cooling system and roof repairs.
“This proposed pricing is not considered fair and reasonable,” Leon Scaife, a purchasing agent for Bastrop County, said in a staff report.
The budget, he emphasized, is about $4 million.
“A lot of the [45] contractors that showed up knew right off the bat that [this project] was outside of their wheelhouse, but we expected more than one [proposal] to come in for this,” Scaife said.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Clara Beckett reflected on past proposals for other projects.
“When we do get multiple bids, there’s a huge disparity between low and high,” she said.
What we know
Both projects—expected to take 565 calendar days to complete—will be paid for with Capital Improvement Plan funds and certificates of obligation, according to county documents.
Dissolution of Hunters Crossing PID underway in Bastrop
Bastrop is continuing the dissolution process of the Hunters Crossing Public Improvement District.
The details
During a Dec. 9 meeting, Bastrop City Council approved a master transfer agreement between the Hunters Crossing Local Government Corp., the Hunters Crossing Homeowners Association and the city of Bastrop.
The master transfer agreement will transfer lots 16 and 30—which contain property such as trails, green space, sports fields, a pool, a basketball court, other play areas, drainage pathways and detention ponds—from the Hunters Crossing Local Government Corp. to the city of Bastrop.
The outlook
Bastrop will now be responsible for maintenance of these spaces, according to city documents.
The city of Bastrop is establishing an Investment Committee to provide “professional oversight and prudent management” of its public funds, according to city documents.
Bastrop officials plan new development code system
Bastrop city officials continue to signal that the Bastrop Building Block, or B3, Code will soon be replaced with the Bastrop Development Code—a framework that is expected to better guide future growth by ensuring regulations are “clearer, simpler and more predictable to administer.”
Bastrop County Emergency Service District No. 3 will transition to a district-operated model on or around Oct. 1 and will do so as the “Bastrop County Emergency Medical Services” after obtaining its EMS Provider License from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
