Commissioners consider $70M bond[/caption]

Williamson County Commissioners are expected to vote March 24 to approve a $70 million bond plan that would help fund county building and facility needs through certificates of obligation.

Certificates of obligation are bonds that are issued without voter approval. County Judge Dan Gattis said the proposed amount is the most the commissioners would be able to sell.

“I say $70 million because I think that’s what we can do,” he said, adding that amount would have no effect on the county’s debt ratio.

If the court approves the bonds, the county will publish two notices of intent, the first of which will be a filed minimum of 31 days prior to authorizing the certificates.

Carol Polumbo, an attorney with McCall, Parkhurst & Hortonarol, said this notice will explain that the county intends to issue an amount of certificates that are not to exceed a principal amount or a maturity date and are valid for a year.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long said she felt the commissioners should talk with the public before approving a bond. A list of public open house meeting times and locations will be published at www.wilco.org.

The bond money could help fund sheriff’s office training facilities and improvements to the county’s maintenance facilities. Each of these projects will be discussed among the commissioners during the upcoming years and must be approved by the commissioners before any work begins.