Williamson County commissioners cut the total amounts for proposed road and park improvements at an Aug. 8 workshop. The commissioners met to discuss the size of a potential bond package.

The bond advisory committee, appointed by the commissioners court in March, proposed a $346 million election at the July 23 commissioners court meeting. The proposed bond iincluded approximately $65 million per precinct for road projects and $45 million total for parks and trails projects around the county.

At the July 23 commissioner meeting, County Auditor David Flores and Dan Wegmiller, from Specialized Public Finance, told the court the county could request a bond election of up to $400 million without increasing their debt service tax rate.

Commissioners were still hesitant to request a $346 million bond package.

"I think $40 million for parks, after having a $22 million [election] last time, is that too big a number?" Commissioner Valerie Covey asked.

By the end of the Aug. 6 workshop, county commissioners agreed on a bond election tentatively totaled at $315 million; approximately $275 million for road projects and $40 million for parks projects across the county.

Bond Counsel Carol Palumbo, an attorney with McCall, Parkhurst & Horton, was charged to draft proposition and ballot wording for the bond election, pending receipt of projects commissioners felt were most important to their precincts.

"The more general you are, the more flexibility you have going forward," Palumbo said to the court in regards to wording of the bond election proposal. "Sometimes you need to point out specific projects, but the more specific you get, the more you tie your hands in terms of flexibility."

Each commissioner was told to identify two or three of the most pertinent projects to be specifically named in the proposition and ballot. Other projects could still use bond funds, but not naming specific uses prevents the county from being unable to use funds should a project be held up by environmental or other factors, Palumbo said.