During a June 8 City Council meeting, two actions were taken toward that goal.
The first action removed $27 million from a proposed $37 million City Hall facility project as part of a budget amendment, and the other was approval of a notice of intent to retain $10 million in the form of certificates of obligation that will go toward land acquisition for the facility.
During the meeting, city staff explained that certificates of obligation do not require an election, so the $10 million authorized through that action will be allocated to the city's budget should it officially pass after a public hearing planned for Aug. 10.
The budget amendment removing the $27 million for design and construction of a facility will be official should it pass a third reading on June 22.
Because the $27 million estimated for design and construction of a new city hall facility was removed from consideration for certificates of obligation, Deputy City Manager Trey Fletcher said the city will likely need to seek an election for debt issuance this November or at a later date.
Fletcher said it is not yet known how the certificates of obligation for land acquisition will affect tax rates, but staff is working on it.
"We will be forecasting what the CO’s will do to property taxes as the budget process moves forward," he said. "We are working aggressively to get the best deal."
A needs assessment from 2018 estimated that Pflugerville's city government at that time needed an about 65,000-68,000 square foot facility.
Fletcher said the city has grown rapidly prior to and since then, and the need to continue providing a high level of service required for the growing city is mounting.
He added the need for a new City Hall has been a pressing concern since 2003, as is evidenced by a 2008 bond election for $11 million for a new facility that failed with a vote of 775 in favor and 913 against.
Fletcher said whether or not it happens, city staff are working to make the opportunity for a November election feasible.
"We are really preparing for the earliest opportunity," he said. "If bonds were authorized in November, I don’t think we’d be selling any debt until maybe 2022, but that depends, and it wouldn’t be impacting potential tax rates until 2023."
