Update 4:23 p.m., July 25: The Hutto ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously last night to officially declare opposition to a proposed solid waste transfer station in Hutto’s designated growth corridor. This follows Hutto City Council's opposition on June 21.

Original post: The city of Hutto is looking for support from Williamson County in opposition to a proposed solid waste transfer station in Hutto’s designated growth corridor.

Hutto City Council voted on a measure at its regularly scheduled June 21 meeting to officially declare its opposition to the waste station in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The council additionally authorized Hutto City Manager Odis Jones and City Attorney Mike Shaunessy to proceed with condemnation proceedings to block the waste station if necessary. If carried out, that strategy would likely include eminent domain proceedings, according to Hutto Public Information Officer Eliska Padilla.

According to city documents, the proposed waste station is currently under review from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ. Lealco Inc., a Lubbock-based waste management company, submitted the waste station application, per city documents.

The proposed waste station is a planned transfer site where solid waste is dumped by one truck for temporary storage until another truck can come move it to another location such as the Williamson County Landfill off FM 1660.

The site for Lealco’s waste transfer station is located 0.8 miles northeast of the intersection at Chandler Road and CR 130.

Jones Thursday night stated the proposed waste station lies in a sector of Hutto’s ETJ that has been earmarked as a planned growth corridor.

“In our future land use plan we have plans to have a road to go right through that area,” Jones said. “Longterm, I think the solution for the city probably is to consider condemnation to ensure we can actually build our road and expand our utilities in the area.”

Hutto city officials have additionally stated that residents nearby have voiced opposition to the site proposal. While the residents living around the proposed waste transfer station site are not city of Hutto residents, the city does have future plans to annex the area.

“Residents are opposed, and the city has serious concerns regarding the health, safety and welfare of our existing and future residents,” said Mayor Pro-tem Tom Hines in a press release Wednesday. “I also have serious concerns about the waste that will be left overnight for up to 72 hours by this facility which will operate seven days a week for 24-hours a day creating an odor nuisance on all four sides, and creating significant light and noise pollution as well for the 110 residents within one mile.”

Hutto ISD also owns a 165-acre plot of land off FM 1660 that is just southeast of the proposed waste transfer site. The school district on June 14 previewed plans to construct a second high school on that site, with a tentative timeline to open the school by the Fall 2020 semester. The building is the first phase of a second high school which will initially open as a 9th grade center.

The issue will now likely go to the Williamson County Commissioners Court for consideration to express opposition to the site to the TCEQ. Padilla said the city of Hutto has not yet heard back from the county about the matter.