At a July 18 meeting, the advisory committee recommended the approval of a $144 million bond referendum that would fund projects to address the county’s transportation, park and roadway issues. The tally is in addition to a $90.5 million recommended annual appropriation from certificates of obligation that does not need to be presented to the voters in November. A total of $236 million was proposed for park and roadway improvements.
A map of projects listed in the proposed 2017 bond referendum. The map does not reflect the cost changes or project adjustments.[/caption]Following a review of the cost of each project, on July 25 staff recommended adding $12.9 million to the bond referendum. The updated costs made changes to the 19-mile Gilleland Creek Greenway trail in Pflugerville, three bicycle safety projects, curving at South Pleasant Valley Road in Southeast Austin and two bridge replacement projects.
Today, staff recommended adding the Northeast Metropolitan Park project and eight more drainage-stream improvements to the bond package. Cynthia McDonald, deputy chief of Travis County’s Transportation and Natural Resources Department, said these projects were added to the package mainly due to safety concerns.
According to court documents, the Northeast Metropolitan Park improvements would include converting all four fields from natural grass to artificial turf; installing lights, bleachers and fencing; adding curbs and gutters; and upgrading the irrigation system. The cost of the project is about $8.3 million.
"Staff supports adding the Northeast Metropolitan Park project to the list because it talks about safety improvements that will allow us to prevent injuries on the field and increase playing time," McDonald said.
Commissioner Jeff Travillion, whose precinct includes Pflugerville, favored adding the project to the bond package and highlighted the impact it would have on the community.
"This area has two new hotels that make [sporting events] regularly available to use that facility, which brings an opportunity for regional and statewide uses," Travillion said. "This is prudent and will create a safe place for families and kids in an area that really needs these types of facilities."
Another $26.9 million was recommended to fund eight more drainage-stream projects or drainge ditches, including Spicewood Springs Road in Northwest Austin and Ed Acklin Road in Manor. McDonald said the area around Spicewood Springs Road has experienced heavy flooding, resulting in 24 reported road closures since October 2013. Flooding on Ed Acklin Road cuts off access to as many as 650 homes, she said.
In order to offset the costs of the additional projects, McDonald said cuts had to be made elsewhere. Staff recommended removing the Braker Lane Capacity Project, which would cost $6.6 million and is eligible for grant funding through TxDOT, as well as the Austin-to-Manor bike trail, which was projected to cost $300,000. Together, the cuts saved about $7.7 million.
According to court documents, the fiscal impact of the revised total of $248.9 million would trigger a slight increase in the debt service tax rate, with the impact to property taxes being an increase of just under .002 cents per $100 valuation.
County Judge Sarah Eckhardt asked the planning and budget office for recommendations on how to be fiscally responsible and not increase the burden on taxpayers. Budget Director Travis Gatlin said if the county stretched out the bond debt to five years the tax rate could stay the same.
Members of the advisory committee addressed commissioners Tuesday supporting the need for more drainage projects and the improvements to the Northeast Metropolitan Park, but many were unsure about the additional costs. Committee chairman Ron Wattinger said the group had prioritized projects based on the safety concerns of the community and added the increase in cost would make the commissioners' decision to approve a list of projects more difficult.
"We’ve done all we can and the commissioners court is going to have to make some hard decisions," Wattinger said. "...Unless you give us an unlimited budget I don’t think we can change anything."
Fifteen residents also gave feedback on the bond praising the additional drainage and park projects but opposing the Reimers-Peacock Road project near Lakeway. This road, proposed to connect Hamilton Pool Road to W. Hwy. 71., was originally included on the advisory committee's project list before members pared it down to the recommended 50 projects.
The advisory committee rejected a recommendation from Eckhardt calling for one more meeting to be held before commissioners are scheduled to vote on a finalized list of projects next Tuesday, Aug. 8. Instead, county staff will send out a survey to all members of the advisory committee for feedback on the latest recommendations.
