Two-minute impact
On Feb. 11, commissioners unanimously approved putting the road bond package on the May 3 ballot for voters to decide on the first county bond in 10 years, following a workshop in January.
John Robuck of BOK Financials and Marcus Dietz with the Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliff law firm presented the final numbers to commissioners, outlining that the maximum amount commissioners could seek without a tax rate increase would be $480 million.
If approved by voters, each commissioner will get a total of $120 million over the next four to five years, according to projections presented by Robuck.
The official project list has not yet been made public, but LJA Engineering will be setting up a series of public hearings with residents in each precinct, according to prior Community Impact reporting.
The timeline
If the bond measure is approved by voters, the soonest commissioners will be able to receive bond funds is August, Robuck said.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley voiced concerns that with the number of "shovel ready" projects in each precinct that each commissioner may use his funding allocation quicker than funding can be issued each year.
Budget Director Amanda Carter said she would monitor the divide of bond funds alongside the county auditor and county treasurer's office to ensure no commissioner spends over the $120 million limit during the bond issuances.
"If you spend your money a little bit faster than [other commissioners], that's okay, we're not going to stop you doing your projects, but your $120 million is your max," Carter said.
Stay tuned
County officials said public hearings will be scheduled in the near future to present projects to the public. Carter said the county has set up a question line for all public inquiries regarding the bond effort to prevent commissioners from violating the Texas Open Meetings Act. Questions can be sent to [email protected], and they will be directed to the appropriate commissioner precinct for answering.
