Hill Country Village officials have promised to get public input before deciding whether to call a November bond election proposing construction of a new City Hall in another location, or repairing or replacing the existing structure.
City Council members on July 21 decided the city should hold multiple town hall gatherings between late July and mid-August to get residents’ input ahead of the state’s Aug. 22 deadline for setting a Nov. 8 special election.
Some local leaders said Hill Country Village must do something to provide a modern, larger municipal building to house city employees, including the police department.
According to city leaders, the 42-year-old City Hall/police station at 116 Aspen Lane has various challenges, including foundation issues, roof leaks, frequent plumbing and sewer issues, and insufficient storage space for equipment and records.
City officials also said the existing City Hall is neither energy efficient nor compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it lacks contemporary safety/security measures.
Council members, such as Thomas Doyle, said a bond election would be the ideal way for residents to voice their opinion on how best to address problems at the existing City Hall complex.
Recent discussions among city leaders have revolved around merely repairing the existing building; razing and replacing the structure with a larger City Hall complex; or constructing a new municipal facility on part of a 14-acre, city-owned tract of land at Bitters Road and Tower Drive.
Estimated costs have ranged from $1 million to more than $3 million, with the higher figure a starting price tag for a new building on the Bitters Road/Tower Drive parcel.
“What plays [into this conversation] is the significant work that needs to go into this building,” Doyle said about the existing City Hall.
Mayor Gabriel Durand-Hollis, who is an architect, said fixing the existing building would be the least cost-effective solution.
“Even if you renovate this building, you’re still going to be stuck with an old building,” he said.
Some council members said they are aware that possibly proposing to raise the city’s property tax rate of $0.145 to support an approved bond might turn off locals frustrated with skyrocketing property values, inflation, the threat of a recession and a citywide road improvement project that is causing headaches for residents.
Durand-Hollis and other local leaders, however, said it is possible for the city to mitigate any potential property tax effect with an approved bond, including possibly selling off another portion of the 14-acre city-owned tract.
Other local leaders said it might behoove Hill Country Village to wait until next spring to call a May 2023 bond election; that way, officials said they could have more time to get residents’ input before determining the exact type of ballot proposal they would want to offer voters.
But Council Member Allison Francis said there is an urgency behind considering a Nov. 8 public vote, adding that rising interest rates might make it harder for the city to lock into an affordable rate toward supporting an approved bond.
“The bottom line is that this place is not safe for our employees; it is not safe for our police officers, and it is not ADA-compliant,” Francis said.
City Attorney Marc Schnall said the council could wait until Friday, Aug. 19, at the latest to call a special meeting to consider setting a Nov. 8 election before the state’s election calendar deadline.
