Travis County Commissioners Court Stage Meetings On Planned Bond Referendum

AUSTIN, TX — The Travis County Commissioners Court will conduct a series of public outreach meetings throughout the area this week to gain input from residents related to an upcoming bond referendum.

The proposed bonds are the culmination of recommendations made by the 2017 Citizens Bond Advisory Committee, a 15-member citizens committee appointed by the commissioners in February. The committee was tasked with studying county needs and making recommendations to the court regarding a debt issuance to finance enhancements.

The committee also were charged with the task of preparing a capital improvements package and to present proposals to the county commissioners for their review, comment and approval.

The Commissioners Court is inviting residents of Travis County to attend a series of public outreach meetings to learn more about the committees proposed list of envisioned bond-financed projects, and to gain input on same. Information about the likely impact of the bond package will be presented at the meetings.

Proposed projects include county road capacity and safety projects, road reconstruction, pedestrian/bicycle facility improvements, bridge replacements, flood control projects, county park improvements, and acquisition of parkland and conservation easements, officials said in a news advisory.

All public meetings are open to the public and will begin with a 15-minute Open House format, followed by a brief presentation about the committee’s charge and process. Oral comments about the committee’s work will be taken for the public record by committee members following the presentation.

The proposed bond package comes at a time of a concurrent referendum that could reach $1 billion being considered by trustees of the Austin Independent School District. This has raised some measure of concern by county pro-bonds forces that proposal could frustrate efforts to ask taxpayers to help pay a little extra for planned road and park projects, as the Austin Monitor noted in a recent report.

The county bond committee has crafted three separate potential bond packages ranging from $50 million to $150 million, the Monitor reported.

Members of the public are encouraged to arrive at their convenience for the meetings of their choice during the course of the two-hour gatherings. The public meetings will be staged at the following locations and times:

• Travis County Precinct 1: Wednesday, June 21, 2017, at 6:30 PM, at Manor New Tech High School Cafeteria,10323 US-290, Manor. (map).
• Travis County Precinct 2: Thursday, June 22, 2017, at 7:00 PM, at Wells Branch Community Center, 2106 Klattenhoff Drive, Austin. (map).
• Travis County Precinct 4: Monday, June 26, 2017, at 6:30 PM, at Del Valle Opportunity Center, 5301 Ross Road, # B, Del Valle. (map).
• Northwest Travis County: Tuesday, June 27, 2017, at 6:30 PM, at Vandegrift High School Cafeteria, 9500 McNeil Drive, Austin. (map).
• Downtown Travis County: Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at 6:30 PM, at the Travis County Administration Building, 700 Lavaca Street, Multifunction Room B, Austin. (map).
• Travis County Precinct 3: Thursday, June 29, 2017, at 6:30 PM, at the Lakeway Activity Center, 105 Cross Creek, Lakeway. (map).

Details about the proposed projects will be available at each meeting. More information about the bond program is available athttps://www.traviscountytx.gov/cbac. Free language assistance can be provided upon request, 512-854-4237 or email CBAC2017@traviscountytx.gov.

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