Strengthening Travis County Water Availability Requirements for New Developments
My primary focus has been on water issues and during the drought, there was a steady stream of phone calls concerning a lack of water availability from well water. When examining Travis County water availability rules for new subdivision development, we found that in some conditions it was possible for land to be subdivided and sold without demonstrating water availability. As a result, we have moved to alter our existing rules and enhance the requirements for water to ensure that someone doesn’t buy a lot, thinking a reliable water supply would be there when indeed, it might not be.
Travis County Comprehensive Plan
One of my top priorities has been to see that we grow more responsibly. We currently lag in our infrastructure and often pay more for it due to our haphazard growth. A Comprehensive Plan for growth will be helpful in getting ahead of these issues instead of always playing “catch up”. This past year, I have worked alongside Travis County staff to facilitate the establishment of a comprehensive planning effort for the unincorporated areas of the county. As a result, the Commissioners' Court created a subcommittee with the charge to develop a scope of work and move the process forward. I am enthusiastic about this effort and look forward to working with the community and staff in progressing towards an effective Comprehensive Plan in 2010.
Stimulus Funding for Highway 71 Projects
In the last year, I helped to facilitate the allocation of more than five million dollars in federal stimulus money for three shovel-ready projects on Highway 71, which include:
- The project at Serene Hills in the City of Lakeway, which adds a traffic light, turn signals, and shoulders to the highway. The project will provide mobility benefits by creating a shorter alternate route to reduce drive time and distance for commuters and increase public security by providing a shorter and safer route for emergency vehicles.
- The safety project that runs 1.4 miles west of Bee Creek Road to Bob Wire Road, which completes the stretch of safety projects that started last year. This includes the construction of a continuous left turn lane and shoulders and provides greater separation of traffic and additional pavement to minimize shoulder run-off by vehicles.
- Road improvements from Silvermine Road to U.S. 290. The improvement on Highway 71 near Silvermine Road is a resurfacing project.
Moving CAMPO towards Greater Regionalism and Multi-Modal Transportation Options
Navigating through our regional transportation system can be a frustrating process of negotiating multiple highways without direct connectors, neighborhood streets utilized as major arterials, and an expensive toll road that fails to serve its stated purpose. With funding waning and existing transportation inadequacies apparent, it became evident that there needed to be some alterations to our transportation planning methods. I have worked with the CAMPO Transportation Policy Board to approve a shift in transportation planning for Central Texas. The new 2035 plan is a change from the “trend” model-- which was an outward growth, road-only approach – to a more sustainable model that combines addressing existing infrastructure gaps, emphasizing multi-modal transportation systems and pays attention to the development of mixed-use “centers” that support the growth concept established by Envision Central Texas.
Protecting Our Lakes
The preservation of water quality in the Highland Lakes is a primary concern for recreational users as well as businesses and communities. When the cities of Leander and Granite Shoals filed a petition with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requesting the complete repeal of the Highland Lakes wastewater discharge ban, my office quickly responded by forming a broad coalition of stakeholders in united opposition to the repeal. In the end, our united efforts were victorious: the TCEQ voted to keep the wastewater ban in place. This was an important victory that preserved the excellent drinking water standards and water clarity in Lake Travis. It also demonstrated the power of a united front to protect our vital interests.
Enacting Stormwater Legislation
In one of the least productive legislative sessions in recent memory, we still managed to pass an important bill pertaining to stormwater regulation. The Stormwater Bill (SB1299) sponsored by Sen. Kirk Watson and Rep. Eddie Rodriguez authorizes Travis County to provide for better stormwater drainage and flood control management, design, maintenance and procedures. We worked closely with legislators and the homebuilders to get this bill enacted. It is an important step forward in maintaining the water quality in our creeks and lakes.
Paying Attention to On-going County Contracts:
The Example of the County Boats
Travis County has many on-going contracts for goods and services and I have tried to pay attention to these as they come up for renewal to be sure that taxpayer money is being spent wisely. I will use Travis County patrol boat maintenance as an example of a contract I helped to improve. Historically, the maintenance contract was with an out-of-county company. This meant that each boat had to be taken out of Lake Travis and hauled over 60 miles each way. When the contract came up for renewal before the Commissioners Court, I was concerned about the cost of repair and the time that the boats were out of the water. Wasn’t there a local vendor that could maintain the boats faster and at lower taxpayers’ expense? These were issues that I felt needed to be addressed before I decided whether to renew Travis County’s existing contract. Accordingly, I gathered all stakeholders on this issue for a brainstorming session to look for ways to save time and resources. As it turned out, a local vendor was identified – the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). They offered Travis County a less expensive option and further promised a quick turn-around on the repairs. It has worked well and proven to be a win-win for all, including taxpayers.
Animal Control
Just after taking office in January, there were two violent attacks on livestock by dogs in Precinct 3. These attacks were particularly disturbing because of their brutality, the devastating impact on the affected ranchers, and the fact that the offenders were domesticated dogs owned by residents in the area. This situation brought to light a "clash of civilization" in our precinct, wherein the western reaches of Travis County - which have historically been extremely rural - are being increasingly urbanized. Even domestic dogs have a strong “pack” instinct and will revert to that when the opportunity arises, which can lead to destructive behavior. The bottom line is that we have a developing problem with animal control and our historic methods of dealing with this issue have not been working as well as they should. In response, the Commissioners' Court adopted my motion this fall to direct County resources towards exploring region-wide solutions, which have now resulted in the formation of a working group to convene later this month. I am extremely encouraged by this action, as it will take nothing less than collaboration by all those involved in controlling our animal population and protecting the safety and livelihood of our residents to develop real, workable solutions.
School Safety
In April of 2009, I was alerted that the new Gorzycki Middle School at Slaughter Lane and 1826 would be opening in the fall and that parents were concerned about the safety of their children, who would be crossing FM1826 to get to it. There were no crosswalks or stoplight, or ways to slow oncoming traffic in order to ensure a safe crossing. More importantly, I was concerned as to why the issue of transportation safety hadn't been addressed before the school was ready to open! After several meetings with various governmental officials and entities, including Representative Valinda Bolton, the City of Austin, TXDoT and AISD, we all finally reached an agreement on the solution and determined who would be responsible for what. A crosswalk will be installed at the intersection of FM1826 and Slaughter by this spring and I’m proud to say that Travis County’s contribution is building the sidewalks along FM1826. This problem also gave us an opportunity to develop methods to improve communications among AISD and the various other jurisdictions involved, so that, hopefully, as new schools are built in the future, this type of issue will be taken care of in the early planning stages before it becomes a dangerous problem.
Capital Metro’s Route 333
This fall, CapMetro issued a recommendation in tandem with its ServicePlan2020 to discontinue bus service to the Travis County Precinct 3 office in Oak Hill. On its own, this recommendation would have been disappointing due to the fact that many of my constituents access critical services at these offices. This includes services such as the Women Infant and Children nutritional assistance program (WIC), as well as access to health care and to required Justice of the Peace court hearings. Moreover, I was especially frustrated by the recommendation in light of the fact that this route was implemented just last year after advocates had fought for years to establish a stop at the Precinct 3 offices. Prior to the implementation of Route 333, constituents who accessed services there – many who were elderly or disabled – were seen walking up the side of Highway 71 to get there. Iit seemed to me to be absolutely irresponsible for this route to be summarily discontinued. Working with Justice of the Peace Susan Steeg (Precinct 3) and representatives of CommUnity Care, I began a campaign to convince CapMetro to reconsider this recommendation. Our efforts were a success! CapMetro decided to retain Route 333, given the current demand and projected increased demand in the upcoming years. I was and continue to be grateful to CapMetro for maintaining an open mind and for implementing an outreach process that affected real, tangible outcomes for our community.
June 15, 2010
