Karen Huber County Commissioner: Precinct Three Report

April 2009: Bills Affecting Travis County

One of my campaign promises was to work for more county authority to see that growth is responsible. Texas counties do not have the same tools that cities have to manage growth. So, to help remedy that, here are a few of the bills which we, at Travis County, have worked actively to get introduced and a few others that we are actively supporting. All of these will impact you if they become law, so I encourage you to take a look at them and, even better, follow them through the legislative process. Information on how to do this is at the end of this column.

S.B. 578 (Sen. Wentworth) & H.B. 4175 (Rep. Bolton) – If you are interested in land use, these companion bills would require buffer zones between residential and industrial & commercial areas. These bills could effectively resolve problems associated with incompatible land use. For instance, residents who just bought a new house would no longer have to worry that a rock quarry or industrial tank farm could be constructed adjacent to them.

H.B. 2167 (Rep. Rose)– This bill, the result of over two years of meetings by 15 different hill country county judges and commissioners, seeks some very basic authority to preserve the quality of life famous to the Texas hill country. Like the Bolton bill, this bill would grant the authority to establish minimum setback requirements between incompatible land uses. Also, in this bill is the ability to set density rules in areas that are particularly vulnerable to water depletion and water quality degradation. Without this, extensive growth will continue to cause existing wells to go dry and threaten the pristine water quality with problems similar to what degraded Hamilton Pool. Last, in this bill, provisions are made for developers to provide a dedicated fee to make roadways safe and to provide for proper drainage. Currently, taxpayers are underwriting the highway costs for transportation infrastructure and this would require
developers to share the financial load caused by their developments
.
H.B. 3616 & H.B. 1440 (Rep. Bolton) S.B. 1266 (Sen. Watson) –These bills provide Travis County the authority to restrict off-premise signs, commonly known as billboards. Travis County roads have added 74 new billboards in the past five years. The problem is accelerating, with a 92% increase in billboard construction from 2007-2008. These signs obstruct scenic views and cost taxpayers money when road construction requires relocation. H.B. 1440 & S.B. 1266 limit the construction of new billboards on Highway 71 West, and H.B. 3616 would give the county the authority to restrict off-premise signs on any county road.

H.B. 2693 (Rep. Rodriquez) – If you are concerned about development and transportation, this bill gives Travis County the authority to require developers to pay for a portion of necessary offsite roadway improvements. The costs would be proportional to a development’s anticipated impact on the roadways, allowing for a fair sharing of those costs with the taxpayer.

S.B. 855 (Sen. Carona) & H.B. 3448 (Rep. Rodriquez) – These are local option mobility funding bills. They provide certain urban counties (Travis included) with mechanisms for local funding for mobility projects (roads, rail, bike lanes, etc.). Given the distressed nature of TxDOT’s funding resources, it is critical that some local authority for funding be made available.

H.B. 1508 ( Rep. Bolton) – For those following environmental legislation, this bill addresses direct discharges of waste or pollutants into the portion of the recharge zone of the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer that is under the jurisdiction of the Barton Springs- Edwards Aquifer District. H.B. 1508 is integral in helping to maintain our water quality. These are but a few of the key bills. As they move through the legislative process they can be amended – either with good or bad amendments. Your awareness and participation in the legislative process increases the likelihood of a good bill’s successful passage. I encourage you to get involved and here is how:

(1) Get Informed: Bill Look Up & Track: Go to http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/BillNumber.aspx. The State website allows you to look up a bill’s text, track its actions and stages in the legislative process. Once you have entered the website, you can look up a bill by its number or subject. (2) Attend Hearings: Hearings are open to the public, but they are often announced with very short notice.

The two websites, here, announce hearing dates and times for the House and Senate:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Committees/MeetingsHouse.aspx and
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Committees/MeetingsSenate.aspx .

(2)Support & Testify: Contact your own representative to urge their support of these important bills. Also, I encourage you to attend committee hearings to share why these bills are especially pertinent to you. If you don’t fancy yourself a public speaker, you can submit your written testimony and fill out an affirmation of support. This is important because it will allow you to go on record with your position and increase awareness as to why these policies are important to Travis County. Use the links provided above to find out what committee is hearing your bill, as well as the time, date and location of the hearing.

The State of Texas website is a helpful tool in answering any additional questions:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Resources/FAQ.aspx#4 .

By working together, we CAN make a difference in our communities.