Karen Huber County Commissioner: Precinct Three Report

January 2009: Getting Started

As your newly elected Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 3, I am pleased to be writing this first column for you. One of my goals is to help our constituents better understand the increasing importance of county government. Many of us have historically paid little attention to the County Commissioners Court and the role that it plays in our everyday lives. But now is a good time to begin paying attention because decisions and actions taken by your County Commissioners Court are increasingly affecting your everyday lives.

Transportation, taxes, water, and public safety issues are all at a high level of concern. The economic and population booms of recent years have been good for Central Texas in many ways, but have also created some dilemmas. Traffic congestion, threats to our water quality and availability and public safety are a few consequences to our rapid growth. Now, we must work harder to deal with these and other issues.

So what is the County’s role in this? When new subdivisions, commercial areas and industries are being built, most people assume that the City of Austin or one of the other incorporated cities or towns will oversee the quality and impact of what is being done. However, much of the growth in Travis County is taking place in the unincorporated areas and that puts it under the jurisdiction of the Commissioners Court. And even though this growth is taking place in the unincorporated areas, its impacts are felt by those living and working in the cities and towns.

Unfortunately, Texas counties lack the tools that cities have to ensure safe, responsible growth. The result is more traffic congestion, threats to our water quality and future water availability, stress on school districts and public safety needs. Further, there are serious impacts on our Hill Country’s natural assets: our scenic views, our creeks, lakes and hillsides are being degraded and even destroyed.

Since this the Legislature is now in session, my first priority is addressing the need for more county land-use authority so Travis County will have the tools needed to preserve and maintain our quality of life. The County has developed a legislative agenda and I will work with my fellow commissioners and staff, and our senator and representatives to achieve these goals.

County land-use authority is a high priority, but I will also be looking after your best interests in a number of other ways. We will be facing some interesting challenges in the future and meeting them will require creativity, expertise and forward thinking. To meet these challenges, I want to foster more constituent involvement. One goal I have is to create citizen resource groups centered on key issues. As we move forward, I will be seeking those of you with the interest, time and expertise to help in the search for viable and creative solutions.

In the short term, you can find out more about your county government at its website
http://www.co.travis.tx.us. And, you can be involved in other ways: sign up on the website to receive weekly agendas; watch the Tuesday Court sessions on local cable TCTV - 17 or on the Internet through the county website; and call, write, fax or email my office as the need arises.

My office phone number is (512) 854-9333 and email is karen.huber@co.travis.tx.us. As your elected official, I look forward to hearing from you and serving you. Together, we can continue to make Travis County a great place to live, work and play.