TipSheet: Travis County, 2.5.19

The Travis County Commissioners Court meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. To help our readers stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the voting session agenda. The full agenda can be found on the Travis County website.

1. Receive comments regarding a petition to create the Velocity Crossing Public Improvement District in Precinct Four. (Action Item 13) (Commissioner Gómez)

13. Consider and take appropriate action on the creation of the Velocity Crossing Public Improvement District. (Public Hearing 1) (Commissioner Gómez)

Monitor’s Take: Following last week’s underutilized public hearing, the court will be taking action on the petition to create the Velocity PID in Travis County Precinct 4. Staff will present a report on the 324-acre mixed-use development prior to the vote, in which Community Development Block Grant Program staff will be recommending negotiation with the developer for the purchase of land to be used for affordable housing. The development already features multifamily housing, but commissioners agreed last week that use of the Public Improvement District label should include addressing the need for affordable housing.

7. Receive update from the DNA Working Group. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: As part of the effort to improve forensic DNA testing in Travis County, the District Attorney’s Office and the Capital Area Private Defender Service agreed upon a list of cases involving DNA analysis that has been sent to the University of North Texas for re-analysis. So far, UNT has returned results for 53 cases, finding that in 23 of them, at least one item result should have been classified as “inconclusive.”

20. Consider and take appropriate action on the Grand Avenue Parkway Completion Participation Agreement with RSI Communities for the design and construction of Grand Avenue Parkway from Bratton Lane to Crissom Lane. (Commissioner Shea)

Monitor’s Take: Grand Avenue Parkway south of Round Rock currently has a missing piece in Willow Run, causing motorists to cut through the neighborhood to get to their destinations. This missing link will mitigate that traffic with a four-lane divided road with sidewalks and bike lanes. The project was approved by voters as part of the 2017 Bond Project List. Travis County will pay roughly $1.3 million of the total cost. The developer will pay the remaining $702,240.

23. Consider and take appropriate action related to a community survey regarding support for the Great Divide at Little Barton Creek Bridge Project from the 2017-’22 Bond Program in Travis County. (Commissioner Daugherty)

Monitor’s Take: Improvements to the Great Divide Drive crossing at Little Barton Creek in Precinct 3 were approved by voters as part of the 2017-2022 Bond Projects. Some residents of the nearby Homestead neighborhood, however, are objecting to the project. The court will be discussing the results of a survey of the Homestead neighborhood to decide how to move forward with the project.

28. Consider and take appropriate action regarding: a. Board and committee assignments and appointments for Commissioners Court members; b. Commissioners Court retreat, for the discussion of: 1. Travis County Vision, Mission, Guiding Principles, and Goals; 2. Travis County Work Plan (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: The court is finally bringing back the discussion of its annual retreat to hopefully approve the additional agenda items proposed on Jan. 8 and to set a date for February or March. With a number of new agenda items proposed by the commissioners and the new Travis County Work Plan as a point of reference, this year’s retreat promises to take a comprehensive look at the county’s vision and goals moving forward.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.