Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, January 18, 2011,
Item 17
17.
consider and take appropriate action on the following regarding the groundwater availability stakeholder committee: membership composition; appointment process; and committee charter.
>> hi, anna bowen, Travis County tnr went have the stakeholder committees, membership compositions and the appointment process and the proposed committee charter.
would you like me to go through them one by one?
if?
>> if you would, briefly.
highlights.
>> sure.
what we are proposing is the committee be compromised of 15 members because, remember, that part of the membership will be in eastern Travis County and part will be in western Travis County and when we looked at the differing characteristics of the resources and when we took into account the different activities that are primarily found in the various parts of the county, we recommended that these 6 categories that will be western Travis County be augmented with three additionalcategories in the east.
a refresher, western Travis County, we are proposing the residential developer slash builder be one of the interest groups as well as large tract landowners on wells, ranchers with active ranching activities, smaller tract homeowners on individual wells, environmental community and the emergency management representation.
in eastern Travis County, we are proposing those same six members included on the committee as well as agriculture representatives, people who have active agricultural activities going on, smaller tract homeowners onmer shall active ground water and commercial ground water providers and together that would make up 15 members.
initially, the stakeholder committee would meet together and go over basics of the hydrogeology and the differing rules and look at rules of surrounding counties and then break into two areas to discuss the characteristics that are unique to each part of the county.
we are also proposing, as far as the appointment process goes, that weput an application in the tnr -- on the Travis County website for a two-week period and the link to this could be emailed or for those who don't have email, they can send in an application and it would bring back the appointment to Commissioner's court on February 8th.
we would like to have this available on the internet for at least a two-week period.
and I am proposing the western side of the county, Commissioner Huber and the judge appoint those six members and on thest, Commissioner Eckhardt, Commissioner Davis and Commissioner Gomez appoint those nine members.
with regard to the charter, tnr staff mr. Lead and facilitate the work of the committee and we will advance the recommendations of the committee, including minority views.
we are proposing that the committee should meet once a month but they could split into two meetings as appropriate and the stakeholder committee would meet as a hole but it would also break into separate subgroups and continue to need to get this done.
we proposes the open and inclusive process to study the ground water availability requirements and look at the strategies that are available right now with our current authorities that have been granted by the legislature, and we would like to have a targeted deadline of completion of June 30th, 2011, and as a reminder that the suspension that's currently on the books is set to expire on October 31st, 2011 and if we are done sooner we can come to court and have that shortened or if we need to, we can come to court and have that deadline pushed back.
that's what we are proposing.
>> we indicated our attention would be not to push back the deadline, though.
>> no, we would like to get it done sooner rather than later.
so our willingness not to meet just monthly but more often and meet with the subgroups concurrently.
>> if we follow the recommendation and have the interest represented, there really is only room for one person in each interest group, right, because there is 15 total?
>> that's correct.
there is one possibility.
the application that I am proposing that we put on the internet, some people may fit into more than one category and I would have -- I would propose they check whatever interest areas apply to them and also what I am proposing is that when we get an application from the web, that it goes to all of -- all of the Commissioner court members at the same time that that is forwarded to you as well as to us so we can review that and no what's being submitted.
>> so if you indicate an interest in serving on the committee, should you also indicate an area, and we expect you to reside in that area?
so if you say I want to represent the smaller tract homeowner on the individual well on the western part we would expect you to live in western Travis County?
>> yes, sir, one of the things we have on the application is it starts with their name, address and I also asked them to give us their travis -- tell us what precinct they live on.
I am also asking if they have served on any -- proposing to ask if they served on any previous Travis County stakeholder committees and, you know, I i think it might be helpful to understand why someone is interested in serving on this and why they feel qualified to serve on this and give them a space to say, if there is anything else you would like for y'all to know while going through the process.
>> what deadline would we set up as far as the membership?
in other words, we want everything to be in place of what we are going in the future, you mentioned that, but we have folks out there who may want to be starting next week amend we want the process of getting people involved and my question would be, what would be the deadline for us and for them -- those that are applying -- for those particular positions membership positions -- what would be a good time line for them, per say, you have this, until this, blah-blah-blah, time to apply.
>> I am proposing that if I can get this application on the internet tomorrow and send you guys the link to that and something that you want to send it out -- I am proposing that we -- we allow the applications to come in until February 3rd.
I believe that's a Friday, and then the next Tuesday, which would be February 8th, the appointments could be made at Commissioner's court.
that's what I am proposing.
I know it's a teach time line.
>> by when?
>> February 3rd.
>> February 3rd.
>> what concern -- we were at a ribbon cutting ceremony here a little bit going, and in that ribbon-cutting ceremony -- extension of howard lane, there was some discussion -- Commissioner Eckhardt was accommodating on us the howard lane extension and cumberland road, but one -- the subject matter that came from one of the constituents in the community that do not have access to Travis County television, per se.
everyone do not have computers.
and they said, we ought to be able to look at thing on television and look at thing on the tv and be more involved with this process, because of the lack of the computers which I think is a good thing to challenge and look at in the future to people who need public television exposure on the issue we deal with here in Travis County, which is another issue, but I broke it up to lets us be aware that there are folks out there that may want to serve but do not have access to what we are talking about today especially people who don't have computers and that kind of stuff.
so I am concerned about that.
>> yes, sir, one thing I was proposing to do is -- just in the draft information I put together -- someone can mail me or call me and get the application that way, because you are right, not everyone has a computer and not everybody has cable channel 17 -- and I will commit to it if I got application that is didn't come from the website, I would forward them to all of y'all as soon as I got them but I am certainly available.
>> judge.
with regard to the Commissioner Gomez, Commissioner Davis and I handling the eastern task force and Commissioner Huber and Commissioner Biscoe handling western, one thing I have since we have outlined specific skill sets we are looking for, which I think is good and I am grateful for that, it is important to identify those -- but given the short time span but even if didn't have a short time span, I am wondering if the court would entertain creating two subcommittees so we can propose an interim meeting that is not a Commissioner's court meeting for our subcommittees to develop to the extent that we could a unified slate for these committees.
I am concerned if each of us come with our three on the day of, we won't be able to meet the skill set criteria that is laid out or we would have doubled in often area and no coverage in another area.
so I am wondering if procedurally, the court would entertain establishing two subcommittees so we could post and meet outside Commissioner's court to discuss who we had as applicants.
>> I think that's probably a pretty good idea.
I first -- I want to commend staff -- this has been a very difficult stakeholder group to put together, given the nature of the geography and the resource differences on either side.
so I think anything that will help make this work even better yet is really a consideration.
>> and I would also ask, as a favor, frankly, because I do not to mess with the delicate calibration that y'all have achieved in this proposal because it really is a delicate calibration, but considering my precinct is in the center of the county and I do have significant northwest portion of my precinct is on ground water and if I generate applicants from precinct 2, that I could punch them over to judge Biscoe for consideration for possible membership on the western, of course, but I am good with the distribution as y'all have laid it out officially, if I could just have that unofficial courtesy of being able to suggest names to the other committee.
>> absolutely.
I think this is going to take probably a little more attention in an accelerated manner because we do need to get going with it.
it has taken longer to get here because of the nature of the diversity issues related to resources and different categories.
so I guess my suggestion, you are suggesting to have a subcommittee for eastern side of the court and a subcommittee for the western side with judge Biscoe and myself?
>> yes.
I think it is important we have these categories effectively represented.
>> I think in the interest of time, it will probably be pretty good to set out the charge, I guess, as far as what the folks are going to actually be looking at as far as folks who have accessibility things, at least this is what we are getting to.
this is the charge on this, this is the chapter, da-da-da, and this is what we expect you to be exposed to when you come here for membership, so I can see something like that immediately going forward like that, because we will be acting forward to serve, they will say, well, what?
serve -- I want to serve only da-da-da and I think the charter will explain -- do a heck of a lot better than I can because it is there in writing.
that's why I say that.
at least you will see in writing what you are getting into.
so ask there any way possible for that to happen as we go through this process?
>> certainly, what I was proposing to do is provided you guys approve this is put something on the internet tomorrow that has a link to the charter that's in here, and also has the minimum like threshold criteria that's also included in the back-up and if anyone needs any additional information, they should feel free to give me a call.
I have my contact info on there, and I am proposing a February 3rd application deadline currently.
>> whatever you have set up for the initial link to -- so they can link to the charge -- I know may be interested.
I go through the categories.
and I look and even though others applied but there are some folks that may be interested right off -- right off the cuff.
-- but any constituents call in response -- anybody who wants access to it, I think you want to have the link for it and whatever way to deal with it and it will be easier on us, we get them, also.
so that will be good, I think to have that information just readily available.
>> certainly.
>> judge, I would like to make a motion that we approve 17ab and c as presented in staff and include in that that we create two subcommittees of the court relative this agenda item with representative -- I mean Commissioner Gomez, Eckhardt, and Davis, as one subcommittee for the eastern half of the county and judge and myself for the western half to be able to meet to discuss and be sure that we have the right representation on these committees.
ly second that.
-- I will second that.
>> the thing that I just directed Huber to -- sorry, Commissioner, but to staff,.
staff,.
>> [one moment, please, for change in captioners] test test test
>> okay.
so how will we know what you have received?
>> well, what I?m setting up is that when any application comes in, it doesn't just come to me.
it gets distributed to all of you at the same time I get it.
>> okay.
so the email link that you mentioned, you would expect whatever is sent to court members would be sent to you also?
>> yes, sir.
>> okay.
any more discussion on the motion?
now, you have some applications already.
>> what I?m proposing that I do with the people that have already expressed interest is I should have this link up tomorrow, this web-based application, and I would call them and get them the information to where they can fill that out and get it back to us so we're all seeing things in the same format.
>> so we will need another application consistent with this form?
>> right.
but I will make contact with them if you so desire.
>> okay.
I so desire.
>> thank you, your honor.
>> any more discussion?
anybody here in this audience on this item that would like to address the court?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you, sir.
why don't we try to get the bun advisory committee and then we'll call those items regarding the specific transportation projects.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, January, 2011 2:47 PM
