Travis County Commssioners Court
April 22, 2003
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Item 1
1. Conduct public hearing on proposed election precinct realignments.
>> move that the public hearing be opened.
>> second.
>> all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
>> good morning, dolores lopez, voter registration division. We came to you a couple of weeks ago and explained to you that it's time to realign those precincts that have over 3,000 registered voters, approximately 6 precincts that we are looking at by statute, we are required to do this during the month of April and final approval on may 1. You have in your handout the recommendations that you made for precincts 113, splitting precinct 315, splitting precinct 318 as well as [indiscernible], moving a few voters in 366 to bring down the count and creating a new precinct out of precinct [indiscernible] that would bring our count under the 3,000 registered voter count at this time. [papers shuffling - audio interference] I will be glad to go over these in detail with you if you would like before we commence with voters coming up, citizens coming up to testify. Those are the recommended precincts adjustments that we have for the 6 precincts that have over 3,000 registered voters. I will say, Commissioner Davis, at 113, precinc113 we've a [inaudible] in place with the baptist church on [inaudible] road, awaiting final approval for that.
>> when do you think we will have final approval --
>> elections is not here now, but I'm supposing pretty soon, sir. We are looking very hard at that one to have a secure location, we are looking very hard at that.
>> I appreciate that, thank you.
>> absolutely. Part 1 today is to talk about the precinct realignments. Part 2 is a special request, that is where I think that you have the majority of citizens coming to talk to you today. I would like to go over those in detail so that you will understand beforehand, before they come up and discussion items with you.
>> now is the time.
>> the first special request is the circle c subdivision, there is a request to use the polling place, the same polling place that's being used in precinct 304. The precinct that's -- that we are recommending to use that polling place is 367. This was brought forward from a couple of citizens and voters in the area. The recommendation then from this group is to use kiker elementary school by splitting the building. We have done that before, Commissioner Sonleitner remembers well in wells branch.
>> wells branch.
>> we split kiker elementary around buildings so that one building can be used for 304 and the other building to be used for precinct 367. The reasoning for that is circle c, some residents would like to vote together in one location. That's the first special request. The second special request is coming from the village of bee cave. They are wanting to create a precinct within the e.t.j. Line, the boundary of the village of bee cave. Having them vote and certainly we understand that they do want to hold their own elections and it's easier if you have a polling place and a precinct boundaries so be just whole. What that would do to our previous recommend that we have outlined in the first part is simply that we would be moving the line to a different area. In other words, right now we recommend splitting in 318, the third item, bullet item on your first part of the recommendation, is to split the precinct that the eanes i.s.d., Lake Travis i.s.d. Down dear line. -- boundary line. The special request would be to move 318 to accommodate all of the voters in the village of e.t.j. -- the e.t.j. Line of bee cave, what that would do is change the boundary from what we initially recommended. A word of caution, this does, by the way, bring the count, bee cave's recommendation does bring the count to under 3,000 as well. So it does fix that problem. The problem it creates for us is that we then take the polling place out of precinct 316 by doing this. I believe it is the -- the precinct 3 road and bridge office? Yes. It moves the precinct 3 road and bridge office into the proposed village of bee cave precinct. They are having problems finding an alternate location for the reminder of 316 if we do move some of those voters from 316 and the adjoining 318 together to form the village of bee cave. I would just caution you that that would be a problem for us in locating a site for the remaining 316. The third recommendation, as a special request, is to bring -- create a new precinct out of the davenport subdivision. Some voters in davenport want to remain whole and remember during redistricting, communities of interest wanted to vote together, this is the recommendation from the -- from the davenport subdivision. That is much like the village of bee cave toys remain whole within a precinct. And that -- that is not a -- certainly not a problem for us. We right for you don't have a polling place for the new 330 if we were to do this. We had the Austin country club pending, but they gave us firm denial not to use that location as a polling place. We will continue to keep finding an alternate location if in fact you do recommend this last one for 330. I hope that I have been clear about the three special requests and the six realigned precincts. If you have any questions for me I will certainly answer them now or later, it's up to you and then we will bring the citizens forward to talk to you.
>> well, so does the special request clash with the recommendation on 318?
>> it clashes somewhat only in that we -- if you do approve the new 318, which would bring all of the village of bee cave together, we would have a problem locating a polling place for 316 because the road and bridge office would come within the e.t.j. Boundaries of the village of bee cave, that would be the only problem that we see. Certainly we are open for recommendations if anyone knows of a location in that area. We have been looking and at this point we have not located an alternate location for 316. Because it is such a large area. Mostly out in the rural area.
>> so what's the timing situation on these roam additions?
>> -- recommendations?
>> well, today we are posting the public hearing, we did put --
>> when will a decision be made?
>> we must make a decision before may 1st.
>> on all of these?
>> yes, sir. On any changes at all to any precincts must make a final approval before may 1.
>> okay. Questions? Would anyone like to give testimony during this public hearing.
>> if so please come forward and give us your full name, we would be happy to get your comments. We have room for three more. Your name and comments, please.
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners, my name is ken rigby, on behalf of circle c, we want to endorse the co-location of precincts 367 and 304 in one location, I would be glad to respond to any question that's the court may have.
>> special request number 1.
>> yes, sir.
>> thank you.
>> all right.
>> thanks.
>> my name is dave young, from the old precinct 318 at lake point. I was on the homeowners association and the president of the public policy committee there. And I want to thank you for the opportunity. I was here a couple of years ago, judge Biscoe, and I didn't get what I wanted but you came up with a better idea. And we are here hopefully this will happen today. Our voters have been kind of confused where to see vote. We have been voting all over. We have now a new precinct. We got the vote out for the school bond. Our friends across the street at uplands have a very high voter registration rate and we would -- we really want this new precinct, we want to vote at the new lake point elementary school, the polling place. There's a high concentration of voters, I would just guessing 1500 voters at least within a mile of that school. I don't know, dolores -- by the way, dolores and her team have been extremely cooperative. People like gail fish he fisher and ken [indiscernible] have been extremely helpful to us, it's been a great experience. Um ... I guess that's pretty much it. We want the new precinct so we all can vote. By the way, the school board just authorized us to vote at the new school in the election in the early elections and in the general election for the school board, at the lake point elementary. It's very convenient and you got a government building that you can control a lot better. You don't have like a fire house where you might have a party going on, like there have been some elections. Thank you, Commissioners and judge Biscoe.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> may it please the court, judge, Commissioners, I'm christie adams, with bickerstaff-heath, here representing the village of bee cave along with jim fisher, the village administrator for bee cave. We are here in relation to special request number 2. Which has already been explained to you. However, the information chart that we received, I would just like to clarify that the village is not requesting that the polling place be designated as lake point elementary for this new precinct. But rather is asking and requesting the court to consider designating the polling place as the city hall of the village for that polling location. We think there are at least three reasons that our alternative proposal is the better alternative for you all to consider. First, um, there's a -- as -- as ms. Lopez explained, it does address -- excuse me -- the population, the registered voter maximum that's been reached in 318. But it also addresses the same issue for precinct 316. And i've provided two maps to help guide you through my presentation. 316 is fast approaching that 3,000 registered voter cap, again our proposal would help address that issue for both 316 and 318. Additionally, we think that our proposal is financially beneficial to the county. In that the village is very interested in holding joint elections with the county. Chd are and is anxious to undertake that process. In fact in light of the proposed legislation that would alter the uniform election dates, the village is considering at least changing its may general election date to November election date so that we could further facilitate holding joint elections with the county. The third reason that we think our alternative is especially appealing is because of the location of the village hall. If you will see on this map, the village hall is a more centrally located polling place for the proposed precinct as a whole. I would also ask you to take a look at the -- at the planning map for the village of bee cave that I provided and you will see that the planned growth for the village is -- at least the residential growth is primarily reflected in the yellow here. So you will see that much of the planned growth for the future is to the west, to the northwest and to the southwest and so again we feel that the -- that the village hall is a more appropriate polling place, more convenient for the voters and will support the growth in the area more appropriately. Additionally, unlike lake point elementary school, the city offers plentiful parking, you don't have the ingress egress problems that you typically have with an elementary school, you don't have the same kinds of public safety concerns that you typically have when you are using an elementary school as your polling location. The village has designated facilities that are used solely for the purpose of conducting elections. And offer very experienced staff, sherri mashburn the city's secretary is very experienced in conducting elections and very anxious to work with the county staff in holding joint elections. I finally just want to mention, want to allay any fears that you might have about drawing an election precinct that's [indiscernible] with e.t.j. Boundaries. You might be thinking that that boundary line would move with annexation into the village. But that's -- that's really not an issue because if you will take a look at the map, the village is really land locked. You have got Austin e.t.j. And Lakeway e.t.j. Surrounding it. So it would be a very rare instance that we would have the boundary line moving. We thank you for your time and appreciate your thoughtful consideration to your request. Let me mention also regarding 316, I think that we would be very anxious to help the county locate an alternative polling location for precinct 316 to the extent that we are able to do that. And would certainly entertain the option to combine precinct 316 and 318. So -- to hold elections at the city hall polling location in the event that it was not possible at least for -- for the very immediate future to identify polling location for 316. Thanks again for your time.
>> thank you.
>> can I go back to mr. Young for just a second. Do you have any comment about the suggestion, is it mr. Young?
>> yes.
>> about going to the city hall location rather than the school? I'm interested since you endorsed the idea of the solution but not the location, is that something that you've heard about. Do you have any perspective.
>> I just heard about it this morning. Bee Caves [indiscernible] organization. But we have a strong concentration of voters there with the [indiscernible], the school board elections are going to be held there and there's a lot of traffic, pat is probably going to talk about it, she's from our community, too. There's a lot of traffic that you get to -- to the polling location at the city hall. Our voters two years ago when I was here, we had several different kinds of elections. We voted in probably six different locations. And the website was wrong and they corrected it right away. But we -- our voters are pretty confused where to vote. We would like one place to vote. That would be that elementary school.
>> so it's your preference the elementary.
>> the school board will back this. They have in your elections, in our facilities. We have volunteer that's can staff that if you need to. Volunteer that's can staff that if you need to.
>> good morning, my name is pat senate, I live out in the lake point, I am here representing the lake point hoa, homeowners association board. Which I'm a member of. We would like you to consider keeping the polling location at lake point elementary for several reasons. I -- you know, I would like to kindly disagree with the village of bee cave. Primarily because right now out there the -- the majority of the people that live in that area do live in lake point. I believe our population, we have got -- at buildout about 900 homes, our population is 3 times as big as the whole village of bee cave right now. So that's -- that's one reason. Secondly, where we are located, if you can see on the maps that you have going around, we are actually on bee cave road in the up lands, across the bay from us, also on bee cave road. With that much of a concentration of voters, I think dave has already talked to you, he's worked very hard on this, to -- about the fact that we have been kind of -- had to go here and there so far. Right now for the regular elections, we go to westridge middle school, which is also on Bee Caves, so it's not really as much of a traffic problem. With the -- with the big problem that we are having on 71 in bee cave right now, I don't think that it's wise for us to require all of these voters that can remain actually within the neighborhood to get out on bee cave, go on 71, go across 620 and turn into the village of bee cave because there is a light at rosoco so that people can get across from bee cave easily there. Is currently for traffic light at the village of bee cave, you would have to go across 620 into oncoming traffic which backs up with people coming out to Lakeway. It's a very dangeus situation much. We've had a couple of people get killed there in the last six months. It's a concern to our neighborhood because a lot of people voting are taking the children with them, we really would prefer not to have to go that additional way if we don't have to. I think the other reason, one of the other things that the village spoke to was the fact that there's not enough parking and things at the elementary school and indeed there is. There's enough to -- we have tons of parking, there's enough to -- to have, you know, 800 students with activities with all sorts of s.u.v.'s which take up ton of space, there's a lot of room there. Also very adequately lit at night, which it's not at the village. November elections where it gets dark early, I think we are a dark sky community, but the school is very well lit. I feel it's a safer environment, it's a neighborhood environment, it's a place where people -- it's a landmark that people know. The village is tucked back, a lot of people in our neighborhood don't know where that location is. I feel in the future as the village of bee cave grows and we would like to work and we have worked very closely on many issues with the village of bee cave, I think that it would be appropriate at some point in the future perhaps to locate another precinct based out of that and then they wouldn't have a problem, but the -- actually right now the subdivisions that are proposed and being built have been -- have been delayed because of the economy. I really don't see that's going to be an issue for at least the next two to three years. Again, the -- we support what the Lake Travis school district supports. We would like to have the precinct located at lake point elementary. We do have some election judges in the neighborhood. Also two mudd districts that are located in the neighborhoods. Right now the voting for that is the clubhouse right across the street from the school, we would like to also hold our mudd board election there's at the school, too, so we would have everything consolidated at the school, any kind of county, national, elections and the school district and the mudd. So it would be all three of those would be at the same place. Thank you very much for your consideration.
>> thank you.
>> would anyone else like to give testimony during this public hearing. You don't see them now, but we have four empty chairs there. Thank you all. Please come forward.
>> dolores is there any -- is there an impact cost? I mean, with regards to --
>> yes, sir. I see michael wynn of elections, if you don't mind coming up, michael for just a second. I asked [indiscernible] the staff in the county clerk's office for a cost of creating a new precinct now that we are electronically voting. They gave me a cost to set up an initial new precinct of about $15,000. That includes the cost of personnel, and the voting equipment itself, the booths, et cetera. It does not take into consideration rental of the location because some places don't charge us, any electrical, telephone outlets, things of that nature. So, yes, there is going to be a cost to create a new pnlt and that would be -- precinct and that would be about $15,000. That would be the impact cost to you.
>> and do we not know what -- if there's a rental, we would not know what that is presently?
>> I don't know of there being a rental cost to any of the new proposed locations. Elections, the county clerk's office handles that aspect of it. I don't know that for a fact. I do know that elementary schools, libraries, cannot charge us. That I do know. So what I'm seeing here is things like perhaps Austin country club, you know, that they denied us. There was probably going to be a charge there. The others that I see here very quickly look like elementary schools, possibly 113, maybe a slight charge on the baptist church. But it wouldn't be very high. At this point I don't see rental to be an issue at this point. In terms of exorbitant costs.
>> would you verify what mr. Young, mrs. Senate was indicating in that -- in that the majority of 316 would really live a -- I can see -- I know those two subdivisions very well. Is it safe to say that, yes, truly the majority of the people that vote in 316 would come out of those two subdivisions?
>> just logistically speaking, Commissioner, I'm looking at 318 I know, I don't know if you can see it or not, we did provide as part of the handout, you see as 318 we split it right down the middle. Using the eanes i.s.d. Lake Travis i.s.d. Boundary lines for that reason. So that you have got the polling place here for 316 and 318 here. And people like to be able to vote in their neighborhoods. They like to be able to not cross major thoroughfares. They -- they had brought that to our attention many, many times. Take into consideration our driving, please don't make us go too far. And that's why we made the recommendation we did for 318.
>> we will try to put those two locations where the people are.
>> as best we can, county judge, I'm sorry. As best can he can we do. If there are locations we try to make it as amenable --
>> in this situation --
>> in this situation as well.
>> [indiscernible] put it where the people are.
>> yes, sir.
>> [indiscernible]
>> are we posted to act on this today?
>> we are posted in number 35.
>> 37, got it.
>> judge, I would love to --
>> [indiscernible] I just -- I just said we weren't going to take action we would let everybody know, if we are I'm going to close the public hearing.
>> I have one more question that I need to ask.
>> okay.
>> I'm kind of concerned about the notification usually when we have changes as far as polling places, on the [indiscernible] day there seems to be a lot of confusion of where folks are to vote. How will we mitigate that type of confusion on e day? How is that being handled?
>> sure, sure. One -- there is some -- there is some method to this madness. The Texas legislature did require us to do this by may first for your final approval. We need to go to the justice department to get final approval as well.
>> okay.
>> this is also the year that we prepare for the voting certificates to go out. They are renewed January 1, 2004. All of these changes will not be in effect until January 1, 2004. And with the certificates, we will be mailing out a separate notice for those people that are affected by any polling place changes. We do send them, it costs us a little bit more, but we do send them a notice as the court has asked us to do every year that we do this. So all of the folks that would have a precinct or a polling place change, we do send them a separate notice instructing that their polling place has changed and the address to the new polling location.
>> okay. Next question --
>> also -- I'm sorry, we also post a notice in the newspaper of your final approval. That's required to be done by election law as well.
>> my last question is how close are you in -- as far as negotiating to use the baptist church on emanuel road?
>> it's my understanding that it's pretty darned close. I can't speak without much detail because elections does handle this.
>> I understand.
>> but it's my understanding that we are pretty close to securing that polling location.
>> okay, thank you.
>> we are excited about it. There was no other alternative at this point.
>> okay. Thank you very much.
>> you're welcome.
>> I have one more question. Dolores --
>> yes, sir.
>> -- is there any places in a the county that you know that we vote in a post office?
>> no.
>> no.
>> are you -- are you aware that we cannot vote in a post office?
>> no. I was not aware of that. I don't know that we have ever looked at a post office.
>> I mean, I find that so strange. I mean, it's pretty american to be asking people to vote and yet at a u.s. Post office you are not supposed to be able to vote. I find that so strange. I would like for you to -- maybe I'm wrong on that. But it's -- they are always large, spacious, a.d.a. Compliant, I mean, parking galore.
>> public buildings, yes.
>> so I mean in some of these spaces would be great, so if you wouldn't mind finding that out for me. Judge, I would love to have -- to have another week so I can discuss it with both parties. I mean, I have owe I certainly -- I certainly understand the residents and their desire to do this. I haven't talked to james or the mayor out there to -- to find out. I mean, I think that they may some great points. I mean that -- it is really a pain to get off of 71 into town hall. I mean, and quite dangerous. Mine, I can't imagine that the mayor and the folks out there wouldn't understand I mean why the majority the folks out there would rather vote there. I would love to talk to them about that. So if it's not going to mess up the [indiscernible], I would love to give me a week.
>> I will tell you going in, my preference is to have it at the school. I can remember going out to the city hall remoted to the redistricting hearings and it was quite hairy trying to get across 71. I get it. I think at some point when spanish oaks completely builds out, that's a good discussion to have at that time. Probably you might even have to split the precinct at that point anyway. But my preference would be to go with a subdivision, an established school, where people are used to taking their kids, neighborhood friendly and it's got a light at rosaca as opposed to no light going into city hall. I've had to make that turn and I was not happy.
>> if I had to vote today, it's a lay down for me. The school is the place to do it. But I certainly out of respect for the -- for the mayor and the city manager out there, I would like to talk to them and say, hey, so if that's okay with you.
>> action item no. 37 will be postponed until next week, April 29th. I move that the public hearing number one be closed.
>> second.
>> all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 23, 2003 5:52 PM