Travis County Commissioners Court
December 18, 2007
Item 28
Hold it just second. I just read all of item 32, we'll call it up, but item 28 may be faster which is consider and take appropriate action on request for assistance from the city of manor for the planning for future growth along the capital metro rail corridor. Last time we talked about that I thought the majority of court -- we were trying to identify a source of funding. Is joe geiselman nearby? Joe had recommended a source of funding and I said let's back it up with the allocated reserve in the event that something happens to keep that from occurring. Joe?
>> you have the scope of service that was presented by city of manor, and so really if you are okay with that scope, then we have a source of funding, we can have the county attorney's office draft it into an interlocal agreement with the city of manor. We'll have a document that basically we can have the court adopt.
>> my view is others will take the lead on this, we would basically be supportive, await the outcome of the analysis. Seems we'll be impacted one way or the other after the work anyway. There could be something that results to greatry expand our tax base, which is why I think we're integrally involved one way or the other anyway.
>> okay, so I’ll work with john and bring back an interlocal at your next meeting or your next -- I guess in January.
>> January 8th is what we're working on.
>> I just have a quicky question. Who would be actually letting the court for this? -- contract for this? City of manor or Travis County?
>> I’m presuming it's either the city of manor or capital metro. Manor seems to be the lead agency so we would be just basically paying them t.
>> okay.
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> okay.
>> with that I move approval.
>> second.
>> discussion? Commissioner Daugherty.
>> just briefly, we have 14 members out of this community that is working with the mayor and councilman mccracken on studying rail and its applicability to this area. It is going to be, I think, -- I think, I hope it's going to be a pretty exhaustive study. We have a commuter rail line that hopefully will be within 12 months of opening in this community from Leander to the convention center. Why in the world do we need to pay somebody $75,000 to give us something that we know exactly what they are going to give us when all we have to do is wait and watch and work a plan right now that we have -- I know it's only $25,000. I don't know why mainer is excited about spending $25,000 either, but we have to mechanisms in place to not have to spend that money. I just for the life of me do not understand why we're not willing to wait. We've got a line. Let's see what -- and it's going to be effectively a commuter line just like that's being asked for out of manor. I mean why -- none of us would -- I don't think that we would run a business, I don't think that we would embark on something like this when there is something sensible that we ought to do first. But I realize that there is a craze in this community about rail, and I do -- I get it. But I -- you know, it's got a first and second.
>> what we heard last time is there is an economic development development project planned for just outside of main their would not be covered by the Leander to downtown thing. So it was that part I thought that would interest us because should that development get off the ground, it would be a huge expansion of the tax base in that area that would benefit the city of manor and Travis County.
>> right, and it's right at the end of the rail line where it's passenger conducive. From that point on it's -- rails are going to have to be changed. And so we're kind of trapped between two entities here. We've got elgin on one side pushing rail, and they are doing their planning, and we're trapped on the front side by Austin pushing its interlocal or whatever you want to call it and their rail line. Mainer is sitting out here with no planning for rail in that whole area and we're divided over two giant areas really all the way from webberville up to Pflugerville that has had no planning whatsoever on how we're going to conduct rail and what we're going to do with it. That's why we're trying to get on board and get ahead of the curve instead of behind it so when this rail hits manor and that whole area of eastern Travis County has plans in place to locate developments, locate retail, locate commercial and industrial and take the benefit and not let it pass into other counties, particularly bastrop county.
>> bastrop county doesn't have the taxing jurisdiction that you all have. You all are in cap metro. I mean it's -- you know, this notion about, well, we need to plan for it, the rail is there. And you know as well as I do private will get up to the table real quick if it is beneficial -- I mean heck, I think you all are spending $25,000 for nothing. Because if it is going to be an economic benefit and -- and we're going to see whether a t.o.d. Is going to work because there's a whole lot more population out of Leander than you all, although you all are growing rapidly. I think we have the ability to see that without spending the money. But if you want to spend the 25 grand.
>> Commissioner, I know when it first came up, and it is a lot of room for economic development along that line. And, of course, manor basically at that time was not going to participate at all. I mean they had not put any money on the table even requested us to get involved with that, city of Austin and any others that want to join, and I think it's very prudent, very necessary to make sure that part of the line gets the attention it deserves and right now it's not getting the attention and I just think that will help out. So I asked them to see if they could come up with $25,000 and, of course, they did. So I’m ready to move approval of it if the votes are there.
>> any more discussion? All in favor? Show Commissioners Davis, eckhardt, yours truly and Commissioner Gomez voting in favor. Commissioner Daugherty voting against. City manager.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 18:30 AM