Travis County Commissioners Court
September 30, 2008
Item 44
Number 44.
>> [one moment please for change in captioners] h.u.d. Requires that we have specific language regarding cdbg fund any time you obligate them. Williamson county allows us to draw down $150,000 for work in the public right-of-way as well as private connections. We need to add that language to the six-party agreement. And so we are asking that the court approve the amendment so that we can get the funds certified and draw those funds down.
>> okay. So this does not directly relate to the $40,000 unless we work out a way for h.u.d. To cover it.
>> that is correct.
>> we will need this amendment whether -- no matter what we do with the $40,000.
>> correct. Yes.
>> ms. Brown?
>> good morning, judge. Good morning, Commissioners.
>> good morning.
>> I'm nettie brown, presidents of northridge acres homeowners association. I'm here because I'm really concerned about our project in northridge. It's just come to a stumbling block. The water lines are in the streets, the water is there. Everything was completed. Then after three years of planning and knowing about the project, Williamson county comes up with, well, we can't use community development block grant funds for the hookups. Well, then that means someone wasn't doing their job. That means someone should have been checking. So as I talked to judge Biscoe yesterday, and I've been on the phone to mr. Ward, I believe there's a better way to do this. Than to come up with a form and start resurveying at the neighborhood, and then if you resurvey and someone has one dollar over the amount of the community development block grant guidelines, they are not going to qualify. What's going to happen then? They are going to be left off so the grant is not helping them. Like I said, there has to be better ways. This form is just an intimidation. I mean, when you give someone a form and it says they are going to -- first it was i.r.s. Forms. Then whenever they backed off on that, and I'm speaking of Williamson county, I'm not speaking of Travis County. When they backed off on this, then they come up with paycheck stubs. They would verify if they were audited through paycheck stubs. Then they put this language on there that's just to scare people. I mean, if someone tells you, well, you can sign this paper and if you are one dollar off, you've made a false statement. And it constitutes a felony. Do you think a poor person is going to sign this? I wouldn't even sign it. So I mean there is a big, big problem. And I know I've been working with judge Biscoe directly and mr. Ward, and we do appreciate everything that you have done. And ms. Eckhardt, we appreciate you going with judge Biscoe to Williamson county on our behalf and we do know there are better ways to do it than this. We're just waiting. The water lines are there. There's no reason that these families should not be hooked up and there's reason anybody should be left off that waterline. I mean just because of rules and regulations. I mean, there's other ways to do things. If nothing else, have a fundraiser for the neighborhood. You know, take the $150,000 in community development block grant funds, this is my suggestion, send it to Travis County who is supposed to administer those programs and let it be used for infrastructure. And then as judge Biscoe is saying, the 40,000 or 35, whatever it is, that could be used for the hookups. Then we wouldn't have to go through this. And this would be just a big long stall tactic. And I truly believe that Williamson county is trying to stall this project. And I'm very thankful to the Travis County Commissioners and to the Travis County judge because y'all have been there for us when we need you. And I do believe that you can work it out. Thank you so much.
>> thank you.
>> thanks for all your --
>> from the whole court, I mean, for the whole court, we did survey the entire neighborhood a few years back. The Williamson county side, Travis County side. We sent that money -- sent those forms over to orca. Orca basically signed off on them. Travis County kind of lucked up in that when we sent those forms over, we were not a cdbg county. But Williamson county was. And I don't know when we got the notice. I found out about it I guess four, six, eight weeks ago, but orca's position is its money cannot be used in a cdbg designated area and that's how the Williamson county residents fall out. Now, the lines are from the streets. And what remains to be done is lines from the streets to the houses. So it's on private property. Travis County side, the orca money can be used for that because the residents have been certified as indigent. And when -- so instead of orca, we're looking at h.u.d. And cdbg and they are saying in order to get this done, here's what you got to do and that's how the forms came up. The forms will be new only for Williamson county residents, and what we tried to do was get Williamson county to use 30,000 -- to use $40,000 of general fund fund money to cover Williamson county residents and we would try to figure out a way to creatively make it hold. Creatively and legally. But it's sort of delicate. And I told ms. Brown there are some other options that are neater but not as easy as using the cdbg money. But we can try those. I -- my goal was to try to get the forms if we could. Then if that failed, go to the other options. If we reverse that and try the other options first, they are kind of creative and I think they are legal, and I think we have the contractor kind of ready to go ahead and complete the project. It was flowing along smoothly on time, on schedule, on budget and everything. Mr. Ward is from the water development board. They are putting up a little more than a million bucks. He was at the meeting too. So everybody is eating I to try to complete this, but Williamson county's position was they were not prepared to put up the cash money on that day. They prefer to get the forms completed, if possible.
>> and before the attorneys rightly stopped me, the good news, bad news situation, and ms. Brown and I have discussed this before, the bad news in order for Williamson county to utilize cdbg money for the hookups they need the forms. The good news is the reason why they need the forms is because they want to provide the hookups to the residents, not the homeowners, and the residents change. And that's why cdbg forms or orca forms from several years ago aren't appropriate, because they want to make sure that the benefit is going to the residents. So it is kind of a good news, bad news, and we're working on it. And the policy of Travis County is to treat it as a community, not a house -- rooftop by rooftop basis.
>> right, because even if there is -- let's say you are even a dollar over, there's still the issue of of the health and safety of that community.
>> that's correct.
>> and I would think that something could be worked out and address that issue.
>> yeah, and we just need to do it quickly if we can.
>> and we've discussed it with the Williamson county folks too, that this is an unusual circumstance for a number of reasons. 95% of the residents are low to moderate income, hence treated as a community rather than rooftop by rooftop. It valentine's days two counties. Neither of the municipalities on either side are interested in helping. The soil is contaminated. It's been in receivership and the primary water source is a fire hydrant, for those who haven't been following the story. So I think this is the distinction, all of these are meaningful convictions certainly for Travis County and justify treating this as a community not as a rooftop by rooftop qualifying exercise.
>> so judge, if we approve this, then how close does that get us?
>> this doesn't impact the $40,000 problem. If we work through these issues and give approval, the 40,000 would come from this 150. But we need to do this action regardless of what we do on the 40,000 because this gives us the right to access the 150,000.
>> we need to do this today.
>> right.
>> real fast.
>> and I --
>> judge, I guess my only -- not only concern, I mean this thing has been with us, it's kind of run parallel in my mind with the kennedy ridge type of situation or colonial type situation. Thank goodness kennedy ridge is no longer a colonia. However, it appears to me that the folks up in Williamson county, the county Commissioners court, it just appears to me that other than having to go and do this song and dance situation under the criteria of cdbg funds, got to look for another source of funding to take care of the problem and get these folks hooked up. But again, that's another -- and judge, you did bring something up and I want to applaud you on that, you and Commissioner eckhardt and that was another source of funding, the general fund. I think you mentioned that because I was wondering is this the only source of funding or is there other source of funding that may be made available. I think you answered it and that's what I want to make comment on was those other source of funding options were discussed and whether they become available is something left up to those --
>> they were our number one choice.
>> yeah, well, right. Like I said, just take care of kiss business and let's move on down the road. It doesn't make any sense to me, especially under the condition that you've been under all these years. Now, this is really -- we're going to do what we're going to do on the Travis County side. The folks of Williamson county got to -- they are going to have to step up to the table and let's take care of this problem, period.
>> thank you.
>> that's my comment. Thank you.
>> thank you so much.
>> so we're still optimistic.
>> I just want to make a note that right now as the agreement stands, it does require the signatures of all six parties. I believe the water development board attorney, travis and Williamson county county attorneys are see if we can of modify to just have Williamson county and Travis County sign it. If we can do that, I just want to make that note because Williamson county, it's on their agenda today and they have made that statement as well so I want to be consistent.
>> for the amendment.
>> for the amendment, yes.
>> the amendment deals with the full $150,000.
>> correct. Yes.
>> and us being able to invoice them and get reimbursed from the h.u.d. Money.
>> that is correct. Yes.
>> so if we figure out a way to get the 40 from this, it will be 40 from the 150,000. If we figure out another way to deal with the 40,000, we still need the 150,000 to get the whole project done. The project is about a million and a half dollars, right?
>> I believe so, with the change orders, yes.
>> and then there are invoices from the receiver that the city of Austin wants satisfied, resolved one way or another before they accept the system. So they don't want to except the system subject to problemser basically. And that's good. They accept the system cleanly and after that residents just deal with the city of Austin as water customers. And we expect the bill to be a whole lot lower than it's been historically, and the quality of the water a whole lot better. And more plentiful. Right now it's on the hydrant, but there are pressure issues from time to time, right?
>> oh, yes.
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> clearly it's the best remedy for everybody. So it's -- you know, it's been years, I agree with that and I appreciate the patience of residents. But we've come a long way, but it ain't done yet. But we'll get it done.
>> thank you so much, judge.
>> thank you, ms. Brown.
>> and the whole court. Move approval of the amendment.
>> second.
>> discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Good to see you all again.
>> thank you so much.
>> mrs. Snyder, it is mrs. Insider, good to see you. You didn't say much, but good to see you.
>> thank you for all your work, nettie.
>> we got everybody here on 54? What item was that there are we -- okay. Let me just pick up a couple of -- what item was that you wanted to abstain on?
>> 26.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 3:05 AM