Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, May 11, 2010,
Item 2
2. Receive presentation of Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority's Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2009. Good morning.
>> good morning, judge. Seeing kenneth here brought back old memories. Appreciate us being -- appreciate you having us again, judge. We and commissioners what we're doing today is we have -- as you know, every year we're required to have an external audit completed of the rma. The professor here has all of the information. He actually was a professor, i'm not joking, he taught accounting and finance, that's one reason he's on board. But he has -- the data and the numbers for you, if you have any questions on the audit. The audit is in here. It's -- it's balance sheet, cash flow, so forth. We also, in this particular, as you know, we have a bit of a theme every annual report that we do. This one was all of the changes that sort of took place on our existing facility. And -- and -- and so we -- we focused on that this year. But other than that, we're really here to answer any questions that you might have on the audit, on the financial situation. I do -- i do want to say that the rma, as -- as an agency created by you and williamson county, travis and williamson county is in very good financial shape. Very healthy. Very stainable and we appreciate all of the help that we have gotten from the county in the past.
>> any questions?
>> yeah, judge, i have a few.
>> okay.
>> thank you, mike, for being here with this report, both of you. You know, what my position is on some of these things. Preferably -- i looked at this intensely and of course i still had, you know, several concerns and i just want the public to still understand that i do not, even within the report, i still do not support phase 1 and 2 i guess of the express, which is actually out on 290 as far as being tolled. I guess the first phase looking at this, the $120 million bonds that i guess are going to be issued and i guess my question i guess is i'm just wondering -- i never did see anything in the report of any neighborhood associations or anybody else that -- that's impacted the most by what's happening here. Supporting any of these things. And i know that -- and i know that it was over 500 people that said -- 500 stakeholders or whatever stakeholders may be, i really don't know what that term means anymore per se. I guess the stakeholders that i rely upon are the ones that i represent in precinct 1 and they are my stakeholders. And of course we've had several of them that have continually opposed this particular project, especially, you know, in the essence of having toll over a free road, especially on the working, the working poor and the folks in that area by allowing us to be tolled. I see there's other projects in 183-a, of course the amount of bonds that was issued there and -- and other projects forthcoming. But phase 1 and phase 2, of course, with -- with the -- with the expansion of this phase 1 meaning i guess from -- from -- as 183 and 290 all the way to permanent tor lane, then on parmer lane all the way to f.m. 973. Again, none of those folks that i know of that live in that area have rallied and said, hey, commissioner davis, we really want this toll running right down the heart of working folks's area. It's really sad. I think that the sad part about it is the endorsement of the peoples that are impacted the most by this have really not been embraced thoroughly enough. I know that we have a board that make decisions, you know, the ones from williamson and travis county that sit on the ctrma board, we are well aware of that. But it appears that the voice of the people that's impacted the most by what's going on here that really not been heard properly, in my opinion. And it appears that i know some folks over there in agreement with me. And i understand the
>> [indiscernible] one thing -- $90 million that came into front -- to bring some relief of the -- of the $90 million that was -- that was given. For you to do that project. Flyover. Federal dollars. Of course this is your bond issuance, i guess. But that -- that just need to be laid out. I always try to lay it out like it is. As far as what i can see from the perspective. So even though it's in the report and this is something that you are doing, i'm just letting you know that -- that the folks that live in that area just don't endorse it nor embrace it. I just think that need to be stated publicly as we go through this process. As you know, i just tell it like it is. That's just the kind of person that i am. So i want to thank y'all for that.
>> okay.
>> any response?
>> commissioner davis, you know i respect your opinion. And i your commitment to your constituents, there no question about that. Let me share that our board does ask me consistently, particularly travis county members, what we're doing on that corridor to help inform people. And if we have failed to give you the information on the -- on the various community meetings that we've had out there. I thought we had forwarded that to your office. But i will make sure once again that -- information is forwarded to you. So that you can have that. Because we -- we do have a history and a record of the various meetings that we've had and you're right, not everybody supports it. But there are substantial incentives to make sure that -- particularly in economic development standpoint, that we get that going. I -- i do want to just quickly respond on the to, 120,let me make sure that we update that. The arra stimulus money at one point was committed at 90 million, we were to match that with 30. Given the prices at the time, we got a 59 million-dollar bid on that first segment, that first phase.
>> right, right.
>> we cut everything back to that 59. And we were smart enough to put in the txdot dollars first. So those -- those come out first so that the rma dollars, your dollars, stay in the pot. So i -- i obviously need to get you another update, sir. And we'll do that.
>> okay, i appreciate that.
>> no problem.
>> commissioner eckhardt?
>> could you tell us a little bit about the rma's efforts to -- one element of tr 4 was a public outreach and citizens participation component. And we want to -- understanding from representatives of the ctrma was that the -- that the feeling was that -- public outreach process was too lengthy. Although we have had some discussions about how we might in collaboration make a more robust requirement in the inclues of projects -- inclusion of projects in systems of toll roads. And what work the rma is doing perhaps independently or with the mpo in committing to a public outreach process that gets -- that maximizes public input.
>> commissioner, i -- there's not a subject that's more important, really. Because at the end of the day, if you don't do that work, you threaten the entire project or system or -- or group of projects. We -- we do a lot of things, one of the -- one of the recent -- things that we did is there -- we recently had a -- had a session in town on -- from -- from some -- not consultants, but the biker group on informed consent. Making sure that we do everything that we can do to reach out to neighborhood groups, community groups, stakeholders, the entire array of people that are in a core door or in an -- corridor or expanded corridor i should say. We intend to implement that on future projects as well as i mean the one that's are currently underway. I think that the tr 4 collaboration that was recently consummated was an excellent exercise. I think that -- really does answer the questions on the outreach. It gives us a -- you know, i think a more defined and more impactful method of being able to reach out and do the public hearings that i think that you have asked for and that have -- that the npo in general has asked for. I think we are going to have to ramp up that part of our efforts considerably with the projects that we have on the books for the next couple of years. But i -- i really think that we're -- we are struggling a little bit to -- in my estimation, to get meaningful citizen input and responses. A lot of times we have some of the meetings, i think this went off -- but anyway. I think we have some of these meetings. If we find that we have a public hearing, or a public meeting and we only have two or three people show up, that's not doing the -- we hide behind that and say now we have done our job, that's not good enough. So i think that we really need to figure out no matter what we call those meetings, how we get solicit that input and not just hide behind two or three people showing up at a meeting, saying we have done our job, now we can go away. I'm afraid that we kind of get into that in general and the community kind of gets into that mold. I pledge to you and all of the commissioners and the npo that we will redouble those efforts and figure out what is the best way.
>> i appreciate that commitment. I know representatives from rica were hear earlily with their wonderful -- earlier with their wonderful presentation, i wish they were here to hear your endorsement of the amended tr 4 as well. Here's hoping that they will hear from it other venues.
>> mr. Priest.
>> thank you, judge, commissioners, morris priest, speaking on my own behalf. I have a question for mike with ctrma, the 66 million-dollar bond that i saw in your report on page 36. Talks about this bond being -- until 2042 and i was just wondering if there was an explanation for why -- for why this money wouldn't be paid off sooner than that if that was a good, you know, business practice to -- to accrue this -- this million and a half plus --
>> i'm going to let the professor answer that.
>> the tifa bond is a federal highway program which it's an innovative program that allows projects, young agencies, to be able to bond and finance new projects that are coming up. So they give you a lot of flexibility. If the project does -- is successful, there's actually a prepayment clause in that. That says as you have excess cash flow over and above all of the needs of the operating costs, the debt service payments or other bonds, you have to begin to pay that back to the federal government. They set that up so that you can actually go into the bond market and get the senior level bonds placed and they have a lot of flexibility. Where one of their -- we're one of their success stories. So will they be outstanding for all that time? Probably not. But -- but you need that flexibility. Because you can't anticipate what other projects might be coming on board that you might need to finance, too.
>> do you know, have you all already gotten a contract from the hero program yet? Have you all started that?
>> we have taken -- we have gone to procurement, have taken proposals and my last update was we were negotiating a contract with the best proposer.
>> that's pretty much all that i have --
>> mr. Reeferseed.
>> i'm ronnie
>> [inhale] reeferseed speaking on my own behalf. I was really excited what you were saying about being open to public input and i was just going to make the suggestion that you just make more meetings, make them more publicly advertised or available to the citizens and i was just going to ask out of ignorance, what methods or -- where is that information now disseminated to the public?
>> let me -- if i could give you one example. On one of our public meeting notices, we sent out 40,000 letters along the 290 corridor to people to try to encourage them to come to a meeting. We had a pretty fair turnout at the manor high school. Otherwise, people like the black land prairie neighborhood associations, any of those, we have made them -- made clear that we would come to their meeting and not have to come to ours, we would go to their meeting. And we've -- we've had a -- a consistent outreach. Also, on our website, we have a segment where you can request any group can request a meeting at any time.
>> so -- so along those lines, would -- would the cross wind property owners association, of which i'm a member, would that qualify? It's not a very big group. It's kind of a neighborhood organization. But would that be somebody who could contact you and ask for --
>> sure, absolutely.
>> and the number for us to call on that?
>> actually, if you go -- it would be 996-9778 is our number. And on our website you can actually -- we do respond to every e-mail that comes in. But there's a contact point where you can say hey i would like to have somebody come and explain our do a presentation.
>> okay.
>> we would be happy to do that. We look for those opportunities.
>> the way that i would reach that was that 996-9798.
>> 9778.
>> 9778. Online? I guess that i would get that -- ctrma.organize. Regional mobility organize.
>> ctrma.org. Thank you so much.
>> move that we formally receive the report.
>> second.
>> discussion?
>> yes, i have one final question. Mike, once campo sets a -- campo, capital area metropolitan planning organization, sets a road, a state road in this particular case and designates toll -- well, toll designation on that particular road, and of course you guys get involved and -- and to some degree, ctrma gets involved with that, what deviation can be made or can there be a deviation made even if you own that toll road, even if citizens say no, i don't want it in my yard, no, i don't think that the toll should be in this area because of economic conditions, working poor and other things like that, does that really matter or do you say, listen, i don't think that's a good idea, campo, that you set a toll designation on this road, we have so much outcry and opposition on this toll designation area over here that we don't want to really do it. Or is it so etched in stone that the board has that designation and you just proceed accordingly regardless of what happens as far as input from the community?
>> probably the -- the big -- the answer to that would be if -- if the npo has it in the plan and it's financed as a toll facility to remove that designation would then actually may precipitate the removal of the road entirely from the plan. Let me give you why i say that, if i could. That particular roadway, which i think most people look at and say we need that new capacity, but that roadway in and of itself would use the entire 10 year allocation from the utp to the austin region. And in other words it would use every dollar coming from txdot for the next 10 years. You wouldn't have any other projects in the region if we did not do it in the manner that we are doing it. If travis county did it, commissioner, it would double your existing indebtedness. Think about that, it would literally double your indebtedness from 500 some million to what i last saw to over a billion dollars. That's why it's designated as a toll road because we don't know of another mechanism -- if campo did find another several hundreds of millions of dollars somewhere, sure, it could be moved off the toll scheme. The issue, i think, is where do we find that money? Remember, too, commissioner, i mean, we are expanding the non-toll access roads from two to four lanes.
>> mid that. I understand that.
>> i can't put anywhere. So i'm not going to slow that traffic down on purpose. The only people that can put a light up on the access road would be the city or the county.
>> right. I guess that i was trying to equate merit, merit, from the persons that are impacted the most and have complained the most in opposition to what is happening that -- that merit, appears that the is dissolved because of an action by the campo board.
>> maybe this will help, too, commissioner. One of the commitments that i have made to -- to the mpo, and commissioner eckhardt has been very clear about pressing the issue on multi-modal, we -- we have a -- we have a policy at the rma, unlike any other toll road agency that i know, i know that txdot does not, we do encourage capital metro to use our facility for transit at no cost and it becomes more congested, as people use those trans sit vehicles at no cost on any of the toll roads, our long range plan, of course, is to designate a lane that would be managed so that transit could continue to go 50, 60 miles an hour in those lanes at no cost. That's an unusual commitment for an agency. But it reflects i think the values of this communities. I hope that we are addressing some of those issues of your constituents, i will continue to work on that.
>> we get a lot of -- we get a lot of -- of questions. But anyway this is just to receive the report, which i can support -- can't --
>> we are hope to do so.
>> the law requires to do that. So i --
>> all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Thank you very much.
>> thank you.
>> for those who want a copy of this report, simply contact ctrma.
>> it's posted on the website, we really believe in sharing our information, every bit of this is on the website.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 12:35 PM
