Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, February 8, 2011,
Item 17
17 is to consider and take appropriate action on legislative matters including update a legislative activities, a, b, additions to the priorities and policy positions, and the positions on other proposals, sections of the Travis County legislative agenda.
and c, resolution and support of house joint resolution 64, proposing a constitutional amendment limiting the uses of revenue from motor vehicle registration fees, taxes on motor fuels and lubricants, and certain revenue received from the federal government.
mr. Eckstein.
>> good morning judge Biscoe, members of the court.
thank you very much for the opportunity to visit with you today.
I want to make just a couple comments about what is going on over at the legislature and then we are get to hjr 64 and the resolution and support of that that we're asking the court to approve today.
first of all, I note that the court has already discussed the issue of land use this morning and of the limitations upon the county of land use.
as I think all the member of the court are aware, there was an article in the Austin american statesman over the weekend.
I guess it was in Monday's print edition about the perennial fight by Travis County and other accounts to get some measure of land use authority to address the issue of incompatible uses that vexs us as a county.
although this has been a fight for Travis County, we see more and more counties, particularly urbanizing counties, for example comal, which considered itself rural as recently as ten years ago and now sees the growth coming out of san antonio as really affecting its ability to protect the quality of life and property values of its citizens.
so there was a good article and also an editorial in this mortgage's edition about the need for that.
so I do want to mention that to the court.
of course the big issue the state is facing now is the budget.
last week the state, the senate finance committee held hearings on article two, which is the health and human services part of the budget.
they are taking testimony from all sorts of agency heads about the couts cuts.
this mortgage's american states man also has an article about the loss of up to 762 million of money now devoted to health and human services here in Travis County.
not all that is money the county has but is money that flows through the county through a variety of government ent disand other sources--entitiess and other surses.
that is going to be a big impact and one that we are monitoring and hope we will bring to the court some ideas about messaging that we ought to be doing with legislative delegation.
another item, to mention briefly houts district 48.
as you know the loser of the generally ee election race has challenged that result and has filed an election contest with the house.
the hearing on that concluded yesterday.
and on Friday the master, representative will heart net is supposed to issue his report.
one of the recommendations may be to call a new election in which case the county would have to pay for that election.
I want to update you on that.
the house will decide probably next we're or the week after.
yes, sir.
>> along with that, if the decision is made, do we have any idea of what an individual election like that would cost?
it would be good, I guess, if we could get with the, with dana and that bunch and find out exactly what the amount of money we are talking about as far as if there is necessary election.
not necessary, but there's the ruling to determine that there will be an election.
>> sure.
>> the amount of money involved.
>> I do not have a cost estimate yet.
>> can we get that?
>> I知 sure I can get that.
>> $250,000.
>> I think I heard that is the ballpark number.
>> $250,000.
okay, judge.
>> that is the county clerk's esmake thethank you.
>> house committees are likely to be named on Thursday of this week.
I reported that exact same information to you last week.
but they turned out that they are still negotiating and fine tunning the committee assignments.
we are now told it will be Thursday of this week.
governor will deliver his state of the state speech at eleven a.m.
this morning and we will have an opportunity to hear what his priorities are going to be during the session and what issues he is working on.
as you know, he has already declared five emergencies.
the house and senate are already working on bills related to those issues including eminent domain bill that the smat will consider today.
let me if I may, udge j--judge, turn to house resolution 64.
that is constitutional amendment.
as the members of the court are aware, fund 6 is the primary funding for the state of text for transportation.
money from taxes we pay on lubricants and motor oil and that sort of thing and a few other sources of money and becomes the major source of funding for our state highways.
over the last 20 years or so, we have had some mission creep with fund 6.
now fund 6 actually funds the activities of a number of other agencies that are not involved in construction and maintenance of our state highways.
it has gotten to the point where reliable sources estimate that beginning in this budget cycle to come, we will see only enough money in our highway transportation budget to do maintenance and repair on our existing roads.
there will not be enough money to build any new roads.
so obviously, the di versions from fund 6 are a concern.
representatives pick et has filed a constitutional amendment to eliminate those di versions but basically cutting back on them every time that the state has sufficient money.
obviously, in a session like this, it would be very hard to make those sorts of cuts.
but the to cut back on those in sessions where there's enough of a projected surplus in the state budget to be able to reduce that and over time do that.
it would be a constitutional amendment.
the legislature really would be bound to work with it.
>> do we know exactly how much money is available currently as we speak today that is in that fund?
fund 6?
>> I think fund 6 has about $12 billion in it.
>> how much?
>> $12 billion in it.
>> $12 billion.
>> and I think about a third of that is diverted to other agencies.
I don't have the numbers for this budget but that has been the trend.
what happens, we have an operating budget for highway department, which also has some other sources of money.
but the big money from fund 6 is down to about $7, 8 billion biennium, I believethe money is being used to fund the department of public safety, attorney generally, historical commission and other state age.
>> what things is is to just allow that only for infrastructure.
>> transportation infrastructur.
>> maintenance and operation.
>> absolutely.
>> is that correct?
>> that is the idea of this amendment.
>> okey doke.
>> with regard to the fund 6, I want to be perfectly transparent about how this would work.
25 percent of fund 6 is diverted for public school education.
>> that is right off the top.
>> right off the top.
>> the remainder, roughly a third, the remainder of that third is going to things like dps, the attorney general's office, historic commission, and whatnot.
I just want to be clear about this.
we are in world of hurt regarding k-12 educational funding.
there is in all likelihood a serious reduction in k-12 funding coming from the state.
the proposal on the table is to only reduce the di version, which predominantly is to public schools, when new revenue becomes available.
correct?
>> yes.
and I have to go back and read the amendment again, Commissioner.
but I actually think they are leaving one fourth that is taken off the top and leaving that.
>> they are only going to the increment.
>> only going torque let's say that it's 12 billion dollars, three billion goes to public education.
of the nine billion left, a third is now going to di version.
so they are only addressing those.
they are not addressing that 25 percent that goes to public education.
>> okay.
just wanted to make sure of that.
so while I don't think it's appropriate to use transportation money for something other than transportation if it's a dedicated fund, we are in a world of hurt on k-12 and apparently the state is uning to provide an appropriate revenue source for it.
so I just wanted to make sure that, you know, I値l take an inappropriate source.
>> I think the intent is not to harm the state's commitment, but rather to look at this mission creep that has come in in the last 20 years in the remainder of the fund 6 ball.
>> just to be clear, fund 6 is essentially a use tax.
it rises and falls with the amount of gasoline that consumers outlied.
my personal belief is that a use tax should stay with the user.
and that is why I don't believe that gas taxes are appropriate for funding education.
but I値l take it because there's no other funding that is being put toward education.
>> we're asked to approve the resolution today?
>> yes, sir.
you have copies of the draft resolution in your backup materials.
I believe that the resolution itself is hear and available for signature.
>> mr. Preist?
>> thank you, judge, Commissioners, morris preist.
I did want to ask the court as well as mr. Eckstein here about, does the account have, whether it's on their website or other than just being in court here, a position on all these five things, the fast track items, abortion, balanced udge about, sanctuary city, voter i.d., this issue before us now ho this particular agenda item, do you all actually have, has the county stated its position on these matters?
>> I don't know that they have been presented to the court.
>> mr. Priest is asking about the five emergency issues that the governor has declared?
as far as I know the county does in the have position on any of those.
>> we haven't taken one yet.
>> right.
with respect to fund 6, the court has in its legislative priorities to support efforts to reduce di versions from fund 6.
so this is part of the county's legislative agenda already and we are just taking specific action.
we're asking the court to take specific action on this specific constitutional amendment proposal.
>> the reason I ask the question judge, this one resolution 64, there's so many other pieces of legislation just like on immigration alone, like 40-plus bills.
and on transportation funding, whether it's indexing, gas tax, other issues right now, so many other massive pieces of legislation, some of them being very large bills, that I just didn't really know the significance of what this would bring to matters such as land use and other things that the county is putting on its agenda because there are so many other issues and appropriations that are actually contrary to what this house resolution is trying to, you know, take measures on.
but anyway, thank you.
>> thank you.
any other discussion?
>> judge, under this update, and this may not be the appropriate arena to bring it up, but I wanted to make sure that house bill 990.
>> yes, sir.
>> homestead preservation, being sponsored by rodriguez, I want to be sure we track that.
I asked for a variance speaking with the representative of what he is intend to go do now opposed to what he did last time.
I haven't seen anything yet.
I知 asking you to look for those variances and if the county is still involved in this, as far as financial obligations are concerned, I think we need to look at that very very closely because it actually takes property off the tax roll.
of course, doing that could be kind of detrimental to the county since we depend a lot on our taxes as far as property is concerned.
again, the city of Austin looking at this the last time around, the representative after having a meeting with them, and I think leroy nelei, the auditor myself and others, along with the mayor and other ee electioned officials such as eddy and resttive rodriguez and also council member mike martinez, said they would not, well, said they would need the county, since they saw such a hardship, that it would come to the county, with financial attributes that would be atribitattributed to this particular setting.
so I want to make sure that, to check this out and see if there is county participation.
if so, we will have to go back to the mayor who said they would in the --not involve the county at any level in future endeavors.
I want to be sure this is tracked and see if there is a variance with this one and the last.
right now I知 asking you to do that.
>> yes, sir.
when we talked yesterday, I told you I would put a packet together on that.
the big that representative rodriguez filed is the same bill that was negotiated and passed la k time with with the exception of the stuff that got vetoed hasn't been taken out.
I値l have that will information for you later today.
>> I appreciate that.
in addition to that another bill filed by senator went worth.
and that was basically I think dealing with the situation where by a home owner had solar panels placed on the roof of the house within the boundaries of the homeowners association.
of course I think senator wentworth is looking to overonly that home owner association decision to not allow this home owner to, to prohibit the home owner from using so lar panels.
this happens to be in Commissioner Huber's precinct.
I am sorry, I just wanted to be sure that came up when we need to look at it.
something I think we need the look at in the the future if we possibly can to see all the ramifications on that.
solar panel, as far as energy conservation, is something that we are looking toward that end.
so we want to be sure we look at this in the future.
>> it is my intent, Commissioner to have that on the court's agenda next week.
>> okey doke.
>> judge, I壇 like to move that we support the house joint resolution 64.
>> I second that.
>> discussion?
on the motion to support this resolution?
all in favor.
that passes by unanimous vote.
anything further?
>> no, judge, thank you very much.
thank you, members of the court for your support and hard work.
>> and yours.
>> thank you, keep us posted the best you can.
>> just as a note, deece has been working very hard with the conference of urban counties and also the commune action network.
this Friday he will be presenting on the conference of urban counties analysis of hb and sb 1, as well as community action network having a discussion of the affects on k-12, acc, and Texas with mitigation of the effects.
I believe in March the community action network will be looking at specific advocacy and mitigation in the area of healthcare both mental and physical.
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.
Last Modified:
Tuesday, February, 2011 2:19 PM
