Hays County moves forward with $440M road bond for November election

SAN MARCOS  — The Hays County Commissioners Court unanimously approved bringing a $440 million road bond to the November ballot at its Aug. 13 meeting.

Prior to the discussion, there was a one-hour citizen comment period, where many residents voiced their concerns on the bond. One of which was Hays County resident Bob Mason:

“Here comes commissioner Walt Smith slithering through the grass with an assist from commissioner [Lon] Shell to offer an evil apple of road projects to the other three commissioners,” began Mason. “I believe the Fitzhugh Road/Country Road 101 Project does not serve the needs of our local residents and business owners, but outside developer interests, including the proposed Fitzhugh concert venue — a project overwhelmingly rejected by our community.”

Another was resident Bobby Lubinski, citing the potential tax raise as a concern.

“Many are struggling right now with inflation. Two bags of groceries at H-E-B is $150,” said Lubinski. “When we talk about $80 increases, you are talking about coupling that with all the other inflation expenses we have had. Our families are struggling. $80 does go a long way when our wages are flat … A lot [listed in the bond] are about expanding roads and accessing new land for development. I don’t think that is the priority.”

Many attendees also voiced that they were against the planned four-lane design on Fitshugh Road.

After the comment period, commissioner Walt Smith, who presides over the Dripping Springs precinct, began the discussion.

“Whenever we look at the Master Transportation Plan developed in 2022, it was an extension of the Master Transportation Plan developed in 2016. [They] both included Fitzhugh Road as a four-lane roadway. I didn’t come up with that concept; it’s been on the books well before I was ever elected,” said Smith.

He continued by explaining that he wanted a true safety audit of Fitzhugh Road because it was a real concern for him. This is why, in the previous year’s budget process, he identified funding to hire a firm off of the approved engineering list to conduct a safety audit, which is almost complete, according to the commissioner.

Virginia Parker with the San Marcos River Foundation stated that some projects run through a “sensitive recharge land that feeds our aquifers, springs and rivers." In response to concerns of the impact that these projects could have, Smith noted that environmental studies are included within the bond.

“At the end of that process will it be a four-lane road? We don’t know. We don’t know what it’ll look like because we haven’t taken those steps yet,” said Smith. “What we’re talking about today, specific[ally] on the Fitzhugh Road Project, is one that, best case scenario, I’ll probably be dead and gone before it happens.”

Regarding precinct 2, which is overseen by commissioner Michelle Cohen, she advocated for her projects because she believes that it will give her residents the ability to get to work, school and home in a “decent time frame.”

According to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, Carlos Lopez of HNTB, the county contractor for this Road Bond project, worked with each commissioner to come up with the list that has been presented for the bond.

“This process began with projects documented in some plan, somewhere, that have been supported by many people. We started there and also picked up on projects that have gotten done on the 2016 bond that were at a point where they could be further advanced,” said Lopez, as he explained how they decided what projects would be on the list. “By using that approach, we knew we were starting a project that the public had support for.”

The county’s bond counsel, Julie Houston of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, noted that the principal amount for the bond has been adjusted based on figures from HNTB and is now $439,634,000. Houston also added language to the bond that allows the court to determine priority of the projects at its discretion.

After Becerra asked if the list was locked in, Smith took a moment to paint a scenario for the residents. He stated that if the court pulled Fitzhugh Road from the project list, when development happens and there are 850 cars on the current road at night and residents come back asking what can be done to help them, the answer is nothing if they don’t go through with this.

In an attempt to appease the residents, the Fitzhugh Road project language has been amended as follows:

• The project was initially set at $6,148,000, but will be reduced to $5 million and the additional $1,148,000 would “be placed in the pot for discretionary in precinct 4,” said Smith.

• The project is changing from a mobility project to a safety audit and corridor study improvements.

“The focus will not be to move cars through there; it will be to make sure it is safe as the primary focus,” said Becerra.

Prior to the vote, Becerra noted that the reason he supported putting this on this upcoming ballot is because it is a presidential election year. So, this is the time when the most community members will be out to vote.

“I just feel it is important that we strongly consider the passage of allowing voters to decide on whether or not this is something they want to approve because of the great need on the east side of IH-35,” said commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe.

The court voted unanimously to approve an order calling a bond election in the amount of $439,634,000. To listen to the discussion, visit bit.ly/4dMNa1u.