NEWS ROUNDUP The latest news from the City of Liberty Hill

BY RACHEL MADISON STAFF WRITER

Council makes spending decision on ARPA funds

The City Council has decided to spend its $684,195.94 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on beautifying the streetscapes in downtown Liberty Hill.

ARPA was signed into law in 2021 to provide additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, including local governments.

The project will specifically cover the area from RR 1869 and Main Street to Grange Street and Main Street, which is approximately two blocks. It will include bumping out the sidewalks on Main Street, and adding old fashioned streetlights, planters, benches and other amenities.

The streetscape project most likely won’t begin for another eight to 12 months, said City Administrator Paul Brandenburg, because the roundabout project as well as the traffic signal installation at RR 1869 and Main Street need to be completed first.

Construction bid for downtown roundabout awarded

Austin-based Smith Contracting Co. was awarded the bid in May to construct the long-discussed roundabout at Main Street and County Road 279 in downtown Liberty Hill.

City staff send out requests for qualifications on the project in early 2023. Smith Contracting Co. came in with the lowest bid at $1.59 million.

Now that the bid has been awarded, construction can begin soon. A specific date hasn’t been set, but once construction begins, the project will take about eight to nine months to complete. The road will not be shut down during construction.

City of Liberty Hill has $30 million debt capacity

The City of Liberty Hill could issue up to $30 million in debt over the next two years, according to the City’s third-party financial advisor.

Dan Wegmiller, of Specialized Public Finance Inc., said while the City has the capacity to issue up to $30 million in debt based on the current tax rate—which is $0.4545 per $100 property valuation—the capacity doesn’t drive the need.

“The need drives what you issue,” he said.

“It’s just good to know what your limitation is before looking at projects you want to do, and where to put them year over year to complete them. As project needs come up, you can look at the best ways to fund them. Sometimes it’s cash pay as you go, and other times, it’s to issue debt.”

Wegmiller added that the idea is also not to push financing just to “fill in and hold the tax rate in anticipation of something.” He, along with City Finance Director Sidney Smith, are instead working together to build a strategic plan that will be routinely updated throughout the next couple of years to help Council determine major projects for which it may want to issue debt.

Council approves installation of traffic signal at CR 260

The intersection of County Road 260 and State Highway 29 will soon have a four-way traffic signal.

Robert Baughn, head of construction for Chalk Hill Ventures, a Dallas-based real estate developer, said his company will soon be breaking ground on Chalk Hill Ranch, a mixed-use property with 665 units, retail pad sites and commercial office space on CR 260, which is the road just east of Margarita’s Restaurant and supplies the back entrance to Santa Rita Ranch.

Chalk Hill Ranch, which will be developed just behind Margarita’s, will use CR 260 as one of its primary entrances and exits from the property. Because of this, the developer proposed to forego a traffic impact analysis, citing that the intersection will indeed be busy enough for a traffic signal.

Chalk Hill Ventures will pay the City of Liberty Hill $175,000 for a traffic mitigation fee, which will cover approximately 50 percent of the estimated costs to install the traffic signal.

“They are paying their fair share by putting 50 percent of the money up front,” Brandenburg said. “Then the role of the City will be coordinating with TXDOT on when it will be installed and operational.”

Code enforcement department initiates abatement protocol

The City of Liberty Hill’s code enforcement department has enacted an abatement initiative to prompt city residents to adhere to all code provisions.

Building Official Elias Carrasco said during COVID, the City relaxed its en- forcement of certain code requirements. Because of this, several properties are out of compliance and becoming health and safety concerns, he added.

“We are recommending a return to normal code enforcement protocols,” Carrasco told the City Council in April. “The highest priorities are violations for high weeds and grass, and other debris causing a nuisance. We haven’t been as aggressive as we should have been in the last while.”

Carrasco added that after a general public warning, violators will be given written notice. If action is not taken, the code enforcement department will then give abatement nuisances and invoice the property owners for that cost. Those who do not pay their invoices could also be criminally cited and required to appear in Liberty Hill Municipal Court.

City submits requests for WilCo road bond election

The City Council has determined the top three projects it will request in Williamson County’s upcoming proposed road and park bond election.

The three projects that were top priority for Liberty Hill include the completion of the State Highway 29 bypass on both the east and west sides, the continuation of Long Run Road in the Stonewall Ranch subdivision through to U.S. Highway 183, and the continuation of the City’s downtown shared use path, which currently begins at the Water Tower Parking Lot, down County Road 279 to River Ranch County Park.

The Commissioners Court plans to hold the election in November, and during the next several months, will be evaluating input from local communities and the public for projects to include in that bond election. City staff estimates the final decision on the requested projects will come from the County by July.

City discusses possibility of YMCA for Liberty Hill

City of Liberty Hill officials are exploring the possibility of building a YMCA recreation center.

During a City Council workshop in April, Jeff Andresen, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central Texas, shared details on the benefits of a community having a YMCA, as well as options that cities like Liberty Hill have when it comes to bringing in a community recreation center managed by the YMCA.

Andresen said if the City decides to pursue building a YMCA, there are several options available. For example, the YMCA can work with the City on a bond process, and if a bond passes, then the recreation center can be built. Or, the City can raise funds from sources like local fundraising and municipal commitment, to raise funds for programming to begin while the YMCA and City advocate for the community to build a recreation center.

Brandenburg said he, along with other city staff, would further the conversation with the YMCA about future possibilities and will revisit the idea in the near future.

Council member Chris Pezold takes leave of absence

The City Council granted a leave of absence to Council member Chris Pezold from mid-April to June 14.