Pflugerville city hall move left to council discretion

Pflugerville city hall move left to council discretion

Written by Christi Covington Tuesday, 18 March 2008

Voters to decide on recreation center and library expansion funding in May

The Pflugerville City Council approved a resolution Feb. 12 for a special bond election May 10 that will include two separate propositions — one for a recreation center and the other for a library expansion.

In a surprise move, a third proposal, the one for a city hall, was removed from the ballot language, but Pflugerville will probably still get the new building. The council plans to use an alternative funding mechanism instead called Certificates of Obligation, which requires council support verses a city-wide vote.

City Manager David Buesing suggested this option, saying that unlike the other two propositions, city hall is not a quality of life issue, but a necessity. In the past, the council has passed certificates to fund sewage plants, Lake Pflugerville and roads.

“City hall is very important. We need it as much as we need any road,” Buesing said. “The best thing for Pflugerville to do is build city hall right now and the best way to do that is through COs.”

Of the three issues considered for the ballot, city hall was most controversial because of the debate on where it should be located.

Downtown business owners want city hall in the historic center of the community.

However, the council and mayor have indicated that they plan to move the site closer to Toll 130, off FM 685, where they think there will be more space and greater visibility.

Mayor Jeff Coleman said the council has an agreement with the Terrell Timmermann family to donate land south of the future Stonehill Town Center and north of the Wal-Mart Supercenter to build the city hall.

The 45,000 sq. ft. building would sit above 19 acres of parkland overlooking a five-acre pond that will have fountains and other water features. On the opposite side, the city might build an amphitheater.

In exchange for the land, the city will build roads, which creates the transportation infrastructure Timmermann needs for development of the remaining property.

Rather than leaving the city hall funding to chance in a bond election, the council opted to assure the project through COs, which Buesing said was necessary to make sure the project takes place.

Although COs typically only need action from city council, it can require an election if 5 percent of the registered voters submit a valid petition in protest. If approved, the certificates can pay for construction, purchase of materials, supplies, equipment, machinery, buildings, land and rights-of-way, as well as for professional services including engineers, architects, attorneys and financial advisors — as long as it is for a project that meets the city’s needs.

Buesing thinks the project easily falls under these standards. City staff has filled its space on Main Street in downtown and is already leasing other facilities. In October, the current council chambers will be replaced with city office space.

While agreeing that a new facility is a necessity, council member Wayne Cooper expressed some reservations on not bringing the issue to voters. He said he saw the necessity, but wondered how the community would respond without ballot input.

“Basically, I am sitting on the fence,” he said.

The debt created from COs will likely increase property taxes until enough commercial growth opens. The tax change rate is not yet determined.

 

During the meeting, Coleman asked for a report on the million sq. ft. of retail coming to Stonehill Town Center indicating that the sales and property taxes generated from that venue might offset homeowners’ tax costs.

Economic development director Charles Simon said he received confirmation that the first stores, including Target, Best Buy, Bealls, PetSmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods, will open in March 2009.

Council member Darrelle White said the voters had elected him to make need-based decisions in the interest of the city, and that this was an important time to act.

“If it is an obvious decision and I am not willing to make it, maybe they did not vote for the right person,” he said.

In the end, the four council members present supported the option. The mayor does not have a vote on council, although Coleman later verbalized his support.

Buesing acknowledged that all constituents might not approve the decision.

“It takes some very great courage and faith for them to vote like they did,” he said. “I am very proud of them. They are looking out for their community.”

On the ballot

Although the Pflugerville City Council chose not to include city hall on the May 10 ballot, voters will have a chance to decide whether they want to pay for a new recreation center and library expansion. Each proposition requires a simple majority to pass. The effect on the property tax rate is not yet determined.

• Recreation Center • $16 million
  • Proposed location: Pfennig Lane
  • Includes: Swimming pool, lobby, multi-purpose rooms, weight room, childcare room, gymnasium, senior citizen facilities.
• Library • $7 million
  • Proposed location: Pecan Street at 10th Street (existing library site)
  • More than triples the size of the existing library with several large public meeting rooms.

Plans for city hall

Although not formally decided, the city council has negotiated with the family of Terrell Timmermann for land to build a new city hall off FM 685. In exchange for the property, the city will build some of the roads needed for Timmerman to develop the rest of the lot into a town center.

Source: BWM Group