Sarah Eckhardt Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 2

Sarah Eckhardt Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 2

Thursday, 01 March 2007

• Precinct: Two
• Term: 2006 - 2010
• Party Affiliation: Democrat
• Education: Bachelor of Arts (NYU), Law Degree; (Univ. of Texas), Masters of Public Affairs (Univ. of Texas, 1998)
• Family: Husband - Kurt Sauer (lawyer), children - Hank, 6, & Nadine, 4, Parents - Nadine Eckhardt & Bob Eckhardt
• Contact Info: 512-854-9222

Q. What inspired you to run for office?

A. With so much responsibility shifting from the federal level down to the state level, and the state in turn shifting responsibility to the regional level, I believe regional government has become the epicenter of public policy. I believe Travis County is ideally suited to create the leading edge in regional governmental innovation.

Q. What is the greatest challenge facing your precinct? How do you plan to overcome this challenge?

A. I see two major challenges - One, equitable funding of core governmental services in an era of increasing responsibilities and, two, maintaining quality of life in the face of rapid and largely unregulated growth. Some core functions of county government include jails, courts and roads. Counties are limited to essentially two funding streams - property tax and fees. These taxing mechanisms are being stretched thinner with increases in jail population, increased criminal and family court dockets, and increased pressure on our transportation system. One example is the funding issues around traffic congestion on our highways. Suggested solutions include adding highway lanes paid for with toll taxes, adding highway lanes paid for with an increase in the gas tax, increasing public transit paid for with sales tax and adding commuter rail paid for with “tax increment financing” (borrowing on future property tax in a specific area).

In regard to the second challenge, county government in Texas is not equipped with the authority necessary to manage growth. With the migration of the state’s population toward urban centers, metropolitan counties like ours are hamstrung in their ability to protect the environment, maintain cultural identity, and sustain quality of life in the face of unfettered market forces. Left unaddressed, our metropolitan counties will reach a tipping point beyond which we will not be able to sustain economic, civic or environmental health. Counties like ours are experimenting with public/private partnerships and agreements to address these issues. Our Legislature must recognize this new role counties find themselves in and provide them the power to chart their own destiny.