Commissioners to see 2019 budget for first time at today’s meeting
The county budget for Fiscal Year 2019 will make its debut this morning at the Hays County Commissioners Court.
Commissioners will receive a presentation of the county judge’s recommended budget and are expected to set dates for budget workshops. The recommended budget will not be posted online until after it is presented at the commissioners’ meeting, but the FY 2019 budget requests can be found at www.co.hays.tx.us/financial-transparency.aspx under “FY 2019 Budget Planning.”
In other business this morning, the commissioners will consider two additional services requests from the engineering firm HOK for work related to the county’s Public Safety Bond project. The first additional service request involves raising the reimbursable travel cost “not to exceed” amount. The rationale is that there were more meetings than anticipated during the design phases, including travel for meetings to reconcile the guaranteed maximum price for the project, so there is a smaller reimbursable travel budget available for the construction phases. The second has to do with additional grading south of the Government Center to minimize the effects of construction on neighboring property to the north, based on 2D floodplain modeling. The county has said that model results show the most prudent option is to excavate undeveloped areas along the site to the south and east to allow for more flood volume storage.
The commissioners are also expected to approve the submission of an application to the Local Emergency Planning Committee Grant Program for $11,492 in funding. The grant program gives local emergency planning groups the chance to establish, maintain or improve their implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Hays County’s request will be for the maintenance of remote automated weather stations and for public education and outreach material. Commissioners will also vote on executing a grant agreement between the county and the state for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). The total project cost is $65,809.77; the amount eligible for reimbursement from the Texas Department of Transportation is $49,959.71, with a match amount of $15,850.06 which will be met through county funds. The funding will allow for the performance of overtime STEP activities such as enforcement efforts focused on impaired driving, distracted driving, occupant protection, speed and intersection traffic control.
The commissioners court meets at 9 a.m. on the third floor of the Hays County Courthouse.
