FM 110 to dominate much of meeting
The Farm to Market Road 110 project is the subject of three agenda items for the Hays County Commissioners Court this morning.
The commissioners will consider a resolution supporting the construction of FM 110 from State Highway 123 to Interstate Highway 35 at Yarrington Road. The agenda says that new construction letting rules for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) require entities in which a project is located to formally support the construction of the project. FM 110 is to be constructed in three segments: from SH 123 to FM 621; from 621 to SH 80; and from SH 80 to the interstate at Yarrington Road.
The commissioners are also set to approve an amendment to the advance funding agreement between the county and TxDOT for the FM 110 project. Since the initial agreement between the two, the agenda states, “changes to the project schedule, cost and funding sources have occurred and it is TxDOT and the County’s desire to amend the AFA” to reflect the changes.
According to the text of the amendment, the scope of work is to develop FM 110 “as a 4-lane median divided roadway, and construct FM 110 along a new location from SH 123 to I-35 consisting of two lanes and shoulders for this on-system highway improvement project in Hays County, Texas.” The schedule shows that FM 110 South, from SH 123 to FM 621, is expected to be let for construction in Fiscal Year 2019, with the two other segments scheduled for letting in Fiscal Year 2020.
In executive session, the commissioners are slated to consult with counsel and deliberate on the purchase, exchange or value of right-of-way along the proposed FM 110 route in Precinct 1.
In other business, the commissioners are set to discuss and consider action on changes to 11 existing election precincts throughout the county. According to state law, boundary changes need to be made to precincts whose population of registered voters reaches 5,000. Several precincts in Hays County have already exceeded 5,000 registered voters -- Precinct 228, for example, has more than 8,500 registered voters -- and other precincts are approaching the 5,000 mark.
Also on the commissioners’ agenda is a discussion and possible action setting limitations on bodies created by the Hays County Commissioners Court or any individual member of the court, “including but not limited to the Hays County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.”
County Judge Ruben Becerra’s chief of staff, Alex Villalobos, has spearheaded criminal justice efforts by providing research and data regarding the county’s criminal justice system. Last month, a group including representatives from the county’s law enforcement community, courts and other elements of the criminal justice system held a closed-door meeting to determine the need for the creation of a criminal justice committee. County commissioners have been asked to nominate people to the committee.
The Hays County Commissioners Court will meet at 9 a.m. on the third floor of the Hays County Courthouse, 111 San Antonio St. Meetings are also streamed live.
