Lindsey Hill, tax rate are on tap tonight
The San Marcos City Council’s regular meeting tonight will include decisions on the 2018-2019 tax rate, bond election projects and the purchase of land along Purgatory Creek.
The meeting is slated to start off with a presentation on options for the closure of Loquat Road, followed by an update on the Lindsey Hill Preferred Scenario Amendment request. The Planning and Zoning Commission received an update last week. Developers are wanting an amendment that would change the site of the proposed Lindsey Hill development, 500 W. Hutchison St., from “Area of Stability-Existing Neighborhood” to “Growth Area-High Intensity.” The development aims to put condominium apartments, for-rent apartments, retail space and parking at the site of the old Lamar Campus, which previously served as San Marcos High School and was built on the site of the 19th-century coeducational Coronal Institute. Council will not take action on the request tonight.
Council is also set to hold a public hearing and vote on the first of two readings of an ordinance adopting the tax rate for the 2018 tax year, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30, 2019. The proposed tax rate is 61.39 cents per $100 of valuation. The debt-to-operations ratio for the year is 36.9 percent debt to 63.1 operations. The second public hearing on the tax rate will be held Sept. 4.
The proposed purchase of 27 acres on the south side of Faris Street, near its intersection with Wilson Street, is also on the agenda tonight. The city is considering buying the land for $475,000 for the purposes of stormwater drainage and possible greenway and open space. According to the city, the 27-acre parcel has been identified as a “High Priority Conservation Area” as part of the flood mitigation property prioritization process. Plans for the site, whose purchase price is less than the appraised value, include use in the proposed Purgatory Creek Improvement Project and as part of a greenway trail identified in the Transportation Master Plan.
Council is also set to vote on a resolution approving the design build procurement process for several bond election projects: the library expansion and renovation, the relocation of Fire Station No. 2 and the future Highpointe Trace Fire Station. An item requesting that the Texas Department of Transportation choose the city of San Marcos as a direct recipient for Federal Transit Administration funding is also on the agenda. Currently, the Capital Area Rural Transit System, or CARTS, is the direct recipient of those funds.
Council will meet at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins St. City council meetings are also televised live on Spectrum Ch. 10 and Grande Ch. 16 or 123-16 and streamed online.
