HUTTO — In an emotionally charged meeting on Jan. 12, the Hutto Independent School District staff and trustees responded to allegations from City Council that the district had dropped the ball on providing a Traffic Impact Analysis for the high school modernization project.
The expansion is part of a $35 million school renovation approved by voters in the 2019 bond election.
“That TIA will cost between $30,000 and $50,000. That’s money that comes off taxpayer roles,” said HISD superintendent Dr. Celina Estrada Thomas. “I want to know what the purpose of that study is going to be and how we’re going to use it. If it’s just going to be a study that’s going to go on a shelf just to comply with a demand, I have a problem with that.”
At its Jan. 5 meeting, the City Council voted that the district must provide a traffic study before a certificate of occupancy would be approved when the construction is complete in approximately 18 months.
The TIA was not part of the original scope of work, though school district staff did try to determine whether one would be needed early in the project.
Hutto director of development services Ashley Bailey told the council that the ISD sent a series of emails from March through July 2021 to a now-former staff member.
“I am aware those requests were never responded to by that city engineer,” Bailey said.
Before voting that the TIA be required, council member Krystal Kinsey asked Mayor Mike Snyder whether the city should consider cost-sharing the TIA since the city admitted to some fault.
“No,” replied the mayor, “because they were emailing a city engineer that wasn’t responding and nobody made an attempt to go to the assistant city manager or the city manager.”
Snyder said in the future, if the ISD doesn’t get a necessary response from city staff, they should follow up until they get an answer.
The council meeting agenda item was intended to approve a change in the Special Use Permit worked out between school district staff and city staff over landscaping concerns.
According to city documents, Hutto ISD asked for a reduction in the number of trees and parking spaces required by the city. The city was also demanding the school screen existing roof-mounted equipment from view, rather than just the new additions.
The two entities compromised to allow for a reduction in the number of new trees to just 30% of the amount usually required. The agreement also included a parking space reduction contingent on the district providing a shuttle when necessary, and screening only on new roof equipment.
When the agreement was presented to council for approval, council decided to add the TIA requirement as well.
“The high school project does not warrant a TIA under the (unified development code), and speaking with city staff it was confirmed,” said Hutto ISD’s assistant superintendent of operations Henry Gideon.
Gideon said while there are no legal grounds for the landscaping or TIA demands from council, his team is willing to comply in order to continue moving forward.
“The district is going to work collaboratively with city staff in response to council’s non-enforceable, extrajurisdictional stipulations that were irrelevant and had no bearing on the recent Special Use Permit application and process,” Gideon said.
He estimated the new requirements would set the construction back about 1.5 months, resulting in significant additional costs and impacting instruction. The disruption will also affect the band going into marching season.
Thomas said while concessions must be made now in order to continue the project, she wasn’t going to remain silent on the council’s actions.
“Our paperwork was in place,” Thomas said. “Our planning and preparation were in place. As the leader of this school district, I’m not going to stand back and allow public figures to make allegations about our lack of accountability or responsibility or attention to what is supposed to be done in the best interests of this district.”
