Traffic impact fees uncollected
What at first appeared to be $3.5 million in unaccounted traffic impact fees from developers, now seems to be a combination of overdue, waived and pending fees, according to information provided by city spokesperson Allison Strupeck.
“We passed traffic impact fees two years ago. This is money meant to go towards building our infrastructure. One major issue I had, was that we should have millions in impact fees collected and budgeted. Here we are six months later, and we now know that it looks like we have not been collecting fees,” Mayor Mike Snyder wrote on a city forum in February.
The city began assessing developers a “Transportation Impact Fee” on new development projects to help pay for the construction or expansion of roadway systems in September of 2022.
Council asked city staff to review the status of the fees. On March 20, Strupeck told the Taylor Press that because of staff turnover, it took extensive research.
“Current staff initially estimated that approximately $1.78 million in TIF assessments were past due by developers for three residential projects. However, continuing research showed that two of the projects had been granted exemptions by a prior city manager to waive their fees,” Strupeck said.
After the waived fees, the city is owed about $468,000, which they are now working to collect. Strupeck confirmed that an estimated $1.8 million is pending because the projects are not yet at the point to trigger the fees.
Snyder expressed concern that fees had been waived without council approval by the prior city manager.
According to Strupeck, current city manager, James Earp, plans to present City Council a recommendation to change the city ordinance, so that waiving of such fees will require council approval in future.
City staff are now researching the status of water and wastewater impact fees.
Downtown business alliance explored Mayor Mike Snyder and Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon are spearheading efforts to launch a downtown alliance. The concept is a stand-alone, non-governmental organization run by downtown business leaders.
In an email sent to property and business owners by Gordon, which was shared on Facebook by Snyder, Gordon explains that he and the mayor had been meeting with property owners and business owners to get the project started. The email was an invitation for property owners and business leaders downtown to meet for lunch and discuss the concept.
“I have reached out to two similar organizations in Central Texas who have expressed a willingness to come and share information about their organizations,” Gordon said.
Representatives from Waxahachie will be available at the meeting to talk to anyone with questions about how an alliance would work.
The meeting is open to downtown stakeholders.
The meeting will be held Thursday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at Downtown Hall of Fame, 205 East St.
Attendees are free to order and pay for their lunches at the event.
Candidate forum set
Hutto Community Watch, a 501(c)4 organization, will host a candidate forum Saturday, March 25. The event will be from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3250 Limmer Loop in Hutto.
“The entire Hutto community is invited. All seven City Council candidates will be there. The format will be similar to last year, with the candidates conducting the forum, similar to how they would engage among themselves on the dais at a council meeting,” said Community Watch Chair Ida Weaver.
The event will be livestreamed on the Hutto Community Watch public Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/ groups/220443913777353.
The doors will open at 1:30 p.m. and people may submit questions in writing before the debate begins.
“Questions must be brief, respectful, relevant and applicable to all seven candidates. Obviously, two hours is not long enough to ask all the questions submitted. In the week following the forum, all questions submitted at the forum will the provided to every candidate,” Weaver said.
Hutto Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Sonia Herrera said that the Chamber is also planning to host a forum. Details will be available soon on the Chamber website, www. HuttoChamber.com.
High school actors take the stage
After an award-winning performance March 4 in Temple, Hutto Theatre advanced to the One Act Play bi-district competition in Waxahachie March 20-21. The students performed Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” Caleigh Kenter won Best Tech Award. Isabella Taylor and Shaylee Edelson earned Honorable Mention. Victoria Turner and Richard Smith were named as All Star Cast.
Additionally, March 9, Hutto Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors” was nominated for three Heller Awards for Young Artists (HAYA) recognitions. HAYA awards are a Tony Awards-style program that boosts visibility for high school musical theater programs. They celebrate the achievements of musicals performed by high schools in the Greater Austin Area. The awards ceremony will be April 19 at the Long Center in Austin.
