Little bits of big news
Early voting underway
HUTTO — Early voting started Monday for the 2024 general and presidential election.
Election Day is Nov. 5. In Williamson County, registered voters may vote at any early voting location, not just the one closest to them.
In Hutto, those wanting to vote early can do so at the WilCo Hutto Annex, 321 Ed Schmidt Blvd. Other area early voting locations:
• Taylor City Hall, 400 Porter St., Taylor
• Granger Brethren Church, 306 W. Broadway St., Granger
• Allen R. Baca Senior Center, 301 W. Bagdad Ave., Round Rock
• Randalls Grocery, 2051 Gattis School Road, Round Rock
• WilCo Jester Annex, 1801 E. Old Settlers Blvd., Round Rock
• Brushy Creek Community Center, 16318 Great Oaks Drive, Round Rock Early voting locations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Oct. 26. On Oct. 27, hours are noon to 6 p.m. From Oct. 28 through Nov. 1, hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Officials in both Travis and Williamson counties are reporting record turnouts for early voting.
Veterans request city’s help Members of the Richard A. Oman American Legion Post 302 in Hutto made an impassioned plea to the City Council for support of a permanent meeting facility for local veterans.
Post Commander Ed Wrinkle told the council during last week’s session the Legion recently had been forced to relocate from a donated space to a place with a monthly lease, and that having a permanent facility would help the post be a bigger asset to the community instead of a planned Veterans’ Memorial.
“The American Legion is very grateful for the hard work and the planning put in place by (Parks Director) Jeff White and the others on the Veterans’ Memorial,” Wrinkle said. “The American Legion would love to see a Veterans’ Memorial in Hutto and are willing to maintain it. But if we are asked to choose between the two — which we shouldn’t have to — a permanent facility is the bigger need for us at this time.”
City leaders reviewed construction plans for a memorial Aug. 29, and the project went out to bid in September. The estimated cost is $125,000.
The commander said enabling the Legion to have its own facility would help the post increase membership, raise funds and support the community.
Timothy Thompson, finance officer for the post, said being part of the American Legion helped him to be a benefit to society, despite still being affected by his time spent in the military.
“If you do not help the American Legion out by helping us get a place, there is nowhere for veterans to go here. You guys have nothing for us. That hurts me a lot,” Thompson said. “I moved here in 2018 because I wanted a better lifestyle for my family. But to get frowned upon … we’re always asked to help with events, and we bend over backwards to help you, but when we ask for assistance in anything, it’s a ‘no.’”
Road maintenance fee hits roadblock
City Council decided to table, until the next budget cycle, a motion by Councilman Randal Clark to add a road maintenance fee of $2 to $3 to residents’ utility bills.
Hutto’s annual road-maintenance cost is estimated at $2.1 million, but the city only allocated $1.8 million this cycle.
“Because we had to reduce the road maintenance from the budget, I wanted to see if council would be interested in starting, like most of the surrounding cities do, having a road-maintenance fee in their wastewater utility line item for their customers to make up the difference,” Clark said.
Councilperson Amberley Kolar dissented, saying road maintenance does not belong on a utility bill and adding the city is already on the right path with the year-over-year budget increase from $1.2 million to $1.8 million.
“I still believe we are making great progress as a city. I do believe we will get to the $2.1 million fully funded as our city grows and begins to thrive,” Kolar said.
Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon said he would vote against a separate road-maintenance fee because it circumvents property-tax caps the city put in place to help older residents on limited incomes.
“One of the reasons I’ve been against a road-maintenance fee is because those individuals that are most vulnerable, that we’ve put specific protections in place, they would have to pay. That’s why I’ve always been kind of against the idea of a road maintenance fee,” Gordon said.
