Hutto Justice Center may go to a vote
HUTTO — Despite the city attorney’s plea to hold off on a vote, the City Council July 17 voted down a municipal- services agreement as part of annexing 77 acres off FM 1660 known as the Kirk tract.
The concerns stem from the council seesawing over the issue and had some members saying they may need to brace for a legal challenge.
In other business, voters may get to decide the fate of a future justice center, while Mayor Mike Snyder expressed concerns about the cost.
Meanwhile, the controversy over the Kirk tract stems from a decision by council members in April to approve steps for annexation, only after they denied the request in January.
Last week, elected representatives on the dais voted 4-3 against the municipal-services agreement for annexation, which includes providing water to the development.
The area is not covered by the city’s water services.
City Attorney Dottie Palumbo asked council to postpone the latest vote so she could verify any legal repercussions of changing the municipal- services agreement after it had previously been approved and a development agreement was authorized.
“My recommendation is to reconsider and postpone the item so we can bring back the documentation and brief the council on their obligations under the development agreement,” Palumbo said.
That suggestion was not acted upon.
“This is an idea that we said no to, then we brought it back up and said yes to,” Snyder said. “I’m not voting to help someone bring land in our (water-service area), take water we don’t hardly have and then build more homes.”
The council originally denied the water and annexation request because the project is for residential development, and the city agreed in January to halt expansion of its water services.
But when the issue resurfaced in April, it was approved.
Snyder objected, saying the item was rushed to the agenda ahead of the May City Council election.
“We’ll definitely need to dig into this a little further. I’ll have to circle up with the city attorney to verify the legal ramifications of that given the (development agreement) has already been passed,” said Sarah Cervantes, city director of real estate.
Councilmen Peter Gordon and Brian Thompson voiced concerns about lawsuits over the change.
The mayor and attorney agreed that Palumbo could still look into the matter and bring it back to council for another vote if it was necessary to avoid legal action.
Voters may have a say in Justice Center funding
The cost of a proposed Justice Center to provide more room for a Police Department bursting at the seams may be decided by the voters, the council heard.
Council members said the item could potentially be on the ballot for a public vote on the May 2026 ballot since the funding would require a tax increase.
Hutto’s five-year capital-improvement plan lists the project as a $53 million investment that will require a future bond issue.
Snyder was concerned about the cost of the project because other city departments are also in need of new facilities, including the public works and parks departments, he said.
A consulting firm was hired to plan a new Justice Center that would include both the Police Department and the Municipal Court, the latter currently housed in City Hall.
Last week, the council asked Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough to work with the city manager to refine the needs of the proposed facility.
The chief presented options for just building a main police station for $50 million, but $61 million if adding Municipal Court.
That cost would rise to $65 million if a police garage is constructed.
The current police station was built in 2002 when the department had a staff of seven fulltime employees serving a population of less than 3,000 people. At that time, the building also served as City Hall.
Today, the department has a staff of 64 serving nearly 50,000. Yarbrough said that in 15 years, the department is projected to have a staff of 147 fulltime employees.
“On our space, we’re limited on what we can provide and the quality of our services and the efficiency of our functionality,” the chief said.
The existing police building is 11,616 square feet. The 2040 projection would require 45,914 square feet for officers and staff, and a total of 60,527 square feet to encompass the Municipal Court and a garage for housing police vehicles and equipment.
