HUTTO — A bus barn for the Hutto Independent School District which educators say could save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually was shot down by the City Council.
The school district requires a zoning change and special-use permit to turn its property on FM 685 at Carl Stern Drive into the transportation facility.
The council voted 4-2 to draft a resolution against the change.
That decision came during an Oct. 16 meeting in which city representatives also approved new roundabouts and mulled allowing the Hutto Economic Development Corp. to assume control of some capital-improvement projects.
Hutto ISD facility
Mayor Mike Snyder listed neighborhood concerns as his reason for voting against the school district’s bus barn. Snyder said he has received complaints from the Enclave at Brushy Creek homeowners association about school buses cutting through the neighborhood to bypass the congested FM 685 at U.S. 79 intersection.
Critics shared concerns more buses stationed nearby would increase the neighborhood traffic flow, Snyder said.
Councilmen Peter Gordon and Brian Thompson voted in favor of the project. Gordon wondered if there were other reasons behind the “no” vote.
“I can’t fathom the reason why the city is trying to strong-arm the ISD into what they can or cannot do with a piece of property that they own. I think if this is the property that’s supposed to be highest and best use for retail, then why did it sit empty for five years?” he said.
“No retailers were interested in it. I don’t get why we as a city are taking this approach and it just rubs me wrong,” Gordon added.
School board President Amy English said having buses at that location could save the district $220,000 a year in fuel and maintenance costs, which could then be reinvested in the students and teachers.
“The need for a new transportation hub is not a matter of preference; it is a matter of safety, efficiency and long-term planning,” English posted on social media. “Each school day, our buses cross the railroad tracks more than 250 times, totaling nearly 43,000 crossings every year. The new facility would cut those crossings nearly in half, dramatically improving safety for our students, drivers and local residents.”
Hutto, TxDOT plan more roundabouts
In response to a highway department initiative, city leaders voiced support for additional roundabouts at intersections with statemaintained roads.
While council members acknowledged many drivers dislike roundabouts, they chalked that reticence to motorists being unfamiliar with the traffic-control design, which is common in Europe and many U.S. cities.
“We’ve got three or four intersections that are going to do this,” Snyder said. “If you’re intersecting (Texas Department of Transportation) roads, it’s going to be a... lot easier to just do it the way they want it.”
TxDOT transportation engineer Matt Barland told the council modern roundabouts are designed with the roadway slightly curving in the proper direction as vehicles approach the circle, guiding drivers in how to proceed.
The discussion was prompted by a TxDOT policy adopted in June calling for evaluations of intersections on all of its new road projects, including using traffic-control measures other than a signal.
Hutto’s new policy requires all major transportation projects to use TxDOT’s method for evaluating the safest form of intersection control Barland said that in many cases, the roundabout is preferred.
Statistics show roundabouts produce an 82% reduction in fatal and injury crashes, while going from a traffic sign to a roundabout creates a 78% reduction in fatal and injury crashes, the engineer said.
According to TxDOT, roundabouts virtually eliminate head-on and T-bone collisions, which are among the deadliest. In addition, officials said, collisions on a roundabout are at lower speeds and mostly are side swipes, which have higher survival rates.
HEDC taking over some infrastructure projects
The council set the wheels in motion to create a process for the Hutto Economic Development Corp. to take over some of the city’s capital-improvement projects. Cheney Gamboa, economic development director, and City Engineer Matt Rector were directed to evaluate how the process would work and then brief the council.
While the EDC is appointed by the council and even has council members on its board, it is not subject to all the restrictions the city must observe when doing business. The nonprofit EDC receives funding from city sales taxes.
“The thing that I like about it is...we can move a little faster, we can negotiate a little stronger and then we’ll have teeth in our contracts. Those are all good things,” said City Manager James Earp.
He added, however, that officials must maintain transparency and avoid preferential treatment in awarding contracts.
Snyder said he promoted the idea after becoming frustrated by how often city projects are delayed, face default and are past deadline.
If the council approves the process, four test cases have been picked for EDC oversight totaling more than $80 million in infrastructure investment.
