Llano eyes plan to fix streets after $4.7 million bond passage
STAFF WRITER CONNIE SWINNEY
LLANO — Voters have paved the way for millions of dollars of upgrades to roadways across the city of Llano, and now officials are drafting plans to launch work as soon as this fall.
In May, voters approved $4.7 million in tax bonds to pay for the work, which would primarily involve rubberized chip-seal maintenance or hot-mix projects in high-traffic areas.
“For the past 30 years, we’ve not really done anything like this, and the streets have gotten into the shape that they’re in,” Llano City Manager Scott Edmonson said. “It was a testimony of what people are concerned about here and what they’d like to see done.”
With that bond passage comes a tax increase of 27.41 cents per $100 valuation.
Voters also approved a 3 cent tax hike for another $500,000 bond to pay for city pool repair/upgrades and playscapes at Moore and Robinson parks.
Property taxes on a home valued at $100,000 will increase by approximately $304 per year as a result.
Officials said they will wait until after the summer season to start work on the pool.
However, officials have already started formulating the process toward fixing the roads utilizing a 2015 capital improvement study as a guide.
Llano residents rated 50 percent of the roads as “poor” while ranking only 25 percent as good.
“We’re going to be in the design phase of it. We’ll have to look at when we can secure the sale of the bonds,” Edmonson said. “Once a construction company is selected, we’ll work out the deal with them.
“We’re looking at (selling the bonds) possibly in October with the bulk of work in the summer 2018,” he added.
Ahead of the road work, city leaders say they must consider $1.8 million in certificates of obligation to fund wastewater and water projects, which include so-called “pressure plane” issues as well as the chlorination system.
“The bulk of it will be down Sandstone Street. That’s our main trunk line for the wastewater system. It will help with the flow of the wastewater,” he said. “Also, our waterlines, we’re going to put new waterlines in. There’s going to have to be some coordination worked out.”
Residents will see a hike in utility rates to pay for the materials and for the lines, some of which were constructed in the 1950s.
The city has applied for funding from the Texas Water Development board to assist with construction cost.
3 thoughts on “Llano eyes plan to fix streets after $4.7 million bond passage”
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Its funny that they worded that the roads in high traffic areas would be fixed but promised residents I areas of low value that ALL roads would be fixed and repaired Iin the city. There are even roads that are not even paved I the city limits The letter sent out said the bond was going to pay for all preparations for this no pavement throughout the WHOLE city. My other problem is where does the money charged for use of the pool go? Why not use it to fix the pool ? Or is it going somewhere else? I just don’t think people who don’t even use the pool, ever, should have to pay for it?
New pavement.
It is interesting that the new Llano city manager with a $61,000 salary is more involved with the citizens and taxpayers than is the Granite Shoals city manager with a salary of more than $101,000. The real difference is that the Llano city manager actually lives, works, and suffers, then also pays taxes with the poor conditions being discussed. The city manager of Granite Shoals does not live with the conditions, nor suffer from them, and does not pay taxes he so gleefully helps to develop and impose on the citizens. He simply does not really care about the plight of citizens because he does not understand them. The sad and poor conditions of the streets, drainage, and water outside of a narrow corridor and interests is a testament to the truth of this.
While not liking things like tax increases and bond debt, etc. Kudos to the much poorer paid Llano city manager for having the ethical and intestinal fortitude to forthrightly deal with such issues for the benefit of all of their citizens rather than a usual “elitist” few ” good-ol-boys.