Archive for July, 2010

Best use of Main St. lot debated

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–After a public hearing Tuesday the city council seems no closer to deciding what to do with a vacant lot it owns fronting 921 Main St. downtown.

As expected, the council heard competing visions of the best future use of the property which the city bought last year. The entire property extends from Main to Water Street, and the city has long planned to use most of the site for parking improvements. The 110 feet closest to Main is too narrow to use for parking, according to City Manager Mike Talbot.

The site was formerly home to the Texas Mercantile craft and antique outlet. That building burned in 2003 and was never rebuilt.

Speaking on behalf of the Bastrop Main Street Advisory Board, Steve DeWire laid out a vision for a downtown plaza and visitor comfort station on the site, including rest rooms, landscaping and shade trees. Such a public space would attract visitors to stay longer in the area and boost downtown sales, he argued.

He estimated the initial cost at $259,000 plus some $4,400 annual maintenance expense, chiefly rest room upkeep.

The Bastrop Economic Development Corp. offered a different vision. The board is ready to work with the council to redevelop the space for commercial use, returning the property to the tax roll and generating salex tax income, said BEDC President Joe Newman.

For instance BEDC could buy the site from the city for market value and then negotiate with potential developers with far more flexibility than state law permits the city to offer, said Newman.

More than one potential developer is awaiting a city decision, he said.

At the end of public testimony, Council Member Joe Beal said he still has little evidence about the likely economic impact of either choice.

Mayor Terry Orr noted that grant funding could help pay for a public use project, and the site “looks like a festival space to me.”

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Bastrop council hammers out city charter change proposals

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Tuesday the Bastrop City Council hammered out details of changes to the city charter which will go before voters in a November election, chiefly making council terms three years long instead of the current two.

The change was recommended earlier this year by a charter review committee headed by Council Member Ken Kesselus. The study panel was named by the mayor and other council members.

The council, however, declined to ask voters to consider adding two additional members to the city governing board, saying there appears to be little public support for such a measure now.

As currently proposed, the charter change would limit the mayor and council members to two consecutive three-year terms. Those officers would be forced to wait a year before seeking re-election.

The Texas Constitution will force additional changes in current city election rules if voters endorse three-year council terms, said city attorney J.C. Brown. The chief change will require that council members and the mayor be elected by majority vote instead of the plurality currently required. That could force run-off elections in some cases, said Brown.

In a related measure the council agreed to ask voters to decide if a sitting council member should be required to resign in order to run for the mayor’s seat. At the same time a mayor would be required to step aside in order to seek a council seat.

Other charter changes to go before voters include changing the title of the presiding officers of the Planning and Zoning commission from “chairman” and “vice chairman” to “chair” and “vice chair.” The mayor would also become the city’s “chief presiding officer” instead of the city’s “chief executive officer.”

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Buc-ee’s seeks Bastrop tax rebate

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Buc-ee’s, the convenience and travel center retail chain, wants to build a 45,000-square-foot store in Bastrop, but needs a 10-year sales tax break to do so, the city council heard Tuesday.

Buc-ee’s founder Beaver Aplin offered two arguments to justify the rebate request. First, he said, his bank needs the assurance of sales tax rebates as security for the construction loan, estimated at $6.8 million for the store at Texas 95 and Texas 71. Aplin also argued that some street and utility work required by city rules will provide benefits to adjoining property owners as well as his project.

Aplin asked for the city’s 1.5 percent sales tax on store sales to be reimbursed to Bec-ee’s for 10 years. That represents the share of the state’s 8.25 percent salex tax which currently goes to the city and the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. He is not seeking relief from local property and other taxes.

The rebate, if approved, could amount to some $150,000 a year. Aplin said his proposed store will not really compete with other local convenience stores because it’s a different class of operation.

Council Member Joe Beal asked for a formal written abatement proposal from Aplin before the council considers the request further.

Council Member Julie Hart said she encourages local retail competition as long as “it’s on a level playing fied,” suggesting that a sales tax rebate for Buc-ee’s might tilt the advantage.

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BEDC firms up spending proposals for FY 11 budget year

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Monday the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. board set some major spending goals to put before the Bastrop City Council later this year. The projects include more than $2 million to extend roads and add some 20 new lots in the board’s Industrial and Business Park.

Also on the to-do list is some $320,000 to replace existing street lights on Main Street between Farm Street and the 800 block of Main. That suggestion, from City Manager Mike Talbot, was greeted with enthusiasm by the board which has long contemplated such a project but expected the price to be much higher, possibly more than $1 million.

The board agreed to decide later how to finance the projects, either with new borrowing, cash reserves or current operating funds. That decision can be postponed, the board decided.

Any BEDC spending plan for the coming fiscal year must also be approved by the Bastrop City Council sometime in the next two months.

Last year the BEDC board also proposed expanding the industrial park, but the city council finally approved only funds for final engineering for the project.

The Main Street lighting effort would replace current street lights with antique-style lighting along the three-block section of the historic commercial district, said Talbot. As presently envisioned, the work also includes replacing underground electric lines in order to support additional holiday lighting displays which have long been sought by downtown merchants.

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