The Hays County Commissioners Court will vote on a recommendation to create two new election precincts in their regular meeting Tuesday.
The commissioners court is required to review county election precinct boundaries to keep them in compliance, according to the Texas Election Code.
The elections administration office has recommended changes to precinct boundaries as some precincts exceed or approach the maximum number of registered voters per precinct, which is 5,000.
Between Driftwood and Wimberley, Precinct 333 has 4,111 registered voters and Precinct 449 has 4,755; voters in suspense status are not included. The recommendation is to split those precincts up and create Precincts 320 and 450.
As a result, Precinct 320 would have 1,760 registered voters, Precinct 333 would have 2,440, Precinct 449 would have 2,770 and Precinct 450 would have 2,090.
In other business, the commissioners will discuss authorizing a Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance submission related to Severe Winter Storm events in February. They will also vote on authorizing payment for direct expenses related to the event and amend the budget accordingly.
There will also be discussion on approving funding for the appointment of Court Coordinator to serve Hays County Court at Law #3.
They will later vote on accepting the Hays County 2016 Road Bond Program State Highway 21 Corridor Preservation Study Project as it was presented on Feb. 23.
The study found that with an expected population increase in Hays County of 150% by 2040, traffic on Highway 21 is expected to more than double in that time, with some sections to be more than triple. They studied projected traffic volumes, level of service needed and the amount of delay along the corridor.
In creating some of their recommendations, they took into consideration feedback from the 1,400 residents who participated in their first virtual town hall, and the 800 on the second.
They found most were concerned about the population and traffic increase, but want to maintain the small town feel and protect the dark skies initiative.
Recommendations included much needed turn lanes, safety improvements, shoulders and coordination with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Texas Department of Transportation in followup meetings.
Upon acceptance, the Recommendation Report can be viewed at http://sh21corridor.com/
