CITY & COUNTY
News from Round Rock
COMPILED BY BROOKE SJOBERG
Round Rock City Council will meet April 13 and 27 at 6 p.m. 216 E. Main St., Round Rock 512-218-5401 www.roundrocktexas.gov MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS ROUND ROCK Kinningham Park’s new playscape opened to the public March 14 after a total replacement of playground equipment. Round Rock o cials in January 2022 approved the $141,263.27 replacement of the previous play structure, which had been in place since 2003. The new play equipment available includes play structures, swings, slides, climbing structures, balance paths and interactive play opportunities, according to the city. ROUND ROCK O cials retroactively approved March 23 a bill of $115,287.51 to repair a 24-inch wastewater line that was leaking. It was located at the intersection of Gattis School Road and Greenlawn Boulevard. The project was completed in April 2022 under an emergency contract arrangement with contractor Thalle Construction.
O cials seek pause on rate increase from natural gas provider ROUND ROCK Atmos-Midtex residential customers in Round Rock could see a roughly $5 increase in their monthly bills, pending review from the city of Round Rock. During a March 23 City Council meeting, Round Rock o cials said they will delay the e ective date of the rate jump from natural gas provider Atmos-Midtex by 45 days starting from April 25 to review the company’s application for the rate increase and ensure statute compliance. If the Texas Railroad Commission approves the application, the new prices will go into e ect June 9, city sta said. Chief Financial O cer Susan Morgan said the postponement ensures the city receives all relevant information and data in consideration of the application. Atmos-Midtex cited increasing costs of oper- ation and rising natural gas prices to justify the requested cost jumps across all of the company’s pricing tiers.
Streetlight ownership to switch to city for faster maintenance ROUND ROCK Residents should soon see fewer delays in addressing streetlight outages due to the city taking control of the infrastructure. At a March 9 meeting, o cials approved steps to take over own- ership and maintenance of the city’s 5,604 streetlights from Oncor Electronic Delivery Company LLC. The city will pay for the $172,865 agreement through its general fund. In addition to improving response times to streetlight outages, city sta said the move will also result in signi cant annual savings for Round Rock, but o cials have not yet speci ed an amount. The action comes nearly two years after o cials ordered a streetlight inventory and audit in June 2021, partially in anticipation of a new maintenance agreement for street- lighting with the Texas Department of Transportation.
Pet care facilities now require safety upgrades ROUND ROCK New and some existing 24-hour commercial animal housing and care facilities will be required to install monitored re alarms, sprinkler systems and carbon monoxide monitoring systems. At a March 23 meeting, Round Rock City Council approved an amendment to an ordi- nance requiring the updates and said the move was in response to a deadly November 2021 re at the Ponderosa Pet Resort in Georgetown. When council rst discussed the ordinance in January, city sta said there are 23 busi- nesses in Round Rock o ering animal boarding services. Only four existing facilities are required to add the re monitoring systems as local commercial property regulations already required the majority to have them installed, according to city documents. According to the ordinance, if the existing businesses add square footage, they must add a sprinkler system. Qualifying animal care facilities will be given two years to comply with the ordinance to allow these businesses to budget for, plan and install the new systems.
SERVICE AREA
POTENTIAL RATES The Texas Railroad Commission will likely approve a rate increase for Atmos customers in Round Rock. If approved, base rates would increase as follows:
A.W. GRIMES BLVD.
1431
Mobility-on-demand bus services will be available Mondays-Fridays from 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m. within the initial service zone, which could expand after an evaluation of use within the rst year.
79
35
130 TOLL
Residential (per customer per month):
620
Current: $34.29 +
Proposed increase: $5.09
Adjusted charge: $39.38
45 TOLL
=
E. MCNEIL RD.
N
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK COMMUNITY IMPACT
Commercial (per customer per month):
On-demand transportation coming to city
Current: $94.22
Proposed increase: $16.63
Adjusted charge: $110.85
+
=
ROUND ROCK Area residents looking to utilize public transporta- tion services from the city of Round Rock will have a new public transit option soon: mobility on demand. In addition to existing Capital Metro bus routes, Round Rock residents will be able to utilize a new shared, point-to-point bus ride service starting in mid- to late June after the city has phased out its existing Star Shuttle paratransit service, Round Rock Transporta- tion Director Gary Hudder said. City o cials approved the new services at a March 23 council
meeting. The $6.25 million contract with zTrip will also o er curb-to- curb services for disabled riders. All riders will be able to use the point-to-point service, which uses designated system pickup and drop-o spots. Round Rock sta said the city’s general fund and federal grant funds will pay for the initiative. The new program follows city-implemented changes to its public transit system in Janu- ary that serve to balance out a decrease in ridership with the existing needs of residents.
Industrial (per meter per month):
Current: $1,772.54
Proposed increase: $306.86
Adjusted charge: $2,079.40
+
=
Current: $1,772.54 Adjusted charge: $2,079.40 Third party transportation (per meter per month): Proposed increase: $306.86 + =
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK COMMUNITY IMPACT
This is the fth rate jump Atmos has instituted, and city documents state further increases require the company to conduct a rate study rst. City sta said they are expecting that to happen in the next 12 months.
ROUND ROCK 201 University Oaks Blvd (512) 341-9066
GEORGETOWN 1013 W University Ave (512) 868-6696
CEDAR PARK 13530 Ronald Reagan Blvd (512) 986-7681
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