Residents urged to give testimony

By TIM MATTOX
River Place Resident

The Texas legislature is considering a bill (Senate Bill 715) that would allow communities targeted for annexation, including River Place, to vote on whether or not the community should be annexed.

The River Place HOA board supports this bill and the efforts to prevent River Place from being annexed by the city of Austin.

The main reasons for the HOA board’s opposition are high taxes and diminished services. The average home in River Place would pay over $2,000 dollars in higher property taxes and significantly higher electric bills. River Place is already paying significantly higher water rates under the SPA agreement between the River Place Municipal Utility District and city of Austin.

Hearings on SB 715 will be held in the next three weeks on a Wednesday. There is only a 24-hour notice of when the bill will be considered by the committee and testimony allowed at the state capitol building.

All Four Points residents who support the bill should attend, sign in, and testify in support of the bill, as physical support influences legislatures.

If River Place is annexed, the city of Austin will look for the next target in the Four Points area which could be Steiner Ranch.

More information on the bill can be found at Texas Legislature Online, at www.legis.state.tx.us. Also setting up a MyTLO account will allow alerts sent when SB 715 is being considered in committee.