Hay County seeks new Precinct 2 building

Note: The press release was issued yesterday by the county's communications office: laureen.chernow@co.hays.tx.us, office, 512.393.2296

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Commissioners Court has authorized its construction project management company, Broaddus & Associates, to request bids for design of a new Precinct 2 office after rental and purchase spaces were determined to be inadequate and incompatible for operations or outside of the Justice of the Peace precinct boundaries.

City of Kyle Mayor Lucy Johnson recently appeared before the Court to remind officials that the City intends to reclaim its property at 111 N. Front Street for use as an expanded Police Department facility as soon as summer 2012. The County has rented that building to house Precinct 2 offices since 2007, with the understanding it was on a temporary basis.

“Hays County appreciates the partnership we have with the City of Kyle, and respects the city’s need to use its own office space,” said Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones. “Both jurisdictions recognize the need for us to move – the City so it can effectively use space it owns, and the County so it can accommodate the services it is providing for an increased population in the Kyle and Buda areas.”

In the new building the County needs to accommodate offices for the Precinct 2 Commissioner, Constable and Justice of the Peace, along with a courtroom, Sheriff’s Office substation, Adult Probation services and an enlarged Tax Assessor-Collector’s space that would include the office now located in Buda. The County is investigating the possibility of a land swap with the City of Kyle – the County would get property on Kohler’s Crossing near the Plum Creek subdivision as well as some cash, and the City would get County-owned property on Rebel Drive that currently houses the Precinct 2 Constable’s Office.

“We are more than bulging at the seams in our Precinct 2 and Constable’s Precinct 5 offices,” Jones said. “If we can make this work out, the Constable’s office in Buda would get back space it needs when the tax office moves out. At times there is a long line out the door awaiting tax services there, and that problem should go away by consolidating that office into the new building.”

Jones noted the difficulty in finding existing office space – 13- to 15-thousand square feet – in Precinct 2 that could be leased or purchased. “Our offices have to be in Precinct 2 and as County government we’re here long-term,” Jones said, “Given the current low interest rates and construction costs versus rents in the $1- to $1.15-per-square-foot range, it probably makes sense anyway to own rather than rent. We’ll know more when we get the initial cost information we’ve requested.”