The Hays County Commissioners’ Court authorized the issuance of Certificates of Obligation, or COs, to fund major county projects at a Jan. 20 meeting.

The big picture: The COs will fund five projects related to county office and administrative buildings, a judicial facility and animal shelter facilities. 

The cost: The debt service will be paid for with revenue from an estimated tax rate levy of $0.0102 per $100 assessed property value, according to agenda documents, and may also draw on net revenues from the county’s solid waste system.

The COs must be repaid within 30 years of issuance.

About the projects: The authorized COs will fund five major county projects, including:

• Eastside Campus, a county administration building in Kyle
• Animal shelter facilities, including a planned center in Kyle, developed alongside the cities of Kyle and Buda
• Upgrades to the Hays County Government Center
• New office for Hays County Precinct 4
• New office for Hays County Precinct 5

A burn ban for unincorporated areas of Travis County has been lifted as of Jan. 26.

The details: The ban was able to be lifted due to recent rainfall, according to a Travis County news release. Immediate wildfire risk has been reduced. Outdoor burning is now allowed and must comply with state regulations, according to the release. County officials recommend keeping water or a fire extinguisher nearby while burning.

What they're saying: “While conditions have improved, I encourage everyone to be careful when burning outdoors,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in the news release. “Additionally, I urge everyone to use extreme caution when heating your homes when we experience cold temperature. Never leave a space heater or fireplace unattended.”

The background: The recent burn ban for the unincorporated areas of Travis County—areas outside of any specific city—was put into effect Dec. 29 and extended to remain in effect until Feb. 10, as previously reported by Community Impact. However, recent conditions made it possible to lift the ban early.

Check out six upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects around the Austin metro, from work along I-35 to Bastrop, Hays and Williamson County projects.

Upcoming projects
FM 812 improvement project
Project: The project will upgrade FM 812 from US 183 in Travis County to Hwy. 21 in Bastrop County to improve safety and mobility and reduce congestion. 
Update: Design plans are expected to be finalized in the spring.

• Timeline: full project completion TBD
• Cost: $145 million
• Funding source: Texas State Highway Fund

• Timeline: 2022-2028
• Cost: $548 million
• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO

Gary Taylor, Regina Vanburg and Kristin Hook will appear on the ballot in the March Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives District 21 seat.

Why it matters: The winner will run against the winner of the Republican primary in November to determine who will represent the district.

At the polls: A candidate must receive over 50% of the votes to win; if this doesn’t happen, a runoff election will be held in May.

Learn more: Candidates were asked to keep responses within 50 words, respond to the questions provided, and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.