DSISD interim superintendent appointed to TIRZ

The  Dripping Springs ISD Board appointed Interim Superintendent Dr. Nola Wellman as the districts representative to the TIRZ board, at its Aug. 26 meeting.

TIRZ stands for Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone and is defined as a political subdivision of a county or municipality created to implement tax increment financing as authorized by the Tax Increment Financing Act, Chapter 311 of the Texas Code (the “Act”), as amended. 

This was the first DSISD board meeting at which Dr. Wellman sat as interim superintendent, and there was brief discussion, brought up by board member Ron Jones, as to whether the TIRZ spot should be given to a Asst. Superintendent of Finance and Operations Scott Drillette for the sake of continuity and easing of Wellman’s work load. At the end it was decided to appoint Wellman to the board, and have the TIRZ meetings attended by both Wellman and Drillette. The vote to appoint Wellman was unanimous, and Board President Carrie Fontana Kroll reclused herself from the matter.

TIRZ Board Chair David Edwards and TIRZ Project Manager Keenan Smith were present to answer any questions the school board may have had, at the invitation of Jones.

“The objective of the TIRZ, set up by the city, is to help encourage and guide economic development in the city,” current TIRZ Board Chair David Edwards said. “The board has identified four priorities—building a town center, improvements on Old Fitzhugh Road, improvements at the ‘Triangle,’ and improved downtown public parking.”

According to Edwards, a key item is the proposed town center which will tentatively house city offices, Dripping Springs ISD offices, some county offices, and the Dripping Springs Community Library. “Plan are still developing,” Edwards said.

“The important thing to put out there is that with the explosive growth we are experiencing, this our one chance to develop a heart within the city limits itself and retain the sense of community that we have. Otherwise growth will just overwhelm us,” Edwards said. “It’s also good for the tax payer, as the TIRZ helps increase tax revenue by encouraging new development, without increasing the tax rate.”

Board Member Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick, thanked Edwards for his reminder of the “why” of the town center. “Thank for reminding us why this project is so important. It helped refresh the board’s memory as to why we’re looking into this project,” Hetrick said. 

Smith told the school board he was more hopeful today than he was six months ago of the TIRZ becoming a reality. “The timetable seems to work better now with ISD’s timetable and the library’s timetable,” Smith said.

Dr. Gearing had recommended going forward with the ISD’s participation in the TIRZ project before leaving for his new position of Leander ISD superintendent.

Other items discussed by the school board were the growth of the student population and how thus far the district has not had the need for class [size] waivers, an update on the high school’s expansion to a capacity of 2,500 students and other building renovations, and the possible formation of a bond steering committee.