By James Rincon
Pflag Reporter

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board approved the addition of a Pflugerville representative to its board at a Feb. 8 meeting.

The board’s composition committee recommended the addition of Pflugerville after the January announcement that the city’s planning department estimated its population to have reached more than 50,000. The estimate officially changed the city’s classification from a rural community to a small urban city.

“Since the city of Pflugerville has recently passed a resolution saying we’re at 50,000, [CAMPO] just decided to go ahead and give us that seat now so that we can start being involved in that process,” Pflugerville Mayor Jeff Coleman said.

CAMPO policy automatically gives representation to cities with populations that exceed 50,000, as confirmed by the U.S. Census. Pflugerville’s addition to the board will come roughly a year before the 2010 Census numbers are announced.

The CAMPO planning area includes Hays, Travis and Williamson counties and operates under the federal Safe Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act.

“It means that the city will have a seat at the table in the organization that decides how to distribute federal transportation dollars,” Coleman said. “We now have some input in where those dollars are going to be spent.”

Final approval of Pflugerville’s representation will go before CAMPO’s six original signatories, which are Hays, Travis and Williamson counties; the city of Austin; Capital Metro; and the Texas Department of Transportation.

The city of Georgetown’s representation will be considered on the same agenda item as Pflugerville’s, as well as the removal of state senators or representatives and small city representatives. The restructuring of the board will decrease its number of members to 18 from 20.

“Georgetown at 50K population is assumed. An additional Travis County representative is added to reach population proportionality. Board size is reduced by two to 18, even while adding two counties to the MPO. Bastrop, Caldwell, Williamson, and Hays are over-represented by population, while Travis is under represented,” the board states in Item 5, Table 2 of its Feb. 8 agenda.

CAMPO’s six signatory organizations will individually vote on the item, likely at regularly scheduled meetings over the next month, Coleman said.

“Those organizations have to agree on it, and as long as they agree that the changes – and Pflugerville was only one of the changes – are appropriate, then Pflugerville will have a seat on CAMPO.”

Contact James Rincon by e-mail at jrincon@pflugervillepflag.com or by phone at 255-3733.