Many don’t want more fees, On July 23 district agenda
By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News
River Place residents Chuck Reynolds said he and his wife, Kate Holloway, can no longer venture out at will to their nearby neighborhood trails for a hike. The couple live in Cortana Ridge, outside of the community’s Limited District, and are required to pay $10 per person and pet to use the popular paths outside of a weekday window when the trails are free to non-Limited District residents.
Although Reynolds doesn’t want to leave the area, he has been vocal about the situation he said divides the community, a neighborhood in which all residents once had the same rights to the trails and other amenities.
The city of Austin annexed River Place in December of 2017 and a Limited District was ratified in May to take care of the parkland and solid waste services. This district followed the boundaries of the former River Place Municipal Utility District.
Cortana Ridge, as well as other neighborhoods within the northern section of River Place — mostly north of Merrywing Circle — are not part of the Limited District and the residents in these areas couldn’t vote for the Limited District this past spring. As a result, they are not taxed district fees but also can’t access its amenities, including trails and tennis courts, without a charge.
A survey conducted over the past month by Holloway and other members of the Non-Limited District Committee was aimed at gauging the interest of residents in the non-Limited District to join the Limited District. According to the survey results, only five non-Limited District homeowners expressed interest in joining the district.
Holloway stated in a letter to the Limited District Board of Trustees that, out of the 110 homes in the non-Limited District part of River Place, 47 residents responded to the survey, or about 40 percent. Roughly 20 percent of these respondents stated they lived within the former River Place MUD. She stated there are 1,001 in-District homes.
Who responded to the River Place Non-Limited District Survey?
River Place’s Non-Limited District Committee touted 47 homes that responded to a survey put out by the District to determine interest in joining the District, as follows:
Neighborhood Responding homes Total homes in neighborhood
Cortana Ridge 16 24
Enclave Vista 8 22
Merrywing 10 19
Milky Way 10 24
The Ranch 2 15
River Place Boulevard 1 6
Courtesy River Place Non-Limited District Committee
The survey results reflected respondents said they would be willing to join the district if there was a change in leadership with most not in favor of joining because they cited “using the trail on the weekend” as the only benefit; the expense to their household would be too high; they don’t use the facilities; and they’ve paid for the trails in MUD taxes before and don’t want to pay again.
Most respondents said they were interested to explore options to access the District’s amenities other than becoming a part of the District and were also interested in an annual pass option, a program the board instituted with a $400 annual fee. However, Holloway stated approximately 82 percent of District residents pay this amount in their total yearly taxes.
“There were a fair number of comments that people were a little bit dissatisfied with the way things had happened,” Reynolds said.
Other comments emanating from the survey by non-District residents include: homeowners thanking the district for asking their opinion; and that the board’s decision to charge non-District residents “(drove) a wedge through the heart of the River Place community.”
“We appreciate people willing to do the survey,” said Reynolds for Holloway who was traveling. “I think it’s fairly represented.”
The results were recently posted in a private Nextdoor group for non-District residents as well as a public website, www.riverplaceatx.org, created over the next couple of months by non-District residents to provide news and information about the community, he said.
“We don’t really necessarily have much of a voice with the (Limited District) or the (Homeowners Association),” Reynolds said.
The survey will be discussed at the board’s next meeting on July 23, president Scott Crosby said.
“I’m not surprised by the results but I’m disappointed,” he said. “The (Limited District) Board would love to see the entire community in the (Limited District) and treat all River Place residents the same.”
He said District voters approved keeping the community’s parks and trails under local control. The board has given those River Place residents who are not part of the District the option to purchase an annual pass giving access to the trail and tennis courts, the two amenities that post fees by the District.
“The (Limited District) Board anticipated there would be backlash from the those in the HOA that are not in the (district),” Crosby said. “An annual fee for access was always on the table and I believe the (District) Board gave consideration to both the opinions of the non-(District) homeowners and those of their (District) neighbors who currently fund the (District) in implementing the fee.”
Reynolds said he is unsure where similarly-situated River Place homeowners “will go from here.” Personally, he said he has not been paying the fees to use the trail, accessing its pathways during the weekday off-hours that are free.
Ironically, he counted an upside to this battle between the rights of Limited and non-Limited District residents.
“The positive thing is this (fight) has allowed us to get to know many of our immediate neighbors much better,” Reynolds said. “And they have all been great.”