BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — With Election Day here, every vote matters. However, the fate of a $1.2 billion ballot item in Bastrop County was all in the hands of one person.
Last August, the Elgin City Council approved rezoning 570 acres of Lund Farm's land into a mixed-use development.
The ballot item asked for authorization to build a Municipal Utility District (MUD), approve a property tax imposed on people who will own property in the area and build water, wastewater, roads, parks and recreation facilities that will cost $1.2 billion in a series of five bonds.
Only people who live in the district were eligible to vote on it. And according to the Bastrop County Election Administrator, only one person is registered there.
“That's $1.2 billion of bonds elected by a transient resident,” said John Carlson, who lives across the road from Lund Farm.
Carlson said his family has owned their ranch land for 90 years. According to him, in the 25 years he’s lived on the land, Lund Farm has always been empty farmland.
“The only thing that would qualify as a residence is there's some sort of 'barn-dominium' in that cattle shed complex,” Carlson said.
A few years ago, Carlson said the owners of Lund Farm sold their land to a developer. While Carlson said growth is inevitable, their opinion should matter too.
“Yeah, I'm wildly disappointed and worried. We live out in the country for a reason. I don't want the development next to me," Carlson said. "I don't want people driving ... through my front yard."
Carlson requested a contested case hearing to address certain issues with the district, but said it was denied. He said there has been no public input either because developers filed with the Texas Commission of Environment Quality to turn the land into a MUD.
Last September, Elgin leaders had one public hearing to show what the project would look like. The proposed project could bring 1,800 homes, 650 apartments and commercial space to the mostly rural part east of Austin's metro.
Only people who own property in the district will have to pay the $1.2 billion series of bonds, but Carlson said it still affects other property owners.
“Roads, plural, won't be able to handle anywhere near this kind of traffic,” Carlson said.
Carlson is also concerned developers might take his property through eminent domain.
“I've already gotten one inquiry from the water supply corporation. They want to take up to 100 acres on my side of the road for an easement for water, and this is only a 20-foot wide road," Carlson said. "My house is already close enough to the road."
Throughout the process, Carlson said there have been no signs or notices to let people know a MUD is in the process of being developed.
KVUE reached out to the one person registered to vote in the proposed district, but they did not respond. Bastrop County election records show the person voted for the ballot item.