On August 10th, the Llano County Commissioners Court passed a resolution that expresses the opinions, concerns, and requests from Llano citizens. The Commissioners held its own public hearing to allow public comment on July 27, 2009, to allow public comment on the proposed 345 kV transmission line from Gillespie County to Newton.
The resolution indicates that the preferred route by those in attendance at the public hearing was to request the PUC to consider a route that would bypass Llano County. Many citizens were concerned with health issues that may result, or increase over time, from the operation of the transmission line.
If a route were to be selected that crosses Llano County, the resolution states that land owners should be fully compensated for their easements, including some future consideration based on an incremental value of the transmission line, production, or some other criteria.
The Commissioners Court supports the use of monopoles as part of any plan as an alternative to lattice structures and the use of existing right-of-way to reduce the impact on the natural landscape of Llano County.
The resolution urges that any route selected should consider the long-term negative impact on eco-tourism and be planned to minimize the loss of value of property, tourism, and aesthetics to the Texas Hill Country.
The resolution concludes by saying that the PUC should consider public comment as an extremely high priority in selection or development of any transmission route that goes through Llano County.