The county commissioners court this week voted to inform the two companies competing for the airport redevelopment of an interest in a chunk of the 709-acre site. Catellus Development Corp., based in San Francisco, and Robert Mueller Redevelopment Team, a group of companies with Austin operations, are in the running to manage the project that would turn the former airport site into a mixed-use development with houses, offices, businesses and shops. The companies are to submit detailed business plans to the city by month's end.

"We've got a space crunch down here," Biscoe tells GlobeSt.com. "And we're paying more than a $1 million a year on office space." He adds that the county also spends $150,000 a year on parking for employees.

The county wants to buy 20 acres on the airport's northwest corner, which has easy access to Interstate 35. It would move all county offices that aren't centered around the county's court system to the site. That includes offices such as the assessor-collector's office where residents renew their license plates.