Feb. 15, 2017 Hays Free Press

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FEBRUARY 15, 2017 BEE SERIOUS

VICTORY

Local apiarists move forward as bees join endangered list.

Lobo soccer declaws Leander Lions 3-2.

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Hays Free Press ©Barton Publications, Inc.

Vol. 120 • No. 47

HaysFreePress.com

Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢

Kyle OKs $45K for police audit BY LESLY DE LEON

news@haysfreepress.com

An agreement approved by the Kyle City Council last week will call for a third-party consultant to conduct an audit of the Kyle Police Department. Matrix Consulting Group, a California-based company which has experience working with other Texas cities, will review the police

Feel the love

PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III

With his arms stretched wide and a smile on his face, Kyle resident Cole Phillps jogs toward the finish line of the Run for the Love of It fun run held in Buda last weekend. See more photos on page 1C.

Budafest under fire for lack of accountability news@haysfreepress.com

Buda resident Melissa McCrary realized how iconic Budafest was to the community when she moved to the area eight years ago. Last year, McCrary finally got the chance to participate when she applied for a craft vendor booth. But her excitement turned sour after she discovered vendors wouldn’t receive a reimbursement of their application fees, even after the event was canceled due to weather. Now McCrary and other vendors, along with city leaders, are seeking answers from Budafest committee members regarding the application and the $11,000 in vendor fees. McCrary, who applied as a craft vendor in November, said issues began two weeks prior to the

event when she realized weather could play a factor. She said she contacted Budafest committee member Eileen Conley through Facebook about a possible deadline to back out. McCrary claimed Conley never responded to her question and ultimately decided to let them “make the call” on the event. The day before the event, McCrary said she tried to reach out to Conley and committee member Elaine Purvis regarding a possible cancellation due to weather. McCrary said she never received an email from either one on the topic. It wasn’t until she saw on the city of Buda’s website that she knew the event had been cancelled. Budafest committee member Bert Bronaugh said the decision to ulti-

BUDAFEST, 4A

POLICE AUDIT, 2A

Buda code to get an update BY SAMANTHA SMITH

news@haysfreepress.com

An overhaul of Buda’s Unified Development Code (UDC), according to Assistant City Manager Chance Sparks, is “long overdue” could be implemented later this year. Sparks introduced the agenda item to council members in late 2016 and said Buda’s current UDC, which was adopted in 2002, did not reflect the changing needs in the city in the last 15 years. Sparks said chang-

es in Buda include a tripling of the population, new development expectations, and a general shift in housing needs made a change to the UDC necessary. Another important change since the current UDC was adopted is a change from a General Law City to a Home Rule City, which gives the city “more tools for growth management.” Sparks said the proposed new UDC is approximately 470 pages long with 50 of those pages consisting

BUDA CODE, 2A

Kyle updates PID policy PHOTO BY CYNDY SLOVAK-BARTON

Vendors for the canceled 2017 Budafest, as well as the city of Buda, are looking for answers as to what happened to $11,000 in application fees that were paid to the Budafest committee. Above is a photo from a previous year’s Budafest.

COMING UP Elisa Albert reading and book signing

Author Elisa Albert will hold book readings and signing on Feb. 23 at 3:30 p.m. at Texas State University's Witliff Collections and Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Katherine Anna Porter Center in Kyle. Albert is the author of “After Birth,” “The Book of Dahlia,” “How This Night is Different,” and the editor of the anthology “Freud’s Blind Spot.” Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Tin House, The New York Times, Post Road, The Guardian, Gulf Coast, The Believer, Time magazine, and numerous other publications.

STALLIONS

New owner for Kyle’s semi-pro team. – Page 1D

INDEX

BY SAMANTHA SMITH AND MOSES LEOS III

department’s policies and structure to offer recommendations for improvement. The purpose of the audit is for city and police officials to get an objective, outside perspective on what the police department can do to improve, maximize personnel and become more efficient, said Captain Pedro Hernandez. “Ultimately our goal

Starlight Symphony Orchestra Take a musical journey through time with the Starlight Symphony. Experience the fascinating transitions and differences in music from various composers. Performances will be Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Hays Performing Arts Center and Sunday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m., at the First Baptist Church of Wimberley, 15951 Winters Mill Parkway, Wimberley, TX.

News……………… 1-4A Opinions……………… 3A Sports……………… 1-2B Education………… 3-4B Community……… 1-4C

BY LESLY DE LEON

news@haysfreepress.com

Kyle city leaders earlier this month approved an update to the city’s Public Improvement District (PID) policy by a 6-1 vote. The updated policy included additional text to clarify and tighten up certain language that may cause issues in the future, Kyle City Manager Scott Sellers said. Council member Daphne Tenorio cast the lone dissenting vote. “Every policy should be a living document and the PID policy is no different,” Sellers said. Financial advisors and other PID consultants examined the city’s current policy and recommended changes that would further protect the city’s interests

Business………… 1-4D Service Directory…..... 3D Classifieds…………... 2D Public Notices……… 2D

for future developments, Sellers said. Revisions include increasing the PID application fee from $15,000 to $25,000 and clarifying the disclosure agreement. “We have negotiated agreements under the prior policy and it is our assumption that what is written in those development agreements is what those developments will move forward under,” Sellers said. Daphne Tenorio, District 6 Council Member, voted against the PID policy update as she felt it could be too complicated. “This whole package started out very simply, and it has become an extravagantly complicated piece of procedures,” Tenorio said. Everything city staff

PID POLICY, 4A


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