APRIL 10, 2019 DNA DID THAT
ART EXCHANGE
DNA testing opens doors for Dripping Springs family.
Wallace art teacher hones skills by taking them abroad.
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Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.
75¢
Vol. 124 • No. 2
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Kyle City Council seeks pay boost BY MOSES LEOS III
A $1,000-plus monthly stipend and the option of health insurance is the recommended pay increase for Kyle city leaders from a city-council appointed committee But one committee member questioned the appropriateness of the increase and whether or not Kyle is ready to handle the burden.
Kyle’s Mayor receives $200 per month, while council members receive $100 a month. The recommended increase calls for $1,300 per month for the mayor, $1,000 per month for city council members and the option to enroll in health insurance.
Discussions on the topic have been the subject of a five-person Compensation Committee, which is charged to craft a city council pay raise for Kyle city leaders. On Monday, the commit-
tee voted 4-1 to recommend a $1,300 stipend for the mayor, a $1,000 stipend for each council member and the option for all city leaders to obtain health insurance through the city. Com-
mittee member Michael Tobias cast the lone dissenting vote. The committee, which began meetings in March, was created as a result of an amendment to the Kyle City Council
Charter approved by voters in November 2018. Kyle’s new charter provision allows the Kyle City Council to appoint a committee that deliberates and recommends city council pay increases every three years. That recommendation then goes to the Kyle City Council, which approves or denies its own pay
KYLE LEADERS, 2
Biker killed in I-35 wreck
Officials weigh in on possible voting centers With the prospect of countywide voting centers on the horizon in Hays County, a trio of experts from neighboring jurisdictions offered insight into the process and what it could look like. That discussion was part of an April 4 League
Paying their respects
PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
Members of the Kyle Fire Department salute as the motorcade for Mountain City mayor Phillip Taylor approaches the Center Street bridge. Hundreds took to the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center to honor Taylor, who was killed in a March 28 wreck.
Kyle council debates $550,000 roundabout on Burleson Street BY KATIE BURRELL
A roundabout at the intersection of North Burleson Street and Spring Branch Drive is a solution some city leaders feel could improve traffic flow and safety in that area. But an estimated $550,000 price tag on the project is pushing Kyle City Council members to contemplate and identify possible alternative solutions that fits the city
“Four properties in this area would be affected and need to be acquired for this. We would have to pay for relocation and utilities in that area.” –Leon Barba, Kyle City Engineer
budget. Discussion on the item came up April 2 as city leaders sought a solution for that intersection. No action was taken on the item and city leaders
COMING UP Kyle Easter Egg-stravaganza
An estimated 80,000 plastic eggs will be dropped from a hot-air ballon over Gregg Clarke Park April 13 during the annual Easter Egg Drop Egg-stravaganza. The event, hosted by Eikon Church and the city of Kyle, is free for the entire family and runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The first salvo of eggs will be dropped at 2 p.m. with several additional drops taking place for different age groups. Parking will be available at Gregg Clarke
Park, Wallace Middle School and the Kyle Post Office. More information can be found online at eikonchurch. com/events/eggdrop
Buda 12th annual Easter Egg Hunt On Saturday, April 13, the city of Buda, along with the Hays Communities YMCA and the Connection Church, will hold the city’s 12th annual Easter egg hunt. The event will be held at the Buda Sportsplex Park and goes from 9 a.m. to noon. The egg hunt begins
ALL AGLOW
Funds approved for Sportsplex field lighting.
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INDEX
FATAL WRECK,2
A resident tries out a mock version of a “hybrid” voting machine at a public meeting in San Marcos.
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
BY MOSES LEOS III A local man was killed late Sunday after the motorcycle he was operating slammed into back of an 18-wheeler along Interstate 35 in Kyle. Edward Ortiz, Jr., 41, of Kyle, has been identified as the victim in the wreck, according to a city of Kyle press release. The incident is the first traffic fatality on I-35 in Kyle in 2019. Authorities were dispatched around 10:17 p.m. Sunday for a motorcycle accident that happened along southbound I-35 near mile marker 217 in the Kyle area, said Kyle Police Lt. Andre Marmolejo in a statement. According to a preliminary crash investigation, the motorcycle operator, later identified as Ortiz, was traveling at a high rate of speed when he hit an 18-wheeler and then became entangled under the vehicle. The truck driver pulled over roughly 200 feet from where the collision occurred, authorities said. Ortiz was pronounced dead at the scene by Hays County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Beth
PHOTO BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
plan to discuss the topic at future meetings. Kyle City Council member Rick Koch asked for a mock-up of a roundabout for the intersection. While
the concept was well received by a majority of council members, the estimated cost was not. The roundabout would be the second on North Burleson Street and expects to solve the traffic back-up. “I expect the traffic to increase, especially because we’re reconstructing on all of Burleson,” Koch said. “So, this is trying to plan and be
BURLESON ROUNDABOUT,13
promptly at 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact sfletcher@ci.buda.tx.us.
Buda Country Fair and Wiener Dog Races
In the Game of Wieners, you win and get the squeaky toy. That’s the motto for a plethora of competitors and their bipedal companions who will take to Buck’s Backyard on FM 1626 in Buda for the annual Buda Country Fair and Wiener Dog Races, held April 27-28. Race and event times, as well as ticket information, can be found online at budalions.com.
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VOTING CENTERS,10
Pipeline bill survives first hearing BY EXSAR ARGUELLO A proposed bill aimed at requiring the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to implement contingency protocols for pipelines survived its first committee hearing Tuesday. House Bill 3324, authored by Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood), is in direct response to the proposed 42-inch natural gas pipeline by Kinder Morgan, which will cut through a major portion of the Hill Country and Hays County. HB 3324 was taken up by the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources. “At its core, HB 3224 is a public health bill,” Zwiener said. “Large transmission pipelines cross Texas, and as the industry acknowledges, it’s not a question of if they leak, it’s a question of when.” The bill would require TCEQ to create rules outlining specific contingency plans to control, collect and
PIPELINE BILL,10
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