MAY 2, 2018 STATE TRACK
CAMP CYPRESS
Hays/Lehman athletes to compete in Austin meet.
YMCA to open a new camp in Buda.
– Page 1B
– Page 1C
Hays Free Press © BARTON PUBLICATIONS, INC.
75¢
Vol. 123 • No. 4
HaysFreePress.com
FM 967 housing cause for water quality concern
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
County officials brace for record number of home appraisal protests
Welcome to the Wieners’ Circle
BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
FM 967 DEVELOPMENT, 2A
BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
PHOTO BY EXSAR ARGUELLO No golden lasso could keep a determined pack of dachshunds from blazing down the track during this past weekend’s 21st annual Buda Country Fair and Wiener Dog races, which was held at Buda City Park. The 2018 theme, “Wonder Wiener,” lent itself to a variety of unique costumes throughout the course of the weekend.
Kyle, Uhland swap ETJ land to clarify development codes BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
The city of Kyle has agreed to swap extraterritorial jurisdiction land with a neighboring city, a move officials say will resolve tricky boundary issues that can make development codes unclear. Tuesday evening during the Kyle City Council meeting, council members voted unanimously to trade a combined amount of nearly 400 acres with the city of Uhland. In exchange for 229.8 acres from Uhland, Kyle would give up 168.4 acres.
More important than the size of the land in question is its location in the ETJ, City Manager Scott Sellers said. Several months ago, Kyle was approached by Uhland to consider trading lands in their ETJs, which back up to each other, in hopes of cleaning up ETJ boundaries and clearing up confusion for developers. Under Texas law, the way cities claimed ETJ land was basically “first come, first serve,” Sellers said. In some cases, like in Kyle and Uhland, this resulted
in choppy borders that do not reflect actual land parcel lines. “As communities annex and develop into their ETJs, some of the parcels that are caught and have dual standards by which to develop under,” Sellers said. When a Uhland developer found part of their tract was in Uhland’s ETJ and the remainder was technically in Kyle’s jurisdiction, they wrote a letter asking for the land to be released from Kyle to Uhland. Among other reasons, the developer wanted to
be in the Uhland ETJ because wastewater is more available, Sellers said. Staff of both cities decided to nip the problem in the bud and fix any other border between the ETJs of Kyle and Uhland that could cause the same problem in the future. “We think it’s a very equitable split between the communities,” Sellers said. The deal will not be official until Uhland City Council votes on the issue, which Sellers said is scheduled for Wednesday.
COMING UP Main Street Sip & Stroll
Relay for Life
Visit historic downtown Buda on May 11 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. See advertisement on page 4C to see how you can save $5 on ticket price.
Buda First Saturday
Visit downtown Buda on the first Saturday of each month for dining, drinking, entertainment.
Thousands of area residents will take to the Susie Kana Field at Barton Middle School for the annual Relay for Life walk. The event, which begins at 6 p.m. Saturday and concludes at 12 a.m. Sunday morning, is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society in its fight against cancer. Learn more by going to http://main.acsevents. org/site/TR/RelayForLife/ RFLCY18SOR?pg=entry&fr_id=88378
STR STIR
Opinions vary on STR in Kyle. – Page 1D
INDEX
Despite developers’ attempts to ease worries, neighbors believe a proposed subdivision in Dripping Springs’ extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) could worsen flooding in the area and contaminate and possibly damage the Edwards Aquifer. The 782-acre property, located on FM 967 just outside of Buda, has been in owner Mark Rutherford Jr.’s family for generations, but could be the future site of a master-planned residential community of nearly 1,200 homes, if approved. On April 24, the team behind the proposed development gave a presentation to the Dripping Springs Planning and Zoning Commission. Andy Barrett, the attorney representing the project, named Bob Lunch as the developer who submitted the proposal. He said Lunch is responsible for developing Reunion Ranch in Austin. The development proposed for the Rutherford tract will be similar to Reunion Ranch, Barrett said. Project representatives said that the design takes into account the natural characteristics and drainage ways of the land, and will strive to preserve trees and other features. There are plans to offer a community farm as an amenity, Barrett said, as well as to have a rainwater collection system for every home. The project pitched public park dedication, a 200-foot buffer of natural vegetation on the perimeter of the property and volunteered to meet additional Texas Commission on Environmental
District 1 Hays CISD Central Office 21003 Interstate 35 Kyle, TX 78640
Election Day 2018 Hays CISD voters will take to the polls Saturday as they decide on a pair of board of trustees seats in the May 5 general election. The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Election Day voting locations are:
News …………… 1-4A Opinion …………… 3A Sports …………… 1-2B Education ……… 3-4B Community …… 1-4C
District 2 Tobias Middle School 1005 East FM 150 Kyle, TX 78640 District 3 Chapa Middle School 3311 Dacy Lane Kyle, TX 78640 District 4 Hays Hills Baptist Church 1401 North FM 1626 Buda, TX 78610 District 5 A&B Wallace Middle School 1500 W Center Street Kyle, TX 78640
Best Bets ………… 4C Business ……… 1-4D Classifieds ………... 2D Service Directory ..... 3D Public Notices … 2-4D
With the delivery of appraisal notices on the horizon, Hays County officials are expecting to receive a record-breaking number of protests as property values are rapidly on the rise. The assumption comes as preliminary figures show total new improvements in Hays County has added more than $981 million to the taxable value in 2018. According to the Hays Central Appraisal District, more than 93,000 notices will be sent out to inform property owners of their 2018 appraisals starting April 30. The county, cities, school districts and other taxing entities use
HOME VALUE INCREASE, 4A
CD-21 candidates spar over paid sick leave lawsuit BY EXSAR ARGUELLO A candidate in the Texas 21 Congressional District runoff is calling for her opponent to resign from the Texas Association of Business board in lieu of a lawsuit challenging paid sick leave in Austin. Mary Wilson, who is running against Joseph Kopser in the CD-21 primary runoff, said in a statement her opponent is a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit from the Texas Public Policy Foundation challenging Austin’s sick leave ordinance. “The passage of Austin’s paid sick leave ordinance was a hard-earned win for Austin families,” Wilson said. “Joseph Kopser should resign from the Board of Directors of the Texas Associ-
CONGRESSIONAL ISSUES, 2A