MAY 11, 2016 ANIMAL CONTROL
SEMI-PROS
City of Kyle responds to animal control issues.
Semi-pro soccer league has its eyes on Hays County.
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Hays Free Press ©Barton Publications, Inc.
Vol. 120 • No. 7
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢
Buda pushes ahead with new municipal building site plans BY SAMANTHA SMITH
news@haysfreepress.com
Plans for Buda’s new municipal buildings were approved by the city council May 3 amid a few public concerns about flood dangers at the building site. Buda citizens T.J. Higginbotham and Carl and Betsy Urban spoke
out at the meeting and addressed their concerns about the site having past issues of flooding and what the city was planning on doing about it. Higginbotham and the Urbans expressed concern about the prior knowledge the city had about the drainage
City of Kyle/Hays CISD Election Results There will be a runoff between Diane Hervol and Travis Mitchell for the Kyle City Council District 1 seat.
KYLE COUNCIL DIST. 1 Diane Hervol 510 total votes (50%) Travis Mitchell 510 total votes (50%)
KYLE CITY COUNCIL DIST. 3
BUDA MUNI BUILDING, 4A
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF PAGE SOUTHERLAND PAGE
Shane Arabie 533 total votes (57.56%) Randall Lloyd 393 total votes (42.44%)
HCISD SCHOOL BOARD DIST. 4
Weekend fire ravages Kyle home
Merideth Keller 525 total votes (81%) Jonanna Mikulenka 127 total votes (19%)
HCISD SCHOOL BOARD DIST. 5 Esperanza Orosco 345 total votes (63%) Priscilla L. Harrell 206 total votes (37%)
PASSED Emergency Service District No. 5 - Proposition 1
Authorizing an increase in the maximum ad valorem tax rate that North Hays County Emergency Services District No. 1 may impose on property within the District to a rate not to exceed seven cents ($0.07) per one hundred dollars ($100) valuation. FOR - 87 total votes - 64 early voting (64.44%) Against - 48 total votes - 34 early voting (35.56%) PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
A Kyle Fire Department firefighter prepares to walk through the door of a home consumed by fire Saturday afternoon. Fire officials estimate damages to be about $85,000.
news@haysfreepress.com
No one was injured Saturday afternoon when a mobile home located in the Sunset Ridge subdivision caught fire, leaving a local family displaced. Kyle Fire Department Chief Kyle Taylor said the department received the call of the burning structure at 5:21 p.m. Saturday. Taylor said the homeowners were not home at the time of the fire.
Taylor said the fire was brought under control at 6:59 p.m. He said the cause of the fire was electrical in nature, with damage estimated at $85,000. Gina Murphy, who was visiting family who live in the Sunset Ridge subdivision, said she and other neighbors saw smoke coming from the home and immediately called 911. “The smoke was billowing above the trees (near the home),” Murphy said. “Then we started to see the flames coming out of the roof.”
How you can help?
Those interested in assisting the family can drop off items such as toiletries, towels, bedding and clothing to the Sunset Ridge Clubhouse, located at 528 Harvest Moon Parkway. Clothing: Girls size 14 Boys size 8
Lee Blake, who was visiting his daughter at her home located next door to the burning building, said he packed
some bags and moved their vehicles down the street after he saw the smoke and flames. But soon after firefighters began battling the flames, neighbors began to take initiative to assist the family. Neighbors started asking what the family needed and how to collect items. Murphy said she and others in the subdivision began “calling around” to see how they could help. “This is a close community,” Murphy said.
Front Porch Days
Front Porch Days is a two day celebration at Plum Creek’s Fergus Park May 14-15. The festivities will kick off Saturday with races, a morning garden tour through Plum Creek, and a golf scramble at the Plum Creek Golf Course. Sunday begins with carnival activities and vendor booths from 12-3 p.m. and ends with Family
Fishing Day from 4-6 p.m. by the lake. Front Porch Days activities include face painting, inflatable games, Jigglebug Express, petting zoo, pie baking contest, pony rides, washer tournament, and more. Two music stages will host bands throughout the day. Local businesses and restaurants will have booths set up with food, arts and crafts for attendees to enjoy. See www.frontporchdays. com for more info.
NEW BIZ
New and expanding businesses in town. – Page 1D
Kyle council election ends in tie for Dist. 1 BY MOSES LEOS III
news@haysfreepress.com
Come out to the Driftwood United Methodist Church (15090 FM 150 in Driftwood) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 14 for this family-friendly spring celebration. Free admission. Live music, BBQ, vendors, live & silent auctions and more. Call 512-757-5519 or visit driftwoodumc.net for more information.
Kyle voters were unable to decide who would claim the Kyle City Council District 1 seat after incumbent Diane Hervol and candidate Travis Mitchell split the 1,052 total ballots cast right down the middle. Hervol and Mitchell ended Saturday tied as they each gained 510 total votes, according to final, unofficial results. Mitchell, who trailed Hervol by 46 votes after early voting, rallied to gain 143 votes to Hervol’s 112 on Election Day. According to the unofficial, final results, only 1,052 of the 17,409 registered voters in Kyle, or 6.04 percent, cast ballots in the May 7 election. With the District 1 race in a stalemate, how it will be decided could depend on several factors. One factor could be any possible ballots that arrive from overseas. Hays County Elections Administrator Joyce Cowan said the county waits five days for ballots cast from outside of the country to come in.
News……………… 1-4A Opinions……………… 3A Sports……………… 1-2B Education………… 3-4B Community……… 1-4C
Best Bets…………… 4C Business…………… 1D Service Directory…… 3D Classifieds………… 1-2D Public Notices……… 1-2D
COMING UP
INDEX
BY MOSES LEOS III
What’s next?
Driftwood May Fest
If there are ballots for the Kyle City Council District 1 race that are from outside of the country, Cowan said it could “change the outcome of the election.” But she said any ballots from outside of the country wouldn’t be counted until Thursday. Any other votes from another state that come in before Thursday won’t count. If the race isn’t decided on overseas ballots, or if there are none, Cowan said there might be an automatic recount. Another option could be a possible coin flip to decide the seat, but Cowan said she “didn’t see that happening.” Cowan also said the county goes through “checks and balances” to make sure “we didn’t have a provisional ballot.” According to the Texas Secretary of State’s website, a provisional ballot allows a voter whose name isn’t on the list of registered voters due to an administrative error to vote. Provisional ballots also allow those who don’t have a permanent exemption or photo iden-
ELECTION TIE, 4A