JUNE 20, 2018 BUDA BOLTS
SUMMER MEALS
Local track team prepares young athletes for success.
HCISD campuses offer free meals throughout summer.
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Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.
75¢
Vol. 123 • No. 12
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Buda municipal building, library to open for business by end of July BY KATERINA BARTON
“Most of the furniture is actually going in right After several delays, now and would be ready Buda’s city hall and lifor us to move in sooner, brary will be making the but it’s just some critical big move to the new Mu- pieces, like the library nicipal Building starting circulation desk and anat the end of July. other greeting desk, are The move was origiwhat is pushing back the nally scheduled for the deadline,” Grau said. end of May, but delays According to Grau, in ordering and delivery the construction of cusof furniture pushed the tom-made pieces, such move back by a couple as the library circulation of months. desk, led to the most Micah Grau, assistant hold-ups. city manager of Buda, City staff is currently said the delays are not in the process of packing significant, but have and cleaning offices and taken longer than they should have. MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 11
PHOTO BY DAVID WHITE The city hall is expected to be open for business by July 23 and the library is expected to open a little later on Aug. 6.
STRs get OK from P&Z A final report by Kyle’s Planning and Zoning Commission regarding the city’s short-term rentals could call for registration of the facilities with the city. The report was discussed at the final STR workshop last week. The commission has spent the past few months researching and putting together a report which includes data, a summary of statewide regulations, definitions, and a final recommendation to which will be given to Kyle City Council. Options for enforcement and regulations, as well as the recent Texas Supreme Court ruling in which the court ruled in favor of an STR over the regulations of a homeowners’ association, were the prominent issues discussed. P&Z members were reluctant to outright deny STRs because it is possible that the Texas Legislature may bring back a bill that died in committee last session which deregulated STR ordinances for cities. Senate Bill 451 read, “A
What regulations do you think the city of Kyle should impose to allow short-term rentals? Covered by Current City Ordinances Number of Occupants Registration of STR/Guests/Third Party Management Guest Background Check & Property Inspections Hotel Occupancy Tax/Community Tax Honor HOA Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions
Above are some of the Kylre resident survey results provided by the City of Kyle.
or effectively prohibits the use of a property as a shortterm rental,” unless the regulations demonstrate a purpose of protecting public health and safety. Instead, P&Z decided to recommend adopting SB 451’s definition of STRs and
write STRs into Kyle’s code assuming that STRs be treated as a hotel in terms of collecting taxes. P&Z believes it is reasonable to have a permitting process, or a type of operating license, in order to get a point of emergency contact for the STRs. The permitting process would either be free or of low cost to en-
COMING UP
2018 Summer Dialogues for Activism, June 22
As part of the 2018 Summer Dialogues for Activism at the LBJ Museum of San Marcos, two sessions will be dedicated to the theme of gentrification and housing from 9 a.m. to noon. Topics will cover “Gentrification” and “Deliberative Dialogue on Equitable Housing.” Free coffee and snacks will be served.
Buda Main St. Program Concert Series, June 22
Buda will launch its new concert series called ”South Main Music Nights” at the south end of Buda Mill & Grain Co. every other Thursday from 7:30 – 9:30 pm. The first concert will be June 22 and feature Vintage 15, self described as A Swingin’ Jazz Big Band with a Modern Vibe out of Austin.
SONGWRITERS Kids take center stage at songwriters circle. – Page 6
Lehman High School students trying to beat the crowds to leave campus at the end of the school day may need to find new parking spots after Kyle approved new no-parking signs in the neighborhood just northeast of campus. Tuesday, residents of the South Lake Ranch subdivision turned out for the Kyle City Council meeting to appeal for a solution to the influx of teenagers parking there each school day, a problem they say creates safety issues in their neighborhood. Based on input from South Lake Ranch residents, council voted unanimously to erect signs that prohibit street parking
SCHOOL PARKING WOES, 2
STAFF REPORT
Require Off Street Parking
municipality or county may not adopt or enforce a local law that expressly
BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
RR12 accident claims three lives
Other
INDEX
BY KATERINA BARTON
Parking prohibited during school hours
courage rental operators to register. This would help provide a list of STRs in order for the city to also collect Hotel Occupancy Taxes (HOT). Kyle’s HOT is seven percent in addition to the state’s HOT of six percent on the cost of a
SHORT-TERM RENTALS, 11
Summer Contest For Young Writers 2018
Buda library patrons aged 8 to 17 will get a chance to flex their writing muscles and show off their literary skill with the Friends of the Buda Library Summer Contest for Young Writers. The contest will feature an 8-to-12 age division and a 13-to-17 age division. Each entrant will submit a story of 500 words of less and only one entry per person. Entries will be judged based on the quality of writing, originality and subject matter. Finalists will be judged by writers, teachers and librarians. First place in each category will receive a $100 gift card. Prompt for the 8-12 division: “The sign said not to push the button, but I did.” Prompt for 13-17 division: “The envelope looked as though it had been in the mailbox for years. The writing was faded.” Deadline for submissions is July 12 and all must be handed to a Buda librarian. No email submissions accepted. More information can be found online at haysfreepress.com.
News………………… 1-2 Opinion……………… 3 Sports…………………… 4 Education……………… 5 Community………… 6-7
Church Directory……… 8 Crossword/Sudoku…… 9 Classifieds ……… ... 10 Service Directory…..... 11 Public Notices…… 10-12
Three Wimberley residents were pronounced dead Sunday evening after a driver veered off into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle on Ranch Road 12 near San Marcos. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, 22-year-old Ramiro Ramirez was traveling northbound on Ranch Road 12 three miles south of San Marcos around 9 p.m. when he swerved into the southbound lane and struck an SUV being driven by Elizabeth Kay Richter, a 63-year-old New Braunfels resident. Richter’s vehicle then spun and skidded along the guardrail before coming to a final stop Ramirez’s vehicle, however, kept going in the southbound lane, and hit another car occupied by two Wimberley residents, 40-year-old Angela Mary Masullo and 44-year-old Daniel Stuart Masullo, head on. The Masullo’s vehicle was pushed up backwards on top of a guardrail, and the vehicle Ramirez was driving came to a stop and burst into flame. The Masullo’s and Ramirez were both pronounced dead at the scene, while Richter was treated and released. Two additional passengers in the Masullo’s SUV were transported South Austin Medical Center, where their conditions are unknown.