AUGUST 29, 2018 NOW OPEN
FINAL WORDS
City of Buda celebrates opening of new municipal building.
Senator John McCain’s letter to the American people.
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Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.
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Vol. 123 • No. 22
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Buda reopens bids for City Park project BY MOSES LEOS III
A lack of options is forcing Buda to re-bid its City Park renovation, which in turn could push the start date of construction on the bond project further back. With a 7-0 vote to reject bids that were previously submitted, the Buda City Council hopes giving developers a full
Buda received one “non-qualifying” request for proposal (RFP) for its City Park project, which is part of Proposition 5 of the 2014 bond.
month to craft a proposal, as well as attracting more applicants, can draw more attention to the multimillion dollar improvement. Greg Olmer, Buda
Parks and Recreations director, said Buda received one “non-qualifying” request for proposal (RFP) for its City Park project, which is part of Proposition 5 of the 2014
bond. Buda had called out for RFPs in mid-July and offered a two-week window for submissions, which were due Aug. 7. The lone bid met the city’s base estimate of
$3.95 million to construct the City Park project, along with inclusion of additional alternates that increased the price to $4.79 million. Buda’s City Park renovation includes the addition of a 20,000 seat amphitheater. Olmer said inclusion of all parts of the City
CITY PARK PROJECT, 4
Kyle, Buda draw few citations on texting law
Wastewater issues spur protests BY EXSAR ARUGELLO
handle an increasing workload. During a budget workshop Tuesday, Mau said the DA’s office
Minimal communication with citizenry had led some residents to allege a lack of transparency on the part of Wimberley city leaders; despite protests, the city Tuesday night chose to forego plans for a cityowned wastewater system. While the city did not specifically choose Aqua Texas to manage its wastewater plant, the option of Wimberley running its own system was put on a back burner. Claims regarding lack of transparency on the issue came as the result of a canceled Aug. 16 Wimberley City Council special meeting to discuss and consider action to modify the scope of the city’s downtown wastewater plans. Some Wimberley residents feared city leaders were more interested in third-party provider Aqua Texas, which those residents believe could be detrimental to the environment, as opposed to an inhouse system. Wimberley property owner Rebecca Minnick opposed the Aqua Texas plan, citing the potential for a pipeline to be constructed under Cypress Creek. “We don’t want to repeat what happened in Kyle at Plum Creek where Aqua Texas was responsible for the 100,000-gallon sewage spill,” Minnick said. Minnick also believed the city is not communicating with its citizens and that lack of transparency is a growing issue. Minnick said at several meetings, the city council had cut off Woodcreek residents from speaking during public comment period, citing they were not Wimberley residents. She also said residents have had trouble scheduling meetings with Wimberley Mayor Susan Jaggers, as well as with city staff members. Residents were concerned about the lack of a public hearing during the proposed Aug. 16 meeting, leading some to organize a protest. On Aug. 11, four former Wimberley mayors – Bob Flocke, Mac McCullogh, Steve Klepfer and Steve Thurber – voiced their collective opposition to the direction the city and town are taking with the plant. The Hays Free Press reported that Jaggers and other city officials had eyed the possibility of using Aqua Texas to manage its wastewater treatment
EXPANDING CASELOAD, 10
WIMBERLEY WASTEWATER, 5
BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
e h t n i k c Ba HCISD...
COURTESY PHOTO
TINEZ SY OF LISA MAR PHOTO COURTE
TEXTING LAW, 13
Above, Negley Elementary fourth grader Aidan Reisner poses with a cup full of posies (and other flowers) to be given to his teacher on the first day of classes Monday.
Hays County D.A. requesting added funds to cover expanding caseload BY MOSES LEOS III
Worries over an increasing workload on an overworked staff led Hays County’s top criminal attorney to ask for more money in next year’s budget. Wes Mau, Hays County District Attorney, is concerned that Hays County’s recommended budget for his department might
D.A. Wes Mau said his office requested a budget of $5.75 million that would include additional staffing in both the criminal and civil divisions. That includes the hiring of more attorneys who could handle an increasing workload. not be enough to cover growth, and could place the office in a position to possibly backlog cases. Mau said the DA’s office requested a budget
KYLE STR
City proposes short term rentals register.
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INDEX
In the year since a ban on operating a phone while driving went statewide, only 47 total citations have been issued by Kyle and Buda Police combined since mid-August. Passed during the 85th Texas Legislative Session and made effective Sept. 1, 2017, the law prohibits motorists from reading, writing or sending electronic messages while driving. Since then, Buda Police Department has issued 22 citations, while Kyle has issued 25. Both Kyle and Buda had ordinances against using a phone while driving prior to the statewide ban. Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said the enforcement of the bans has not changed, but that the state’s ban serves as a further reminder to drivers to put their cell phones down. “I would say the law serves mostly as a reminder and deterrent to drivers to avoid texting and driving and encourages self-compliance with the law,” Barnett said. It can be difficult for officers to enforce the ban, as it is not always apparent if a driver is using a phone or not, he said. “Certainly, it’s very clear that people can get distracted if they’re
Wimberley residents question officials’ openness
of $5.75 million that would include additional staffing in both the criminal and civil divisions. That includes the hiring of more attorneys who could
News………………… 1-5 Opinion……………… 3 Community…………… 6 Obituaries……………… 7 Education……………… 8
Sports…………………… 9 Business…………… 10 Classifieds ……… 11-12 Public Notices…… 11-12 Service Directory…..... 13