Davis vies for District 21
School registration deadline near
DSISD head up for award
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXIX No. 41
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
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75¢ Thursday, July 25, 2019
New location could mean compromise with Aqua Texas BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
But after a long meeting, the company is reWastewater provider considering working with Aqua Texas was calling it the city as the third-party quits in Wimberley, which wastewater provider, would have been a major which would potentially blow for Wimberley Mayor save the sewer project Susan Jaggers. altogether.
Aqua Texas’ attorneys contacted the city with the news, prompting a meeting with Mayor Pro Team Rebecca Minnick, Councilmember Gary
AQUA TEXAS, 6
Wimberley rental committee on the clock
To comprise with Aqua Texas, Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Minnick said the city will look at moving the boring under Cypress Creek on city-owned property rather than the location originally promoted by Mayor Susan Jaggers.
Searching for home
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO Time is running out for the short-term rental (STR) committee in Wimberley as city leaders dispute the future of the controversial body. At the July 18 city council meeting, Mayor Susan Jaggers and Councilmember Gary Barchfeld adamantly defended the committee, citing that the council should host a workshop or extend the work of the committee, which will end Aug. 1. The call for action is in light of a decision in June where the council voted in a split 3-2 vote to reject hosting a workshop with the committee. “It’s my understanding that they would like some direction one way or the other; either terminate them or extend them,” Barchfeld said. “But the knowledge they have garnered over the past year is extensive and I think it’s important that they share it with not only the council but the entire community.” But the work of the STR Committee has been heavily contested by residents and elected officials alike. The committee was formed in July 2018 to revise the city’s STR ordinance to bring noncompliant operations into compliance. In March, the committee estimated some 200 STRs in the city were out of compliance with the city’s ordinance. However, in late April, it was reported that the
SHORT TERM RENTALS, 2
Lawsuit against Kinder Morgan in the works BY MOSES LEOS III
formative time for these young children, they’re growing up in a violent home,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping to give them another alternative.” Johnson said the project meets a desperate need and focuses on families with young children. The HCWC has partnered with Community Action, Home Aid, a branch of the Austin Home
A second round of litigation against a proposed 42-inch, 430-mile underground natural gas pipeline could be forthcoming. On July 23, Hays County Commissioners voted 4-0 to file a notice of intent to sue Kinder Morgan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relating to the controversial Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP), according to a press release. Hays County joins the Travis Audubon Society and three private plaintiffs that have filed a similar notice. Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra was absent Tuesday and did not vote. Plaintiffs seek a full environmental study of the PHP. Filing of the notice stemmed from the possible environmental impact the PHP could have on the area, if constructed. PHP, a $2 billion project, is slated to go from far west Texas to the Houston area, cutting through the Texas Hill Country. According to a Texas Real Estate Advocacy and Defense Coalition (TREAD) release, the PHP’s current route crosses “some of the most sensitive environmental features” in the state. That includes both the Edwards and Edwards-Trinity Aquifer Recharge Zones and habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Hays County Pct. 3 Commissioner Lon Shell said officials opted to take action Tuesday due to a lack of information from Kinder Morgan on mitigating any environmental impacts. Plaintiffs who filed the notice seek a full environmental impact study under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). TREAD officials said the Army Corps of Engineers confirmed Kinder Morgan intends to use the Nationwide Permitting verification process. Through NEPA, entities are required to consider alternative routes. TREAD officials alleged Kinder Morgan could bypass a “crucial step” in order to speed its timeline and avoid public transparency. Kinder Morgan estimates the PHP to be constructed and operational by the fourth quarter 2020. “In requesting that an environmental review process be followed
WOMEN’S CENTER, 5
KINDER MORGAN LAWSUIT, 6
PHOTO BY KATE MCCARTY A line of migrants prepare to board buses in McAllen for what, for many, will be the first leg of a long journey. Inset, Angry Tia member Susan Law provides information to migrants at the terminal before they begin their trip.
Angry Tias at the border Editor’s note: Below is the second part of a two-part series written by Kate McCarty, a longtime Hays County resident who recently traveled to the border to give supplies to migrants donated by Hays County Democrats. The second part focuses on advocacy groups assisting migrants at the border.
BY KATE MCCARTY Angry Tias and Abuelas started on June 3, 2018 when a few friends in Harlingen spotted 40 or more people camped out on the bridge over the Rio Grande River in Reynosa. The people were
“We were appalled by what we saw and just shocked that our country would treat people this way. We were angry at the sense of injustice.” –Joyce Hamilton, one of eight founders of Angry Tias and Abuelas.
from Mexico and the “triangle” countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, along with a few from Cuba and even Eritrea. The women took snacks and water and umbrellas to the group. “We drove to the bridge in McAllen and pulled our carts and
coolers,” said Joyce Hamilton, one of eight founders of Angry Tias and Abuelas. “It was just this large group of people, and we pulled everything across. Some were sleeping on pieces of cardboard. Most said they had been there five days. One was carrying a 9-month-old baby.”
Before the Tias arrived, people from Mexico had been providing food and water, though not enough. “We were appalled by what we saw and just shocked that our country would treat people this way,” Hamilton said. “We were angry at the sense of injustice.” The scene at the border pushed the Tias and Abuelas group to start raising money to provide the snacks and water for those on the bridges. The group consisted of eight people ranging in age from early 30s to mid-70s Then they saw people being dropped off at the
MIGRANT STORY, 6
County OKs $600K donation to Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center BY EXSAR ARGUELLO A $600,000 donation approved by Hays County Commissioners July 16 provides funding for the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC) over the next two fiscal years. The donation, approved by a 4-0 County Commissioner vote, will increase the HCWC’s operations budget to more than $3 million. County Judge Ruben Becerra was not present at the meeting
and did not vote. The city of San Marcos is expected to fund $400,000 to the HCWC in the near future. Formed in 1978, the HCWC has served and supported victims of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. A 15% increase in cases in 2019 compared to the previous year led the organization to seek crucial funding agreements to facilitate the growing need of its services.
The funding will help build additional housing units and classrooms for victims and their families which will help provide a safe place for those individuals. HCWC Executive Director Marla Johnson said single mothers have a harder time finding affordable housing in the county. Subsequently, these victims often return to the violent environments they fled. “So, during this