County jail expansion green-lighted
D.S. wrestler bursts onto national scene
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Tigers outlast Tivy 48-38
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVIII No. 47
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
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75¢
Thursday, September 6, 2018
TxDOT green Smaller houses could have impact in Hays County lights roadway fixes near Oak Hill
Tiny homes, big dreams? BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
square feet and from $5,000 to $100,000, based The tiny homes moveon amenities and interior ment that has swept the furnishing. nation is becoming more According to U.S Cenprevalent in Texas, and sus data, in May 2017, the new communities in average price of a home Austin are beginning to in- in the United States was fluence the future of home $345,800. Additionally, builders in Hays County. square footage size has In January 2018, the nearly doubled since 1973 Hays Free Press reported despite the average numplans for a developer to ber of people per housebring a tiny home comhold falling to 2.66. munity to Kyle. Nine With baby boomers months later, the dream looking to downsize for is still alive and 400 micro retirement and millennials estates will soon call Kyle finding ways to stay out of home. debt, tiny homes might be Tiny homes typically a solution to rising housrange around 400 to 600 ing costs.
“Our company will bring over 400 micro estates to the Kyle ETJ soon through the current site, or other sites we are in planning with,” Stinson said. “Keeping affordable housing alive is our responsibility. This is really the only hope we’ve been able to calculate for the countless teachers and firemen who just want a place to call home, but can’t afford it.” Dripping Springs resident Deanna Batsoutenko recently purchased her PHOTO COURTESY OF DEANNA BATSOUTENKO first tiny home, which will Dripping Springs homeowner Deanna Batsoutenko bought a
tiny home to live in while her home is rented out on Airbnb.
TINY HOMES, 4 com.
Wimberley wastewater treatment contract terminated despite protests BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Plans for a Wimberley-owned wastewater treatment plant were flushed away last week after city leaders chose to terminate the existing contract for the proposed project. The decision to do so, which came via a 4-1 Wimberley City Council vote, could pave the way for the city to possibly pick Aqua Texas, a third-party provider, to operate its wastewater system. Council member Allison Davis cast the lone dissenting vote. But the move wasn’t without controversy, as residents and city leaders clashed in a bizarre Aug. 28 meeting rife with protests, an unconventional public comment arrangement; a few people were even escorted out by police. Also unknown is what financial ramifications could come of Wimberley’s decision to cut the cord on its city-owned facility plan. Council members Patricia Kelly, Gary Barchfeld, Craig Fore and Mike McCullough, who all voted in favor of the contract termination, cited that Aqua Texas is
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO Forthcoming improvements on one of the state’s most congested roadways could have an impact on Hays County commuters. On Aug. 30, the Texas Transportation Committee (TTC) voted to approve the 2019 Unified Transportation Program (UTP), which includes funding for major improvements at the U.S. 290 and Highway 71 intersection, known as the Y, near Oak Hill in Travis County. The move to include the $440 million project into the UTP was seen as a “victory” by several current and former Hays County elected officials. The Oak Hill Transportation Plan, which has been in the works for roughly 30 years, is aimed at addressing major traffic and safety concerns at the Y in Oak Hill. The project calls for an overpass that will connect west Highway 290 and Highway 71; the highways will include a total of 12 new lanes built to help alleviate traffic concerns that have historically been an issue. Bike lanes and pedestrian sidewalks are included in the project’s plan. However, the changes will not include a toll,
ROAD FIXES, 5 PHOTO BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Chisholm Trail fireman killed in SH21 Holes in ETJ causes headaches wreck The move to not renew a contract for a Wimberley-owned wastewater treatment plant wasn’t without controversy, as residents and city leaders clashed in a bizarre Aug. 28 meeting rife with protests, an unconventional public comment arrangement, and even a few people were escorted out by police.
more affordable than its contract with Black Castle, which is the cityowned plan. They also argued Aqua Texas has committed to Type 1 effluent treatment.
But some members of the community were not convinced that a contract with Aqua Texas is advantageous. Scott Price, a Wimberley resident, said he wasn’t sure that opting for
Aqua Texas is fiscally responsible. “I’m against Aqua Texas and it’s a financial concern,” Price said. “Voting for Aqua is stepping in a financial quagmire. There are costs
that are missing and that is a serious concern. The current plan is vetted, funded and there is no reason why we should not do it.”
WIMBERLEY WASTEWATER, 6
for residents and cities alike BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Pockets of land in Hays County landlocked by a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), also known as “donut hole” parcels, can cause trouble for residents and cities alike. In the 1980s, the city of Austin began expanding its ETJ, slowly encroaching on Hays County residents. More than 30 years ago, those residents had a choice – join Austin, Dripping Springs or be left in an unincorporated area of the county. These annexation practices eventually left some parcels of land out
One example of this limited regulation occurred in the Rimrock neighborhood in Driftwood, where residents were greeted with a pair of 40-foot tall billboard signs. of the city limits. Fewer city protections also means fewer regulations for developers, too. “The city ordinances we are able to apply in the ETJ are limited,” said Ginger Faught, deputy city administrator for the city of Dripping Springs. “We don’t have the authority to apply land use regulations like zoning in the ETJ. The legislature has not given
cities or counties authority to dictate land use, and that can become problematic for property owners.” One example of this limited regulation occurred in the Rimrock neighborhood in Driftwood, where residents were greeted with a pair of 40-foot tall billboard signs. Since the property was not located in the ETJ,
the city could not enforce its sign ordinance, which did not allow billboards. For Deborah Williams, a resident on Brownson Lane in Dripping Springs, living outside of the city limits is a two-sided coin. “We wanted to live out here so we can be away from the city, but at the same time that allows developers to come out here and build with almost no repercussions,” Williams said. “We can’t continue to hope that these (developers) can be our good neighbors.” Brownson Lane is a
ETJ DONUT HOLES, 6
BY MOSES LEOS III Chisholm Trail Fire Rescue Chief Mark Padier knows how much community meant to fellow firefighter Nick Zoulek. Born with “a servant’s heart,” ZOULEK Zoulek wasn’t shy in offering to help out anyone and everyone he could. From his family and friends, to those he served with on the fire line, Zoulek always thought of others before himself.
FATAL WRECK, 6