CITY& COUNTY
News from Buda, Kyle & San Marcos
QUOTEOFNOTE
Council awards contract for bondmanagement BUDA At a meeting April 19, the city council approved the selection of consulting and design firm WSB and Associates Inc. to head program management for the $89.66 million transportation and parks and recreation bond that voters approved in November. The Buda Bond Oversight Com- mittee selected WSB from a handful of firms and gave the official recommendation April 18. BY ZARA FLORES FUNDING THE BOND MANAGEMENT Here is a breakdown of how WSB and Associates Inc. will use the $1.99 million to deliver on the November 2021 bonds. Design consultant management and oversight: $579,039
San Marcos City Council Meets May 17 at 6 p.m. 630 E. Hopkins St., San Marcos 512-393-8000 www.sanmarcostx.gov Kyle City Council Meets May 17 and June 7 at 7 p.m. 100 W. Center St., Kyle 512-262-1010 • www.cityofkyle.com Buda City Council Meets May 17 and June 7 at 6 p.m. 405 E. Loop St., Buda 512-312-0084 • www.ci.buda.tx.us Hays County Commissioners Court Meets May 10, 24 and June 7 at 9 a.m. 111 E. San Antonio St., San Marcos 512-393-2205 • www.co.hays.tx.us MEETINGSWE COVER CITY HIGHLIGHTS SANMARCOS City Council adopted 2022-26 strategic initiatives and priorities that include economic development, community safety, workforce housing, sustainability and more April 5. The priorities also include an assessment of community assistance and developing an equity policy. The goals are broken down into short-, intermediate- and long- term goals that will be updated to council and online for the community. BUDA The AARP awarded a certificate to the city of Buda for its commitment to becoming a more age-friendly community at a council meeting April 5. NUMBER TOKNOW in federal funding was awarded to the city of Buda for critical water and wastewater infrastructure to unserved areas near South Loop 4 and Robert S. Light Boulevard. This will allow for the city to create a commercial and industrial growth district in south Buda that will bring businesses, jobs and taxes to the city. $1.6million FOUR CORNERS OF A BLOCK. ... I’D LOVE TO GIVE THE RESIDENTS SOME DIFFERENT AMENITIES.” ROBERT RIZO, KYLE CITY “I’MNOT LOOKING AT DOINGAWAY WITHGAS STATIONS. FORME, ITWAS NOT SEEINGAGAS STATIONONALL COUNCIL MEMBER, ON THE RESTRICTION ORDINANCE
WSB will be responsible for managing the 13 transportation projects and six parks and recreation projects in the bond, which includes administering the funds, keeping teams on track, seeking grant funding when applicable and more. In addition to projects that will be completed over the next few years, some projects will be acquisition based or “shovel ready” for future improvements, according to city documents. Council Member Evan Ture said it is critical that the bond management goes well as the city is spending about $2 million for WSB to handle a nearly $90 million citizen-approved bond. WSB created a four-part process to execute the bond projects: analysis and integration; planning; executing, monitoring and controlling; and closing. All bond projects are expected to be completed by May 2028, according to the WSB presentation.
Utility and subsurface utility engineering coordination: $235,940 Program planning: $418,720
Program management and administration: $178,060
Financial management: $119,850 Program communication: $105,850 Construction administration and oversight: $104,400 Project communication: $79,000 Geotechnical services: $39,624 Other direct expenses: $8,656 Right of way acquisition: $122,000
SOURCE: CITY OF BUDA/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Council updated on water usage, rates
OUTPACING THE DEMAND The vote to restrict gas stations, car washes and self- storage facilities comes after a study conducted by Catalyst Commercial recommended the city limit and regulate the number of these types of businesses in Kyle.
GAS STATIONS
26
26
15.24
Miles required between facilities: 1
BY ERIC WEILBACHER
CAR WASHES
SANMARCOS Utilities Director Tyler Hjorth presented findings to City Council April 19 on the implications of changing water usage rates. In March, council tasked his office with determining whether that would help low-income residents with their bills. The city uses a tiered billing system on its water usage rates, and in March, council asked city staff to study whether increasing the first tier from 0-6,000 gallons to 0-8,000 gallons per billing cycle would help residents save money on their utility bills. “So, an average residential month we will have 12,554 residential water bills that we would send out. If you notice, 72% of those are customers that are less than that 6,000-gallon- a-month usage, which again, our average is 5,400,” Hjorth said. Raising the cheaper-use tier would not help with conservation efforts either, he said. Hjorth also mentioned his office is looking into a smart meter system that could alert customers when they are approaching higher water usage and detect leaks quickly.
9
2.58
Miles required between facilities: 1.5
SELF-STORAGE FACILITIES
Demand* Current amount
6
2.57
Miles required between facilities: 2
*DEMAND IS CALCULATED BASED ON THE POPULATION OF THE CITY OF KYLE.
SOURCE: CITY OF KYLE/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Council votes to restrict number of gas stations, carwashes, self-storage facilities
BY ZARA FLORES
city, but there is now a radius of half to a quarter mile, depending on the facility, where a new build cannot go. In the city of Kyle, there is an overabundance of all three types of facilities by almost half, according to a report compiled by Catalyst Commercial. “We want to make sure there’s an even distribution of [these facil- ities] across the city,” Senior City Planner Will Atkinson said.
KYLE City Council approved a first reading of a zoning ordinance amendment that limits the building of new gas stations and car washes at a meeting April 5. The council previously approved the restriction of new self-storage facilities at a meeting Feb. 15 but took no action on the matter of gas stations and car washes. The motion does not mean no new facilities can be built in the
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SAN MARCOS - BUDA - KYLE EDITION • MAY 2022
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