Government
BY ZARA FLORES & SIERRA MARTIN
Humane Society faces nancial challenges New Braunfels City Council and the Comal County Commissioners Court are stepping in to help the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area as it faces nancial constraints. The goal is to help the organization remain nancially viable until the new budget kicks in after the new year. How we got here The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area has been serving the area for decades by providing health care and rehoming services for animals. The nonpro t operates on a calendar year budget, running from Jan. 1-Dec. 31. Since March, o cials with the Humane Society and the city have discussed how to tackle the issues facing the nonpro t, including: • In ation • Funds for budget variances
City declines former YMCA opportunity The city of New Braunfels has decided not to pursue expanding city recreation services at the former YMCA location owned by Res- olute Baptist Hospital due to nancial risk. The speci cs The New Braunfels YMCA closed its doors July 14 due to being unable to attract enough members to sustain operations. Multiple residents of New Braunfels have complained to council since the YMCA closed about overcrowding at Das Rec, the city’s centrally-located gym that opened in 2018. Residents who used to utilize the YMCA have spoken in support of the city acquiring the facility to maintain the a ord- ability of the recreational facility. Assistant City Manager Jared Werner said Resolute Baptist has been open to lease negotiations with the city, and the city would invest approximately $800,000 to $1.2 million in upfront costs to open the facility. Ultimately, City Council provided direc- tion for the city to no longer evaluate mov- ing into the Resolute Center to create a new recreation center due to a lack of con dence in maintaining the targeted membership and positive cash ow. What’s next? Residents who utilized the former YMCA said they would still like to see the city consider expanding recreation capabilities in the future to keep up with the growth of the community.
The Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area is located at 3353 Morningside Drive, New Braunfels.
COURTESY HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE NEW BRAUNFELS AREA
Taking inventory Certain conditions have prompted changes in contracts for the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area.
Revenue dropped by about $50,000 annually from 2021-2022 Intake fee increased by $100, from $110 to $210, e ective October 2023. The increase will generate an additional $200,000 for the Humane Society, or about 71% more in revenue. Additional contract changes could be in store for 2025.
• Employee retention and recruiting • Minimal growth of contract revenue
“The HSNBA has been able to [operate] but has also had to rely upon donation and grant revenue to meet growing service demands and costs,” Assistant City Manager Jared Werner said. What’s being done Following discussions and potential budget proposals, both the City Council and the Com- missioners Court have approved amendments to the existing contracts in place with the Humane Society. The Humane Society’s intake fee will increase by $100, in order to generate more revenue, and will be e ective starting in the October billing
SOURCE: CITY OF NEW BRAUNFELS COMMUNITY IMPACT
cycle. The Humane Society will be required to host a presentation for the City Council on its challenges, opportunities and goals. A board liaison position has been established in order to increase engagement, which will be helmed by Werner for one year, and will be involved in all matters nancial and budgetary related to the Humane Society.
Litter on the rise in Comal and Guadalupe rivers High temperatures and low water levels didn’t stop tourism this summer, as the city of New Braunfels generated more sales tax revenue—and consequently gathered more litter—than last summer from river recreation. The gist
Bags ballooning Trash collected from the Comal River this year is represented from March-September only.
collected, so far surpassing the last three seasons. The police department also issued more citations over the disposable container ban than last year, according to the presentation. What’s next? Niles said that with more people, it’s expected that there will be more trash, but additional edu- cation of the city’s disposable container ordinance could help curb littering.
Bags collected
Citations issued
375 380
326
273
234 210
168 187
Amy Niles, New Braunfels’ river and watershed manager, presented to council the 2023 river season report Oct. 16, noting that one of the biggest issues coming out of the summer was the rise in litter
*AS OF OCT. 16 SOURCE: CITY OF NEW BRAUNFELS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION
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