Lockhart
Politics
San Marcos to use federal grant to protect Sunset Acres neighborhood from flooding
The city of San Marcos is no stranger to the intense flooding that is possible throughout Central Texas. After a series of devastating floods hit the community in 2015, residents and city officials started looking at how to prevent the worst effects of flooding. Mayor Jane Hughson was then a City Council member, and she recalls seeing “devastation in several neighborhoods after the May flood.” After more floods hit that November, neighbors who had been in the...
Lockhart ISD approves raises for upcoming school year as other Texas school districts make cuts
LOCKHART, Texas — As schools in Texas work to solve budget deficits for the upcoming school year, one school district is pivoting in the other direction. Lockhart ISD unanimously approved raises on Monday, putting the district closer to its future goal. A raise of up to 4.6% will be...
Storm recovery continues in San Marcos with free debris pickup
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning and severe thunderstorm warning on May 9, which caused significant damage to trees in San Marcos. (Amira Van Leeuwen/Community Impact) The city of San Marcos is continuing its recovery efforts after a severe thunderstorm on May 9 caused large tree branches to...
City of Kyle approves third water agreement with city of San Marcos
KYLE — At the May 7 meeting, Kyle City Council approved a resolution for an interlocal water-sharing agreement with the city of San Marcos, marking the third agreement within the past two years. In October 2022, Kyle entered into negotiations with San Marcos to receive up to 125 acre-feet, or 40.7 million gallons, of water throughout the remainder of the year. The second followed a year later in October 2023, when Kyle City Council unanimously approved to gain access to San Marcos’ water permit to prevent exceeding its own maximum. According to agenda documents, both cities possess Edward’s Aquifer Authority (EAA) permits and “due to the ongoing historical drought that Central Texas is currently facing, Kyle anticipates the need for additional water during calendar years 2024, 2025 and 2026.” The proposed agreement would stretch from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 each year and prevent Kyle from overpumping its permitted capacity, according to Mike Murphy, director of water utilities for the city of Kyle. He continued by stating that San Marcos has supplies beyond its current needs, so it is willing to make water available for Kyle using its existing water within the EAA permits. The agreement lists the following: • Water will be withdrawn solely at Kyle’s existing EAA Well Numbers W100-896, W100-897, W100-898 and W105-960 • The maximum amount that may be pumped is 500 acre-feet per calendar year • Kyle will meet or exceed San Marcos’ drought restrictions • The 500 acre-feet will be subject to EAA drought stage restrictions and Kyle will be responsible for any penalties By approving this agreement, Kyle will pay $22,832 per month to the city of San Marcos, which is equivalent to 223,186 gallons per day charged at a rate of $3.41 per 1,000 gallons. Withdrawal rates exceeding 6,695,580 gallons per month will be charged at a rate of $3.41 per 1,000 gallons. “Edward’s Aquifer Authority’s allocations were based on the need for these communities a number of years ago,” said council member Lauralee Harris. “Those have not changed in recent years, so what has happened is San Marcos has not grown as quickly as they were anticipated to grow and we have grown much more quickly than we were anticipated to grow. So, [the percentages needed] have changed, but EAA has not changed that percentage of allocation, which puts us into a position of needing to work with our partner in Hays County, which is San Marcos, to acquire the right percentages of water. So, it’s not like we’re out of water or that the aquifer is out of water; it’s a matter of just collaborating and adjusting those percentages to what is equitable.” Prior to the vote, council member Miguel Zuniga stated that he is in support of the item, but he still believes that water reuse and recycling should still be a top priority for the city, despite the water they will be receiving. The item passed unanimously. Kyle City Council will meet again on May 22.
San Marcos approves economic incentive agreement for industrial building
The new building will be located at 500 Wonder World Drive, in San Marcos. (Rendering courtesy Balcones Real Estate Group) San Marcos City Council approved a Chapter 380 economic incentive agreement with Balcones Real Estate Group on May 21 for the development of a Class A speculative industrial building at 500 Wonder World Drive.
2 new splash pads now open in Kyle
City officials celebrated the opening of two new splash pads in Kyle with a ribbon cutting on May 9. (Courtesy City of Kyle) City officials celebrated the grand opening of two new splash pads located at Gregg-Clarke Park and Steeplechase Park with a ribbon cutting on May 9. The details.
County hosts Tire Collection Event
The Hays County Environmental Task Force led by the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with the Capital Area Council of Governments, held a Tire Collection Event from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m on May 4 at 2171 Yarrington Road in Kyle. According to Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins, volunteers from various Hays County departments collected more than 1,00 used tires, keeping the county clean. “The effort to make Hays County a cleaner, safer home for all of us begins with small steps,” Higgins said. “This has been a learning experience for all of us in the DA’s...
Council approves Buda Water Master Plan
BUDA — At its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 7, Buda City Council unanimously approved to adopt the City of Buda Water Master Plan. In 2022, Buda City Council authorized a professional services agreement with K. Friese and Associates (KFA) to prepare a water master plan for the 20-year period of 2023 through 2043. The purpose of the project, as stated in agenda documents, is: • To serve as the tool the city will use to communicate its water needs, programs and projects to residents and commercial customers. • To identify capital improvement projects (CIP) to effectively serve unprecedented growth, while also maintaining and improving existing infrastructure. Prior to this update, the most recent water model update was conducted by KFA in 2017. As a part of the proposed plan, KFA evaluated the current system and water supplies. According to the presentation by Director of Development Services Angela Kennedy, the city currently has three sources of water, including the groundwater supply permitted by Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District wells and surface water from Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and the Alliance Regional Water Authority. The city has 2.56 million gallons per day (MGD) available, with a pumping capacity of 5.68 MGD. Kennedy pointed out that the city of Buda is not the only water provider in the city limits and within the ETJ. When looking at growth, KFA limited the growth and potential future services projections to not conflict with other suppliers. Within the service area, the current population is 15,108. The plan accounts for growth of the population to a total of 33,140, with nearly 11,000 water connections, in 2043. The plan also lays out the water demand on average per day and the max day demand. Currently, the average day demand is 1.5 MGD and is expected to increase to 3.2 MGD in 2043. The max day demand in 2024 is 3.0 MGD and the plan allots for that number to increase up to 6.3 MGD by 2043. Based on these numbers, the model shows that the contracted supply and the pumping capacity “easily meet” the average day demand and the max day demand throughout the 20-year prediction, even in Stage 4 drought conditions. In addition to the expected demand, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) imposes regulations on the infrastructure, requiring a pumping capacity of 0.6 gallons per minute per connection. In 2028, 2033 and 2043, the city’s infrastructure is not expected to meet the TCEQ regulations. Therefore, the plan recommends the city seeks an Alternative Capacity Requirement (ACR) for 2028 and 2033 and then increase the pumping capacity for the 2043 timeline through CIPs. “The city has sought [the ACR] in the past with TCEQ and it has been granted,” Kennedy said. In order to meet the TCEQ requirements in 2043, KFA suggests purchasing additional groundwater wells and fortifying current pump stations to increase pumping capacity. To identify necessary CIPs, the consultant team met with the Buda Fire Department to discuss the fire flow assumptions made in the model. Based on the modeling, eight current year projects were recommended to meet fire flow demands, as well as adding a new connection to loop the water system for “redundancy purposes.” The estimated cost of the CIPs for the current year is $8.76 million. For 2028, there were seven CIPs recommended based on growth, totaling $26.72 million. The 2033 and 2043 timelines proposed four projects each, for a cost of $11.39 million and $27.73 million, respectively. The total project list cost is expected to be approximately $74.2 million. Recognizing that there is a lot of concern in the community about water supply, council member Matt Smith said, “For the folks at home and in the audience, as you hear us talk about this, know that we are being intentional in what we are doing for the future … we are well positioned right now for future water demand.” Echoing Smith’s sentiments, Mayor Lee Urbanovsky took the opportunity to reassure community members of the city’s water position. “We have a diversified water supply and we have a plan that doesn’t meet our demand up to 2043, as of what we can see peering into the future,” Urbanovsky concluded. The proposed master plan was unanimously approved by council. Buda City Council will meet again on Tuesday, May 21.
Buda Residents: Apply Now for City Funding to Enhance Community Projects FY 2024-2025
The City of Buda is accepting applications for Human Services Funding for the fiscal year 2024-2025. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on June 3, 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted. Applicants should email their completed forms and any required documents to cityclerk@budatx.gov or deliver them to the City Clerk's office at 405 E. Loop Street, Building 100, Buda, TX.
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