A city ordinance further restricting where registered sex offenders may reside or be present in the city of Bee Cave may soon be passed by City Council, following discussions held at July 29 and Aug. 12 council meetings.
The overview
If passed, the ordinance could extend limits placed by the state of Texas on how close the residences of registered sex offenders may be to “child safety zones,” Bee Cave City Attorney Ryan Henry said. The ordinance may also specify that sex offenders may not be physically present within a certain radius of any child safety zone, regardless of where they take residence in the city.
“Child safety zone” denotes an area in which children may typically be found, like schools, libraries and parks.
Currently, Texas law states that sex offenders may not establish a residency within 1,000 feet of child safety zones, Henry said. Bee Cave officials have suggested increasing this threshold.
“We feel very confident that we can defend [passing an ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within] 1,000 feet from a child safety zone,” Mayor Kara King said. “I’d like to see us go up to 2,000.”
Additionally, Mayor King requested that the ordinance specify sex offenders are prohibited from participating in Halloween activities around the city.
Some context
Discussions were held following concerns about residency regulations for sex offenders in the city being shared with Henry’s office by local residents.
The city currently does not have a residency regulation that applies to registered sex offenders, Henry said, which prompted the ordinance proposal to be brought forward.
What else?
Sex offenders are already required to register with the Bee Cave Police Department when moving into the city, Bee Cave Police Chief Brian Jones said.
If residency regulations are changed, the police department will adhere to updated rules when new residents register, Jones said.
What’s next?
Further discussion of the proposed ordinance will take place at council’s Aug. 26 meeting, Mayor King said.
“We want [the ordinance] to be strong enough to protect, careful enough to be fair, and smart enough to avoid unintended harm,” Council Member Blake Sbrocco said.
Although the ordinance was not ready to be passed at council’s Aug. 12 meeting, a draft ordinance will now be prepared, Henry said.
“It’s one of those things where you would love to just pass it as-is and approve it right then and there, but we want to make sure that we take our time with this and I’m grateful that we have so far,” Sbrocco said.
