Comal County Engineer Tom Hornseth was presented with the County Engineer/Road Administrator of the Year Award by the Texas Association of County Engineers and Road Administrators at the April 19 Commissioners Court meeting. Hornseth was nominated by Comal County Judge Sherman Krause on behalf of the county. "Mr. Hornseth became Comal County engineer in 1992 and has done a remarkable job of leading our county through his use of technology/innovation, his involvement in large construction projects, his implementation of new programs, and his expert leadership," Krause said in his nomination letter. The letter goes on to commend Hornseth for his work on large construction projects, expert leadership and development of new programs, specifically mentioning the Comal County Engineer's Office website and the geographic information system online map viewer technology that makes all of the CCEO-issued permits available online. Some of the major projects carried out under Hornseth's direction over the years include:

  • 1998 - Faust Street Bridge rehabilitation
  • 1999 - Comal County jail expansion
  • 2003 - Construction of the justice of the peace Precinct 1 building and the Comal County Extension Office
  • 2008 - Justice of the peace Precinct 3 remodel
  • 2012 - Construction of a $23 million, 86-foot-tall, quarter-mile-long roller compacted concrete flood retarding dam
  • 2013 - The $8.6 million restoration of the Historic Comal County Courthouse is completed
  • 2016 - Construction of a new Justice of the peace Precinct 2 building
  • 2018 - Oversight of a $76 million project to build a new jail and renovate the Comal County sheriff’s office
Additionally, Hornseth has developed programs for the county, such as the Regional Habitat Conservation Plan and the Comal County Recycling Program, that have helped to manage environmental effects in the area. He has also helped to implement a major thoroughfare plan, more efficient subdivision regulations, right of way permits, simplified enforcement procedures for environmental and flood plain regulations, regional flood studies and real-time data acquisition for low-water crossings. Hornseth is also credited with the adoption of an order creating the Camp Bullis Dark Skies Zone that serves as a training facility for the U.S. military to function at night, under fire. "It is obviously an honor to be recognized by your peers and the Texas Association of County Engineers and Road Administrators," Hornseth said. "Also, it was nice to receive such nice recommendation and nomination comments from our Commissioners Court to that agency, which was read during the presentation."