Major votes and actions have been taken by local governments in the Hays County area, from major funding allocations to a community organization suing Guadalupe County.
Check out four education stories from San Marcos, Hays County, Kyle and Guadalupe County.
1. San Marcos council allocates over $770K housing grant
The San Marcos City Council approved allocations of over $770,000 in Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, funding to multiple local groups with public service programs and projects.
Selected organizations offer programs that benefit citizens with low and moderate incomes or aim to “eliminate slums or blight,” according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The overview
From a requested total of $1.54 million, the city had $774,306 to allocate, according to agenda documents.
For a program or project to be eligible for CDBG funds, it must meet specific requirements outlined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A city staff committee reviewed and scored grant applications on the following criteria:
- Need and justification
- Implementation readiness
- Impact and cost effectiveness
- Community support
- City Council priorities
- Risk factors
Read more from Reporter Michael Milliorn.
2. Hays County to update decorum rules
Hays County staff will review and potentially update the Commissioners Court rules of decorum. Staff will additionally review the court’s legal authority to allow the reading of written comments from community members during meetings.
What happened
Commissioners directed staff to review the court’s rules of decorum and consider an update to better clarify what language and comments are allowed during public meetings. The decorum rules were last updated in 1998.
The direction came after a June 23 incident where former Hays County Democratic Party Chair Jon Leonard was physically removed from a meeting after interrupting a public comment.
“Our guiding principle must be the Constitution,” said Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra. “Don't overreach [to] where you're trying to put your hand over someone's mouth. Just provide a freshened-up suggestion and [confirm] our legal ability to allow written comments.”
Read the full story by Reporter Michael Milliorn.
3. Kyle to explore funding opportunities for city boards
The city of Kyle is exploring the establishment of independent nonprofit foundations to support projects through private donations, grants, sponsorships and other opportunities.
During a regular meeting Aug. 5, City Council directed the Arts & Cultural Board, Library Board, Parks and Recreation Board and Train Depot Board to look into establishing independent foundations.
The big picture
The purpose of the item is to explore new ways the city can partner with the community to raise private donations, as the programs compete with essential city services for limited taxpayer dollars, according to agenda documents.
Kyle Mayor Yvonne Flores-Cale said she placed the item on the agenda due to the city's current financial constraints.
Read more from Editor Sierra Martin.
4. Guadalupe County sued over data center agreements
On July 20, the Data Center Action Coalition and local residents filed a lawsuit against the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court to stop the development of the Cloudburst and Palomino Alpha data centers.
The gist
The Commissioners Court approved a $500 million property tax abatement and development agreement with CloudBurst Texas in April for the construction of an over 700-acre data center, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The lawsuit claims the commissioners approved agreements for the projects while violating the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Tax Code and state conflicts-of-interest laws.
A closer look
The coalition claims County Judge Kyle Kutscher and his family own 186 acres of land being sold to Palomino Alpha. Kutscher recused himself from votes on the project’s tax abatement and development agreement. Due to the pending litigation, Kutscher was unable to provide a comment regarding the lawsuit.
Read more from Reporter Michael Milliorn.
