In January, the Kyle City Council approved an interlocal agreement between the city of Buda and Hays County to develop a joint-use animal shelter on a Kyle Vista Park site.
The council voted to no longer consider the site at a July 30 special meeting and will reevaluate the agreement and project costs to determine the future of a regional animal shelter in the city.
The overview
The council will not develop the animal shelter at Kyle Vista Park and is in the process of officially dedicating the site as parkland. At an Aug. 18 meeting, council members voted to use the land exclusively for park and recreation purposes on first reading. The council will take a final vote at a later date.
While the city will not consider the site for development, the council directed staff to evaluate the costs of continuing the regional partnership by building a shelter at another location.
Additionally, staff will evaluate the cost of ending the interlocal agreement and developing a standalone facility for the city.
Councilmembers voiced concerns surrounding the cost to develop and operate the facility and how the city may absorb costs if the city of Buda or Hays County decides to no longer pursue the joint project after development has begun.
“Since we were taking the lead on this, when we make a move that's going to affect other people, including the county and Buda, I would like to bring them to the table to have a discussion,” said city of Kyle Mayor Yvonne Flores-Cale.
The planned facility would have served the city of Buda and a designated part of Hays County. The exact capacity for each entity would be determined during the project’s design phase, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
“Partnering with the county and Buda is the best and most efficient way to go about providing that service, especially considering how many [animals] would be coming from outside of the city of Kyle,” said city of Kyle Councilmember Marc McKinney.
The council discussed the possibility of issuing a future certificate of obligation to fund an animal shelter project through issued debt, or calling for a general obligation bond, giving residents the opportunity to vote on the project.
City staff will return to the council at a future meeting with cost estimates for continuing the development of a regional animal shelter with Hays County and the city of Buda and for developing a facility to serve only the city of Kyle.
The background
Kyle, Buda and Hays County were previously serviced by the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter, or SMRAS, for animal service needs.
In August 2024, SMRAS announced it would end its regional partnerships to focus solely on San Marcos because of overcrowding and county growth, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Partnerships with SMRAS are set to expire on Sept. 30, said Minnie Buckhaults, SMRAS community engagement coordinator. The shelter will work to support the city of Kyle as it develops its own shelter.
“One of my concerns was the timeline and making sure that we were going to have enough time to talk to San Marcos and say, ‘This is our plan and it's solid,’ and they can trust us,” Flores-Cale said.
