Hays County officials received a nod of approval Thursday from the State of Texas for trying to bring the county jail into compliance with state law. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards found the Hays County Jail kitchen to be deficient on four consecutive occasions last year.

The Hays County Commissioners Court voted unanimously last week to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Dahlstrom family as a precursor agreement to a 22-year lease for 360 acres of the family’s 2,253-acre ranch near Buda. County officials say the conservation easement will probably be finalized Feb. 4 or 5.

Hays County’s governing body resumed course towards up to $74 million in capital improvements and bond sales after dropping anchor briefly last week to check for dark economic clouds on the horizon.

The Hays County Dispute Resolution Center (DRC), approved last summer by the Hays County Commissioners Court, will officially open the doors to its offices on Feb. 9.

New figures from the Texas State Data Center released this week show that Hays County has topped 150,000 residents after starting the young century with fewer than 100,000.