Hays County could lose a seat on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), now that the regional planning board has agreed to include Bastrop and Caldwell Counties.
A county-appointed task force charged with locating a parcel for a shooting sports complex has put forth an open records request to learn of the parcels under consideration for wildlife conservation habitat. The shooting sports task force hopes to co-locate a facility with habitat conservation land, saying no other funds are available for purchasing land.
Two Hays County citizens committees — the Parks and Open Space Advisory Board (POSAB) and the Shooting Sports Task Force (SSTF) — are at odds about how the county should spend the remaining $8.4 million out of $30 million in parks and open space money approved by voters in May 2007.
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.
Amidst news of a projected tax increase next fiscal year and fears of a decline in county-wide property appraisals, Hays County Commissioners talked this week about slowing their dash towards massive capital improvement expenditures planned for the near future. As commissioners wait on more precise revenue projections for the coming year, projects on the drawing board could wait in limbo, including a $73 million government center, a $50-60 million jail, $48 million in road work and $10 million in parks and open space allocations.
Soon after Hays County Precinct Commissioner Jeff Barton filed to run against incumbent Hays County Judge Liz Sumter in the March Democratic primary, Sumter came out with guns blazing. And Barton fired back.
Local political junkies will be occupied by a number of contests in the March 2 primaries after the filing deadline passed Monday to determine who will run. Democrats will consider four countywide races, while Republicans will vote on two. The Democratic primary will include the much anticipated face-off for Hays County Judge between incumbent Liz Sumter (D-Wimberley) and Precinct 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton (D-Kyle), who filed Monday. However, Hays County District Attorney Sherri Tibbe (D-Buda) can already declare re-election after no opposition filed.
Four-term State Representative Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) has drawn an opponent in the March primary. Andrew Backus of Driftwood, a long-time Rose opponent in matters of local groundwater management, filed his intention to run with the Texas Secretary of State on Dec. 15.
About 1,400 acres of land adjacent to the San Marcos Baptist Academy is among the 15 parcels being assessed by Hays County for suitability as a publicly-owned endangered bird habitat and shooting range, according to three insiders.
While it remains to be seen if the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) and Hays County legislators can iron out their differences, a process began last week with a plan to bring together stakeholders selected by State Representative Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio).
