The Official Boerne Together Blog

Multi-million Dollar Parking Problem

2008-10-28T17:12:00.004-05:00

In today’s Boerne Star regarding the shortage of parking spaces already creating problems at the brand new, multi-million dollar high school:“Kelly acknowledged that BISD officials were surprised by the parking problems that have plagued Champion High School since opening day because the new school has 79 more parking spaces than Boerne High School did last year and the number of students is

Water, Water Everywhere?

2008-10-21T21:11:00.004-05:00

We have been told Kendall County is in the middle of the worst drought in many years. Well levels are at historic lows, Boerne Lake is rapidly becoming a mud puddle and Canyon Lake (the source of GBRA water) is at a historically depleted level.Yet last week the City Council voted reduced watering restrictions, and the Cow Creek Groundwater District Board voted to disregard its own rules and

ANOTHER BREAK FOR DEVELOPERS TO THE DETRIMENT OF KENDALL COUNTY TAXPAYERS

2008-10-15T21:38:00.005-05:00

By now, Kendall County residents have received their new property tax assessments and bills from the Kendall Appraisal District. There is something all taxpayers should be aware of: Kendall County assessment rolls have literally hundreds of lots owned by developers assessed at a fraction of their true market value . Gary Eldridge (the chief appraiser) has stated the Texas Legislature allows him

How Much Groundwater Do We Have?

2008-10-12T11:39:00.005-05:00

The Tapatio Springs Golf Resort's request for 412.21 acre-feet is 134,319,040.71 gallons.134 million gallons seems like a lot of water.Does anyone know the current capacity of the Cow Creek, its current consumption rate, its recharge source, or its recharge rate?How have the recent few years of relative drought impacted historical rates?Sandy Fitzpatrick

Get involved in Kendall County's Budget process

2008-07-05T10:23:00.004-05:00

Normally Kendall County has three, sometimes four rounds of workshops in the annual budget approval process. At these workshops each department's budget request is discussed.It is up to the Judge and Commissioners as to how many rounds there will be. But, that is determined when they reach that point. There will be a 3rd round the week of July 14th. (It will be posted on the web with the date and

A Day Late

2008-04-07T08:50:00.001-05:00

If you’ve heard a scurrying sound lately, you aren’t the only one. There’s a political scrambling to run for cover after the ‘democratic’ fiasco orchestrated by some of our City leaders. It brings to mind that old saying about being ‘a day late and a dollar short.’Most Water Control Districts such as Esperanza go through an Ordinance process. Instead, the City did it through resolution, which

How Safe is YOUR Neighborhood?

2008-03-04T08:38:00.002-06:00

On February 12, the night of the historic vote on Esperanza, The City Council had a hearing at 7pm to listen to arguments both for and against the change in zoning use at 507 Frey Street, which is an R-1 residential neighborhood. The request was made by the Hill Country Christian Action Council, dba: The Hill Country Pregnancy Care Center . The Pregnancy Care Center is a

Power to the People

2008-02-29T11:55:00.005-06:00

The Initiative, Referendum and Recall.In political terminology, these tools enable citizens to bypass their government by creating new laws, nullifying existing laws, and removing elected officials. The first state to adopt these tools was South Dakota in 1898. Since then, 23 other states have included them in their constitutions, the most recent being Mississippi in 1992. Unfortunately, Texas is

Constituents What Constituents!

2008-02-14T11:45:00.006-06:00

In the February 12th City Council meeting, it was very clear that some Council members had absolutely no intention of listening to their constituents. Their minds were made up; they were simply going through the motions; ignoring any new facts or alternate analysis on the issue. The development agreement was going to be approved, no matter what anyone had to say … and that was that.Well ..... two

Dear Mayor and City Council

2008-02-10T19:21:00.000-06:00

Dear Mayor and City Council.This is an open letter with some observations following the WednesdayCouncil Meeting to discuss the Esperanza Development Agreement ("DA").1) I must say I felt a little sorry for some of the "Boerne Forward"supporter wearing the "Yesperanza" cards. I spoke with several whowere under the impression this is a vote "for" or "against" theEsperanza development. I sat next

Open Letter to the Boerne City Council

2008-02-06T11:10:00.000-06:00

It is my intent to try and lay out in a sequential way, the reasons why I believe this (Esperanza) agreement should be laid aside.To begin with, let me put this into context, as a taxpayer and citizen.Having advocated for, and participated in, the development of the new Master Plan, the proposal of a WCID within the ETJ raised red flags for residents. The Master Plan advises against one. Given

The End of Boerne as We Know It

2008-01-11T11:05:00.000-06:00

The End of Boerne as We Know It- a Report on Last Night's City Council Meeting. The influence of Marlin Atlantis of Dallas, the developer for Esperanza, was in full evidence last night. We've come to expect this from those who have been hired by MA, that's understandable. It is the City staff, who are tasked with looking out for the welfare and safety of it's residents, that were center stage

Getting Sued for Speaking Out!!

2007-12-26T19:05:00.000-06:00

The corporate technique of suing individuals into silence and submission has become so popular that it even carries its own cute nickname in legal circles. Such lawsuits are known in lawyer lingo as "SLAPP suits," an acronym for "strategic lawsuits against public participation." SLAPP suits achieve their objectives by forcing defendants to spend huge amounts of time and money defending themselves

Why is Wastewater Reuse Important to Kendall County?

2007-11-16T09:19:00.000-06:00

for a pdf copy of this article click on the following link:http://www.boernetogether.org/Wastewater_Reuse.pdf Water Conservation and Reuse, The Value of Wastewater Executive SummaryThe key to water conservation is reuse. Reusing water already paid for reduces overall cost. Reuse would aid in lowering peak demands and therefore would reduce the cost of providing a basic water supply.In Boerne it

Are we ready for growth?

2007-11-10T12:16:00.000-06:00

It seems that all discussion by elected local government officials regarding growth in Kendall County lead to one conclusion: “Growth is coming and nothing can stop it.” Special interest groups publicly vilify anyone for even questioning this foregone conclusion.It’s hard to believe this is what the majority of the citizens in Kendall County want. If they did they, wouldn’t be living here.

Is Limiting Growth Bad?

2007-11-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

Political cartoon used with permission of John Branch SA-Express News.One community in California has no regrets. See following article. Published in The New York Times October 9, 2005 BLESSED with a quaint downtown and some of the most impressive scenery on the Pacific coast, this town is largely unknown even in San Francisco, just 20 miles south. To keep that from changing, residents have a

Hold the EDC Accountable!

2007-10-30T09:23:00.000-05:00

Letter to Commisioner LuxIn being allowed only a brief time to address the Court’s October 22, 2007 session regarding agenda items 34 and 35, I was unable to discuss all of the relevant matters pertaining to the Kendall County Economic Corporation (EDC). Thus, I am submitting this letter which includes all of the issues for your review and consideration.This discussion is about responsibility and

County Treasurers Being Stripped

2007-10-24T13:20:00.000-05:00

A pattern seems to be developing in several counties in the area whereby the Cof a portion of their authority.(Express News article entitled “Guadalupe trims treasurer’s duties”, dated, 10/17/07.)Over a year or two ago, Kerr County did the same thing. Last year, Kendall County did the same thing, and now Guadalupe County. The manner in which the changes were accomplished was also similar: the

A Bit of History - Water

2007-10-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

In Remembrance of Garland Perry"Land and Water" by Garland Perry, 1982“In 1835 the Texas Hill Country was said to have been one of the most beautiful natural areas on earth. It had tall grass, beautiful trees, and fresh, clear running water throughout the area. What the early settlers were unaware of was that immediately beneath that rich, lush, organic topsoil-saturated with moisture – was

The Kendall County EDC-Esperanza Connection

2007-10-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

The Kendall EDC paid Texas Perspective Inc. to do a study on Esperanza. Texas Perspective’s website says that it “is dedicated to helping its clients strengthen their cases to achieve particular goals.” The Esperanza report they produced for the EDC states that: “much of the underlying data used in this analysis was provided by the developer Marlin Atlantis.” This report did not take into account

Tax Break For Businesses?

2007-10-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

According o the Boerne Star (October 9), the Boerne City Council and the County Commissioners are considering giving tax breaks to businesses.The Star reports: "The council will consider establishing tax abatements as an incentive for current and future commercial property owners to invest in the city. Council members are also set to meet in executive session “…regarding information that the city

Edwards Aquifer Authority Gets Tough

2007-10-03T09:22:00.000-05:00

On Monday October 1, representatives from the Edwards Aquifer Authority made a presentation regarding proposed new rules on Hazardous materials containment and control. Hazardous materials storage and disposal becomes a major issue in an urban community. The proposed EAA rules will affect a large portion of southern Kendall County. Several hundred businesses will be required to register and

Boerne Backward

2007-09-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

And now, for the real life version of the shell game!He (Grady Jolley) donated $3,850 to the group, which formed just before elections last May to support Heckler and Ron Warden who both won council seats, and a third candidate who lost.Heckler said he welcomes new voices in local debates, but distanced himself from Boerne Forward, saying, "I don't know who they are or what they represent."

Traffic on Main Street

2007-09-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

The congestion on Boerne's Main Street seems to be getting worse every day. What can be done to relieve this congestion?

Recent Kendall County Budget and Tax Increase

2007-09-09T13:10:00.000-05:00

On a unanimous vote, Kendall County Commissioners Court approved the 2007-2008 Budget requiring a property tax increase of 12.4%. This action increased property tax collections from 9.7 million dollars in 2006-7 to 10.9 million dollars in 2007-8. What do you think about the property tax increase and the County's budgeting process?