Category: Lytle City Council Meetings

Lytle council approves 2024-2025 tax rate and budget

Agrees to join Medina water alliance

By Anton Riecher
By unanimous vote the Lytle City Council approved a $4.832 million budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 supported by a property tax rate of $.398363 per $100 valuation, an increase of 13.11 percent.
Mayor Ruben Gonzalez said the tax rate, set during the Sept. 23 regular meeting, remains one of the lowest of the three counties in which the city is located.
“I just want to remind everybody that when you put the numbers together we’re still about three cents lower than any community around here,” Gonzalez said.
City Administrator Zachary Meadows said that closest that any Medina County community comes to the Lytle tax rate is 43 cents per $100 valuation. The next closest in Atascosa, Medina or Bexar counties is still three to four cents higher than Lytle, he said.
The full tax roll for Lytle in all three counties totals $1,168,945, Meadows said.
No comment was heard from taxpayers during the separate public hearings conducted for the tax rate and the budget. The rate amounted to a one cent increase from last year.
The tax rate combines a debt service rate of $.071490 per $100 valuation and a maintenance and operation (M&O) rate of $.326873 per $100 valuation. The tax rate, budget, debt service and M&O rate were…

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Lytle council approves stormwater fee reprieve for school district

By Anton Riecher
Lytle ISD Superintendent Dustin Breithaupt addressed the Lytle city council during a public hearing on the city’s stormwater utility system Aug. 26.
A rate of $7 per equivalent residential unit in the proposed creation of a stormwater utility fund to better manage drainage issues was approved by the Lytle City Council earlier this year.
In Texas, cities are authorized to adopt local stormwater drainage utility systems to protect public health from flooding and health issues. Through the utility, communities organize maintenance activities and capital projects to better manage the situation.
Equivalent residential units or ERUs are a taxable unit representing the average square footage of impervious area for a residential property. Impervious area refers to surfaces that allow little or no stormwater infiltration into the ground such as asphalt, concrete, brick or stone.
City Administrator Zachary Meadows said that the school district noted that because their budget is already in place for the year meeting the new utility rate effective in October would be difficult.
“What the council did was…

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Lytle council backs floodplain study supporting subdivision proposal

By Anton Riecher
An engineering study to investigate floodplain issues with the site of a yet unnamed subdivision proposed for FM 2790 was approved by the Lytle City Council during its July 22 regular session.
City Administrator Zachary Meadows said the new subdivision would be adjacent to the east side of the planned Lytle Farms subdivision. The proposed project will consist of single family and duplexes dwellings with commercial development fronting FM 2790.
“We have been working with our attorneys on this particular subdivision before we bring anything to you,” Meadows told the council. “Unfortunately, this is kind of the first one that has hit that they need to get some answers on because there are some floodplain issues with the particular property in question.”
Meadows said the study will be in preparation for a public hearing on annexation of the property into the city. The study will be conducted by TRC Engineering with the developer responsible for reimbursing the $3,000 cost to the city.

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Lytle council approves two-year contract for city administrator Meadows

By Anton Riecher
The Lytle City Council voted unanimously to approve a two-year contract for City Administrator Zachary Meadows at a starting salary of $105,000 a year during the council’s July 8 regular session.
Mayor Ruben Gonzalez congratulated Meadows who started as city administrator in mid-December.
“We appreciate and look forward to working with you as a part of our leadership team,” he said.
Meadows previously served as interim city administrator of Spring Valley Village near Houston. Holding a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio, he previously worked as a management assistant to the city administrator in Dickenson, Texas.

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Long-standing Lytle zoning ordinance called into question

By Anton Riecher
A controversial mobile home park proposed in Lytle faces potential legal obstruction following a city council executive session May 30 to review an opinion by City Attorney Molly Solis that a 27-year-old zoning ordinance favoring the park may not be technically enforceable.
Other than to read the agenda item prior to the closed session, neither Mayor Ruben Gonzalez nor the five council members present made any public comment on the matter.
The agenda stated as follows:
“Consider and Possible Action Concerning Resolution Number #24-21, a Resolution of the City of Lytle, Texas, Recognizing Possible Procedural Defects in the Adoption of Ordinance No. 217 Amending Zoning of Real Property from R-1 Single Family Dwelling District Zoning to B-2 Secondary Business District Zoning and Resolving that as a Result of Concerns of its…

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Lytle to host townhall meeting to discuss establishing Drainage or Stormwater Utility and fees

The City of Lytle will be hosting a townhall style meeting soon to ask citizens their opinion on the establishment of a Drainage or Stormwater Utility, and if taxes or a fee should be used as the funding source.
It is a viable strategy for local governments to respond to the challenge of generating reliable revenue to support stormwater management activities. Setting up a drainage utility allows a community to establish a user fee based on the demands property owners place on the drainage system. Fees
The council voted to go to the public to ask their opinion on how to proceed at their April 22 council meeting.

Zoning amendment triggers continued friction over Lytle mobile home park

By Anton Riecher
By a vote of 4-1 the Lytle City Council approved an amendment to local zoning ordinances March 6 establishing a separate designation for mobile home parks previously classified as “secondary businesses” under municipal regulations.
Molly Solis, serving as city attorney during a special session of the council, stressed that the change would not affect the Harris MH Park project underway north of the Interstate 35 access road which is effectively grandfathered under state law.
“You can’t change the game in the middle of the game,” Solis said.
District 5 Alderman Charles Cate was alone is voting against the amendment.
“I do not believe we have provided proper notice to everybody involved in…

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Lytle council rejects proposed 25 mph speed limit in town

By Anton Riecher
The Lytle City Council voted Monday to reject a proposal to lower the speed limit throughout the city to 25 mph after mostly negative comments during a public hearing on the issue.
On a motion by District 4 Alderman Michael Rodriguez the council voted 4-0 to leave the speed at its present limit.
One response during the public hearing came…

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Lytle to purchase more Aquifer water as quickly as possible

By Anton Riecher
The Lytle City Council approved the purchase of 11-acre-feet of hard-to-acquire Edwards Aquifer Authority water rights for $107,000 during the council’s Oct. 10 meeting.
City Administrator Matthew Dear told the council that the city is always looking for additional water rights.
“I found these on the website for EAA,” Dear said. “The cost when I called the gentleman (Johnathon Blomstedt) is $9,500 an acre feet which is about what we are seeing in the market today.”
Dear said he immediately contacted the city attorney and was told

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