City & County Politics – Page 23

Neighbors speak up about water concerns, traffic problems with new county subdivisions including 2,800 acre development

Sky View subdivision representative Dan Mullins, left, confronts neighboring property owners Joe Finger, center, and Frederick Gierisch, during a public hearing at the Jan. 12 Medina County Commissioners Court meeting. Finger and Gierisch expressed their concerns about the impact the new development would have on water resources and traffic.

By Anton Riecher
Water, traffic and security were the principal concerns cited by property owners during public hearings before the Medina County Commissioners Court regarding pending action on several new subdivisions.
Precinct 3 landowner Frederick Gierisch said that he has seen rapid depletion of his water resources in recent years. Now developers of the Sky View Ranch subdivision off FM 1796 are petitioning the court for preliminary approval of the project.
“My water well, in five years, has gone down 50 feet and I’m right across the fence from their development,” Gierisch said.
Beside the hearing on the Sky View Ranch development, commissioners also heard from landowners on creation of the Megan’s Landing Public Improvement District and revisions to Private Road 1505 in the Holiday Villages of Medina subdivision.
Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch presided over the Jan. 12 meeting in Lutz’s absence. New County Judge Keith Lutz and Precinct 4 Commissioner Daniel Lawler were not present as they were attending the Texas Association of Counties conference in Austin.
Beside the impact on water resources, Gierisch told commissioners that Sky View Ranch is a 2,800-acre development involving 220 lots. Figuring three members to each new household the new development represent added pressure on local roadways.
“It might add as many as 600 more people to an FM road that can’t handle the traffic that it has now,” he said.
Landowner Joe Finger of D’Hanis mirrored Gierisch’s complaints in his comments.
“I can’t drill another well,” he said. “My well is at the bottom of the table. If my well dries, and it has dropped an average of about 10 feet every year, everybody in my area will be as out of luck as I am.”
Like Gierisch, Finger said increased traffic on FM 1796 represents a growing menace.
“You’re going to get somebody killed by putting that many people on that road when it is not meant to handle the traffic,” Finger said.
Dan Mullins, representing the developer, said steps have already been taken to address the concerns raised by Gierisch and Finger. Regarding water, landscaping is being restricted to only 5,000-square-feet of irrigation.
“So on a 10-acre tract nobody is going to come out and sod the whole thing,” Mullins said.
Regardless of Mullins’s reassurance, commissioners voted to approve a motion by Lynch giving preliminary approval for the subdivision only if it receives the okay of county consultant Alan Stanton of Westwood Engineering on the water use impact.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre asked Mullins to consider reconfiguring the arrangement of lots to reduce the number of homes bordering FM 1796.
“This is, to me, a safety hazard to have 24 lots come out on that state highway,” Sittre said. “That is not good.”
The public hearing for the Megan’s Landing Improvement District received a ringing endorsement from Sittre who praised the inclusion of what he described as one of the largest systems to recycle irrigation water in Texas.
“We’re in the worst water crisis and this will save probably 60 percent of the water,” Sittre said. “Sixty percent of the water that goes to homes goes on the yard. This is going to be 100 percent recycled water on the majority of yards.”
During the public hearing on the Holiday Villages of Medina development a representative for Texas Holiday Villages asked that commissioners schedule final plat approval for their next meeting.
“We expect today you are going to hear some complaints about the private roads, their construction,” the representative said. “I just want to make sure that the court notes that those roads have been inspected both by independent third parties and the county and passed that inspection.”
Texas Holiday Villages has entered into an agreement with the local homeowners association to guarantee the road for the next 10 years, he said.
But property owner Paul Wade said the developer’s decision to reduce the minimum lot size from one acre to a quarter acre is bound to impact the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Also, the security of the gated community has been compromised by unrestricted access from Castroville Road.
“They paint a pretty picture of what they will do for you as long as it doesn’t cost them,” Wade said.
The Texas Holiday Villages representative said access from Castroville Road was only temporary to allow in construction equipment and has since been closed. Tom Crawford of the homeowners association said plans are in the works for a more substantial fence to block that entrance.
In other business, a report from County Auditor Eduardo Lopez put the available county funds at $20 million compared to $18.1 million at the same time last year. The commissioners approved $2.1 million in accounts payable with $19,599 in funds disbursed since the last court session.
Commissioners approved a request by Darcy Hasty, director of Medina County Pre-Trial Services, to permit her office to adopt the use of a smaller, more sophisticated breathalyzer testing device used to check the status of offenders while on the job.
Chief Deputy Gilbert Rodriguez sought approval for the sheriff’s office to comply with a request by the state attorney general to assign an investigator to the issue of Internet child abuse. The state pledged to reimburse the county for the computer equipment needed.
Commissioners asked for further information on payment of an architect in regard to redoing the parking lot of the courthouse annex completed in 2020. Lynch explained that the architect was needed to make the county’s case that the parking lot be redone.
Sittre said he was opposed to any effort by the contractor to cover the parking lot project from contingency funds.
“They screwed up our parking lot and they want to take it out of our money to fix it – no,” he said.
The commissioners voted to authorize advertising for a public hearing on reducing the speed limit for CR 640 in precinct 3. Meanwhile, Precinct 1 Commissioner Timothy Neuman said he wants the cost of advertising about applications to replat to be borne by the property owners in the future.
“My precinct has paid nearly $3,000 to advertise for this,” he said.
The commissioners’ tabled action on Neuman’s proposal until further legal research can be conducted.

Chamber election of officers January 16

The Devine Chamber of Commerce will elect its officers on Monday, January16, 2023 for the year at the annual meeting of the members.
All offices are re-elected each year for a one year term.
Chamber members who would like to get more involved are invited to run for an office by emailing their intent and the office being sought to devinechamberofcommerce@gmail.com by Wednesday, January 11 to be placed on the ballot.
Current President Bonnie Manning encourages chamber members to come to the meeting and run for an office if they want to become more involved in helping the business community thrive in 2023 and our community.

Double executive sessions make for lengthy Devine council session

By ANTON RIECHER
The Devine City Council held two closed executive sessions during its regular meeting Dec. 13 – one to discuss a possible settlement regarding city efforts to condemn three Devine Municipal Airport hangars and another to review applications for city administrator.
No action was taken following either closed session.
In November the council voted to condemn hangars 8, 8A and 10 by means of eminent domain. The formal motion refers to acquisition for “the Public Use of Designing, Developing, Constructing, Enlarging, Extending and Improving the Devine Municipal Airport.”
More than 27,715 square feet of hangar space is involved in the action.
The council also voted in November to advertise in professional publications for a new city administrator. City Administrator John Vidaurri resigned effective October 22, 2021, leaving city secretary Dora Rodriguez to step into his vacated role on an interim basis.
The city is seeking candidates with five years’ experience as a city manager or administrator who also hold a bachelor’s degree and degrees in public administration, management or business.
In other action, the council asked city attorney Thomas P. Cate to draft an amendment to the city’s alcoholic beverage ordinance based on the discussion among the council members. The draft motion was made by District 4 council member Josh Ritchey and seconded by District 5 council member Debbie Randall.
Mayor Cory Thompson said the current ordinance restricts alcoholic beverages within a 300-foot radius of schools and church. However, downtown Devine is all but officially dry due to an overlap of these radiuses often surrounding churches that are no longer in use.
“I’m often getting requests from business owners who want to sell alcohol but are located within these zones,” Thompson said.
City staff has been unable to find any official reason why the council chose to enforce a standardized 300 foot radius for these locations back in 1976, he said. Whereas modern minutes record the council’s action in detail, older minutes tend to be brief and uninformative, Thompson said.
Today, the ordinance is often not enforced 100 percent, particularly during events such as the Fall Festival or October Fest. Thompson noted that the Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter is within 100 feet of school property.
“For the most part I would like to see the ordinance go away but there are certain points I’d like to keep,” he said.
In particular, the mayor wants to keep the official closing time at 1 a.m. He also wants to continue requiring application for city permits to serve alcohol.
An addition that Thompson proposed to the ordinance is no glass bottles on public property. Alcohol would be allowed but containers must not be obviously displayed.
“Places like Marble Falls or parks in Travis County alcohol cannot be visible,” Thompson said. “If the beer can is in a coozie no one has a problem. On the other hand, no one wants to see an open ice chest.”
Noting that the ordinance had previously been amended in 1981 and 1990, Thompson said it has always been an “ever evolving document.”
“We can always readdress this,” he said.
In other discussion about ordinances, the council tabled action on fence restrictions under consideration by the planning and zoning commissioners. In particular, Randall expressed concern about fences that obscure traffic by being too tall, too close to the corner or opaque.
Some board fencing makes it impossible to see the cars waiting at stop signs at certain intersections, Randall said. Ritchey said he would like to see any new ordinance focus on safety factory rather than the style of fencing.
“Lots of stuff in their now is not palatable to a lot of folks, including me,” he said.
The council also discussed new code requirements regarding the collection of solid waste. Randall said she was in favor of requiring homeowners to promptly collect their waste containers after trash has been collected.
She said an impromptu survey via Facebook that she conducted found that most people would support rules to get the containers out of the street and off the curb. However, some folks simply replied “just let people be,” she said.
Thompson said leaving the containers in the street often restricts the flow of traffic on narrow residential streets. Also, maneuvering around the containers can make exiting driveways more hazardous.
The council took no action but asked Cate to draft changes for a future vote.
Misty Thompson of Thompson Houston Real Estate addressed the council about obtaining an extension on master plan approval at the 13.71-acre Cactus Flats subdivision. The council granted a three-year extension.
“We were not aware there was a time limit,” Thompson said. “Approval was only good for three years.”
To date only four houses have been built in the subdivision.
Also regarding subdivision development, the council approved a $103,693 road construction project for Shaver Street between West Davis Avenue and Kempf Street. The council voted 4-0 to approve based on a motion by Ritchey.
The council voted to make a correction in an earlier proclamation in honor of National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17. Among the 3,702 participating locations across the country Devine was represented by the Devine Current Events Club, not the Devine Garden Club.
Business woman Brittany Sullivan-Ott offered the city council a deal during its regular meeting, offering to pay to repaint two sadly faded “Welcome to Devine” signs.
“It’s very faded in my opinion,” she said. “I’m tired of driving by it.”
Repainting the signs will cost $1,500 apiece, she said. Her only stipulation was to add the logo of her two businesses – C&R Grill and Alamo Truck Accessories – to the refurbished signs.
Other than that, Sullivan-Ott asked only for help installing the replacement signs. Both signs are located on Devine ISD property.
The motion by District 4 council member Josh Ritchey, approved 4-0 by the council, puts a four year limit on the new signs. Once expired Sullivan-Ott can replace them again or turn the honor over to some new willing entrepreneur.

Drainage improvement may dominate proposed May city bond issue election

At the podium, Ralph Montgomery of Monticello Circle addresses the Devine City Council about flooding issues plaguing his property. The council discussed this and other flooding problems during its Nov. 13 meeting.

By Anton Riecher
Flooding received the most attention during the Nov. 15 session of the Devine City Council with speculation about adding $4.8 million in drainage improvements to a possible bond issue election in May 2023.
Ralph D. Montgomery, owner of two houses at 406 Monticello Drive, addressed the council about “tremendous runoff” from Fox Run and Libold Drive affecting his property.
“I bought the property four years ago and I’ve had this problem ever since I bought the place,” Montgomery said. “It only happens during heavy, hard rain.”
Video coverage of the council session is posted at the Devine News’ YouTube channel.
Over the year the problem has grown worse with water backed up into the alley behind his home “coming in the back door” during the last major rain, he said. He blamed the new flooding on construction near his home.
Dealing with the problem at Montgomery’s address and throughout a large portion of District 4 would require a system of box culverts to reroute water from north of Mockingbird Lane, Mayor Cory Thompson said.
Thompson noted that the city staff has been unable to locate building permits on record for the construction at Montgomery’s address.
“Was there nothing in the seller’s disclosure when you bought the property because this isn’t a new problem?” Thompson asked.
Montgomery said no. He also told the council he took offense that the original construction at the site was for a business and not a home.
“It’s all been approved by the city,” Montgomery said. “How did it get built if it wasn’t approved?”
Thompson said a much less expensive alternative of building a wall to divert the runoff had been rejected as ineffective because openings must be permitted for driveways.
Montgomery complained that the city had previously built a wall from the alleyway behind a nearby home to Monticello Circle as a means to divert the water. However, that wall has seen no maintenance and is now overgrown with grass and weeds.
Thompson asked city engineer Raul H. Garcia to develop “a more realistic plan” for handling the drainage issue. District 2 council member Angela Pichardo told Montgomery the city would have to find a solution best for “the overall population.”
“If we do fix your situation it would fix quite a bit” of the District 4 flooding issues, she said.
The council also addressed drainage in the 400 block of W. Park Avenue near the intersection with Washington Drive.
“To permanently fix the problem will require a street reconstruction project of the adjacent streets that contribute to this area,” Garcia said.
As with Monticello Drive, the issues on West Park may require bond issue funding on the May ballot, Thompson said. However, since the flooding is attributable to the contours of the property anything major that would divert natural drainage would require federal approval.
On motion by District 5 council member Debbie Randall, seconded by District 3 council member David Espinosa, the council voted 4-0 to direct Garcia to come up with price estimates. District 4 council member Josh Ritchey was absent from the meeting.
In other action, the council passed a motion to correct action taken in April to award a contract for a water transmission line to Qro Mex Construction Company for the base bid of $146,818, plus $100,000 for the additional work contained in an alternate bid.
While the original motion still stands it “should have been worded slightly differently,” Thompson said.
On action of Pichardo, seconded by Espinosa, the council approved the purchase of available property adjoining Curcio Park for future expansion. City Attorney Thomas P. Cate explained that delinquent taxes owed on the property to various entities totaled about $12,500.
Peggy Lester, a resident of Warhorse Drive, asked the council to consider moving a propane tank at the city water tower. She said she was concerned that the tank could pose an explosion risk if struck by lightning.
City staff reported that the tank was placed on site to fuel an emergency generator during the winter storm of February 2021. The tank is already scheduled to be moved.
The council voted to approve the installation of a street light at 509 Howell Ave. after owner Mary Uhl agreed to cover installation costs in the neighborhood of $180.
Also approved was action to lease a portable building near the golf course clubhouse to Devine Golf Group for storage at a cost of $200 a month on a yearly lease.
Council members approved plans for the Devine Women’s Golf Association and the Devine Golf Group to conduct a golf cart parade at 7 p.m. Dec. 16. No street closure was required for the parade.
The council approved rescheduling its Dec. 20 regular session meeting to Dec. 13.

Re-zoning in downtown Lytle proposed, storm water utility discussed, council asked to help fund “visitor’s center”

The Lytle City Council present a plaque to City Administrator Matthew Dear for 20 years of service as a police lieutenant and assistant fire marshal before taking the reins of city government. The council also voted to make Dear permanent city administrator, removing the word “interim” from his title in place since taking the job in May.

By ANTON RIECHER
Scheduling of public hearings on proposed zoning amendments restricting the use of recreational vehicles and modular buildings in downtown Lytle received a go-ahead from the city council during its regular session Monday.
Regarding modular buildings, the council voted in February 2020 to create a new zoning district along Main Street that restricted the placement of mobile homes to certain areas, City Administrator Matthew Dear explained. However, that ordinance did not include modular-type buildings.
Extending the ordinance to include that type of construction requires again notifying residents potentially affected and conducting a new set of public hearings on the issue, Dear said.
If re-zoned, any pre-existing modular structure would be classified as “non-comforming,” meaning it would be allowed to remain but could not be expanded or enlarged, city attorney Jessie Lopez explained. If replaced, the new structure would need to comply with the ordinance.
District 4 Alderman Michael Rodriguez asked that any new ordinance be exact in defining the difference between a modular structure and a pre-fabricated building that would be allowed. On a motion by Rodriguez, seconded by District 3 Alderman David Emery, the council approved allowing the legal work to move forward on the amendment.
District 1 Alderman Joseph Morrow was absent from the Nov. 14 meeting.
With respect to recreational vehicles, Dear explained that a 2019 amendment to the zoning ordinance prohibited the use of mobile homes in certain commercial areas along Main Street. But the amendment did not specifically prohibit the use of recreational vehicles in those same areas.
As with the modular building issue, a revision defining zones RVs can be used along Main Street would require notification of affected businesses and public hearings to discuss the proposed changes before the council could vote.
Again, on motion by Rodriguez, the council approved moving forward with the proposed changes.
The council also voted to proceed on developing an amendment to the Lytle zoning and subdivision codes to establish requirements for on-site parking and garage requirements. Dear said the action would be aimed at “bigger, masterplan communities.”
Subdivisions without requirements for garages and ample driveway parking for at least several vehicles tend to develop problems with parking that blocks sidewalks and forces pedestrians into the street, several council members remarked.
“Do we want to paint the picture of what we want our community to look like or do we just want them to come in and build whatever they think we need,” Dear said.
In other action, the council voted to approve updating the city’s building regulations to adopt the latest editions of various national and international codes governing electrical, plumbing and construction work.
The code update comes several months after the council voted to update the local fire code to agree with the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code, Dear said. The city had previously been using the 2006 edition of the code.
“The building code and all the other codes we use for construction here in the city were based on the 2008 editions,” Dear said. “That’s pretty outdated so we needed to bring that up to the 2021 model.”
In certain ways, the updated codes are more lenient than the codes that had been in place, Dear said.
“I can tell as to the fire code what I saw in certain things allowed in the 2021 code weren’t allowed in the old 2006 version,” Dear said. Improvements in technology allowed the changes, he said.
The old codes adversely affected the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating which determines the cost of fire insurance for local homes and businesses, Dear said.
“Once we get these (updates) adopted we can contact ISO and they will bring our rate down,” he said.
On a motion by Emery, seconded by District 2 Alderman Sam Cortez, the council approved adopting the updated standards.
On a motion by Rodriguez, seconded by Emery, the council voted to award a $34,900 administrative services agreement with the grant management firm GrantWorks to obtain a Texas Community Development Block Grant.
The grant would be used for flood mitigation and drainage planning, Dear said.
The council also voted to authorize Dear to negotiate an engineering services agreement with San Antonio-based Kimley Horn for development of a drainage master plan for the Lake Shore Estates Subdivision.
Some council members questioned if it would be better to include the Lake Shore drainage plan under the overall city drainage plan under discussion.
“I do believe that if we fix drainage issues in Lake Shore it’s going to cause issues downstream,” Dear said.
However, Emery urged immediate action on the Lake Shore issue rather than wait an additional two years or more to complete the overall city plan.
“They have been waiting and suffering for this for years,” Emery said.
Dear was also authorized to negotiate with Kimley Horn for engineering services to establish a municipal storm water utility in Lytle. Added to the monthly utility bill of Lytle residents, the storm water utility is something common to most cities, Dear said.
“Once we get the utility established by ordinance everyone gets to pay into it monthly,” he said. “It’s an assessment on your property. Then we can use those funds to mitigate storm water and do drainage in the city.”
The Lytle Chamber of Commerce asked for the city’s annual participation of $35,000 in a proposed visitor center to offer information about lesser known offerings and events within the community. The presentation by Dear said the center would “offer a feedback mechanism from the community and visitor to help improve appeal.”
Total cost for the visitor center is estimated at $72,669 annually. Cost of one employee to staff the center is estimated at $52,525.
Dear said the city staff is frequently too busy to assist visitors seeking out tourist information. Funding the center would be on a year-by-year basis just as the city’s participation in Little League.
“Our staff is already busy doing other things such as processing bills and taking care of customers,” Dear said.
On a motion by Emery, the council approved participating in the project using monies from the hotel occupancy tax.
After a brief executive session to discuss pending litigation and purchase of property the council voted to allow the city administrator to acquire property discussed in closed session.

Slight name change proposed for Medina County Appraisal District, board considers building new 4,000 sq ft office

Medina County Appraisal District board chairperson Tim Hardt, left, addresses chief appraiser Johnette Dixon, right, during the board session Tuesday night in Hondo.

By Anton Riecher
Could a minor name change help make clearer the distinct role of the appraisal district as a governmental entity separate from Medina County? Such a change is under consideration by the district’s board of directors.
Chief Appraiser Johnette Dixon recommended the directors change the Medina County Appraisal District’s name to Medina Central Appraisal District.
“The longer we are in existence the more people think we are part of the county,” Dixon said.
Video coverage of the entire meeting can be found on the Devine News YouTube channel at youtu.be/MqjSg6L1o_w.
In Texas, appraisal districts are responsible for appraising property for tax purposes for the various taxing units such as cities and school districts within the appraisal district’s jurisdiction. An appraisal district is established in each county and has the same boundaries as the county’s boundaries.
The county and the appraisal district remain separate governmental entities. An appraisal district is a political subdivision of the state governed by a board of directors appointed by the governmental taxing entities in its jurisdiction.
Historically, appraisal districts have had a hard time making that distinction clear to the public, Dixon said.
“Our (district) is probably the worst because we are housed right in the same building with the (county) tax office,” she said. “A lot of people think the tax office is the appraisal district and the appraisal district is the tax office.”
Since being formed in 1979 to standardize the administration of local property taxes, many appraisal districts sought to distinguish themselves from the county government by either dropping the word “county” from their names or adopting the word “central” as a substitute for “county,” Dixon said.
“When I first started working here that was what was on the door,” Dixon said. “It said ‘central appraisal office.’”
Board chairperson Tim Hardt said the same proposal was discussed by the board several years ago. However, that discussion never went forward.
He said he had no objection but wanted a legal opinion on the extent that a formal name change might impact district operations.
“If this were a legal corporation we would be changing all our corporate documents, our IRS number and a lot of things involved with the name,” Hardt said.
No formal motion was made on the proposed change in name.
Also concerning the appraisal district’s future, Dixon reported on her discussion with the city staff in Hondo about acquiring property to build a proposed 4,000-square-foot headquarters building for the appraisal district.
“It’s an item we’ve talked about for two years now,” Hardt said.
Dixon said she had been in touch with Hondo City Manager, Scott Albert, about city owned property zoned for governmental use available near the Southwest Texas Junior College. However, four acres is far more property that the appraisal district needs.
The district had hoped to find property along Castro Street, she said. But that area is zoned industrial and is not available.
Hardt said the district is proposing a metal building on a concrete slab with a brick veneer on the front. It would be built to suit what the district needs rather than “buy something that doesn’t fit,” he said.
What is available to rent is either “too big, too small or too expensive,” Hardt said.
“We don’t need a Taj Mahal like a bank building or something,” he said. “The research we did approximately two years ago (showed that) land cost in buying from the city of Hondo would be the least expensive commercial property we could find.”
Construction cost would be in the range of $100 a square foot for a total of about $450,000, Hardt said.
Nearly two years ago the district had entered into an agreement with the county to purchase the former Hondo office used by the 38th Judicial District of Texas district attorney. However, lengthy litigation over the ownership of the property led the district to reconsider and reject the purchase.
Plans call for the county tax collector’s office, presently housed in the county-owned building shared with the appraisal district, to move to one of two bank buildings in Hondo recently purchased by the county. Dixon said one possibility is to wait the two years until the tax collector moves and then acquire the building from the county.
Hardt restated his proposal to build a new center for appraisal district operations.
“The concept has always been it would be nice to control our own destiny, own our own building and not be tenants,” he said.
He asked the district staff to obtain one to three preliminary proposals from contractors on the costs involved in the estimated 4,000 square foot project.
In other action, the board approved a 10-year contract with Eagleview Pictometry, an aerial imaging company specializing in accurate property measurement data. The annual cost of the contract is roughly $75,000, Dixon told the board.
The company conducts an extensive aerial photography flight every other year. Then, using computer software, the appraisal district is able to determine changes affecting property value, Dixon said.
“We are able to use that to flag properties that we don’t have on the tax roll,” she said. “Because (sometimes) we can’t get on the big ranches. There is a program called Change Finder that compares the two flights … and will tag the account to have an inspection done.”
The previous Eagleview Pictometry contract covered only three years. The 10-year contract locks the company into current prices regardless of future inflation, Dixon said.
Another bi-annual contract agreement decided by the board involved the depository bid for a local bank. Despite soliciting bids from eight banks in Castroville, Devine and Hondo only Castroville State Bank sent a complete formal bid for the district’s account, Dixon said.
Hardt, who sits on the board of directors for the bank, said he would not take a position on the bid other than to chair the meeting. However, the board did reject an incomplete bid from another bank that only submitted a copy of their fee schedule.
“Since they didn’t follow the form that you all would expect them to do it’s made it a little more difficult to compare,” Hardt said.
The district currently holds a certificate of deposit for $260,000, a money market account for approximately $80,000 and funds of more than $300,000 to cover its operating budget, Dixon said.
In a financial report to the board, Dixon reported that all 24 taxing entities within Medina County have paid their portion toward the district’s operations.
“Everything is just sort of finishing up for the year,” Dixon said. “The appraisal review board went over which we knew because we had so many hearings this year. It think that’s the only thing that went over. Everything else is still under budget.”
The appraisal district conducted more than 800 appraisal review hearings this year, she said. Of the 4,600 tax appraisal protests scheduled, only about 40 percent actually appeared for the scheduled hearing, she said.
“That seems to be the state norm,” Dixon said.
As for the results for those who followed through Dixon said appraisal review board did not seem to favor either the district or the property owners unfairly.
“Most of them, if they had any evidence to show the board was sympathetic,” Dixon said. “A lot of them had repairs to be made that we didn’t see.”
Those present were Tim Hardy, chairman; Jody Jacobs, vice chairman; Cindy Segovia, member and Clay Bell, member. Absent were Mamie Navarro, secretary, and Melissa Lutz, tax assessor-collector.
The next appraisal board meeting is 6 p.m. Jan. 10 at the district office in Hondo.

Vote…City of Natalia and Natalia ISD elections early voting continues
City has three, School has two positions up

Voting in both the Natalia ISD and City of Natalia elections will be hosted on the same ballots as the General Election ballot where the county and state races are listed. So voting can be done at any polling location in Medina County.
City of Natalia
City of Natalia has five candidates on the ballot running for three positions: Selica Vera (incumbent), Sam Smith (incumbent), Mike Fernandez (incumbent), and challengers Lorie Crouch and Jolene Talamantez.
Vote for one, two or three on the ballot. These are three at large positions.
Natalia ISD
Natalia ISD has three candidates running for two at large positions this year. They are Danielle Alderete, Gordon Gentry, Sr. (incumbent) and Darin L. Frazier.
Vote for one or two.
Polling locations:
Combined Early Voting will start on Monday, October 24, 2022 and run through November 4, 2022 in Medina County.
You may vote at ANY polling location within Medina County during the election, both early voting and on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th.
The closest polls are in Devine for early voting at the Medina County Pct. 4 Annex Bldg, 317 Hwy 132 N., Devine across from Tractor Supply.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th from 7am-7pm, you can vote in Natalia at the Natalia First Baptist Church Youth Bldg at 300 Pearson St, Natalia, Texas or in Devine at Medina County Pct. 4 Annex Bldg, 317 Hwy 132 N., or at any polling location in Medina County in Hondo, Castroville, D’Hanis, and even in Mico.
See Medina County election story for further details on times and locations of the General Election which includes the Natalia elections.

Devine condemns 3 hangars for public use;
Unhappy with trash collector,
looking for new City Admin

By Anton Riecher
By a vote of 4-0, the Devine City Council has elected to notify Republic Services of its intention to withdraw from the city’s present agreement for trash collection, citing a lengthy track record of service complaints from the public.
“The citizens are not happy with what you are delivering,” said District 3 council member David Espinosa.
The action by the council came during an Oct. 25 council session at which Republic was negotiating for a new five-year agreement to replace its existing contract in place since the company acquiring previous city trash collector ACI Recycling and Disposal.
The motion by District 5 council member Debbie Randall, seconded by District 1 council member Rufino Vega, instructed city attorney Thomas P. Cate to submit a letter to Republic that it does not intend to renew the existing contract which expires in four years nor continue negotiating a replacement contract.
“I’m done,” Randall said.
However, Cate advised the council that the city remains bound to Republic for the length of the present contract. Part of the negotiations over a new agreement was the city’s request for a no-fault termination clause in case of further disagreements.
That clause was absent from the latest version submitted by Republic. The company’s manager for municipal sales, Donovan Rodriguez, told the council that any such agreement would not be to Republic’s advantage.”
“It’s already been expressed that you would get out of the agreement as soon as you could,” Rodriguez said.
Republic sought to make substantial changes in residential and commercial trash collection, such as requiring the use of separate trash carts on designated dates to pick-up yard waste. Bagged waste would no longer be allowed. Another area of negotiation involved use of temporary or permanent roll-off dumpsters for commercial trash collection.
Republic offered compromise on both areas. However, council members Espinosa and Randall remained unsatisfied, particularly with Republic’s version of a no-fault clause.
“I thought we were talking more of a complete no-fault clause, possibly with a 90- or 120-day window to give everybody notice,” Randall said.
Using calculations prepared by the city staff, Randall said the six-mouth clause proposed by Republic would cost the city a minimum of $410,000 in penalties. Both District 4 council member Josh Ritchey and Mayor Cory Thompson joined Randall in rejecting Republic’s proposal.
“Obviously, four hundred and some odd thousand dollars is an unreasonably high option,” Thompson said.
Rodriguez said that Republic, in vying for the replacement contract, had offered considerable concessions to the city just to gain a single year’s extension. He also said that Republic has not heard the complaints claimed by the council members.
“I’ve heard great things from the residents,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve delivered over 80 coloring books with the last few months to the kids that come by.”
However, he told Espinosa that he has prepared responses to the complaints that the council member cited.
“I can get those to you because they weren’t all accurate,” Rodriguez said.
Espinosa said that regarding the city’s relationship with Republic “the damage has been done.”
“It’s time to move forward,” he said. “I’m sorry to say that, but that’s just where I’m at with this thing.”
Randall said that while the service offered by Republic might see short term improvement nothing would prevent a return to what residents had previously experienced.
“Even if we went with the (new) contract, even if we thought this was the most marvelous contract, the company’s history doesn’t reflect that it’s going to get any better,” Randall said. “You don’t have a good track history with us. It might get better for a month, but it’s just going to go back to what it was (before) with six pages of complaints for one week.”
District 2 council member Angela Pichardo was absent from the meeting.
NEW INTERNET TOWER
By motion of Espinosa, seconded by Vega, the council approved a request from Sego Internet of La Coste to install a 100-foot Internet communications tower inside the city limits.
Rodney Hitzfelder, president of Sego, said his visit to the council was courtesy to the city to determine in advance any impediments to placement of the tower.
“Two years ago myself and some friends had bad Internet and we got tired of what we had,” he said. “We started our own company.”
Sago Internet and R Networks of D’Hanis have been designated by the Medina County Commissioners Court to receive $700,000 each from an initial $5 million grant for the county through the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress in 2021.
To date, Sego has erected seven towers and accommodates 130 Internet customers in Medina County towns and much of the rural area, Hitzfelder said.
For full video coverage of the council session visit the Devine New YouTube page at youtu.be/2gdzb53gZS0.
CHICKENS
In a 2-1 vote, the council approved the drafting of a potential ordinance governing the raising of chickens within the city limits. City ordinances presently permit the raising of as many as 50 chickens per acre of land, Mayor Thompson said.
The motion by Espinosa calls for a draft ordinance that would allow the city to make a decision on a case-by-case basis. Vega joined Espinosa in approving the motion. However, Randall said her constituency flatly rejected the idea.
“We know there are chickens in district five,” Randall said. “They don’t want the farm issue.”
Ritchey abstained from the vote since he made the original request for an amendment to chapter 14 of the animal ordinance regarding fowl with the intention of raising chickens on his own property. A presentation in favor of such an operation was made at Ritchey’s request by poultry farmer Steve Smith, who lives outside the city limits.
“We raise them different from what most folks understand from conventional poultry for eggs and meat,” Smith said.
His operation involves raising the chickens outdoors rather than “jammed into a small coop,” he said. The birds are moved regularly to benefit soil health and reduce any odor.
“These are meat birds specifically,” Smith said. “No roosters.”
Several others spoke in favor of the proposal. However, Devine resident Kathy Lawler said she would worry about poultry operators who were not as conscientious as Smith.
“What if we have 15 people who don’t take care of their chickens and they do smell and do make a mess?” Lawler said.
AIRPORT
Following a public hearing at which no audience members offered comment, the council voted to condemn hangars 8, 8A and 10 at the Devine Municipal Airport by means of eminent domain.
The formal motion adopted by the council refers to the action as an acquisition of property interest in the hangars for “the Public Use of Designing, Developing, Constructing, Enlarging, Extending and Improving the Devine Municipal Airport.”
More than 27,715 square feet of hangar space at the airport was involved in the action..
Before the vote a brief closed executive session was called to brief Ritchey who was unfamiliar with the situation behind the condemnation. City Attorney Thomas P. Cate told the council in open session that the action involved possible litigation.

GOLF COURSE
On a motion by Randall, the council voted to approve $6,593 for the Devine Golf Group LLC as the city’s share of repairs to the water well and pump system at the golf course.
Jay Dishman with the management group told the council that invoice for the well repairs were obtained in August. However, since then a fire broke out in an electrical box connected to one water well near the clubhouse and has had to be added to the repair estimate.
“We paid for them already so we are just looking for what we had in our contract about splitting some of those costs out there at the golf course,” Dishman said.
He also addressed the the general condition of the water system at the course.
“We have a situation right now where we have one of our water wells down on thirteen,” he said. “We are in the process where we have already had an estimate for (that) repair.”
However, the course will not be presenting the cost to the city until another two estimates are obtained, Dishman said.
“As far as the water well system we have out there they are outdated and inefficient,” he said. “They use a lot of energy to (the point) where our jockey system that supplies the big pump (is down). To repair that we are looking at another $5,000 to $8,000.”
He warned against continuing to apply “band-aids” to these problems.
“This has been going on for a good while,” Dishman said. “The last management company that had it put $50,000 into it in two years.”
In other golf course news, the council tabled a proposal to leave a portable building east of the clubhouse in place to serve as office and storage space for the golf course restaurant. The measure was tabled until prices for the project could be obtained.
REAL ESTATE
On a motion by Ritchey, seconded by Randall, the council voted to sell by public auction a lot in the Bain addition. A minimum bid of $24,000 was set for the sale.
The council also approved a subdivision plat for extension to the AEP electrical substation in Devine.
Under zoning, the council approved a variance request submitted for a lot requirement of a minimum 9,000 square feet and a side setback request at 217 S. Bright. A variance was also approved for a five-foot setback requirement at 508 Mockingbird Lane.
The council also approved permission for the Garden Club to move forward with a layout for sprinklers to irrigate near the Four Corners intersection in downtown Devine. Council members also approved a decision to remove two large trees blocking the alley between Mockingbird and Hickory Highway.
CITY ADMINISTRATOR
On a motion by Randall, seconded by Ritchey, the council voted to advertise in professional publications for a new city administrator. The city is seeking candidates with five years’ experience as a city manager or administrator who also hold a bachelor’s degree and degrees in public administration, management or business.
Initially Randall and Ritchey disagreed about the amount of experience required with Ritchey wanting candidates from “outside the box” Thompson and Espinosa joined Randall in insisting on candidates with ample experience.
With a less experienced administrator, current interim administrator Dora Rodriguez “would have to stay on as a go-to person a lot longer than she hoped to,” Thompson said.

“In God We Trust” signs to go to all school districts countywide

Last Wednesday, October 12th, Mr. Bob Oberlender, a member of the Medina County GOP Executive Committee and Natalia resident, donated four posters displaying the National Motto, “In God We Trust” to Superintendent Harry Piles of the Natalia Independent School District. Each campus of the NAISD received a sign. This donation of the signs is encouraged by Texas Senate Bill 797, signed by the Governor last year, which directed schools to publicly display such donated signs. The National Motto display is to remind students of the founding of our nation and our dependence on divine guidance. Other schools in the county are also receiving such signs.

By Anton Riecher
Medina County Commissioners addressed a variety of topics at the Sept. 13th meeting, including hearing a couple speakers from the Democratic and Republican parties.
Medina County Democratic Party chair Sandy Young warned that those caught stealing or defacing campaign signs for gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke will face “creative punishments” if the vandalism continues, she told county commissioners.
Rather than pursue charges under criminal law as misdemeanor offense, Young said she intends to prosecute those guilty under civil law which permits greater input into what eventual punishment the court levies.
“If we have input into what the civil punishments will be I can assure you that we will be very creative,” Young said.
Having raised five children Young said she was very experienced in devising punishments that fit the crime.
Young reported that large four-by-six foot signs for the O’Rourke campaign have been stolen or vandalized on at least 10 different occasions recently. At one location on Highway 90 in mid Hondo the sign was up less than eight hours.
“That sign has been vandalized three times,” Young said. “They have painted over it and changed ‘Beto’ to ‘ghetto,’ which is racist.”
Other times the offenders have been brazen enough to simply steal the signs and then use the stakes driven to post signs for their own candidates, she said. In response, Young said that cameras have been placed to record any further vandalism.
“It is a misdemeanor if it is charged as a crime,” Young said. “They will get a ticket and a slap on the hand.”
“I also want to say that it’s funny that they are only doing it to the Beto signs, which tells me they are really nervous,” Young said.
She also said she was just as willing to deal harshly with any Democratic candidates linked to the destruction of campaign signs.
“It is unethical, it’s theft and it’s a crime no matter how you cut it,” Young said. “
Also addressing the court during the public comments portion of the agenda, Robert Oberlender of Natalia, liaison for the Medina County Republican Party to area schools, presented the commissioners with an early prototype of a sign to be provided by the GOP to local campuses.
“The county Republican party is providing signs to every school campus in the county with the national motto of ‘In God We Trust,’” Oberlender said. “If the school received a donation of those signs state law now says they should publicly display them.”
He said the prototype presented to the commissioners was one drafted during the process of developing a “legally approved sign” in compliance with what the state law allows.
Oberlender also told commissioners he wanted to thank them for providing additional school resource officers to protect area schools in the wake of the Uvalde school shootings in May.
“I’ve talked to a couple of the superintendents,” he said. “We’ve got big problems. But that’s for a later discussion.”
COUNTY FINANCES
In other action, the commissioners approved accounts payable totaling $574.164 as reported by County Treasurer Debbie Southwell. The commissioners also approved payment of utilities totaling $61,873.
“Everybody needs to keep the air conditioner at 85 degrees,” County Judge Chris Schuchart said.
Total combined funds ending in August was $29.3 million with total debt shown as $26.9 million, Southwell reports.
SUBDIVISIONS
The commissioners approved service plans and assessment plans presented for public improvement districts in Potranco Acres, Potranco Oaks, Potranco Ranch and Potranco Gardens. Jay Juarez of McCall, Parkhurst and Horton explained that the original agreements establishing the PID need to be updated annually.
A Public Improvement District is a special district created by a city or county under the authority of Chapter 372 of the Texas Local Code. The statute allows for a city or county to levy a special assessment against properties within the district to pay for improvements to the properties within the District.
Within seven days of the court’s approval of the update orders that include both the service plan and assessment plant is added to the real property record, Juarez said. The plans include the average home value, the number of new homes being built, the assessment rate, the net assessable value, the projected revenue and anticipated costs.
However, Van Johnson, president of the Potranco Ranch Homeowners Association, challenged the home values used to calculate the proposed assessments. The assessments he had studied had home values estimated at $420,000 when the actual value is closer to $700,000, he said.
“The home values make the whole plan they are delivering to you incorrect because the home values are a lot more,” Johnson said.
Schuchart asked Juarez to look into the accessments issue and report back to the commissioners. However, on motion of Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Timothy Neuman, the court voted unanimously to approve the assessments.
In other subdivision related action, the commissioners approved an extension of the preliminary plat approval for units 14B, 15B, 16B, 18A and 18B in Hunters Ranch and unit 1 in Potranco West Phase II.
Andrew Ortega of MTR Engineers reported that all the homes were presently under construction and scheduled to be finished in six months. On a motion by Neuman, seconded by Sittre, the extension was approved.
Ortega also asked for final approval on units four and six of the Potranco Oaks subdivision located in precinct two off FM 1957. The homes are the last two units of the subdivision and were completed several week earlier.
Commissioners also gave preliminary approval for the Double Five Acres subdivision located in precinct four off FM 2200. Gary Allen of Allen & Associates explained that the owner had purchased a 10-acre tract west of Devine wanting to subdivide it into two five acre tracts for sale.
On motion of Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Beck, seconded by Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, the subdivision approval was granted.
The commissioners also granted preliminary approval to subdivide a 4.6 acre tract of Encino Park Estates into three one-acre tracts and one 1.6 acre tract, all fronting on County Road 6723 in precinct 4.
COUNTY IT
Commissioners approved a quote for information technology services to migrate county records from its 26 servers to a secure government platform or “cloud” to improve efficiency. The most immediate impact on county operations will be improved email security.
The migration is expected to be completed next year, Schuchart said.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Only one local resident was heard from during public hearings on proposed speed limit reductions on CR 265 in precinct one and CR 443 in precincts one and three. The new speed limit on the affected portion of CR 265 is 40 miles per hour,
The new speed limit imposed on CR 443, also known as Cemetery Road, is 35 mph. Neither located previously has a posted speed limit.
Lynch noted that any county road without a specific posted speed limit automatically defaults to 60 mph.
Neuman reported that road work to expand Cemetery Road from 22 to 24 feet wide would resume next week, part of nearly five miles of paving that he expects to complete in the next few days. The county recently completed adding culverts along the Cemetery Road route.
The commissioners also approved the placement of stop signs on CR 381 at Hunters Ranch East in precinct two.
Sittre reported that with the help of his neighboring commissioners nearly 2.25 miles of new paving was completed in precinct two the previous day with plans for another two miles this week.
D’HANIS FLOOD PLAN
Commissioners Lynch told the court that a town hall meeting on Oct. 11 in D’Hanis to discuss a proposed flood mitigation project drew nearly 100 people.
“There was positive feedback from the landowners,” Lynch said.
Earlier this month, Medina County commissioners approved preparation of grant applications worth more than $7 million to finance both a county drainage plant and, in D’Hanis, a flood mitigation plan.
The D’Hanis meeting included a presentation by Westwood Professional Services, the company retained by the county to draft the application. There was also a tour of property that would be affected by the flood mitigation plan.
BUILDING DISPUTE
Schuchart informed the commissioners that Uvalde County district attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee has chosen to challenge the Fourth Court of Appeals decision in favor of Medina County and others regarding the former office of the 38th Judicial District attorney.
“We keep winning and she has now appealed it to the Supreme Court,” Schuchart said. “We hope that the Supreme Court denies writ which will mean it dies and we win.”
Medina County’s right to sell the building to the Medina County Appraisal District was challenged by Busbee, the district attorney now representing the 38th Judicial District after the state authorized Medina County to form its own district.
Despite the win in the Fourth Court of Appeals, the appraisal district opted to back out of the purchase after an 18 month delay.
Commissioners Beck asked Schuchart if Uvalde County was still “onboard” with the ownership challenge.
“Somebody is paying for it,” Schuchart said.
GO MEDINA
Schuchart told commissioners he has instructed that future meeting of the “Go Medina” development board be posted as workshop sessions for the court. The next meeting is 9 a.m., Oct. 25 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in La Coste.

Lytle discusses water woes, votes 3-1 to adopt tax rate

By Anton Riecher
The Lytle City Council voted 3-1 Monday to adopt a proposed 2022-2023 tax rate of $.3643 per $100 valuation to support a $16.7 million city budget for the same period.
Precinct 5 Alderman Charles Cate, a reservist currently deployed to an unspecified location, voted against the tax rate and budget via Internet connection during the meeting. Precinct 1 Alderman Joseph Morrow was absent.
Cate said he was concerned about using money from the recent sale of $8.5 million in certificates of obligation to cover approximately $700,000 in annual debt in the near term. That large of a boost in property taxes revenue in the next four or five years is unlikely, he said.
“My concern is future years,” Cate said. “Where is that increase going to come from?”
City Administrator Matthew Dear said that incremental increases in utility rates will bring them in line with what is paid in surrounding communities and would create some of that income.
However, Cate speculated that further investment in infrastructure would also be needed. The $8.5 million bond sale is largely going to water and sewer improvements.
“As we are aware, these aren’t the last projects the city is going to need,” Cate said.
The $.3643 tax rate is expected to produce a 10.6 percent increase in revenue due to higher property valuations. The rate for the current tax year is $.3905. The new rate proposal was approved on a motion by Precinct 3 Alderman David Emery seconded by Precinct 2 Alderman Sam Cortez.
A call for speakers at a public hearing on the proposed 2022-2023 city budget of $16.6 million drew no response from the audience for the council meeting. The meeting was closed after one minute.
Another public hearing on the budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 before final approval, Mayor Ruben Gonzalez said.
BOIL NOTICE
Lytle public works director James McGrath gave the council a detailed report on a water outage Sept. 18 that resulted in a notice to boil all drinking water through Sept. 20.
The initial problem that led to the breakdown was a contractor who broke a three-inch water line, he said. One day prior to the break, public works was called to the scene to locate several lines in the area.
“It was hard to locate,” McGrath said. “We located one line by about 5 p.m. and promised to locate the other first thing in the morning.”
Unfortunately, the contractor arrived at the work site before the public works department returned.
“He told his crew to lay one more joint of pipe and busted a three-inch,” McGrath said. “We lost water pressure.”
However, in the course of making the repair to the three-inch line, a 12-inch valve “broke loose” several miles upstream. Replacing it and another valve required draining the water system, so work was scheduled for late Sunday evening.
“We turned off the water at 10 o’clock,” McGrath said. “There was no water above ground in any of the overhead storage tanks. Anyway, you wouldn’t believe it but it took until 3 o’clock before the water stopped draining at the creek.”
The crew got the two 12-inch valves installed and repaired the broken three-inch line before daylight, he said. But rescinding the boil notice required the approval of the Texas Department of Environmental Quality.
“We couldn’t get an answer until about 10:30 a.m.,” McGrath said. “They told us where to take our samples. We got them into town about noon.”
It was 11 a.m. the next day, Sept. 20, before TDEQ gave permission to rescind the boil notice.
City officials were forced to post a notice requiring residents to boil their tap water. Water in the area was still safe to shower and clean with according to the issued release, but residents in Lytle could not use the water for consumption.
“To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes,” the release added. “The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.”
SIDEWALKS
On a motion by Emery, seconded by Cortez, the council approved a $440,000 advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to build more than 11,000 linear feet of sidewalk near local schools.
The project involves 1,600 linear feet of 6-foot-wide sidewalk on both sides of Prairie Street from Cottage Street to Laredo Street, including the front of the primary school. On Cottage Street, the project covers 2,650 linear feet of sidewalk on both sides of the roadway from FM2790 to Prairie Street.
On FM2790, 2,200 linear feet of 12-foot-wide shared path will be built on the west side of the roadway from Blume Drive to Lytle High School. Also included is 1,200 linear feet of six-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side of the roadway from Cottage to Laredo.
Seventy-five linear feet of sidewalk from the southeast corner of FM 2790 and Laredo to directly connect with Lytle Elementary is also included in the project. The project also covers assorted detectable warning surfaces, crosswalks and signage, city administrator Matthew Dear told the council.
“It’s going to give our kids someplace to walk safely on either side of that road (Cottage Street),” Dear said. “It’s quite scary already with kids walking in a bar ditch with the drainage and mud. Or you get up on the roadway and take a chance on getting hit.”
Cortez said he considered the project a necessity “especially right there when it rains pretty hard and gets flooded.”
The TxDOT Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program provides funding for a variety of alternative transportation projects. TxDOT’s Public Transportation Division administers TASA funding for population areas of 200,000 or less.
Funds for the project will come from the sale of $8.5 million in certificates of obligation approved by the council earlier this month, the majority of which will be used to finance water and sewer improvements.
BRUSH PICKUP
On a motion by Cortez, seconded by Emery, the council approved an annual contract for municipal brush pickup. Hector Barrera & Son, the company currently handling brush pickup, was the only bidder, asking for $5,225 per month.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
On a motion by Emery, seconded by Precinct 4 Alderman Michael Rodriguez, the council approved a $1,000 a month increase in the amount it pays the non-profit Lytle Volunteer Fire Department to provide fire protection for the city.
Dear said the added money will allow the department to increase its budget for paid personnel.
“The department went from two paid personnel 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to three paid personnel 24/7,” Dear said.
The department also received an increase from the other entities it contracts with – Medina County Emergency Service District No. 5, Atascosa County ESD No. 1 and Bexar County ESD No. 5.
LAKESHORE ESTATES
In the wake of complaints about the potential for flooding in the Lakeshore Estates development, Dear recommended that the council have an engineer review the entire drainage situation and come up with an overall fix.
“The problem is if we throw a band-aid on one thing what is the effect on others downstream,” Dear said.