Mr. Brandon Rodriguez is seeking appointment to Place 4 of the Kerrville City Council, a seat vacated last week by Mr. Gene Allen. We interviewed Mr. Rodriguez in our studio to find out more about his background and views on city politics.
Category Archives: Local Issues
Inside Kerrville Politics Episode 3
This episode discusses the role of the Economic Improvement Corporation, and the transpirings from the EIC meeting of Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Please join our page on Facebook and support us by sharing and commenting on the video.
Bid day for water reuse distribution lines
The City of Kerrville will open bids for the water reuse distribution lines on Tuesday, January 17, at 3 PM. This is part of the Water Reuse Project, and includes construction of approximately 30,000 linear feet of distribution mains for treated effluent water. The estimated cost is $5-6 million.
As of today’s post, at least 76 contractors have downloaded specs and plans. Plans for the project can be viewed and downloaded here: http://kerrvilletx.gov/bids.aspx?bidID=73
The lines are pictured below, and will traverse from the water treatment plant on Loop 534 to Schreiner University, Riverhill Golf Course, Peterson Middle School, and Holdsworth Athletic Complex.
The project was engineered by Freese & Nichols, a firm that has designed water reuse projects all over the state of Texas.
Inside Kerrville Politics Episode 2
In this episode, Aaron Yates and Russell Nemky discuss the Kerrville City Council Meeting held on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. Major topics included the Flood Awareness System and the Water Reuse Project.
The full video of the council meeting can be viewed below.
Launching Kerrville United Video Productions!
We’re very pleased to announce a new service that is brought to you by your friends at Kerrville United: video production!
We will begin airing videos on various topics this month, with shows such as “Inside Kerrville Politics” with Russell Nemky and Aaron Yates. Other programs will air as we produce them and will cover topics such as Kerrville City Council, Kerr County Commissioners Court, other local government entities, and local news matters that concern the citizens of our community.
We look forward to your feedback and comments. Also, feel free to suggest topics that we should discuss. And if your business is interested in sponsoring this service, we’d love to hear from you.
Here is the first episode of “Inside Kerrville Politics” with Russell Nemky and Aaron Yates that aired on Saturday, December 17, 2016.
Q&A on the City’s Water Reuse Project
The city council recently granted the contract for the construction of a 105 million gallon water reuse storage pond near the water treatment plant on Loop 534. This has been a contentious issue that has grown to include concerns about the future of Kerrville’s water supply as well as the future of some of Kerrville’s youth sports leagues — namely youth soccer.
A computer rendering of the 105 MG reuse pond
To shed a little more light on the issue, here is a FAQ provided by the City of Kerrville that addresses some of the major concerns. Editor’s Note: This is cut and pasted from a city document found online here: http://kerrvilletx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26331 Continue reading
Council Watch: February 23, 2016
Here’s what to watch for in tonight’s City Council Meeting.
City Council Chambers at City Hall, Kerrville, Texas
Peterson Farm Road Housing Development
The council will hear about a report from Freese & Nichols about how much it would cost to install utilities for the project. Read more about the development site here.
The full report can be found in the agenda packet for this meeting.
Playhouse 2000 Campus Support Facility Naming
The council will hear a request to name the facility “The Kit Werlein Annex.” Kit is the founding president of Playhouse 2000 and was instrumental in the remodeling of the current Cailloux Theater.
Video Gambling Machines
According to the council’s documentation, “The increasing temptation from the proliferation of video gambling machines in bars and restaurants can be alarming.”
The council will consider establishing a citizen’s advisory committee to study this topic.
Planning & Zoning Appointment
One alternate position is vacant and council will consider naming a replacement. The P&Z makes recommendations to council on things like zoning, sign ordinances, platting, and subdivision regulations. There are normally five regular members and two alternates. Current members include Robert Waller, Garrett Harmon, Don Barnett, Doyle Malone, William Morgan, and Rustin Zuber (alternate). Bonnie White is the council liaison.
380 agreements in other nearby cities
Kerrville doesn’t have much history with 380 agreements, but we have found lots of examples of their use in other nearby cities to help promote economic development. Here are our findings:
Boerne
The city of Boerne established a new economic development plan in 2013 that put a strong emphasis on 380 agreements. By that year, the city had already pursued seven such agreements for utility expansion, retail development, and business retention.
From their 2014 economic report:
Utility expansion 380 agreements included Mercedes Benz of Boerne, Toyota of Boerne, Woods of Boerne and Gehan Homes (Champion Heights). Another utility project that the City believes to be of great importance is the South sewer main extension with Du-Mar, Ltd. This particular project will expand our sewer utility customer base by enabling commercial development in the area, which previously did not have access to sewer service. The City also began a focused effort on business retention efforts, with Allcat Claims Service, L.P., being the first to receive incentives to not only keep, but potentially expand their business in Boerne. The seventh 380 Agreement approved by the City Council was for an apartment complex to serve the senior community of Boerne. The project would address both home inventory diversity and utility system expansion goals, but the project was not funded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in 2013. The developer has stated they intend to seek funding again in 2014.
Boerne’s 2016 economic development plan includes a 380 agreement for a 72-unit apartment complex, and several other projects were being considered.
Fredericksburg
In 2011, Fredericksburg adopted a Chapter 380 Economic Development Program and immediately used the program to enter into a development agreement with the Former Texas Rangers Foundation for their building project on Highway 290 — a project that was originally planned for construction in Kerrville.
You know… a 380 agreement.
What is a 380 agreement? The KDT article about the Gulf Coast retail development potential mentions a 380 agreement in passing, as if all of the readership should already know what a 380 agreement is all about. I am someone who follows politics and local government pretty closely, but I was unfamiliar with that term. So here’s some more information…
Workforce Housing Project in the works
In January, the Economic Improvement Corporation heard from city staff about the progress of a project that would create workforce housing to support primary jobs. The housing would be constructed along Peterson Farm Road, and a feasibility study is underway by Freese & Nichols, Inc., concerning utilities.
The city wants to partner with a private sector entity to create this housing through a public-private partnership. The city might donate land in exchange for equity in the project, sharing revenue with the private-sector entity.
The property under review is approximately 87 acres just northwest of runway 21 at the airport The city already owns this property. It fronts on Peterson Farm Road just before the entrance to the Mooney Facility. See map below.
In July 2015, City Council voted unanimously to prepare the tract for possible development as apartments — 250-300 units of 2-3 bedroom apartments.
Peterson Farm Road 87 acres owned by City of Kerrville.