To combat the development boom in the county and across Texas, the Kendall County commissioners may be eyeing a November bond issuance to secure public land for parks and conservation efforts similar to the way other local agencies have.
Brent Evans, co-founder of the Cibolo Center for Conservation with his wife, Carolyn Chipman Evans, announced to the Kendall County commissioners Monday morning that his work with the Hill Country Alliance to poll residents on support for a bond issuance will be completed by the beginning of August.
“As you know, the Cibolo Conservancy has been working with the Hill Country Alliance and Trust for Public Land regarding a planning and funding poll to test the county residents’ attitudes toward possible county funding for land conservation,” Evans said. “And as you know, no county taxpayer dollars are involved in this poll.”
Evans said he has spoken with the commissioners about a bond issuance, which is intended to acquire public land for parks and conservation, and he suggested a fast timeline would be needed to have a bond issuance on the November ballot. He said the commissioners would need to call the election by August 30.
A feasibility study already was conducted, Evans said, but added a public opinion poll was the next step in gauging whether a bond issuance might be successful.
He said the groups have engaged the commissioners in executive session and “individual conversation” regarding recommended time ranges. Evans said the Trust for Public Land hopes to have results from the public opinion poll by the beginning of August to share recommendations with the commissioners by Aug. 8, saying delaying the discussion to Aug. 22 would put the court in a real time crunch to have the measure on the November ballot.
The public opinion poll is expected to go live next week, leaving little time for public input before presenting to the commissioners the results Aug. 8.
The conversation comes on the heels of a presentation last month the executive director of the HCA, Katherine Romans, where she urged the commissioners to look at ways of purchasing public land to match conservation efforts with the unbridled growth hitting the Hill Country.
The HCA is a nonprofit organization which aims to “raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country,” according to the origination’s website. The group has been heavily involved in conservation and resource protection throughout the Hill Country and state for nearly two decades.
Romans said the HCA would like to see money being put toward protecting natural infrastructure match the “explosive growth” in development and population hitting the Hill Country. She said it’s the ranch lands and open spaces in this slice of Texas that supplies the water, clean air and quality of life the booming population is after.
“I want to thank the court for your interest and engagement and ideas and hope you find this information that comes out of the poll helpful in your difficult deliberations,” Evans said.
Should the county move forward on a bond issuance, it would the second bond on the November ballot as the city of Boerne is looking at a $36 million bond issuance to fund city park and road improvements. In the spring, Boerne Independent School District voters approved a $135.6 million bond measure.
PARKS & CONSERVATION
THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
7 percent of area developed
828,000 acres developed
5 percent of area conserved
546,000 acres conserved
KENDALL COUNTY UNINCORPORATED AREA POPULATION
176 percent growth 1990- 2020.
4 percent of county land developed.
3 percent of county land conserved.
HCA goal: 30 percent of land protected.
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