We will be having a special city council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 16, regarding a potential quality of life bond issue that may be placed on the November ballot.
Most of you know the Boerne City Council has had several public workshops over the course of six month to discuss this topic, paying special attention to the many citizen surveys that have been conducted over the past couple of years. Some of those surveys include the Mobility Master Plan, Master Parks Plan and the 2021 Citizens Survey.
Those surveys are important vehicles for communication and input, but they are not the only method of communication. I believe the city council has taken all the input available to us and put together an extremely thoughtful and fiscally appropriate approach to working on some of the more complex projects that have been desired for quite some time.
To that end, based on the workshops that have already been held, it is likely that there will be two bond propositions on the November ballot for those who live in the Boerne city limits to consider. I also believe the chosen projects are very positive, meaningful and impactful to our community.
Streets and mobility
The first of the two propositions is focused on roads within Boerne that need improvements ($23 million). It was the No. 1 topic in our citizen survey with comments such as, “Be more proactive in planning of roads and traffic” and “Road surface has fractured along Adler and it won’t be repaired by simple surface treatment.” By reconstructing and rebuilding current roads and modernizing numerous intersections, these improvements will add turn lanes, help with drainage and get people from point A to point B quicker.
The improvements are slated for roads with low pavement quality, where a simple repaving won’t do the trick. They include Adler Road, West Kronkosky Road, West Blanco Road, Shooting Club Road and Parkway Drive. These streets would be rebuilt from the ground up and last for decades. They are scattered throughout the city and have been identified as top priority by our citizens and our city staff.
Parks and open space
The second is focused on parks improvements and open space acquisition – another top priority in our citizen survey – and an area we understand greatly benefits us all.
The biggest addition and improvements would come to a large parcel of land called Northside Park. It’s located at the intersection of Adler Road and Topperwein Street, across the street from the YMCA, with only a couple of minor improvements over the 15 years the city has owned it.
The bond funding we’re recommending ($13 million) will allow a full buildout of Northside Park with sports fields, pickleball courts, dog park, signature playground, basketball courts and more for all to enjoy. Additionally, there is funding set aside to improve other parks and potentially acquire other open spaces for future uses within our community.
One other important aspect to our process on these potential bonds is that we established key guiding principles to help us stay focused. They included implementing the city’s MasterPlan, improve mobility and quality of life and fulfill community and council feedback.
The last time Boerne voted for these types of quality of life bonds was back in 2007, and that was for just over $21 million. The potential increase in taxes never happened as the property values increased at a steady rate and that fact alone alleviated the need to raise city property tax rates.
That could potentially happen again for these initiatives, as property values on our highly desirable part of the country continue to increase.
There is no need to wait for the city council to take formal action on this topic next week as I encourage everyone to get informed and ask questions now. You can read more now by simply going to Boerne-tx. gov/Bond2022 or Google “Boerne Potential 2022 Quality of Life Bond Election” where we have all our information available. I believe these are important items that will only serve to improve our beautiful city, making it even better for those of us fortunate enough to live here.
Election Day will be Nov. 8, and I hope everyone sees the value of these improvements.
Bis zum nächsten mal (until next time).
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