BOERNE – A 2023 citizen survey likely sounds like a very familiar song to local leaders, with 50% of residents saying the city is headed in the right direction and the other half supporting a course correction.
When presenting a slide collection to the City Council containing the data, culled from just over 1,200 residents, City Manager Ben Thatcher said newer residents and those living in recently developed areas leaned more positive in their views while longtime neighbors skewed negative.
“I will tell you, I keep going back to this slide and thinking about this with a lot of thought,” Thatcher told council.
Later, he added, “Fifty percent say we’re going in the right direction, and 50% say we’re not. And, according to the consultant, based on all the other communities he’s worked for, this is typical of high-growth communities.”
Growth, maintaining the city’s “small-town charm” and traffic woes were three of the highest-ranked priorities in the survey conducted earlier this year.
None of these are new concepts for city staff, officials said.
Thatcher said a 50-50 rating was probably a “sweet spot,” noting municipal employees and leaders can’t please everyone in a boom town.
However, Mayor Tim Handren said while some residents are frustrated, they are missing context, adding that all of the big buildouts across town were approved decades ago.
“From my standpoint as a six-and-a-half-year resident, part of the problem inherently, as I’ve always said, is people don’t have a clear view of the history of the growth that’s happened,” Handren said. “So, they say, ‘In the past three years it’s gotten worse.’ What has happened in the past three years besides buildout of things that were mostly approved 20 years ago? That’s really what’s been going on.”
Further, the mayor said he’s directly asked residents to point to the growth they oppose, and he said many without fail always cite developments outside the city limits.
One question asked of participants: Where would you like to see the city invest any extra dollars?
Of all the options, 62% of respondents supported working with the Texas Department of Transportation, 47% wanted to see city officials invest in openspace preservation and 33% favored city beautification efforts.
District 5 Councilman Joseph Macaluso noted four of the five favored investment priorities are connected: roads, openspace preservation, city beautification and roundabouts.
However, he said just dealing with issues on Main Street and River Road – home to many intersections identified as problem areas by a transportation committee – is a “difficult conversation.”
Repairs would be expensive and the problems have been prolonged, he added.
“So, all of these complaints about this from people who don’t like it, and I don’t like it,” Macaluso said. “I was bringing grandkids to school the last three days. Cascade Caverns and (Texas) 46 East, it’s a nightmare in the morning. My point is: These can’t be solved simply. There’s no simple solution to this.”
Handren said city leaders will have to make tough decisions, adding he wasn’t dissatisfied with any of the survey data. He added the council has been prioritizing the very issues highlighted by respondents over the past few years.
“The way city government works, we’re always behind,” Handren said. “It’s just guaranteed. You don’t get the revenue until people move in. You can’t solve the problems until you get the revenue. You’re always behind. As opposed to business, you plan for that growth and you build to capacity ahead of time. A city’s not in that luxury position.”
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