The Boerne City Council kicked off a series of bond workshops this week, sprouting its first seeds with its parks and recreation department.
In all, the parks department has a host of projects totaling $20 million on its master plan, which the city reviewed Tuesday night during a specially called meeting.
After a presentation from Finance Director Sara Buckelew indicated a $10 million bond could tack $95 to the average home’s property taxes, a $30 million bond could add $285 and a $50 million bond could push the bill up by $475, it became clear the council would need to prioritize projects in each “bucket” of the bond.
Assistant City Manager Kristy Stark said the projected property tax impacts were based on an average home price of $340,000. However, average home values in the city seem to vary widely depending on the source. Realtor.com estimates the median listing price to be $520,900, Keller Williams Realty estimates the average home price to be $380,000 and the U.S. Census Bureau put the median home in 2019 at $286,300.
The city is breaking down the bond issuance into several voteable buckets, including parks and recreation, facilities and streets and sidewalks. While the city will have a total to stick to, council members also will budget and categorize the projects into these “buckets,” allowing residents to decide if each will move forward with debt funding.
“We may say we only want to go for $30 million, and it may be all roads,” Mayor Tim Handren said, explaining that council members should see the whole “pie” before landing on any specific projects or allocated amounts for a certain bucket.
“I think all these projects we’re going to talk about, frankly, are important because they’ve been ideated,” the mayor said. “They’ve been vetted with the public. I think they’re all important in one form or fashion. Now, it’s a relative importance. That’s going to be where it gets difficult. My belief is we’re putting this out there for voter approval, and ultimately that’s going to be it.”
A key point addressed by city officials at the beginning of the meeting was that all the projects being recommended for the bond issuance are already on the city’s master plan and include input from citizens through a citywide survey. However, this concept may be challenged when roadways are up for discussion, as the countywide, citizen-run transportation committee set to make recommendations recently voted against some of the projects identified in the city’s thoroughfare plan.
The projects that seemed to hit the highest on the priority list for the city councilmembers by the end of the presentation from Assistant City Manager Danny Zincke included a $9 million completion of Northside Community Park, $1.3 million for general park improvements and between $1 million and $5 million for park land acquisition. However, the items set for a bond issuance are still unclear as the city has just begun the discussion and planning process.
Zincke said Northside Community Park, which houses the skate park on Adler Road, is land that was purchased in 2007 during the city’s last bond issuance. He said about two-thirds of the 36-acre lot has been developed, but improvement could include an all-abilities playscape, basketball courts, walking trails, a dog park and pickleball courts – all things highly sought after by residents, according to the city’s survey. Additionally, Zincke said city staff is working together to see how a stormwater retention site could be worked into the property, as a retention site is currently sitting on the land in the city’s stormwater master plan.
The $1.3 million general park improvement item included adding lighting to the soccer fields at Boerne City Park, adding irrigation and lighting to other city parks and general improvements to Northup Park. Additionally, Zincke mentioned using the funds to add space for football and lacrosse as the city parks are currently monopolized by soccer.
Considering no new park land has been purchased by the city since its 2007 bond issuance, Zincke said city staff is eyeing park land to serve the high growth but underserved areas of the city, showing a map of where all the parks in the city are nestled. The map indicated the fastest-growing quadrants of the city – the southern portions ¬– are furthest from any city parks.
A few of the projects on the parks department list seemed to fall lower on the council’s radar, including the expansion of trails and restrooms at City Lake Park, renovating the aged pool at Boerne City Park and developing Waterworks Terrace, which has a nonprofit looking to raise funds for the project.
Councilmembers seemed hesitant to move on a pool renovation because the Boerne Independent School District is looking to build a new natatorium as part of its May bond issuance proposal. However, the councilmembers considered the opportunity to partner with another organization to renovate the pool or the option of using the space for other recreational activities like a basketball court. It’s unclear at this time whether a BISD pool and aquatic center would be accessible by the general public.
“I think all these projects we’re going to talk about, frankly, are important because they’ve been ideated. They’ve been vetted with the public. ... My belief is we’re putting this out there for voter approval, and ultimately that’s going to be it.”
– Boerne Mayor Tim Handren
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