Kendall County residents got what they wanted from their representatives on Commissioners Court last week – rejection of an attempt by the city of Boerne to institute a thoroughfare plan many felt infringed on their property rights as they attempt to sell and build on property.
“The Commissioners Court of Kendall County opposes and rejects the city of Boerne Major Thoroughfare Plan,” County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said.
Further, the commission set the stage for needed discussion whenever future roadway plans are conceived.
“The Commissioners Court requests that all future roads and thoroughfare plans be mutually agreed upon by Kendall County and the city of Boerne,” Stolarczyk added. In a meeting in April, Boerne City Council adopted a Major Thoroughfare Plan that could possibly affect hundreds of residents and their properties in the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ).
That plan, according to residents who addressed commissioners at their Aug. 14 meeting, has interfered with property owners’ abilities to plat and build on their land, or sell it outright. The roadway “lines” purportedly crossing, encroaching or affecting their land has been detrimental to land values, they stated.
Commissioners trimmed a longer version of the resolution to eliminate language that could be construed as offering legal advice, Stolarczyk said.
The resolution was reworded to “accomplish the same goals that the citizens are requesting but also gives the commissioners court the protection of not giving legal advice or potentially disrupting our unique relationship with our community partners,” he said.
“The resolution before us today echoes the sentiments of the citizens,” County Commissioner Andra Wisian said. “They want to have a say about where roads go in the ETJ, as well as in the county. This resolution is an important way for us to show our citizens that we support them.”
She hailed the prospect of working with, instead of against, the city of Boerne in future thoroughfare efforts.
The resolution, she said, will have the city and county “jointly consult in thoroughfare planning. It’s time for that cooperation to begin now.”
County resident Wanda McCarthy said she and her neighbors would support the commission’s stance, after years of not being heard.
“It’s historic that some of your constituents have been waiting for 15 years of not being represented by any elected officials,” McCarthy said. “We are ecstatic that … this court is standing up for the thousands not being represented for all these many years.
“We ask you to stay strong, stay the course, and vote for the peoples’ property rights,” she added.
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