By Moses Leos III
Buda’s continuing water woes, along with the topic of wastewater, were two of several issues tackled by candidates during the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce’s forum Monday at Buda City Hall.
Monday’s forum featured all three candidates vying for the Place 3 city council seat currently held by Jose Montoya. Joining him in the debate were candidates Basil Lombardo and David Nuckels.
Meanwhile, Place 4 incumbent George Haehn, who is running unopposed, also took part in the debate.
All four candidates said receiving water to accommodate future growth was the greatest challenge Buda faces. Montoya said he believed Electro Purification’s contract to produce water for Buda “won’t bear fruit.”
Additional challenges extend to responsible growth.
“We need to maintain smart growth, and not give the farm away to businesses like Kyle does,” Montoya said.
Montoya said water is a “continued challenge” over the next five years, along with finishing roads in the road bond, and maintaining and improving infrastructure.
Lombardo said one of the larger challenges along with water was controlling a $30 million budget. He said the city needed to find a “way to keep the city affordable for all citizens of Buda, not just any select group.” He added the city needed to be a “good regional neighbor” over the next five years.
Nuckels said keeping the city affordable and liveable could be a challenge. Growth could be hard to manage, he said, when “we have limited resources.” In addition, maintaining a similar living standard while growth is occurring is also a challenge.
He added that the city needed to “shore up its water supply” and look at all water alternatives over the next five years. He said that could include working with neighbors for some water projects.
Along with handling the water situation, Haehn said the city needed over the next few years to figure out what to do with wastewater.
He said the city may have to start looking into a regional wastewater treatment plant over the next five years, adding that protecting Onion Creek is important.
“We have to protect the jewel of downtown,” Haehn said. “If we’re to spend time, money and effort, Onion Creek can be a wonderful place and tourist destination. Right now, everyone is considering it a place to dump their sewer.”
All four candidates sided with the city council on its decision to dump effluent into Plum Creek, and not Onion Creek.
But Montoya was the lone candidate who advocated for affordable housing in Buda.
Montoya said there was a “need for it,” citing teachers, and law enforcement employees as wells as other members of the workforce who cannot live in the city due to a lack of affordable housing.
But the other three candidates, including Montoya’s opponents, Nuckels and Lombardo, didn’t believe affordable housing was needed.
“I’m against it. I’ll continue to be against it. I don’t believe in subsidizing groups of people,” Lombardo said. “I think our community is fair and balanced for all and equal for all. No matter what part of town you live in.”
When asked about how he would ensure Buda has a business friendly environment, Lombardo said expediting the permitting process and avoiding overregulation was key.
He also said that he was “not a tax abatement guy” and that if you “fund a business and you bring a business, you should take care of it.”
Haehn said keeping taxes low could attract more businesses, along with having infrastructure in place could help that cause. Montoya said he would encourage people to bring small and medium sized business to Buda.
Nuckels believed bringing more small business to Buda was important.
“I don’t think we need to force people to come to Buda. We’re in a sweet spot. People will come here,” he said.
