By Anna Herod
In an effort to keep up with growth, Kyle officials have begun the process of involuntarily annexing approximately 1,500 acres of land outside of city limits.
But the city’s outward expansion has led to disdain from nearby residents.
The 1,500 acres of land in question is located south of Kyle near Yarrington Road. Officials also hope to annex a small area near Goforth Road. A second public hearing will be held at the March 15 Kyle council meeting.
In February the city sent letters to more than 100 property owners informing them officials initiated the formal legislative process to expand its boundaries by annexation.
Affected homeowners voiced their opinions at the first of two public hearings about the possible annexation at the March 1 city council meeting.
Speakers expressed the financial burden they would take on if their property were annexed. Many cited that homeowners in the affected area are senior citizens on fixed incomes.
Property owner Juanita Parsons said she intentionally chose to live in the country, and she would like to be allowed to stay there. She said she wouldn’t have made the investment on her property if she knew it was going to be annexed.
“I appreciate that you all are looking at us because we are valuable, and because we have resources,” Parsons said. “But perhaps you could use our resources in another way, as opposed to annexing us within the community and making us a part of your city.”
Parsons asked the council to consider alternatives to annexation, and said there must be ways the city can take advantage of the area’s resources without making them a part of the city.
Chique Estrada expressed concern at the hearing that the affected homeowners will get no additional services, but have to pay an annual tax bill to Kyle.
According to the letter sent by the city, Kyle officials initiated the annexation process to create “opportunities for consistency and unity when it comes to regulation of future land use and provisions of municipal services, such as wastewater and law enforcement.”
Property owners with an agricultural exemption will not be affected by the annexation, the document states. The city’s 2015-2016 property tax rate is $0.5854 per $100 valuation, meaning if a property has a taxable value of $100,000, the owner would receive an annual tax bill of $585.40.
“We find that we would rather have long-term development of these areas be under the umbrella of the city zoning, city land use and city law enforcement than to have it done under the jurisdiction of unincorporated Hays County,” said Howard Koontz, community development director for the city of Kyle.
Following the next public hearing, there will be two readings of the annexation ordinance on April 5 and April 19. Koontz said he expects the council to act in favor of the annexations.
Koontz said his expectation is that the annexation of the properties will have “no deleterious affects” to anyone who’s a party to the annexation. He added the “overall benefits to the region” was the “guiding force” for council to start the annexation process.
Although Koontz expects the majority of the council to act in favor of annexation, council member Daphne Tenorio said she is opposed to the action. Tenorio called for a feasibility study that shows how the city can provide water, wastewater and police services to the proposed annexation area.
“We need to make sure we can follow through on the promises that we’re giving to people who are getting annexed while still maintaining those services to our current residents, without taxing them additionally,” Tenorio said.
Koontz encourages affected homeowners to seek clarification and understanding from city staff.
“I think as the process plays out, more understanding will be generated for the folks who ask questions of the staff, and we’ll be a lot closer to consensus by the time this is over with,” Koontz said.
CORRECTION: In our print edition, we listed the next public hearing for the annexation of 1,500 acres is on March 16. The next public hearing is March 15. We apologize for the error.
