by MOSES LEOS III
The July 2 meeting of the Buda City Council was spirited, with lively discussion on a variety of topics and issues. Below are some highlights from the meeting.
Buda City Council honors Campbell, Isaac, Zaffirini
A festive, celebratory mood helped ring in the July 2 Buda City Council meeting, as Council read resolutions in honor of Senators Donna Campbell (R-District 25), Judith Zaffirini (D-District 21) and Representative Jason Issac (R-District 45) for service to the city of Buda.
The council unanimously passed the resolutions for the lawmakers’ efforts in the 83rd Texas Legislative Session. Buda officials were pleased with their assistance in the signing of State Bill (SB) 1086, or the “Black Hydrant Bill”, which will force utility districts to paint their existing black hydrants red, indicating they have the proper water flow for fire suppression.
Mayor Todd Ruge explained.
“We started talking with [Senator Donna Campbell] about black hydrants. She told us, ‘I want to know more,’” Ruge said. “[Senator Campbell] ran with it, talked to Jason [Issac], he got on board, then later Zaffirini.”
Praise continued from the council for the benefit SB 1086 and 1797 bring to the city.
“We appreciate all you have done for us in the session,” Ruge said. “I wanted to let you know what this meant to Buda and our citizens. These two bills are important for our city and our future.”
Jason Issac extended the sentiment, saying the bills will bring more development to the area.
In addition, the council extended a letter of gratitude to attorney Jim Boyle for his role in the process.
Animal Ordinance
After the resolutions, council got down to business, unanimously passing three consent agenda items. Two of the items included the revisions to chapters 4.01 and 4.04 of the Animal Control Ordinance.
According to Police Chief Bo Kidd, the city will give citizens 10 days before the ordinances go into effect.
“We want to educate before we enforce,” Kidd said.
Wiener Dog report
Later, the council heard a presentation on the Hotel Occupancy Tax [HOT] report for the 16th annual Buda Country Fair & Wiener Dog Races.
According to Buda Tourism Director Lysa Gonzales, the four hotels within the City of Buda had a total of 92-hotel room nights.
Buda Lions Club member Alan Robinson addressed the council, thanking them and wishing for future business.
"[Buda] is the right place to be,” Robinson said. “We need to continue to get the support of public officials. We are going to do this and we are going to keep coming back.”
However, there were concerns over the reach of advertising. Council member Ron Fletcher brought up the point for future consideration.
“I was disappointed to see many of the ads were local. I thought you were going to make an effort to reach out regionally and nationally,” Fletcher said. “The objective of collecting and spending HOT funds is to put heads in beds. The ads brought in day-trippers. I was disappointed you did not advertise regionally. We thought you were going to do that last year.”
Contested annexation
During a public hearing over future annexation of land, Michael Thames contested one piece of property. The plot in question is a 14-acre piece of land located on the west side of FM 1626 and RM 967. Thames, who owns land within the proposed annexation area, already has septic services and a well at his property. He was against annexation.
“I do not feel I need city services,” Thames told the council. “I do not feel I should be taxed for services I don’t need. I do not want to be taxed with no benefits.”
Personnel policy updates
In addition, the council also heard a presentation on updates to the city personnel policy. The previous manual, which was last updated in 2003, needed to adhere to modern state and national policy standards.
“Revision was duly needed,” Brian LaBorde, Buda assistant city manager, said.
The policy was crafted in-house, with the city saving thousands of dollars. Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams said all of the department heads had input in the policy update.
Changes include establishing an organizational chart for administration, updating and strengthening employment and separation procedures, revising conduct and dress code standards and working on lowering the amount of compensation time.
Currently, staffers can accrue a maximum of 120 hours of compensation time; it will be whittled down to 80 over a two-year period.
“[The policy] is a good reflection of current state and national employee policies,” Mayor Pro-Tem Bobby Lane said. “It is a major step.”
Council will consider enacting the revised personnel policy at the next regular session on July 16.
