Following two requests made by Kyle City Council on Aug. 20, city staff presented a recommendation on Sept. 17 for establishing a committee on aging and a quality-of-life study.
Creation of Committee on Aging Assistant City Manager Amber Schmeits began the presentation by stating that “[the city] does not have a current city sponsored organization that is tasked with focus on the aging population. It is commonplace for cities to have such oversight bodies.”
She noted that Buda, San Marcos and even the state of Texas have committees for this subject.
Depending on the type of organization the council wants to create, Schmeits shared the following options:
• Board: created by an ordinance, which determines scope and authority, and members are appointed by council
• Commission: created by an ordinance and members are appointed by council, but the purpose and authority are determined both by the ordinance and by state and local law
• Committee: created by a resolution with a one-year expiration and members are appointed by council; a resolution will determine the purpose and authority
• Task force: created by a resolution and member are appointed by council for a specific activity, as well as the purpose; dissolution date determined at final creation date Schmeits also named several initiatives that the council could task the organization with, including caregiving, community support, education, financial, healthcare and longterm care, housing, mental and physical health, recreation, volunteerism and more.
“There’s also the opportunity for a master planning effort and this committee or board that you decide to go with tonight could also choose to embark on a planning effort where they would look at the city of Kyle, specifically, and do a more in-depth community profile of Kyle. So, we would look at what Kyle’s needs are specifically with regard to the aging population,” said Schmeits.
“[We should] have the qualifications related to over the age of 55 [and] residency in Kyle. I don’t think we particularly need specialized skills or background, but as we review the applicants, those might be considered,” said council member Lauralee Harris.
After Harris’ suggestion, Mayor Travis Mitchell motioned to create a Committee on Aging, which passed unanimously.
Quality-of-life study Assistant City Manager Jesse Elizondo noted that staff not
only looked into a qualityof- life study for people with disabilities, but also researched how other cities have utilized them.
According to Elizondo, the study would provide insights to the specific needs and challenges faced by those that are disabled. If council moved forward with the study, seven categories would be evaluated: accessibility, which would look at the physical and digital accessibility of public spaces, transportation and online services; health and well-being would analyze the availability, affordability and inclusivity of healthcare, mental health services and recreational opportunities; economic opportunities, such as employment access, workplace accommodations, financial stability and the impact of disability-related expenses; education and lifelong learning; housing and independent living to look at the availability affordability and suitability of accessible housing; and rights and advocacy.
The study would consist of an initial evaluation, then strategies would be developed based on the outcomes, data and analysis to guide decision making, creating service models and, finally, technical assistance and training that would offer tools and guidance to improve local disability services.
“We’re really looking at two types of quality-of-life studies, the first is a full city scope study, where you look at all seven of those buckets, which is extensive, across the entire city. There are consultants that do this. What we saw was this was done mostly in major cities, like Austin, Houston [and] Dallas. This is a great study across the whole city, but it takes quite a bit of time,” explained Elizondo. “The action plan that comes out of it to roll it out usually takes years.”
The second option, and the staff recommendation, is a smaller scope, which would be looking at a specific idea. For example, the city could do a quality-of-life study on the downtown area and how it is best suited for those with disabilities. Elizondo stated that staff recommends this because it is a project that can begin faster, with quicker results.
After the presentation, council member Robert Rizo questioned the cost of the study, as it was not budgeted in the previous fiscal year or the recently approved fiscal year 2024-25 budget.
“This is very ballpark, but a smaller study, we were looking at somewhere between $25,000 to $50,000 and for a full, citywide study, they can go all the way up to about half a million,” responded Elizondo.
“I’d love to see something that’s attainable, something that we could actually implement in real time to make a difference in the lives of the people we’re here trying to help. So, I definitely think a smaller scope and making sure that we do our best on stuff that we could actually really implement would be important,” Rizo said.
Council member Michael Tobias stated that this could be a good opportunity to utilize the study when working on the parks comprehensive plan. He noted that many of the all-abilities dances and events held in the city are always packed and that this, along with the mental health initiative that council member Bear Heiser has created, is leading the city onto the right path.
Tobias also emphasized that resident feedback would be an important aspect to the study.
Regarding which specific scopes they should cover, Zuniga requested that the housing and accessibility, economic opportunities, education and lifelong learning and health and wellness would be beneficial to the community.
Elizondo stated that the first evaluation with the consultant could allow city staff and council to recognize where the city is falling short in qualityof- life standards for disabled community members, which could help them decide what to focus on.
Rizo motioned for staff to put out a Request for Qualifications for consultants in the area for a quality-of-life study for areas that the city can control and manage. The item passed unanimously.
Kyle City Council will next meet on Oct. 1.
