The city of Kyle took the first step toward becoming an “entitlement city” Feb. 18. On first reading the city council unanimously approved a resolution declaring the city to have a population in excess of 50,000 and to correspondingly increase its ETJ from two miles from the city limits to three and a half.
Among other things, that would entitle the city to received federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Mayor Travis Mitchell explained.
“We’ve obviously never received that from the federal government before,” Mitchell said.
CDBG funds funds are targeted towards programs, initiatives and expenditures that primarily benefit low-to-moderate income residents and can be used for a wide variety of things. “We wanted to make sure we got on the radar as soon as possible so we could begin the process of being an entitlement community.”
City Manager Scott Sellers said staff had been “pretty confident” since the last quarter of 2019 that Kyle’s population had crossed the 50,000 threshold. He said the numbers, while calculated on the basis of the 2010 Census, allow for a five percent vacancy rate in single family homes and a vacancy rate of four percent in apartments.
Sellers said the new population classification should benefit economic development and could also bring more and different types of retail and restaurants to the city that “we have very much struggled to bring to Kyle.”
“Now that we have hit this next threshold we are much more confident we will start seeing a different tier of dining establishments,” Sellers said.
Those living in the newly-expanded ETJ won’t pay city taxes or receive city services but new development in the area is subject to Kyle restrictions on signage, subdivision development and site development.
“ETJ regulation is not much, but subdivision regulation gives us the opportunity to prevent development where it shouldn’t go,” Mitchell said. “The change that is most compelling to me is that ability to limit growth like massive trailer parks and other kinds of subdivisions we’d like to be able to limit. I think it is in the best interest of the entire region for us to pursue this.”
Not everyone agreed. Two residents of River Mountain Ranch showed up to speak during the public comment period and one, Bo Wingo, flatly said, “I don’t want to be a part of Kyle. Please don’t extend your ETJ and gobble us up.”
Wingo said his neighborhood is on FM 3237, and noted that all his elected officials represent Hays County Precinct 3, while none of that precinct extends into Kyle. “Our addresses are in Wimberley, our kids attend Wimberley schools, when we run into town it’s Wimberley.”
He said he was surprised to find himself at the Kyle City Council, figuring instead when issues of ETJ and/or annexation arose, he would be speaking to the Wimberley City Council. “I had no idea it would be Kyle that came knocking on my back door.”
Sellers said addresses will not change for anyone in the newly-expanded ETJ.
Lila Knight also spoke, questioning the methodology by which the 50,000 was arrived at. “Our median age is dropping. Young people are spending more time being single,” she said in questioning the city’s figures of 3.24 to 3.51 occupants per household.
“What’s the big rush,” she questioned. “This is the 2020 Census year, so we will have hard figures in literally months. Why not just wait?”
