BUDA — With environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic development driving the conversation, Buda City Council held a special joint session with the city’s Sustainability Commission Tuesday, Feb. 17. Members of both bodies came together to discuss the latter’s recent activities, future goals and overall purpose.
Established in 2016, the commission is an advisory board that acts in the interest of sustainable practices by promoting environmental wellbeing in balance with economic growth. The commission can also make policy recommendations to the city council.
“Sustainability is a key component to creating a lively, innovative and expansive economy, while allowing us to live in a way that best utilizes the resources that we are blessed with here in Buda, Texas,” stated Lisa Hendrickson, vice chair of the commission.
After a quorum was established at the meeting, Mayor Lee Urbanovsky addressed the room: “This is an open workshop, so we’re going to bounce things back and forth … What can we do for y’all and what do you need from us?”
The mayor then opened the floor to Hendrickson, who reviewed the progress made by the commission and brought forth new ideas for consideration. She noted that sustainable development and sustainable measures can help the city reach its goals by 2050 and uphold the “Breathe Easy Here” motto.
Hendrickson touched on water quality and related issues frequently during her presentation. Buda is currently experiencing a Stage 3 drought, which restricts commercial and residential water use. The commission discussed methods to encourage homeowners’ associations (HOAs) across the city to adopt alternative watering practices.
According to Hendrickson, some HOAs require 70-75% of a homeowner’s lawn to be green, a water-intensive standard to upkeep. She expressed the urgency to “manage water with the expansion of Buda.”
Transitioning some lawns from sod to native plants that require less water, such as buffalo grass, was a highlighted method for sustainable water use. Hendrickson regarded sod as the least expensive item for a developer to put in place, but the most expensive for a homeowner over its lifetime.
Implementing alternative irrigation techniques or enforcing mandates for xeriscaping — a landscaping method that requires little or no irrigation — were discussed, as well.
Agreeing with the need for change, Urbanovsky said, “We have a [water] plan for the next 20 years, but we don’t have a good plan after that.”
Several council members argued that powerful deed restrictions limit the capacity to change irrigation practices, but recommended working with newer HOAs to think creatively. Council member Matt Smith proposed the city find a neighborhood, ideally smaller, to use as a template for others to implement sustainable techniques.
In order for an HOA to change its bylaws, two-thirds of the community must agree. Council member LaVonia Horne-Williams noted that, “There are older neighborhoods with older people who aren’t going to do xeriscaping.”
Beyond water, the city has an ongoing commitment to achieve “International Dark Sky Place” status by setting light pollution standards, but has been unsuccessful. Hendrickson acknowledged that she “loves the idea” of becoming an International Dark Sky Place, but fears this may be an unattainable goal, given the city’s boom in economic growth.
“It’s been a long time and I don’t know how far away we are from saying, ‘Yeah, that’s in the bucket,’” said the vice chair. She floated the idea of embracing the work done thus far to become an International Dark Sky Place, but not giving up any more resources for the effort.
The council agreed to reallocate the resources spent to become an International Dark Sky Place, but uphold the existing light standards.
“I feel like they moved the goal post on us… [We could] potentially draw a line in the sand and be happy with what we’ve done,” the mayor said.
“We’ve gone as far as we can and it’s become a burden on businesses coming in,” agreed council member Monica Davidson.
Looking ahead, the presentation defined the vision for the commission’s future as “Accelerating Progress.” The commission hopes to align sustainability best practices with the Unified Development Code, which is itself being augmented to meet the city’s goals.
Council member Evan Ture, who represents the Clean Air Coalition, supports the future implementation of more purple air monitors, a sensor that detects particulate matter and air pollution in a given area. The city’s only existing monitor — at the police station — is currently offline, according to city manager Micah Grau.
“We can get the purple air monitors back online pretty quick … if not for compliance, then for information,” stated Ture.
According to Hendrickson, the monitors are relatively inexpensive — $200 to $300 — and easy to set up.
The vice chair noted the work done by the Buda Economic Development Commission to create a bustling downtown and proposed a shuttle bus service for events with 5,000 or more attendees as a different way of looking at traffic. She recommended an increase in recycling pickup —especially for electronics— better hazardous waste removal and a ramp-up in Earth Day activities as the city grows.
A main desire for the commission is to educate and help the citizens of Buda live better, which requires the city to “rapidly push forward sustainability goals and remove obstacles to achieve these goals,” says Hendrickson.
To achieve its goals, Hendrickson proposed considering budgets prior to the budget cycle to stay ahead and improve communication between the city council and commission, so that “sustainability is a welcome thought in all city activities.”
The Sustainability Commission meets on the first Thursday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, and Buda City Council will meet next Tuesday, March 3.
