By Megan Wehring
KYLE – Come November, voters will decide on a $37 million bond for a new Public Safety Center in the city of Kyle.
Buie & Co. Public Relations gave a presentation to the Kyle City Council at its Sept. 1 meeting regarding the bond Proposition A that will be on the Nov. 3 special election ballot.
“Our goal from the beginning, and what you have charged us with, is to ensure that every citizen in Kyle has educational materials that help them make an informed decision in November,” company partner Jed Buie said.
Public education is key. Buie & Co. developed a website for Kyle residents to have immediate access to information about Proposition A. Virtual open houses will also be hosted every Thursday evening, beginning Sept. 17 until Oct. 15, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“The virtual format will hopefully allow every resident to attend at least one of those events,” vice president Patti Hixon said.
Recordings of the presentations will also be available for more accessibility. Spanish interpretation, along with closed captions, will also be included in order to ensure that all residents will be informed.
“We want to emphasize that our team is open to feedback,” Hixon said. “We are listening and we are ready to adapt, adjust our process and our efforts based on what residents need to know about Proposition A before Election Day.”
Councilmember Alex Villalobos emphasized that every resident should be informed about what’s going to be on the ballot.
“We ensure that all the pieces go out for people to understand and look at it from an educated perspective when they go to the polls and vote,” Villalobos said.
Some residents may vote against the bond due to the current pandemic. Buie said that council members need to educate residents about the problem they are trying to address with proposing a bond.
“What I would counsel this council on is in your conversations, especially in light of everything that is going on globally, is to really focus on the need,” Buie said. “I think people can come up with a million reasons to not support things if they don’t understand the problem you are trying to solve.”
While the safety center is a long time in the making, council member Dex Ellison said educating the public and community involvement is important.
“Our goal is that every one of our residents will have heard of this,” Ellison said. “Whether they vote yes or no, they will know about it.”
City staff is continuing to use social media, the city of Kyle website and other platforms to inform the public before they vote in November.
