During December 2024 and February 2025, Aqua Texas failed to collect every required coliform sample for the Woodcreek Utility Co TX 1050039 water system, according to a notice that customers received in March 2026. The system was required to collect three samples monthly, but only collected two during those months.

The required monthly coliform sampling was missed in the Woodcreek Utility system, due to staffing changes, Aqua Texas stated, adding that this was an oversight in monitoring and reporting, not a failure in water quality.

“The system’s disinfection process remained fully operational and daily chlorine levels consistently met all regulatory standards, confirming that the water remained safe to drink,” a statement from the water service provider read.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a water sample is present for total coliform or total coliform if bacteria is found in the tested sample. They are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, fecal bacteria designated by the E. coli species could be present.

Also, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, all accredited labs that analyze drinking water samples from public water systems for lead and copper, total coliforms and E. coli and water quality parameters are required to use a specific monitoring data portal. Public water systems must identify and correct sanitary defects and “potential pathways for fecal contamination into the drinking water system.”

Though only two of three samples were collected during December 2024 and February 2025, Aqua Texas informed its customers that none of the samples collected were positive for bacteria.

All required sampling procedures have also been reinforced since that time to ensure that this error does not happen again.

“There have been no additional missed samples, and no other systems were affected,” Aqua Texas stated. “While there was no immediate risk to public health, customers were notified in accordance with regulatory requirements and Aqua Texas remains committed to transparency and maintaining the highest standards of water safety.”

For more information, visit www.aquawater.com.

The training, held March 27, centered on increasing understanding of autism spectrum conditions throughout the criminal justice system, stated a Hays County news release. Attendees included representatives from the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Hays County Sheriff’s Office, Buda Police Department, Kyle Police Department and Hays County Juvenile Probation Department.

Anne Jackson, Bell County assistant county attorney, led the training and spoke about how raising a child on the autism spectrum raised her awareness of neurodiversity issues relevant to her work as a prosecutor. Her experiences allowed her to make more informed decisions in cases where victims, witnesses and defendants on the autism spectrum were frequently misunderstood by first responders, lawyers, probation officers and the courts.

“It is incumbent upon lawyers in the system, whether we be defense, prosecutors or judges, to know what to do when we hear or read the word ‘autism’ in our work. We are the gatekeepers — the people with the power to affect people’s liberty and lives,” said Jackson.

Participants also heard from Jackson’s son, Tres, who talked openly about his life on the autism spectrum and coordinated directly with participants on strategies for engaging with those on the autism spectrum at various criminal justice touchpoints.

“Autism doesn’t care about your skin color, religion or sexuality. We try to be like everyone else, but there are going to be days when we struggle,” Tres said. “When we call for help, I want us to be seen as someone in need ... and not any of these other things.”

“We are proud to be the first prosecutor’s office in the state to host this training for our criminal justice partners,” stated Landon Campbell, division chief in the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. “We hope to use this training as a springboard to increase awareness of mental health and intellectual disability issues in our local criminal justice system and beyond.”

The nonprofit, located in San Marcos, has been aiding the Hays County community for decades. According to a previous article by the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch, the center is not a shelter; it is instead a resource for those who are struggling or unhoused, providing hygiene kits, laundry and shower services, a meal and more.

Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe, who brought forward the item, noted that it has been made clear to her that Southside’s Housing Stability Program needs to continue.

She stated that she has worked with staff to identify funding for the project through the Tobacco Settlement Fund, as well as an additional $25,000 from The America Rescue Plan Act.

“I believe this program will help support individuals and families in maintaining safe and stable housing during difficult times. It also provides assistance and connects people with resources, helping prevent homelessness, which creates a healthier and more stable community. So, I’m asking the court for their consideration and allowing this funding to move forward,” said Ingalsbe.

Beginning discussion by sharing his concerns that are “more logistical than they are from a personal or moral standpoint,” was commissioner Walt Smith.

He stressed that there is a process for these social funds, which Southside is aware of and has participated in for years.

Smith’s concern stems from the fact that the nonprofit did not plan for the program during budget season. If the program is running as consistently as the court has heard, he said, then there should have been at least some anticipation that the budget allotted to it last fall would not have been enough.

“While I see the need or I see the purpose behind it, I have a really hard time whenever there’s a number of those social service programs that have been asking for that additional funding for the last eight years that have never gotten an increase and … they manage [their budget] to the extent they can,” said Smith. “I’m not saying that I won’t support this today, but … we have multiple dozens, if not hundreds [of organizations] that are dealing with [financial difficulty] and it did not automatically become the court's problem to meet their budget shortfall.”

Ingalsbe said that she understood, but that it is not uncommon and that the court has come to support other agencies in between budget seasons before.

If approved, Smith stated that he would like to have access to the data, which depicts how the program has been used by the community.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra praised Smith for asking the difficult questions and raising these concerns, sharing that he agrees that receiving data on why this funding is needed — whether there was a large influx in patrons needing the program — is important.

Commissioner Michelle Cohen stated that the county hasn’t come up with a way to accurately measure the benefit that the county is receiving in return for their donations. Despite this, she did note how useful Southside is and that the county is “guilty” of using its facility for warming and cooling centers, so she feels as though the county should take some responsibility.

As far as ability to recognize impact, county administrator Kandice Bouetté said that staff has worked to revise the evaluation for what is required for organizations that accept donations for fiscal year 2026-27. The court is requiring organizations to show their actual impact quarterly, such as the amount of people they’ve been able to service, the activities that have occurred and if there are any additional gaps that they see. Although this is a plan for the upcoming fiscal year, it is currently being implemented. There was a public meeting available via webinar at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, and an in-person session from 2-3 p.m. at the elections center the same day.

“If it takes y’all a while to get up that donor base and be able to provide these galas and those types of things [that’s fine, but] I just want to see some suitability,” said commissioner Morgan Hammer. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Southside [does] do great work … [but] what is that plan? Do you have funding coming in from various sources?”

Hammer noted, after confirming with staff, that there is funding currently available for Southside, yet is unable to be released, due to lack of documentation from the nonprofit. So, it’s difficult “to give extra funds whenever there are funds available that y’all can take, but we’re just waiting on y’all. That’s where I’m having some difficulty.” However, Ingalsbe stated that this was a recent request, which is why the documents have not been submitted.

“We are not asking Hays County to come in and fund this program all by itself. We do not believe that you guys need to do that. As we’ve mentioned, we have a $250,000 challenge from the McCoy Foundation that has asked us to go out and get matching,” said Southside board president Todd Salmi, adding that the nonprofit will be meeting with another funding prospect and host a fundraising fair later that week.

He stated that several years ago, the organization wouldn’t have been as confident in sharing it numbers, but staff has worked to put together a series of detailed data on funding and looks forward to sharing it with the commissioners.

As far as what they can currently share, Salmi stated that 25% of its clients come from Kyle and Buda, but the organization has not been able to aid them.

According to Becerra, Southside typically receives $25,000 from the county, but with the additional funding, the total will amount to $175,000 — $25,000 initially, $25,000 waiting for release, $25,000 from ARPA and $100,000 from the Tobacco Settlement Fund — for this year.

“Just from a policy standpoint, a rising tide raises all ships and at the end of the day, we’ve got a lot of ships out there that have run aground just because of the need out there in our county for years and we haven’t been able to help them. I feel like we’re rebuilding your ship right now because it’s about to wreck. We can’t maintain it [perpetually]," concluded Smith, emphasizing that this is a one-time funding.

Hammer ended the discussion by noting that she would like to see where the money is going.

The item passed unanimously. To listen to the discussion, visit bit.ly/4uX6CBX.

Public health isn’t just about hospitals or vaccines; it’s about creating conditions where people can live safe, healthy lives and sexual violence threatens that safety in a deep and lasting way.

More than one in three women and about one in four men in the United States have experienced some form of sexual violence involving physical contact in their lifetime. Survivors often experience long-lasting mental and physical consequences, such as depression, anxiety and difficulty in school and work, harming not only the survivor, but also families, friends, schools and workplaces. When a problem affects this many people, it becomes a community-wide concern, thus a public health concern.

April is both Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month — and it’s time to take action.

Because sexual violence affects so many people, public health experts emphasize that prevention is key. Prevention means stopping sexual violence before it happens and that requires the community to step up. Awareness is the first step, but not the last. HCWC invites residents to speak up, challenge harmful behaviors and take action. Together, a culture where respect and consent are the norms can be built, one where sexual violence has no place.

Throughout the month of April, in addition to this article series, HCWC will be sharing content across all social media platforms, as well as participating in community events. Follow HCWC on social media @HCWCenter handle on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates on upcoming events.

Prior to item discussion, several community members took to public comment to voice their concerns, including a McCormick Middle School student, who expressed that playing on two sports teams the year prior is what motivated him to come to school. These coaches are also teachers, he continued, one of whom inspired him to take an engineering course in high school.

“Because of them, I work hard in class every day to try my best on and off the field. Ive been putting in the work to get better and move up [teams] next year, but with these changes, I wonder [what will happen] … Many of [my friends] can't afford to play outside of school because of the costs … I [also] wonder how many students will stop showing up when they don’t have something to look forward to.”

A Hays CISD educator, Jessie Hartgrave, spoke on the effects coming toward teachers, specifically those that will lose stipends for their work in the special education (SPED) department.

“SPED is one of the most difficult jobs to get filled; that’s why this stipend exists. If we take away these stipends, it will take away good, qualified teachers and it will take away good, qualified SPED and inclusion teachers, as well,” said Hartgrave. “[Teachers] are the only group that is being asked to take less money next year than we were paid this year, not [Superintendent Dr. Eric] Wright, who is a top-10 earner of superintendents in the state of Texas, not his cabinet and not the people that work in this [administration] building. The teachers are the ones being asked to take the cut and it’s not fair.”

He also added that the district has “bonded the community to death” in regard to the several bonds that have been brought forward in recent years.

Tobias Elementary School fifth grade teacher Ruah Gleason shared that she is concerned about the number of students who will be in the classrooms, as soon, her new reality will be 27 11-year-olds in one room. This will prevent teachers from being able to provide the best education, she said, adding that they are being asked to do less with more.

“What’s being proposed is not only disappointing, it’s truly unacceptable. Let’s be clear about the facts. Hays CISD has consistently grown exponentially each and every year. At the same time, funding pressures from expiring federal dollars, shifts in revenue and other factors were not sudden, nor were they unpredictable. These were known realities, yet the plan before us is asking students and campuses to absorb the consequences of that lack of planning,” said Fabiola Sanchez, Parent Teacher Student Association president at McCormick Middle School.

According to Wright, the process to begin discussing budget cuts started after the failed tax ratification election (TRE) in November last year. The district was initially projecting a need to cut $20 million per year for three years, or 200 positions, to make the budget sustainable moving forward, but expanding from three to five years has allowed the cuts to lessen.

Wright then covered the history of funding, reminding the board that prior to the most recent legislative session, the basic student allotment kept its pre-pandemic funding of $6,160. Now, it is at $6,215, though, to keep pace with inflation, the increase would have needed to be $1,000. This funding from the state is placed into the district’s maintenance and operations (M&O) funding, which is the bucket that pays salaries, buys fuel, pays bills and more, he said. This is the only discretionary money the district has, as the other is dictated to state-specified categories that the school is then annually audited on.

The other bucket — which is what many get confused by, said Wright — is the interest and sinking fund. This is sponsored locally and is how athletic facilities and other additions are paid for.: “I would love to take the money that we spend on the track and the turf and pay salaries with it, but by law I can’t do that … So, today, we aren’t talking about the interest and sinking part or any of the bond elections or the money that built this building or any of that. We’re talking about money for operations and salaries.”

Comparing Texas to the other states, the national average is $17,870 per student, but in Texas, including earmarked funding, it’s $14,104, said Wright, ranking the state at 38/50. As far as how much money is spent on each student, the average is $9,861, while Texas is $5,835, landing it at 47/50.

“Since 2019/2020, Texas has increased M&O funding by $12.05 billion. Of that amount, $11.67 billion is absorbed by retention allotments, student growth, state mandates, hold harmless funding, programs for certain districts, teachers and students and previously unfunded employee pay increases. This leaves $380 million in net M&O funding for other operating increases, equal to $69 per student,” read the presentation.

The superintendent said if the state was keeping pace with inflation, it would have been $1,000. Instead, it’s at $69.

Regarding staffing numbers, Wright noted that residents comment that the district is “top heavy” when it comes to staffing administration, but that the state average is 4.7%, while the district has cut its down to 3.4%.

Additionally, he shared that the tax rate has decreased from $1.4677 to $1.1546 since 2020: “That’s why we thought we might have an outside chance of getting our taxpayers to vote for the TRE because the tax rate has been decreased every single year, but it’s just bad timing and the voters spoke.”

Moving onto the proposed plan, Wright said that staff shifted to five years as compared to the original three, “so the pain wouldn’t be felt all at one time” and instead of taking an axe to programs they “took a scalpel to them.”

“None of the cuts that we’re going to recommend are good. They all are harmful, but it’s at a point where we have to be sustainable and we have to get this account back up, so that we can continue to pay the payroll and continue to pay the bills,” he said.

These propositions would be implemented in the 2026-27 school year and would be saving $12.25 million. Wright stated that if the district can make the proposed cuts this year and earmark it in the budget for the next four years, then it will be able to put $90 million back into the fund balance. The fund balance is necessary because the district has months where no income is coming in, due to when state and tax payments are distributed, so this is to fill that void.

From this $90 million, $25 million is needed to open up the new schools, which have also been pushed back from the original opening dates. Now, Comprehensive High School #4 and Middle School #7 would open in 2030, while Elementary School #18 would open in 2028.

Trustee Johnny Flores asked how McCormick and Johnson High School will be affected, since they were the primary schools that were looking for relief when it came to these new facilities. Wright stated that because the demographers estimate on students was incorrect this year, due to low enrollment, the schools have less students than expected. So, it can be held off, but when the maximum number of students is reached, then they will begin the cap and overflow model, which includes sending students to campuses that are not as full.

The cuts that are recommended are as follows:

Central office and district staff personnel cuts: $2,689,539

• Reduces district from two deputy superintendents to one.

• Restructures the Curriculum and Instruction Department leadership team by eliminating deputy academic officer positions and reclassifying the leadership positions into a lower pay grade.

• Reduces total number of central office positions by 5%

Increased class sizes: $5,040,000

• Increases student to teacher ratio in Pre-Kindergarten to fourth grade up to 24:1.

• Increases student to teacher ratio in fifth grade up to 27:1.

• Increases student to teacher ratio in sixth through 12th grade up to 30:1.

• Reduces needed teacher positions by 63 districtwide (to be absorbed predominantly through attrition).

Fine arts and athletics reductions: $826,700

• Reduces the number of secondary fine arts positions at most secondary campuses

• Reduces total districtwide athletic budget by 8.5%

• Reduces the number of athletics teams offered at secondary campuses by removing “C” and some “B” teams.

• Eliminates stadium manager stipend.

Suspension of certain staff stipends, incentives and surcharge payment coverage: $2,284,105

• Suspends select staff stipends and incentives until an unknown future fiscal year, which includes: $1,500 special education recruitment/retention incentive, $1,500 bilingual recruitment/retention incentive and stipends for teachers with masters — $2,000 each annually — and doctoral degrees — $4,500 each annually.

• Requires retired employees who are rehired to pay the Teacher Retirement System surcharge costs.

• Requires employees to begin paying the necessary fees and paycheck deductions previously covered by the district out of their Teacher Incentive Allotment payments.

Restructuring of attendance and Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) reporting: $550,932

• Reduces the number of PEIMS clerks by half and centralizes duties.

• Reduces the number of days worked each school year for attendance clerk positions.

Library and social services reductions: $860,000

• Consolidates secondary campus librarians, reducing the number of district librarians by seven.

• Cuts the Communities in Schools (CIS) social services program in half.

“We tried to make our cuts as equal as possible throughout the district, so that we could still have a functional and high performing school district,” said Wright.

“The hardest thing for me on this list is the increased class sizes,” said trustee Courtney Runkle. “There’s nothing about it I like. My kid sits in those classes, too, and I’ve been in them and they are full. But what I do know is that I know that we have amazing teachers and I know that our teachers always figure it out, unfortunately because that’s what they’ve had to do. We’re going to figure it out again and they’re going to give the best quality education to our students.”

For staff members that will be affected, whether losing money, days or entire jobs, the superintendent shared that the Human Resources Department met with them to have a face to face discussion. Although still impacting them, he emphasized that the district wanted to let them know as soon as possible, so that they could begin making the necessary changes for themselves, since this won’t take place until next school year.

Hays CISD is also allowing those losing their jobs to apply for other positions within the district internally.

For the extracurricular activities, Wright said that staff didn’t want to remove any of the programs, so they didn’t. However, this does mean that coaches will have to think differently about them now. For example, C Teams will be removed, but this would increase the number of students on the A and B teams instead. There was also a coach recommendation of having a fifth quarter during games, so those that didn’t get to play in the first four quarters would still have the opportunity to play.

Furthermore, because fees will be introduced, a sliding scale could be brought forward based on students that receive free and reduced lunch.

Runkle stated that if anything is going to change with these activities, such as costs, then communication needs to be made clear immediately because the PTAs, booster clubs and parents are already planning for next year.

The affected library services were chosen from data, said Wright. At the elementary schools, circulation is high, since students are learning how to read. The same isn’t true at the middle and high school levels. Because of this, it was decided that a lead librarian would be implemented for all middle schools and all high schools, while keeping the library technicians.

Along with the cuts, Wright explained that the situation could be aided by improving attendance performance. Currently, the district sits at 93.7% attendance. For every 1% the district can raise its attendance rate, it receives $1.5 million in funding. He also said that an online program is being explored and will be sent out on surveys that could potentially pick up other students, including families that have been impacted by or are concerned about Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hays CISD could also ask for another TRE election. Even $0.03 would add $12 million a year to the district’s budget, said Wright.

“I want to address the elephant in the room and that’s Dr. Wright’s salary. I want to tell you why that is. I sat on the two days of interviews when we hired him in 2016 and y’all, there wasn’t a close second that came before us. This [situation] could be a lot worse, if we didn’t have the leadership that we do. He’s paid well and that’s because, otherwise, other school districts would steal him,” said trustee Vanessa Petrea.

Those on the board also touched on the failure of the Texas Legislature to provide funding for schools, emphasizing that Hays CISD is not the only district facing these challenges.

“We tell you to go advocate at the state level, [and] absolutely go advocate at the state level, but advocacy alone isn’t going to balance our budget, so we have to do both. So, here we are doing both. This administration has tried really hard to protect the environment of the classroom,” Runkle stressed. “Our teachers do more and more. Our staff is asked to do more and more. Our district is not unique to other districts, especially in the state of Texas … We did hope that the state was going to come through. We shouldn’t have hoped.”

“Instead of just funding general public education, they’re trying to fund three different tiers now. They have public schools, they have charters and now, they’re going to have vouchers. There’s just not enough money to go around to fund all three and do quality,” said Wright.

Flores echoed this, stating that a continuous cycle has been created by the legislature creating unfunded mandates that take away from funding and create uproar in communities, while then offering vouchers for private schools.

Despite these frustrations, Flores concluded that, “When we say 100% Hays CISD, that’s exactly what we mean and we are going to get through this.”

Trustee Byron Severance motioned to approve the item, followed by a second from Petrea. It passed 7-0.

For more information on the budget cuts, visit www.hayscisd.net/o/hcisd/page/reductions2026.

This comes on the heels of multiple proposals for data centers in Hays County — in the San Marcos city limits, extraterritorial jurisdiction and in unincorporated areas. Due to this, there has been massive community confusion and frustration about the proposals, along with what tools are available for city and county officials, Zwiener explained.

“My goal with creating this working group is to bring the players, people who have either some sort of legal authority over these issues or a stake in these issues, together to talk about the problem and brainstorm solutions, so that the community here in Hays County actually has a voice in the outcome,” the state representative said.

One of the challenges that Zwiener has noticed with the discussion surrounding data center issues is having the various entities not fully understanding the legal obligations or challenges faced by other entities, such as what water supply companies and special utility districts are requiring and what the county is allowed to do.

“Texas has a fairly complex network of local government entities and I think city and county almost everyone's familiar with, but for at least one of these data centers, the identified water provider is a special utility district, which has a completely different set of rules and legal authority than a city or a county. And most Texans, I would venture to say, don't even know they're a governmental entity,” she said.

This heightens the importance of these partnerships and having the conversation with all of the different entities at the table.

Two of these partnerships include those with Hays County commissioners Debbie Ingalsbe and Morgan Hammer, who have been at the forefront of helping establish this group.

For Ingalsbe, it was an easy “yes” to be a part of this group because every data center, to her knowledge, that has been proposed in Hays County is in Precinct 1, which she oversees, and she felt a responsibility to step up.

She emphasized that the concerns should not be solely focused on data centers, however — even though that has been a vocal issue recently — as they are about all of the development that is occurring in Hays County and surrounding areas.

“Hays County is currently going through a revision and update of our subdivision rules and regulations. And so, I think, some of the things that are of interest [include that] we want to strengthen our water availability requirements. I'm not exactly sure what that's going to look like. I'm not sure what authority we have, but anything that we can do to strengthen our water availability requirements, I think it's going to be extremely important. We're also encouraging and wanting to incentivize rainwater harvesting and we're encouraging conservation development where cluster development is happening and they leave open space,” Ingalsbe shared. “I think it's important for people to know that as a county, we are trying to do whatever we can to help the water situation.”

The group is also important for Hammer’s jurisdiction in Precinct 3 on the western side of Hays County, especially when it comes to water and development.

“We rely on the Trinity [Aquifer] for all of our water needs from Wimberley to Woodcreek to Driftwood and the Trinity is in dire straits currently. It's an aquifer that's not like any others, with very little authority from their groundwater conservation district,” Hammer said. “So, although the data centers are not pulling water from the Trinity, it's nice to have these conversations about how to create sustainable development within our water space and exploring areas where we can have some type of say from a county level, because there's not a lot of say from a county level on where these developments potentially could go, what water they could be using [and] how to hold them accountable for just overall environmental impacts. There's just a lot of development side of things that we need to explore as a county and the area that these data centers are currently proposed are in San Marcos, and I represent half of San Marcos.”

Along with Zwiener and the commissioners, the initial invitees for the working group are:

- Amanda Rodriguez, Place 6 San Marcos City Council member

- Zane Porterfield Liston, Wimberly Watershed Association

- Vanessa Puig-Williams, Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District

- Virginia Parker, San Marcos River Foundation

- Andrew Weber, Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association

- Garrett Allen, Wimberley Water Supply

- Cy Weaver, community member

- Lon Shell, community member

- Adam Haynes, Texas Conference of Urban Counties

- Marisa Bruno, Hill Country Alliance

- Dr. Robert Mace, executive director, The Meadows Center

- Deborah Trejo, Kemp Smith Law

“I am so grateful for all the folks who are willing to lend their time, their energy and their expertise to this group. The base laws in Texas make addressing big industrial facilities and development in general in Texas very difficult for cities and counties now. It’s a conversation that's been necessary across the board,” Zwiener said. “It just doesn't just come up with data centers; it comes up with other types of industrial development and it comes up with residential development. I'm really grateful that Hays County has people who are ready to dig in and lead on coming up with our solutions.”

“I’m just looking forward to getting with the individuals in this group that has now been created … [to] just come up with real solutions to try to address not just our water issues, but other issues that we may be seeing as development continues to occur,” Ingalsbe shared. “I’m just really excited to be given this opportunity.”

“We have some really impactful people within that group … We see water in the same lens of ‘This needs to be sustainable. This needs to be able to be here for our kids’ kids to come.’ It's not really an issue that has to be one side over the other and I can't wait to explore some of these options and to see where this could lead us,” Hammer emphasized.

The goal of the group is to identify the tools that local entities already have that can be used to address community concerns around data centers, along with what is needed to take to the legislature and request changes, Zwiener said.

Both Ingalsbe and Hammer echoed that they would like to see changes in the authority that is given locally to help control efforts in development and protecting water resources.

“I've been a part of our state and regional associations, county judges and commissioners associations. I've been the president of both our region and our state association, and we've been working for many years with the legislature to ask for more control for both cities and counties and, unfortunately, we just have not had the support at the capitol for that,” Ingalsbe explained. “I think the representative is absolutely going to play a key role in helping us craft legislation that we can present at the capitol to ensure that counties and cities get the authority to help protect not only our water resources, but other issues that we are facing.”

“Do I think it's feasible for us to ask the legislature to just be able to say no to development? No, but I would like some type of say from a county level on where to place these potential developments. How do you work with them and to be able to hold them accountable, rather than just kind of saying, ‘Oh, our hands are tied. There's nothing we can do,’ And that’s kind of where we are at right now.” Hammer said.

Hammer added that she would like to start exploring options and authority that the county already has and how to creatively work with that, but the big thing she wants from the group would be a policy decision that the legislature could view.

“Water is for everybody. The legislature is focusing on water this next legislative session, so I'd like to see a good chunk of either one or two policies being passed that gets us where we need to go from a county perspective because our constituents are relying on us to take care of our county and, right now, we just don't have the tools or resources to be able to do that,” she said.

The issue is not limited to Hays County, Zwiener said, so she is hoping that the group can come up with some tools to share with other communities around the state.

The group is still figuring out schedules, but Zwiener anticipates that they will meet between four and six times, with a goal of those meetings happening this year in order to make recommendations in time for the next legislative session that starts in January.

According to Hays County Parks Director Karl Flocke, the projects began after nearly 70% of voters approved a $75 million park bond in 2020. It was clear that the voters wanted more opportunities to enjoy nature in the county, said Flocke. So, a citizen-led advisory Parks Board and the Parks and Open Space Advisory Council worked together to take suggestions, rank them and determine which projects to move forward on.

Since then, the $75 million has been leveraged into approximately $300 million, due to various state and federal grants, said Hays County Precinct 3 Commissioner Morgan Hammer.

Flocke explained that there are several projects that were conducted by Hays County in Precinct 3, which encompasses Wimberley and Woodcreek into San Marcos, that he and Hammer wanted to highlight.

First, there were four conservation easements that have been completed: Presa Grande, Owl Bluff Easement, Starnes Ranch and John Knox Ranch.

Another project that has been completed is Limestone Link Trail. The 100-acre trail system wraps around the west side of San Marcos, the director said, and will eventually be part of a broader connection from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the Alamo in San Antonio. It features the Ringtail Ridge Natural Area and the river recharge area. Although the other connections are yet to be constructed, Flocke stated that the San Marcos portion is currently available for the public to hike and enjoy.

The “flagship” of the projects —and soon, Hays County — is Sentinel Peak Preserve, said the director. The property was transferred to the county by the Nature Conservatory and features 533-acres of parkland and hiking trails, with one mile of Blanco River access.

“Back in 2011, the county initially initiated a Parks Master Plan and repeatedly, really across the county, [the thing] that was listed as the number one priority by people was access to the tremendous creeks and river systems that, ultimately, are one of the main reasons why people want to live here in Hays County,” said Flocke. “There aren’t a lot of great places to get to [the water] and for the public to enjoy. So, this is fulfilling a long recognized need.”

Located in the southwestern portion of the county, past what’s locally called Devil’s Backbone, the land is currently undergoing improvements, which includes a hillside campus that will house offices for the Hays County Parks Department, a visitor center and an event space. Additionally, there will be designated river access points that can be reserved. There will be 50 slots in the morning and 50 slots in the afternoon, said Flocke, to both ensure that visitors are not crowded and to prevent the river from being “loved to death.”

The dammed up river, which Hammer confirmed has been inspected and is secure, will reach a depth of approximately 9-feet deep, perfect for swimming, said Flocke.

The county not only aims to bring back swimming locations to the west side, but to also protect the environment. Flocke explained that the area, particularly in the cedar and oak trees, is a breeding ground for the Hays County native Golden-cheeked Warbler. To offset the potential impacts of community access, staff will be closing down the trails to the public in the spring and summer — breeding season — and instead offering guided tours. This will give residents a chance to hike, without disturbing the birds.

“With the devastation that we’ve been experiencing recently for Jacob’s Well being closed as long as it has, this does offer that opportunity of hope within our Parks department in the county,” said Hammer. “We prioritized getting individuals out and about and to really show the magnificent Hill Country and the west side of the county … We’re all very informed, on the west side, of what’s beneath our feet. Even though we don’t know the full extent, we are aware that we have to conserve and try to sustain and protect our natural surroundings.”

Completion of Sentinel Peak is aimed for spring 2027, Flocke said.

“Hays County is in a now or never moment with land conservation and providing recreation access … We have grown so much within the last decade that we are transitioning away from a largely rural county to a much more suburban or urban county. With that, there are two simultaneous things that are happening,” the director stated. “One is there is a much greater need for providing recreational access, whether that is sports fields, playgrounds or natural areas that you can hike at, swim at, etc. We eat all those things as the population grows at the same time. We start to lose the natural benefits of rural land. We start to lose the ability to infiltrate water, to have beautiful scenery, to have wildlife habitat … With this Park bond, we’re able to meet those dual objectives of preserving, conserving the landscape and providing the necessary resources for a growing population.”

The department also hopes to focus on conservation with Karst Canyon Prserve, located on the west side of Wimberley, which will hold a ribbon cutting March 27.

The park is 175 acres and, again, offers hiking and recreational activities for the community. Flocke emphasized the park's importance, as it houses karst features — including sinkholes and caves — that funnel down into the aquifer.

According to a Hays County news release, the property is near Jacob’s Well Natural Area and was previously slated for a high-density development of more than 1,000 residential lots, but the Watershed Association purchased the property in 2019, halting the plans. Hays County then bought the land in 2025 and secured a conservation easement through The Nature Conservancy.

Phase 2 is in progress and will add two miles to the completed Phase 1, which has two miles of trail, connecting to the North 40 Trail in Wimberley.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 27. Those attending will park at Parking Lot A at Jacob’s Well Natural Area at 1699 Mt. Sharp Road, Wimberley.

In addition to the parks, there are also municipality-led projects ongoing, the commissioner shared, such as the Blue Hole Nature Center. The center is a “bold, new initiative” to create a state-of-the-art environmental education and community hub, according to the Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department. She shared that the county has recently awarded the project $250,000 to continue moving forward.

There is also a goal to make Wimberley walkable, stemming from Woodcreek through Wimberley, which the park bonds have also contributed to, she said.

This opportunity to aid cities has been “great,” said the commissioner, as some communities, such as Wimberley, do not have a sales tax, which can limit their ability to fund projects.

“The county is very limited in the authority that we have to sway development from our areas. If they meet our criteria, we kind of have our hands tied and we have to approve administratively based on the Texas Constitution and statute. But that Parks bond has allowed us to conserve a lot of land that has karst features in it, to recharge our aquifer and to help with our habitat. So, it’s been a great bond and it’s done a lot of good within my precinct for Wimberley, for the Wimberley Valley and then, also just the west Hays in general,” concluded Hammer.

For more information on the Parks bond, visit www.haysparksbond.com. To stay up to date with the Hays County Parks Department, visit bit.ly/3NMapBl.

The Innovation Corridor Defense Accelerator (ICDA) has been established in San Marcos to help high-potential defense and dual-use startups rapidly validate their technologies and connect with the complex defense ecosystem needed for successful industry adoption.

The accelerator was developed following an outbound marketing trip conducted by the Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership team, which identified a partnership opportunity with Starburst Aerospace to anchor a defense-focused innovation hub in the region between Austin and San Antonio.

Powered by Starburst’s global innovation network, the program connects founders with industry partners, advisors, mentors, investors and defense customers who can help accelerate technology readiness and market entry.

The program is designed for startups developing next-generation defense and dual-use technologies, ranging from prototype-stage ventures to early-growth companies seeking to validate proof-of-concept technologies in real-world defense environments. The accelerator is focused on technologies across multiple defense-related sectors, including space systems, aviation, advanced materials, manufacturing, maintenance and repair operations, unmanned systems, communications, cybersecurity and next-generation computing, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum technologies.

Unlike traditional startup programs, the ICDA offers a tailored approach that includes guidance from industry experts, support refining commercial strategies and assistance navigating the highly regulated defense marketplace.

Participating startups will also have the opportunity to collaborate directly with defense corporations to co-develop, pilot and validate technologies using feedback from real customers in the defense sector.

In addition, companies will gain access to regional testing facilities, research institutions and a global network of venture capital firms, corporations and ecosystem leaders. The program will culminate with a Demo Day, where participating startups present their solutions to investors and industry decision-makers.

“Innovation in aerospace and defense is accelerating, requiring faster iteration cycles across design, testing and manufacturing,” said Lukas Oberhofer, United States managing director for Starburst. “The Austin-San Antonio corridor is emerging as a critical hub for aerospace and defense innovation, driven by a unique concentration of military assets, research institutions and a rapidly growing base of venture-backed startups … The ICDA is built to increase collaboration between these capabilities, accelerating commercial momentum for startups and attracting new capital into the region. This strengthens our ability to create high-quality jobs locally and reinforces the Innovation Corridor’s role in the aerospace, defense and space economy.”

For more information about the ICDA – Project Starburst, contact the Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership.

According to Hays County Precinct 1 commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe, the grant program provides funds to established social service agencies that address specific needs among priority populations in the county.

“The Hays County Commissioners Court administers Social Service Grants to promote community well-being and to address gaps in services among populations in need,” said Ingalsbe. “These investments help strengthen the local network of organizations that residents rely on every day. By supporting agencies that are already making a measurable difference, we’re able to expand access to vital resources and ensure that more families, individuals and neighborhoods receive timely support.”

Previous awardees have used funds to support library services, senior services, career advancement initiatives, youth programming, mental health and substance use treatment, animal services, food assistance and more.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be a nonprofit entity

• Be located within Hays County,

• Provide services to Hays County residents

• Complete the proposed project within the one-year grant period

• Clearly define a Hays County population in need and outline activities that will address that need

The grant period is from Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027. Applications are due by 3 p.m. June 1.

To better align with the county’s strategic initiatives, the application process has been updated to encourage systematic program approaches, stated a Hays County news release. Awardees will now be required to submit quarterly programmatic reports throughout the grant period.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend either the virtual webinar or in-person meeting from 2-3 p.m. April 1.  The in-person session will be held at the Hays County Elections Center, 120 Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos. The virtual meeting link is available at www.hayscountytx.gov/county-administrator.

The meeting will provide an overview of the reporting requirements and introduce the fiscal year 2027 point of contact.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the application process.

“By investing in organizations already doing critical work in our communities, Hays County is helping strengthen long-term solutions for residents who rely on these services every day,” said Precinct 2 commissioner Michelle Cohen.

KYLE — Following a multi-agency investigation, the last of three Houston-area suspects connected to commercial burglaries, ranging from the Kyle area to Houston, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force March 5. 

On Nov. 12, the suspects targeted multiple Poco Loco locations, stealing cash as they traveled from Kyle toward Houston. During the investigation, the Kyle Police Department, in conjunction with Hays County Sheriff’s Office detectives, identified the suspects. Working with regional partner agencies, investigators were able to link them to other burglary investigations.

As a result, KPD and HCSO charged Cedric Ryan Scales Jr., 19, Isaiah Jacob Jaramillo, 23, and Ca’Den Dejuan Johnson, 21, all of Houston, with burglary of a building and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Johnson was arrested Dec. 8, by the Angleton Police Department in connection with a separate robbery. Jaramillo was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on Jan. 13 and Scales was arrested March 5, also by the task force.

All three arrests were connected to a separate stolen firearms investigation in Angleton, Texas.

Hays County Sheriff Anthony Hipolito said, “I’m grateful for my relationship with [KPD] Chief [Jeff] Barnett and the Kyle Police Department. I’m thoroughly impressed with the collaboration and dedication shown by investigators from both agencies.”

“These arrests are the result of strong collaboration between our department and partner law enforcement agencies,” said Barnett. “By working together, we were able to identify and apprehend these suspects and hold them accountable for crimes committed across the region.”

Rangel was indicted in 2023 for sexually abusing his step-granddaughter from the ages of 7 to 12 years old, shortly after her delayed outcry in 2022. 

One day after a jury was selected and moments before opening statements in the trial, Rangel entered a plea of guilty to three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child for acts alleged in 2014, 2017 and 2020. 

Because the case was resolved by a guilty plea, the child victim did not have to testify about the sexual abuse she experienced at a young age. 

The allegations Rangel pleaded to involve performing oral intercourse on the child, while she slept. According to a Hays County news release, she was present for Rangel’s guilty plea and sentencing and spoke during allocution to the defendant about the trauma she continues to experience because of his actions.

Rangel was sentenced to 30 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

This case was investigated by the Austin and San Marcos police departments and was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Cassidy Story and Daniel Sakaida, assisted by Sandra Groters, Avery Slocum, Zoie Sanders and Sergeant Investigator Robert Torres.

“We want to thank the jury for dedicating their time,” Story said. “Without their willingness to serve, a plea agreement would not have been reached. I would also like to thank the victim for her bravery and we hope that the closing of this chapter will open one that leads to continued healing with the assurance that this man finally paid for the long-term damage he has done.”

The Hindu holiday also represents good triumphing over evil and symbolizes love, joy and new beginnings, said a Hays CISD post, which was accomplished by tossing colored powers into the air.

Apollo was established in 1990 and serves investors in credit, equity and real assets strategies, according to its website.

Black acted as chair and CEO since the company's inception, but later stepped down from his position in March 2021, stated the Associated Press to “focus on family, health and ‘many other interests.’”

Prior to lessening his role within the organization, Apollo purchased Shutterfly — Lifetouch’s parent company — in 2019. This was following Epstein’s death in August 2019.

In 2025, Black’s name was noted numerous times in the Epstein files — a collection of documents detailing activities of Jeffrey Epstein — following their initial release.

The culmination of the Epstein files follows the charge of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. According to the Department of Justice, the financier allegedly “sexually exploited and abused dozens of underaged girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money … In creating and maintaining this network of minor victims in multiple states to abuse and exploit sexually, Epstein worked with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with Epstein at the New York Residence and at the Palm Beach Residence.”

While awaiting his trail, he died by suicide in 2019. Since then, several influential names have been mentioned in the files, which contain allegations of sexual abuse.

Black was found more than 8,000 times in the files, where there were transactions from the CEO in amounts sometimes exceeding $100,000. Additionally, in 2016, an email reads that “Leon Black will come see JE tomorrow at 10 a.m. … He may want breakfast … Please be prepared …” There are also other appointments with Black listed throughout the files.

Although Apollo didn’t purchase Shutterfly — and thus, Lifetouch — until 2019, a month after Epstein’s death in August, parents and school districts raised concerns, following the connection to Black. Some questioned whether student portraits were passed around in the alleged sex trafficking ring hosted by Epstein. This led to several districts severing their ties with the photography company, including Athens ISD in Texas and Carter County Schools in Kentucky.

Lifetouch released a statement in response to the distress:

“When Lifetouch photographers take your student’s picture, that image is safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions. Lifetouch does not – and has never provided – images to any third party,” said CEO Ken Murphy. “Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Shutterfly, the parent company of Lifetouch. Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and therefore no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images.”

Murphy also stated that “Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files,” and though there are no seemingly explicit mentions in conversations or photos, a purchase statement period from 2019 in the files does note that a $106.70 purchase was made from Lifetouch.

“This is an online social media conspiracy, with no basis in facts. We don’t know how the rumor started but we want to ensure the public has the facts about this situation, which is unfairly impacting our business and employees,” Murphy continued.

Despite this assurance from Lifetouch that student portraits are secure, two school districts within Hays County have shared that they will be reconsidering their contract with Lifetouch come fall 2026.

Blake Barington, Dripping Springs ISD communications specialist, stated that, currently, five of six elementary schools in the district use Lifetouch for school portraits and, although photo days for this school year are complete, the district will be reviewing the contract to determine whether it will continue. According to a 2024 post to the district’s high school website, senior photos seem to be taken by Cady Photography.

Hays CISD has been using Lifetouch for more than 15 years, said chief communication officer Tim Savoy. Most recently, a request for proposal was done in 2018 — prior to Apollo’s acquisition — and awarded Lifetouch the contract to serve all campuses. This decision was likely based on several factors, including product quality, ability to integrate with district information technology and cost to parents, said Savoy. Additionally, he said that the contract is through The Interlocal Purchasing System bidding cooperative, which vets vendors for compliance with state regulations. The district also does not pay for Lifetouch’s services.

The contract, continued Savoy, shared that Hays CISD does not independently own the photos taken by Lifetouch, as, “It is standard in the photography business for photography companies and independent photographers to retain the copyrights to photos in an attempt to prevent customers from buying one photo and reproducing them without paying for photography packages. When people buy photographs from professional photography companies, they are usually actually just buying a license to have a version of the photographs. Though the district doesn’t technically own the copyright to the photos, Lifetouch is bound by federal law to protect student privacy.”

The photographers are also screened by Hays CISD and student information is limited in release, with the district only sharing what is necessary to conduct picture day.

“We learned of the connection with the rest of the country earlier in February,” shared Savoy. “Moving forward, and prior to fall picture days, the district will continue to conduct a thorough review of Lifetouch and potentially consider other vendors in accordance with policy and state procurement laws.”

To streamline this process, the district has created a committee to consider — if the district can under the current agreement with Lifetouch — soliciting proposals from photography vendors.

“The district needs parents to choose to allow children to have fall pictures taken and understands that parents must be comfortable with the company awarded the contract to take school photos in Hays CISD,” Savoy said.

For more information on Hays CISD’s current contract status, visit www.hayscisd.net/lifetouch.

Wimberley ISD is the only district to not have a contract with Lifetouch, according to Allen Bruggman, communications director. Instead, Austin photographing company Photo Texas has been the provider for Danforth Junior High School since 2013, Jacob’s Well Elementary School since 2021 and Blue Hole Primary School since 2022. Recently, Wimberley High School entered into an agreement with Cady Photography based on photo quality, speed of delivery and other perks, said Bruggman, though it previously used Photo Texas, as well.

Cady Photography’s contract provides joint ownership to the photos, while informing “WISD that they do not share or sell data in any way, and are SOC 2 compliant, which is a voluntary framework for service providers to prove they securely manage customer data. Photo Texas claims that no data or metrics are sold to third parties, that they're compliant with [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] student privacy regulations, and all previous years' photos are securely archived and encrypted,” the director shared.

“Wimberley ISD remains steadfast in its commitment to making the safety and security of our students our highest priority,” he concluded.

As the remaining contracts with Lifetouch remain uncertain, parents, such as Dripping Springs resident Teresa Tautfest, urged the districts on social media to “hire local” instead, while Mari Verastegui said that her family has opted out of photos with Lifetouch in Hays CISD.

For community members wishing to search the Epstein files to conduct their own research, visit www.justice.gov/epstein.

The event, hosted by the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership, featured: Will Conley of American Structurepoint; Ruben Becerra, Hays County Judge; Steven Alvis, Texas Transportation commissioner; Charles Benavidez, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) San Antonio district engineer; Tucker Ferguson, TxDOT Austin district engineer; Morgan Hammer, Hays County commissioner; Cynthia Long, Williamson County commissioner; Ed Theriot, Caldwell County commissioner; and Mike Trimble, city of Kyle director of Transportation and Public Works.

In his opening statement, Becerra noted that the more the county plans, coordinates and strategizes, the better the community will be.

This led into the Fireside Chat: Building Strategic Partnerships with TxDOT, where Alvis stated that TxDOT is funded well, allowing them to build projects in Texas that are innovative, as “there’s nothing else like it in the rest of the country; it’s not even close.” According to Alvis, the city of Austin currently has $3.1 billion under construction, while the city of San Antonio has $5.6 billion, which is more than 20 states in the nation have.

“Texas is very unique. There are so many tools in the toolbox for economic development,” said Alvis. “All you county officials, city officials, look at your permitting program [and] look at your land plan approval programs. When a big opportunity comes to you: react, meet them at the front door with a permit.”

Despite large companies, such as Tesla, making their way to Central Texas, Alvis did note that a statewide problem occurring is the affordable housing crisis. This issue has caused corporate headquarters to choose other states as their base location.

“You don’t get the Teslas unless you create good housing for all the employees and keep that affordable housing in expansion, rip away regulations,” he said. “You’ve got all those tools in your toolbox to help manage the growth that stays rolling toward you. The growth is going to come whether you manage it or not. It’s up to us to manage it and make it happen, so having those partnerships with us at TxDOT only makes sense.”

Ferguson echoed this sentiment by stating that the investment in transportation in fast-growing counties, like Hays County, is important. Specifically, he praised the innovation that the county has done with bond and finance programs, such as acquiring Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and federal funds, which has been "amazing."

“We’ve even done workshops within our district for some of our other counties to come in and learn from Hays and Williamson counties, to learn from them what they’ve done and that’s being replicated,” said Ferguson.

Continuing on Hays County, he shared that the bond program certificates that have occurred has allowed the roads to be put on the state system again, including IH-35, RM 150, FM 1626 and FM 2001. Each of these projects attracted businesses on the IH-35 corridor.

The engineer also stated that Hays County’s cooperation with TxDOT over the years has allowed the county to aid in construction of FM 110, which is continuing to grow the economy  in the east side of San Marcos.

Another current project is the creation of high-occupany vehicle lanes from Round Rock to San Antonio. The construction is divided in three: north, central and south.

“The overall goal is to increase capacity, person carrying capacity, of the IH-35,” said Alvis. “We’ve invested much of our capital and our resources into it and it’s the number one priority for CAMPO.”

Next was a panel discussing “lessons from the field, how major projects got done.”

Commissioner Hammer touched on a recent local achievement: bringing sidewalks for students to Wimberley.

She noted that, “Before I got elected, I said, ‘Well, why don’t we just focus on the county roads because we’re county commissioners.’ And [former commissioner Lon Shell] said, ‘You could do that. You could make the best road in the entire world and spend all your dollars on that or you could be proactive and you could realize that more families are moving here, more people are going to school and you have to plan for that.’”

So, when she noticed children walking in ditches to get to school, since FM 2325 needed sidewalks, county leadership set out to remedy the issue.

“The city of Wimberley, they don’t have property tax; they only have a sales tax, so they’re limited in what they can do in scope. FM 2325 is a state road, so the county said, ‘Hey, we’re going to take the initiative,’” explained Hammer. “I just got to cut the ribbon on it a couple weeks ago, on Feb. 5, and that was such a great accomplishment now that kids are safely walking to and from [school].”

Similar to Hammer, Trimble is a year into his position, but when he started, he immediately recognized that the city was “serious about making the investment in the community and they knew what was happening with the growth … They were saying, ‘We need to prepare for this.’ So, they’ve been willing to make the investments in the infrastructure to make that happen.”

Trimble shared that there is approximately $400 million worth of construction going on within the city of Kyle, not including $200 million for road projects. The latter is due to many road bond projects that followed the 2022 approval. Out of the 10 projects, only two are yet to begin, he said.

Additionally, the city is developing its new Transportation Master Plan.

“We have RM 150 and FM 1626 and we connect to a lot of Hays County facilities. Your Windy Hill is our Windy Hill. Your Bebee Road is our Bebee Road. Your RM 150 is our RM 150, so we’re all connected. I think we all get that right. We’re part of a network and a system and so, you have to partner effectively with your regional partners, your county, your fellow cities,” emphasized Trimble. “Just with our road bond program alone, we’re making about $65 million in investment on TxDOT facilities in the city of Kyle. So, I think we’re showing TxDOT that, ‘Hey, we’re ready to put our mouth where our money is.”

He also stated that the railroad overpass is a huge collaboration with Hays County and TxDOT, which will relocate the area that trains rest at — currently in downtown Kyle, blocking traffic — to an overpass over Kohler’s Crossing.

Concluding the summit was Conley, who led both panels: “What you’ve heard here today is that there’s been a lot of partnership and collaboration. I look around this room [and] I see leadership in the business sector. I see private sector transportation, assets and allies, like SH 130, like [the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority], that is here, as well [and] of course, we have our TxDOT people here. It takes the whole team growing in the same direction to accomplish these big, major things and to maintain and improve our communities.”

Wilder tried to claim that she had attempted to commit suicide. The son was able to disarm Wilder and lock him outside while calling 911. Officers and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded and transported the victim to the hospital, where she received medical treatment and survived.

During the punishment phase of the trial, the jury heard testimony about years of emotional, verbal and physical abuse by Wilder that the victim had been subjected to. This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Shea Umphrey and Ashley Indelicato. 

“The victim and her son showed extreme bravery and strength through their testimony. It is because of the son’s quick actions and determination that she is alive today. Domestic 
violence is unacceptable at any age,” Umphrey said. “We will continue to hold offenders accountable who try to bully, intimidate and harm others. We appreciate the care and dedication that our staff, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and EMS took with this case to help bring the defendant to justice.”

On Nov. 24, 2025, a jury found Jaime Espericueta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The evidence at trial showed that Jaime Espericueta sexually abused two different children over several years.

Espericueta elected to have his punishment determined by the judge instead of a jury.

After the jury found Espericueta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child, the punishment hearing occurred Feb. 23, 2026. At this hearing, a third victim testified that Espericueta had also abused her when she was a child. State prosecutors presented additional evidence of the traumatic effects of sexual abuse.

After hearing the evidence, Judge Alicia Key of the 483rd District Court of Hays County sentenced Espericueta to 75 years in prison. Under the law applicable to the case, the defendant is not eligible for parole.

This case was prosecuted by assistant criminal district attorneys Elizabeth Schmidt and Miranda Ebersole.

“This was a case where the defendant spent years hiding his crimes of sexual abuse, often hiding behind his own family members for protection. The bravery of the survivors in this case to speak out about the abuse and stand up to the defendant in court was inspiring. This case is a warning to other abusers that even though years go by, we will still hold them accountable for the abuse they inflict on children,” said Ebersole.

This item follows the discussion surrounding the rapidly diminishing water resources in not only Hays County, but Texas, as a whole. Prior to the meeting, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra held a press conference Feb. 16 to announce his intent to place a moratorium on future developments requesting more than 20,000 gallons of water per day.

He stated that the temporary pause would allow the county to evaluate impacts and ensure long-term water security for residents and agriculture.

According to the resolution brought forth during court, “The Hays County Commissioners Court finds current drought conditions and increasing demand on regional water supplies require immediate and precautionary measures to ensure that industrial development activity does not adversely impact water availability or emergency preparedness … The availability of water is directly tied to the protection of public health, safety and welfare, including the county’s ability to maintain ample supply for fire suppression, emergency medical response, law enforcement operations and disaster response.”

Becerra noted that he has always been “pro business,” but that these companies that are requesting this amount of water aren't “pro business” it is instead, “pro industrial blow up of consumption of resources.”

What many are unaware of, he continued, is that there are six high water-use corporations eyeing Hays County in an era where water is scarce. In light of this, he is asking for a 30-day pause.

Since proposing this, Becerra said he has worked with local leaders to reach out to Gov. Greg Abbott to schedule an emergency session to give counties authority to respond to high-volume water consumption during emergency drought conditions.

“This movement — I can’t emphasize enough — is affecting literally us here in every city, throughout the county, throughout the state and throughout the nation,” said Becerra.

Several community members shared their support through public comments.

San Marcos resident Audrey McGuire urged the court to approve the item, stating that the future of the community is at stake.

“At what point do we say, 'Enough is enough,'” said McGuire. “At what point do we and you as [an] elected official take back our power of the people and set boundaries and limitations? Let us make a real educated decision and take action that best serves the people and the land of Hays County.”

Similarly, resident Jessica Moreno stated that the community sees the effects of the drought everywhere, from Jacob’s Well to receding river levels across the county. The court can help preserve the water that is still available by enacting actions, such as the pause on developments requesting high water usage.

Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe emphasized that she will stand by her constituents’ opinions and concerns.

“I really support basically everything that [the resolution] says, but the pause,” said Ingalsbe. “I don’t know if that is considered a moratorium, which I think everybody here understands that we don’t have the authority to impose a moratorium … I also called Jim Allison, who is the legal counsel for the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, and he said that that it is correct, that he visited with the Attorney General’s Office and they could find nothing that gives counties the authority to impose a moratorium [or] temporarily suspend or delay a specific activity.”

Also sharing a concern was commissioner Michelle Cohen. She stated, as did Ingalsbe, that the resolution was not available in the backup documents and she would have liked to have more time to review it and ask any necessary legal questions. She also asked whether there are any active permits that they need to be aware of.

“We all hear you. As a court, we have supported water conservation, sustainability, parks bonds; we care about our natural resources,” said commissioner Morgan Hammer. “[Texas State House Rep.] Erin Zwiener just sent us all an email with her input on this and I just want to read a little excerpt because I think it’s very important: ‘I recognize that the choices the court is faced with today without robust authority are challenging. The Hays County community is calling for action, while powerful legislatures are asking for the Texas attorney general to investigate any counties that pursue such action … If the county just refuses to grant or deny permits there's a real risk that developers will sidestep the county, likewise if the county denies development permits without clear authority, the county opens itself up to litigation.’”

Commissioner Walt Smith agreed with this sentiment from Zweiner, adding that if this resolution passes, the county will be sued.

He explained that the county only has control over five permits: fire code, whether the facility connects to a county roadway, groundwater availability, replatting and septic systems up to 5,000 gallons.

So, his concern is that if the court passes this pause, the facilities would automatically receive approval at the 30-day mark, due to state law. This would prevent the court from having any time to review the documents themselves. Additionally, the only power they hold over water is for groundwater, which these corporations would not use, since they would bring water from elsewhere.

“We heard a lot of how we can’t, why we shouldn’t and why we won’t and I am looking for yes we can, yes we lean forward, yes let’s figure it out energy,” stressed Becerra. “We will be standing in front of a Mack Truck if we don’t do something, do anything.”

“We can all say nice, pretty words, but we cannot drink those words. We have to treat it as the urgent emergency that it is,” the judge stressed. “I am asking my court members to help me chart a path out of the loop we are in.”

After evaluating the resolution, Jordan Powell, civil first assistant criminal district attorney, stated that implementing any pause is not in the county’s power, however, there might be versions that would be, such as urging governing bodies that do have that power to use it.

“I will table this item because I will not back down,” said Becerra. “If you want to see if this is a political stunt, roll the tape. I’ve been doing this for eight years; you pick the subject. I will not back off. I have been made aware of this in a meaningful way and I am now stepping up in a meaningful way — never mind the calendar … Just to stand there and be okay with [what’s going on], wringing your hands and writing stern letters is no longer enough.”

There was no action taken on the item. It will come back to court at a later date. To listen to the discussion, visit bit.ly/4aZPt1j.

Several impactful positions were up for election, including the Hays County judge, precinct 2 and 4 county commissioners, district clerk, Hays County treasurer , Hays County clerk, district judge seats, county court-at-law judges and justices of the peace. 

The majority of the local Republican races ran unopposed, securing the candidates’ seats in the uniform election, to be held Nov. 3, including Geoffrey Tahuahua — current Dripping Springs City Council member guided by “conservative principles, fiscal responsibility, accountability and a commitment to protecting the values” — who is vying for the county judge seat. 

However, voters chose Rob McClelland to move forward as the Republican candidate for the Precinct 4 Hays County commissioner position. McClelland received 4,368 votes or 66.12%, while opponent Wm. Travis Crow garnered 2,238 votes or 33.88%. 

McClelland is a father, veteran and Dripping Springs ISD trustee. In his campaign, he stated that he hopes to lower taxes, while focusing on infrastructure and safety, according to a news release. Additionally, McClelland wants to back law enforcement and emergency response teams, prioritize safe and well-maintained county roads, address traffic challenges and protect the Hill Country’s natural beauty.

In the Democratic race, incumbent Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra will continue to fight for his reelection in a runoff against candidate Michelle Cohen, as neither had more than 50% of the vote. The two received 15,616 votes or 49.14%  and 14,435 votes or 45.42% respectively. Candidate Joel W. Martin garnered 1,727 votes  or 5.43%.

Becerra has served as the county judge since 2019, after his reelection in 2022. In his time served, he has created the Criminal Justice Commission, the Mental Health Hospital Task Force, the Public Defender’s Office, Council for the Indigenous & Tejano Community and more. 

Cohen noted that she has more than 30 years of experience, including 12 in state government and three years as a commissioner. Raised in Hays County, she stated that she was shaped by a community that believed in hard work, looking out for one another and building something better together. 

Additionally, there will be runoff elections for County Court-at-Law #2 between incumbent Chris Johnson — 13,785 votes or 47.97% — and Thomas Just — 10,211 or 35.54% — as well as county clerk candidates Cynthia Millonzi, 14,204 votes or 47.51%, and Nicholas “Nico” Costilla, 9,468 or 31.67%.

Early voting for the runoff election will be May 18 to May 22, with election day occurring Tuesday, May 26.

Democrat and Hays CISD trustee Johnny Flores will face Republican candidate Abby Gibson in November for the Precinct 2 Hays County commissioner seat. Flores received 5,380 vote or 72.60% and opponent Bryan Escobar had 2,030 votes or 27.40%

Flores holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in political science from Texas State University. He supports sustainable growth, affordability, community engagement, transparency, equity and safety, according to his candidacy website.

Angie Unger will represent Democrats for the Hays County Commissioner, Precinct 4 seat, with 3,864 or 50.56%. She stated that she is a mother and neighbor advocating for safer roads, water conservation and community connection.

The criminal district attorney Democratic seat was secured by Alfonso Salazar, with 16,349 votes or 54.50% Although there is no Republican opponent, independent Kirsta Melton will face him on the November ballot. 

As previously reported by the Hays Free Press/ News-Dispatch, Salazar is San Antonio born and a veteran, which taught him discipline, resilience and leadership. He shared that his mission is to protect the rule of law and reeducate law enforcement and civilians.

The Republican and Democratic nominees will face off in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 3. 

All unofficial results for the March 3 primary election are as follows: 

Democratic race

According to the Hays County elections website, 33,926 out of 192,945, or 17.58%, Democratic voters cast a ballot. 

District Judge, 428th District 

Cassie Benoit-Templeton: 20,153 (66.54%)

Joe Pool: 6,968 (23.01%)

Bill Henry: 3,168 (10.46%)

Criminal District Attorney 

Alfonso Salazar: 16,349 (54.50%)

Landon Bryan Campbell: 13,647 (45.50%)

County Judge 

Michelle Gutierrez Cohen: 14,435 (45.42%)

Joel W. Martin: 1,727 (5.43%)

Ruben Becerra: 15,616 (49.14%)

County Court-at-Law #1

Jimmy Alan Hall: 29,259 (100%) 

County Court-at-Law #2 

Chris Johnson: 13,785 (47.97%)

W. David Friesenhahn: 4,738 (16.49%)

Thomas Just: 10,211 (35.54%)

District Clerk 

Amanda K. Calvert: 29,440 (100%)

County Clerk 

Cynthia A. Millonzi: 14,204 (47.51%)

DeeDee Rodgers: 6,225 (20.82%) 

Nicholas “Nico” Costilla: 9,468 (31.67%)

County Treasurer 

Daphne Sanchez Tenorio: 29,380 (100%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 2 

Johnny Flores: 5,380 (72.60%)

Bryan Escobar: 2,030 (27.40%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 4

Angie Unger: 3,864 (50.56%) 

Laurie Brown: 3,779 (49.44%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2

Maggie Hernandez Moreno: 7,101 (75.46%)

Elizabeth Trevino Amaya: 2,309 (24.54%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1

Beth Smith: 6,903 (100%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5

Sandra Bryant: 6,165 (100%)

Republican race

According to the Hays County elections website, 18,601 out of 192,945, or 9.64%, Republican voters cast a ballot.

District Judge, 207th District 

Tracie Wright Reneau: 15,064 (100%)

District Judge, 274th District

Gary L. Steel: 15,125 (100%)

District Judge, 428th District 

Paul Still: 15,046 (100%)

County Judge 

Geoffrey Tahuahua: 15,418 (100%)

County Court-at-Law #2 

Charmaine Wilde: 15,180 (100%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 2 

Abby Gibson: 2,223(100%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 4 

Rob McClelland: 4,368 (66.12%)

Wm. Travis Crow: 2,238 (33.88%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1 

Janie Flores: 2,545 (100%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3

Joseph Jamieson: 2,461 (100%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4

John Burns: 4,805 (100%)

*All results are unofficial until canvassed and certified. 

Democratic race

According to the Hays County elections website, 33,926 out of 192,945, or 17.58%, Democratic voters cast a ballot. 

District Judge, 428th District 

Cassie Benoit-Templeton: 20,153 (66.54%)

Joe Pool: 6,968 (23.01%)

Bill Henry: 3,168 (10.46%)

Criminal District Attorney 

Alfonso Salazar: 16,349 (54.50%)

Landon Bryan Campbell: 13,647 (45.50%)

County Judge 

Michelle Gutierrez Cohen: 14,435 (45.42%)

Joel W. Martin: 1,727 (5.43%)

Ruben Becerra: 15,616 (49.14%)

County Court-at-Law #1

Jimmy Alan Hall: 29,259 (100%) 

County Court-at-Law #2 

Chris Johnson: 13,785 (47.97%)

W. David Friesenhahn: 4,738 (16.49%)

Thomas Just: 10,211 (35.54%)

District Clerk 

Amanda K. Calvert: 29,440 (100%)

County Clerk 

Cynthia A. Millonzi: 14,204 (47.51%)

DeeDee Rodgers: 6,225 (20.82%) 

Nicholas “Nico” Costilla: 9,468 (31.67%)

County Treasurer 

Daphne Sanchez Tenorio: 29,380 (100%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 2 

Johnny Flores: 5,380 (72.60%)

Bryan Escobar: 2,030 (27.40%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 4

Angie Unger: 3,864 (50.56%) 

Laurie Brown: 3,779 (49.44%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2

Maggie Hernandez Moreno: 7,101 (75.46%)

Elizabeth Trevino Amaya: 2,309 (24.54%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1

Beth Smith: 6,903 (100%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5

Sandra Bryant: 6,165 (100%)

Republican race

According to the Hays County elections website, 18,601 out of 192,945, or 9.64%, Republican voters cast a ballot, with 35 of 35 election day locations reporting.  

District Judge, 207th District 

Tracie Wright Reneau: 15,064 (100%)

District Judge, 274th District

Gary L. Steel: 15,125 (100%)

District Judge, 428th District 

Paul Still: 15,046 (100%)

County Judge 

Geoffrey Tahuahua: 15,418 (100%)

County Court-at-Law #2 

Charmaine Wilde: 15,180 (100%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 2 

Abby Gibson: 2,223(100%)

County Commissioner, Precinct 4 

Rob McClelland: 4,368 (66.12%)

Wm. Travis Crow: 2,238 (33.88%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1 

Janie Flores: 2,545 (100%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3

Joseph Jamieson: 2,461 (100%)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4

John Burns: 4,805 (100%)

*All results remain unofficial until canvassed

District Judge, 428th Judicial District

Cassie Benoist-Templeton — Democrat

Benoist-Templeton shared that she has been a prosecutor in another county for more than a decade and has “helped or handled every single job in a Criminal District Attorney’s (DA) Office, including on the civil side, as well as criminal.” Her experience primarily is in felony criminal work and crimes against women and children.

If elected, she would bring organization and movement of cases.

“The two things that I would want to accomplish in my first year as the 428th District Judge is going to expand the drug court program,” said Benoist-Templeton. “The second thing would be to address the civil backlog. I know Judge [Alicia] Key and Judge [Sherri] Tibbe have done a phenomenal job at eliminating the criminal backlog, as well as the DA’s Office, but a civil backlog is there.”

She stated that there needs to be additional dockets for civil cases and that, on the criminal side, it is “unacceptable” for a drug case to be on the docket for three to four years.

Benoist-Templeton believes that the biggest challenge will be the growth of the county: “You need a judge who’s willing to come up with inventive ways to move cases … I’m willing to take a risk and if it doesn’t work, okay, then, we’ll go back to the drawing board.”

Joe Pool — Democrat

Pool is the incumbent in this race and noted that he has “the court efficiency record of 17 pleas and five sentences in one day.”

He stressed that, if reelected, there would not be “any problems” with diversion courts, nor would there be Delta-8 THC convictions. Pool said that he wants to continue to impose supervision on those who need it — such as repeat offenders with driving under the influence charges — be transparent and, ultimately, help people.

“I’m kind of known as the civil district judge here in Hays County and one of the reasons is that we are processing the civil cases,” said Pool. “We are working through all the backlogs — criminal and civil — and we’re getting it done efficiently.”

He stated that a challenge the court is facing is getting the community to change its outlook on jury duty by creating a more positive experience for those attending.

Paul Still — Republican

A former Houston trial prosecutor, Still stated that he eventually transitioned to working in the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, frequently advising in felony matters.

He stated that he puts an emphasis on clear record-making, organization and giving advocates the time and space to make the most effective case.

Still would focus on supervision for those with several driving under the influence charges, as Pool mentioned, if elected.

“I think I want to reassure the lawyers who practice in the county that I am not here procedurally to reinvent the wheel or to sweep in some massive procedural changes that are going to change the way you do business,” said Still.

He also wants to aid in the backlog of civil cases with special dockets, as he feels like the growing stack of both civil and criminal cases will be a challenge.

Candidate Bill Henry — Democrat did not attend the forum.

Judge, County Court-at-Law 2

Chris Johnson — Democrat

Incumbent Johnson introduced himself swiftly, stating that those in attendance know how hard he works and that he treats others with compassion.

He stated that one of his primary goals is the juvenile justice system. As it takes up more and more time, he hopes to get a dedicated juvenile master and a full-time courtroom space at the detention facility. Johnson has begun work on both of these projects.

Johnson was asked by the moderator about alleged “privileged continuation of self-represented litigants and attorneys” to which he stated that he does not feel as though there is a problem with this: “I refuse to stomp on people’s rights. If they — despite a great deal of encouragement to hire a lawyer — insist upon representing themselves, I’m going to let them do it.”

Thomas Just — Democrat

Just is an Air Force veteran and has experience in criminal, family and civil law.

If elected, he hopes to bring changes to the court: “One in five people in Hays County speak Spanish, [yet] we do not have any interpreters on staff with the courts. We rely on the same system. I want to fix that. I also believe that we need to double down on some additional diversion courts and there are some pretty significant changes to the Veterans Treatment Court that I would love to make.”

Just also stated that he would like to expand the contract with the public defender’s office to cover all indigent defendants, rather than only 25%, to reduce the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Charmaine Wilde — Republican

Wilde has been an attorney since 2012 and currently works at a private practice, working in criminal and juvenile law and probate guardianship.

“I cover all those areas that are practiced in Hays County Court-at-Law. I think experience is very, very important,” said Wilde.

One policy Wilde would like to implement is an automated system for scheduling hearings, as the process is currently lengthy.

As far as transferring any policies from district court to the county level, Wilde stated that the county court judges already “pay attention to what happens at the district court level and if they see something efficient, they do their best to implement it.”

W. David Friesenhahn — Democrat did not attend.

Hays County Clerk

Nicholas “Nico” Costilla — Democrat

Costilla graduated from Texas State University with a degree in criminal justice.

In response to a question about adding more technology services for community members, Costilla noted that he was part of a project for the system that the DA’s Office currently uses.

“I was the project manager for TechShare, so I was instrumental in the implementation at the office,” said Costilla. “One thing that I’ve always said is I want to look at modernizing the records management system. I want to make sure that it’s accessible to not only the staff, but the public and to you, as attorneys, as well.”

He stated that he wants to ensure that those in the clerk’s office are cross trained to assist both the attorneys and the residents.

Cynthia A. Millonzi — Democrat

Sitting as the current assistant county clerk, Millonzi, a veteran, stated that she has been at the clerk’s office for four years after being sought out for her leadership, process analysis and operations and budget management.

Regarding technology, she stated that the office is working on two portals that will allow the public to search for public records easier.

“Our biggest operational challenges are trying to keep up with the requirements of growth and matching the staffing to that growth,” Millonzi said.

Despite this, she shared that the office has been “very successful” since her time in office at achieving this.

DeeDee Rogers — Democrat was not in attendance.

Hays County Criminal District Attorney

Landon Bryan Campbell — Democrat

Campbell is currently a prosecutor in the DA’s Office. He grew up in Katy and went to Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. His experience includes work in felony courts, as well as misdemeanor and civil court.

In response to how protective orders can be used more as a tool than gesture, the prosecutor shared that, in the last three years, protective orders have been moved to the civil division to ensure that there are institutional blocks and support for handling protective orders, increasing the number of orders 11-fold.

He hopes to one day have a civil attorney, whose focus would be protective orders.

Campbell shared that the office has shifted its focus from “can we file a charge” to “can we and should we,” which he believes should be doubled down on. He stated that each case needs to have a “why” and should question whether there could be a good result for someone. Because of this, he noted that his first budget request will be requesting additional intake attorneys.

“I’m asking for your support to be the next Criminal District Attorney because I think that Hays County is on the precipice of amazing success. We’ve had very good accomplishments in the last three years. I want to take us to the next level and really soar,” said Campbell.

Alfonso O. Salazar — Democrat

Salazar serves as the managing partner of his own law firm. He is originally from San Antonio and served in the Air Force for 12 years. During this time, he received an undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and went to the Baylor University School of Law. He has experience in felony and misdemeanor courts.

Regarding protective orders, he stated that, currently, there are too many given out. Yes, the amount has been increased, Salazar continued, but “that piece of paper is not going to defend you.” Instead, this comes with the relationship he aims to build with local law enforcement.

Salazar stated that one of the campaigns he’s running on is to strengthen the intake division. This would include hiring more people, if needed, and analyzing the court’s policy to determine what is being filed, is it legitimate and where it is something that can be taken to trial in an effort to make sure that cases in the system are going to make the community safer.

“All of the judges know me; I’ve practiced in front of every single one of them. I’m bringing a completely different perspective to the DA’s Office. I see the successes every single day, but, like y’all, I see all of the failures — when they’re in my inbox, when they’re in my TechShare, when there’s a disconnect and I have to show up in person and go try to fight that out. Those are the things that I am trying to fix and that’s why I would ask for your vote,” Salazar said.

Kirsta Melton — Independent

Melton shared that she has experience handling sexual abuse, physical abuse, adult sexual cases, family violence, capital murder, trafficking and more. She also has worked at the Attorney General’s Office and “helped identify gaps in the law [and] create legislation.”

Praising Bexar County’s process with protective orders, Melton stated that they have easier access to the application process and increased speed. Additionally, she said that there not only needs to be enforcement, but the ability to provide victim support to those in fear by aiding their partners at the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center.

If elected, the candidate stated that she wants to first establish trust within the community by creating a prosecutorial performance indicator, a dashboard that would allow the public to see what cases are coming in and how they’re being resolved.

“I am running as an independent,” said Melton. “I don’t believe that we should have partisanship when it comes to issues of criminal or legal. I think it should be making decisions based on facts and [the rules] of the law. The three things that I’m running on are trust through transparency, the power of professionalism and the importance of integrity.”

Early voting for the Democratic and Republican primaries began Feb. 17 and will continue through Feb. 27. Eletion Day is Tuesday, March 3. Independent candidates will not appear on the primary ballots. For more information on the election and to view sample ballots, visit bit.ly/4s2mbWP.

SAN MARCOS — Dating violence, in public perception, looks loud and obvious, according to the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center. Abuse is often subtle, controlled and strategic.

Coercive control is a form of systemic abuse that gains power and control over a person through repeated behavior of intimidation, manipulation and isolation. An abuser's goal in using this tactic is to erode one's autonomy, so a person no longer perceives their life and actions as their own.

So, how can we recognize this behavior? The following are examples of some of the most common features of coercive control:

• Social isolation: An abuser will create distance from the victim's support systems, like friends or family, to enforce isolation and dependence.

• Constant monitoring: An abuser will enforce this by continuously monitoring the victim's life through check-ins, looking through their phone, sharing locations, having access to emails or social media and insisting on always being around.

• Economic abuse: An abuser may enforce this by controlling the victim's finances, prohibiting them from working, sabotaging job opportunities and limiting access to material support.

• Threats and intimidation: An abuser may use threats and intimidation to create fear, enforce obedience and limit the victim's ability to act independently.

• Emotional manipulation: An abuser may create feelings of guilt, shame or fear to maintain the victim's obedience.

Recognizing this behavior in a relationship requires analysis of past a single incident. Take note of patterns, changed behavior, power dynamics, inconsistencies and ulterior motives.

If one finds themselves abandoning the things that are meaningful, questioning choices or feeling like a partner's comfort is more important than their autonomy, seek support.

HCWC is committed to providing free, safe and confidential services to victims of dating violence. If experiencing dating violence, call HELPLine 24/7 at 512-396-4357. For additional information, visit www.stopthehurt.org. HCWC’s prevention educators are available to give presentations and education about dating violence.

The 199.49-acre site for the proposed center was first presented to San Marcos City Council at its Aug. 19, 2025, meeting. According to council member Matthew Mendoza, the site was initially approved for a single-family development in 2022, but the project didn’t come to fruition.

Three years later, the landowners changed course with the proposal of a data center. To move forward, approximately 64 acres of land must be annexed into the city limits. Additionally, the entire property would need to be rezoned from conservation/cluster to commercial/employment low via a preferred scenario amendment (PSA).

Although council voted 5-2 to approve the item in August 2025, the motion ultimately failed, since the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the PSA in March 2025. This meant that a super majority, 6-1, was required to pass the PSA.

Commissioner Jim Garber emphasized at the P&Z meeting that he had rarely seen such a community response to a project: “This is one of the biggest turnouts I’ve ever seen … We beg citizens to come out and get involved; we want your input. So, when we get it, I want to listen.”

The data center then resubmitted the PSA in October.

Despite its earlier decision the year prior, the commission opted to recommend approval Jan. 13, 2026.

Since its inception, community members have spoken against the data center, many citing environmental concerns.

The day before the Feb. 17, council meeting, where the PSA would be brought forward yet again, following commission recommendation, citizens gathered with the newly-established Data Center Action Coalition for a press conference relating to the data center on the proposed site.

“A man who fancies himself the owner of this land wants to pave over 70% over 200 acres to raise multiple buildings to over four to five stories that would house computer servers and to inject those buildings with sacred water using proprietary cocktails of chemicals that he’ll probably sign [nondisclosure agreements] to never reveal to the city of San Marcos and then, it’ll be on the city to remove those chemicals, so we can then drink that water because we are running out,” said Si Frede of the coalition. “It is incumbent upon all of us to insist that people in power do the right thing and also to organize and do what needs to be done to defend this place because we owe our lives to this place.”

The next day, hundreds of citizens lined the street outside of San Marcos City Hall in preparation to speak against the item, amounting to more than four hours of public comment that echoed similar environmental concerns to those who spoke nearly a year ago.

“Last year, San Marcos City Utilities provided you all with projections of our water usage versus our natural resources. They highlighted the potential for our region to essentially run out of water by 2047 without calculating the four proposed data centers within San Marcos city limits,” said resident Jessica Bunting.

Those pushing data centers, she continued, claim that they will “only use” 75,000 per day, equivalent to the usage of 915 San Marcos residents in one day.

“One person’s water consumption over two and a half years is the same as one day of data center water usage,” said Bunting. “We do not have the natural resources to accommodate these developments. If these centers move forward, we are setting ourselves and future generations up for failure.”

Resident Aaron Brown discussed the long-term implications of a data center, stating that it is the “new and shiny thing” of this time period, where everyone, including San Marcos, rushes to be part of it, without considering the environment.

He stated that there is talk about the job opportunity for three to five years during the construction, but that after, only limited positions will remain.

“Where do we stand on this data center 10, 15 years down the road,” prompted Brown. “We are seeing this snapshot and it is up to you and the council to look at the bigger picture … We’re eroding that green space; we are eroding our conservation in this area.”

Immediately following public comment, council member Lorenzo Gonzalez moved to table the PSA, as there are still unknowns regarding other data centers in the area. He stated that the decisions of those sites affect how the council should vote. Additionally, there are unanswered questions that should be resolved, said Gonzalez.

Mayor Jane Hughson was against postponing the item after so long. If anything, she suggested voting for the first reading and then, receiving the requested information at the second reading, since two are required.

“I truly feel that a postponement on insufficient grounds that have been presented, which are wholly insufficient … feels like we are torturing these people” said council member Amanda Rodriguez.

Considering community member questions, council member Alyssa Garza asked why an agenda packet with more detailed information wasn’t uploaded to the city’s website prior to the day of the vote. Staff stated that they uploaded the document as soon as it was available.

Hughson shared her own concerns about the water from the power generation, stating that she is unsure of what the answer is. This was also a worry for Mendoza, as well as Senate Bill 6, which relates to the planning for, interconnection and operation of certain electrical loads and generation of power by water supply or sewer.

Still considering the postponement was Gonzalez, who amended his motion to move the discussion to March 31. The motion failed 3-4, with council members Rodriguez, Josh Paselk, Garza and Mendoza dissenting.

“I’m still not convinced that we have the information that we need to have a genuine conversation about the implications of data centers,” said Garza. “I have not received sufficient information from various powers that be to make it so that I was comfortable voting, ‘Yes.’”

At nearly 2:30 a.m., Garza motioned to deny the PSA, with Rodriguez providing a second. The item passed 5-2, with Gonzales and Mendoza dissenting, as the room erupted into applause and cheers from residents.

Despite the denial, a city staff member noted that another application can be filed by the owners in six months.

To listen to the full discussion, visit bit.ly/4kQsOJg.

This follows the passing of Senate Bill (SB) 546, which added a subsection to the Texas Transportation Code, that requires school districts to ensure that buses are equipped with a three-point seat belt for each passenger, including the operator.

The only exception is if the board of trustees determines that “it is not feasible, in consideration of the district’s budget and student needs.”

According to Max Cleaver, chief operations officer, the compliance date isn’t until Sept. 1, 2029, but for now, SB 546 requires the district to report what seat belts are currently in its bus fleet and what the estimated cost is at this time to either upgrade or purchase new equipment.

Prior to providing the status, director of Transportation Cassandra Behr shared the history of seat belts within school buses. The presentation noted that in 1977, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration implemented safety standards, such as high-backed, cushioned seats, rather than requiring seat belts.

This shifted in the 1980s, as some states began requiring lap belts. It wasn’t until the late 1990s and early 2000s that bus manufacturers started doing safety tests for three-point seat belts, said Behr.

In 2017, with SB 693, all buses created in the year 2018 or later required three-point seat belts for all passengers. That being said, she explained that districts were allowed to bypass this law, citing funding.

Now, with the current bill, Behr specified that a bus may be exempt if installing the seat belts would void the vehicle’s warranty, but that buses manufactured in years prior to 2018 must be retrofitted to comply by 2029.

“Senate Bill 546 established detailed reporting requirements for districts and [the Texas Education Agency], so that the state can track compliance challenges and estimate those financial needs,” said Behr. “We must submit required information with documentation by 11:59 p.m. on May 29, 2026. That documentation required includes: board agendas and minutes, proving that we had a public meeting; we have to report how many buses that we had in our fleet at the time of our presentation that do not have seat belts, that have only a lap belt or that two-point seat belt and are equipped with three-point seat belts; and we have to have the cost of the district to equip all buses with three-point seat belts.”

Currently, the district has 136 general education and 41 special education buses in compliance, 18 special education buses out of compliance, two general education buses without sealt belts and 18 buses that cannot be retrofitted.

Behr stated that the district has reached out to companies to determine how much retrofitting would cost. To add seat belts to the two general education buses that can be updated, it would be approximately $50,000 each and then, for the special education side, Behr stated that there are seven Thomas Built Buses that would amount to $280,000 total and 10 International Buses for $314,415.94.

This comes to a total of $694,415.94 to retrofit the buses, as compared to an estimated $3.7-$4.2 million to replace 20 general education buses — the two that can be retrofitted and the 18 that cannot be updated — and $3.1 million for the special education buses, said Behr, concluding her presentation.

“So, essentially they’re asking us to find out whether funding is available to do all this. We have two more legislative sessions to really see if the state can actually increase our allotment or help fund this,” said trustee Johnny Flores. “Knowing what’s happened in past sessions, that’s not a guarantee. What are the other funding options that are available to actually get this done?”

Staff noted that there could be a 2027 bond or grants that could become available at a later date.

“I’m not going to hold my breath for the state to act on this,” said Flores. “It’s mandated, but it’s unfunded, just making sure everyone understands.”

Behr shared that the district is in a good place, compared to others that have 100 buses out of compliance, as the board acted in adding more seat belts, following the crash of the Tom Green Elementary School bus in March 2024.

She also shared that the district has 10 buses on order that will replace some of the special education buses, along with a grant opportunity that will be brought to the board next month that could help. Despite this, the numbers that were presented are accurate at the time of the meeting, which is what was required by the state.

The item required no action.

Additionally at this meeting, the board was informed of the district’s Policy Committee recommendation regarding SB 11, which provides the opportunity for districts to create a designated prayer time during the school day.

Trustee Esperanza Orosco stated that the district’s Policy Committee met earlier this month to discuss the bill.

“The committee confirmed that the district’s current policy appropriately safeguards religious freedom and inclusivity. The resolution before you recommends that the Hays CISD Board of Trustees vote against adopting a state organized prayer policy for the district, [so] that [it] is consistent in its commitment to retaining a respectful, lawful and inclusive educational environment,” said Orosco.

The trustees voted unanimously at the Feb. 23 meeting to adopt a resolution “affirming our constitutional and legal right to choose to pray in school,” rather than adopting a prayer time.

The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will meet next Monday, March 30.

SAN MARCOS — With the recent boom in the artificial intelligence (AI) business targeting people looking for companionship or therapy, the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center noted that it’s essential that more information be given to the public about the risks of using AI companion or assistant apps.

Risks:

• AI mirrors desired interactions:

- All the interactions that an AI companion/bot will send are just copying the sender’s own language, tone and preferences.

• AI isn’t honest:

-AI assistant apps will hold conversations and schedule dates, meaning that neither party is genuinely getting to know one another.

• AI apps promise impossible things:

- Whether an AI Companion is available 24/7 or an AI assistant promises to only match with an ideal partner, these apps promise expectations no human can meet.

Safety Info:

• Information isn’t safe

- AI companion and assistant apps do not have effective safety measures and are hacked easily. Private identifying information, including payment methods, can be used against the user.

• Age limits aren’t enforced:

- Most AI apps say they require users to be at least 18 by asking for a birthday to “confirm” the age, yet have no reliable way to verify or enforce age restrictions.

• AI profits off loneliness:

- Ads for AI companion and assistant apps are targeting demographics reporting higher rates of loneliness and isolation, such as young girls, young boys/men and 54+ men.

Using these companions and apps with full knowledge of the risks can empower users to take the necessary steps to keep themselves and others safe, said HCWC.

HCWC is committed to providing free, safe and confidential services to victims of dating violence. If experiencing dating violence, call HELPLine 24/7 at 512-396-4357. For additional information, visit www.stopthehurt.org. HCWC’s prevention educators are available to give presentations and education about dating violence.

AUSTIN — Aqua Texas will be receiving penalties and fines for multiple violations, following approval by the Barton Springs Edwards-Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) Board of Directors during its meeting held Thursday, Feb. 12.

These are for reports of investigation and notices of alleged violation (NOAV) for the initiation of enforcement proceedings concerning Aqua Texas, Inc. — Onion Creek Meadows system, Shady Hollow Estates system, Bliss Spillar (Middle Trinity) and Bliss Spillar (Lower Trinity) — for the failure to reduce pumping during BSEACD’s declared drought.

Enforcement

It takes two monthly occurrences of non-compliance within a six-month period to trigger an enforcement action, according to Erin Swanson, regulatory compliance manager, during her presentation to the board at the Feb. 12 meeting, and it is considered to be an overpumpage of monthly drought when it is at 5% or more.

For the first occurrence, staff will initiate pre-enforcement discussions to figure out what is happening, the reasons for overpumpage and if any actions have been taken to resolve it. Then, the second occurrence is when staff will refer the case to the board with a recommendation to issue a NOAV.

“When looking at the penalties that will be assessed, there are different factors that play into those assessments. The first thing is the allotted volume and what tier that puts them in,” Swanson explained to the board. "Basically, the more volume allocation that you have, the higher the penalties can be. The same applies to the level of overpumpage — the more you overpump, the higher the penalties can be.”

Once penalty ranges are calculated, Swanson said that staff can apply adjustments based on the following:

• The severity or seriousness of the violation

• Whether the violation was willful, intentional or could have been reasonably anticipated and avoided

• Whether the violator acted in good faith to avoid or mitigate the violation or to correct the violation after it became apparent and compensate those affected

• Economic gain obtained by the violator through the violation

• Whether similar violations have been committed in the past

• The amount necessary to defer future violations

• Any other matter that justice may require

Violations

The investigation report summary found that Aqua’s systems overpumped by:

• Onion Creek Meadows: October at 15%, December at 22% and January at 34%

• Shady Hallows: September at 33%, October at 28%, November at 38%, December at 47% and January at 20%

• Bliss Spillar (Middle Trinity): June at 14%, October at 14%, December at 8% and January at 21%

• Bliss Spillar (Lower Trinity): November at 9%, December at 41% and January at 48%

Aqua Texas was notified of the first occurrence of non-compliance for the Onion Creek Meadows and Shady Hollow systems, as well as the second occurrence for the Bliss Spillar (Middle Trinity) system in November 2025, Swanson said. It was then notified of additional occurrences of non-compliance for those systems and Bliss Spillar’s (Lower Trinity) first and second occurrences Jan. 7, 2026.

Then, on Jan. 8, a representative of Aqua Texas stated that drought curtailments and staff turnover were contributing factors, but that staff would discuss internally to determine if there were any other contributing factors. BSEACD followed up with Aqua about the internal discussions and received additional details in February.

According to Swanson, Aqua will be looking into interconnections, drought targets and deploying additional leak detection and investigations into the Onion Creek system, as there was a main break reported in October. Shady Hollow also had several factors that “caused them to have to flush the system several times and they are also investigating leaks in that one,” she said during the Feb. 12 meeting.

The final penalty ranges that Swanson calculated are between $10,000-$20,000 for Onion Creek, $25,600-$51,200 for Shady Hollow, $6,000-$12,000 for Middle Trinity and $4,500-$9,000 for Lower Trinity.

“For three of the four systems, I'm recommending [the] high range. These systems are Onion Creek Meadows — the high range is warranted for this system because we previously went through enforcement with them back in June of 2025. For Bliss Spillar Middle Trinity, again, the high range because we’ve had issues with compliance with the Bliss Spillar system in the past,” Swanson said. “Lower Trinity also the high range, again, the Bliss Spillar [had] system issues with compliance and we also went through an enforcement case with them.”

The only one that is being recommended for a different range is Shady Hollow, Swanson said.

"Specifically regarding the Shady Hollow system, the mid-range penalty was considered appropriate because, while the overpumpage was recurrent and in some months significant, Aqua’s efforts did result in measurable improvement," Swanson clarified in a separate statement to the Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch. "The total monthly volume pumped decreased consecutively each month for that system. This type of sustained improvement was not observed in the other three systems."

Following more discussion and executive session, the board unanimously voted to accept staff’s recommendation for the penalties for the four entities at $9,000 for Bliss Spillar Lower Trinity, $12,000 for Bliss Spillar Middle Trinity, $20,000 for Onion Creek and $38,400 for Shady Hollow.

To listen to the full meeting recording, visit www.bseacd.org/agendas.

A prescribed fire, or burn, creates sustainable forests and ecosystems, reducing hazardous fuel — a buildup of twigs, grasses and pine straw — and the effects of a potential wildfire, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. They are conducted by certified and insured burners, who create plans that align with land management goals and prepare the land by creating fire breaks.

“It's a planned application and the use of fire usually to mitigate some environmental conditions, like to reduce fire hazards on properties, restore the ecology, control invasive plants and there's several other items that would fall under that category, as well,” Collard said.

A property owner can perform a controlled burn on their property assuming all the conditions, like there is no burn ban, are met, Collard explained. However, a prescribed burn could still be conducted and not necessarily have to follow burn ban restrictions that the county implements, as long as it’s following all of the legal regulations that are under the Texas Administrative Code, as well as the burn manager certification under the Texas Natural Resources Code.

Recently, Hays County residents have been seeing more posted signs of prescribed burns that are being conducted, but they are in neighboring counties. According to Seddig, typically, most of these are happening in the Austin Water District, between FM 150 and RM 967, which has about 3,000 to 4,000 acres that backs up into Hays County.

“The whole focus for their prescribed burn program is that land [was] purchased in the '80s or donated to Austin for the recharge area for Barton Creek. When they do prescribed burns, that’s what they are doing. They are managing that land to put down the thatch and then, they rotate that throughout the whole facility and just burn them in different parcels,” he said.

There can be benefits to prescribed burns, Seddig said, such as minimizing the long-term damage of old vegetation, trees and plants.

Those who see smoke or fire in the distance and they are unsure if it is a prescribed burn, Collard said they should call 911 and give as much detailed information on directions as they can.

“We've seen what can happen in other states and we've also seen some good ones in Texas. And I mean, I understand the concern. So, if they have concern, they should absolutely call 911. If there's any way they can look on a website for a piece of property or landmark [and if there is] anything that we're aware of, we try to push out on social media. The county does the same thing, if they're aware of any taking place,” Collard explained. “Most of the time, these burns are in adjacent counties where there's state parks and where there's some sort of management land. When you are sitting there, looking out your back window, across the valley and you see a big column of smoke, we understand the concern.”

To learn more, visit the following helpful links:

• Warn Central Texas for critical community alerts: www.warncentraltexas.org

• Austin Water: www.austintexas.gov/department/water-quality-protection-lands

• Hays County Facebook: www.facebook.com/hayscountytexas

• North Hays County Fire Facebook: www.facebook.com/NorthHaysFire

• Prescribed Burn Program: www.texasagriculture.gov/Home/Production-Agriculture/Prescribed-Burn-Program

Hays County is not using assigned polling locations for the primary election. Instead, voters may choose the vote center location that is most convenient for them. All vote centers will be equipped to serve voters participating in both the Republican and Democratic primaries.

Locations include the following (*indicates an early voting location):

San Marcos

Broadway polling location, 401 Broadway St. #A *

Brookdale San Marcos North, 1720 Old Ranch Road 12

Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, 211 Lee St.

Dunbar Center, 801 W. Martin Luther King Drive

First Baptist Church San Marcos, 325 W. McCarty Lane

Hays County Elections Office, main early voting site (sitio principal de votación anticipada), 120 Stagecoach Trail *

La Cima Amenity Center, 301A Central Park Loop

LBJ Student Center, Texas State University, 301 Student Center Drive and 601 University Drive *

Promiseland Church, 1650 Lime Kiln Road

San Marcos Fire Department Station 5, 100 Carlson Circle

San Marcos Housing Authority/C.M. Allen Homes, 820 Sturgeon Drive

San Marcos Public Library, 625 E. Hopkins St.

Sinai Pentecostal Church, 208 Laredo St.

South Hays Fire Department Station 12, 8301 Ranch Road 12

Kyle

Austin Community College–Hays Campus, 1200 Kohlers Crossing

Gemstone Palace, 1101 Bunton Creek Road, Suite 200

HCISD Academic Support Center, 21003 Interstate 35 Frontage Road *

Kyle City Hall, 100 W. Center St. *

HCISD Transportation Department, main office, 2385 High Road, Uhland *

Hays County Precinct 2 Office, 5458 FM 2770

Hays County Transportation Department–Yarrington, 2171 Yarrington Road *

Buda

Buda City Hall and Library Multipurpose Room (sala multiusos), 405 E. Loop St., Building 100 *

Hays CISD Child Nutrition Support Services, 5750 Dacy Lane

Hays Hills Baptist Church, 1401 N. FM 1626

Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3740 FM 967

Sunfield Station, 2610 Main St., Suite 100 *

Historic Buda Elementary School, upper campus, Kunkel Room, 300 N. San Marcos St.

Wimberley

Texan Academy at Scudder, 400 Green Acres Drive *

VFW Post 6441, 401 Jacobs Well Road

Wimberley Community Center, Blanco Room, 14068 Ranch Road 12 *

Dripping Springs / Austin

Belterra Centre, 151 Trinity Hills Drive, Austin

Dripping Springs Ranch Park and Event Center, 1042 Event Center Drive

North Hays County Fire Rescue Station 3, 7520 Creek Road

Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs, Veterans Hall, 231 Patriots’ Hall Blvd. *

Hays County Precinct 4 Office, 195 Roger Hanks Parkway *

All Hays County vote center locations are ADA accessible and offer curbside voting.

“The Vote Center system gives voters flexibility and removes barriers to participation,” said Elections administrator Jennifer Doinoff. “Voters can cast their ballot at any open location, whether they vote early or on Election Day.”

Early in-person voting runs from Feb. 17–27. There are 13 early voting locations proposed for the joint primary election. In accordance with Chapter 85 of the Texas Election Code, the Hays County Commissioners Court is required to approve early voting locations and the voting schedule. One proposed location, Sunfield Station, carries a cost of $1,500.

Voters who plan to vote by mail should act quickly, said the news release. Friday, Feb. 20, is the deadline to apply for a Ballot by Mail. Waiting until the last minute increases the likelihood that ballots may not arrive by the deadline required for counting.

Election Day for the joint primary election is Tuesday, March 3. On Election Day, voters may continue to use any open vote center location in Hays County.

“The most important thing for voters to remember is that they can vote anywhere in Hays County during early voting and on Election Day,” Doinoff added. “We encourage voters to cast their ballots early to avoid potential lines on Election Day.”

For information on vote center locations, early voting schedules, or voting by mail, voters should visit the Hays County Elections website at www.hayscountytx.gov/elections.

Voter registration certificates delayed

The Hays County Elections Administration, along with counties across the state, is diligently working with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office to mail out renewal voter registration certificates for 2026-2027, according to a statement. However, due to the state’s mid-decade redistricting, delays are expected.

The Hays County Elections Administration does not have a timeline for when the voter certificates will be mailed out. As a reminder, an acceptable photo ID is all that’s required to vote. One does not need a valid voter registration certificate to vote.

To verify voter registration status and view sample ballots, visit https://loom.ly/_Gij-WQ/20260303.