San Marcos Record, San Marcos, TX

Local News

October 17, 2009

Council eyes incentives and compensation

By Anita Miller

Whether the mayor and city council will be paid for their efforts and whether the city will offer incentives for certain newcomers are among issues to be debated and voted on during Tuesday’s regular meeting.

Neither issue is new.

Council members voted down paying $750 monthly to the mayor and $500 monthly to each council member in June; and the $5,000 incentive for employees at Seton Medical Center in Kyle to buy homes in San Marcos is already on the table for some Central Texas Medical Center employees and professors at Texas State University.

The Seton employees incentive offer would provide $50,000 to be given out as 10 “forgivable” down payment assistant loans that the employees would be required to use toward the purchase of a San Marcos home that would be their primary residence.

Each year, 20 percent of the loan would be forgiven if the homeowner continues to be employed at Seton and continues to live in the home. The entire loan would be forgiven if the homeowner meets those obligations for five years.

“With its recent opening in the city of Kyle, Seton Hospital will be a major employer in the region drawing highly trained health care professionals, technicians and other personnel,” say background materials to Tuesday’s council agenda.

“The presence of the hospital an its employees will create a significant economic impact in the region,” the materials state. “Owner occupied residency within (San Marcos) by many of these employees will lead to investment in the community and will stimulate business and commercial activity.”

The incentives are enabled by Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code.

Concerning council compensation, the proposal up for discussion and vote Tuesday has been reworked from the one presented in June, now containing a provision specifying that council members don’t have to take the money.

If they do, they have a choice of taking it as compensation in a monthly lump sum or adding it to their reimbursable expense account.

Currently, the mayor gets an annual reimbursable expense account of $16,000 and council members each get $10,000.

Tuesday’s vote will be the first of two required for the measure to become ordinance.

Compensation for municipal elected officials varies in Central Texas. Lockhart, which has a population of 13,613, pays its mayor $500 monthly and council members, $250, plus $50 monthly for Internet and a $333.33 car allowance.

Elsewhere in Hays County, Buda, with a population of 6,000, pays its mayor $75 per meeting and council members $50 per meeting. Kyle’s mayor and council all get $50 per meeting in the city of 25,322.

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