HAYS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
Representatives from Freese and Nichols, Inc. addressed the Hays County Commissioners Court Tuesday morning prior to holding public meetings throughout the county about the rewrite process for development regulations. The consulting firm also hosted forums in Dripping Springs, Wimberley, San Marcos and Buda later Tuesday.
Hays County is currently working on a comprehensive revision to its development regulations. The county hired Freese and Nichols to review, analyze and provide recommendations for updated regulations that will impact development requirements in Hays County.
Topics discussed in the forums included water availability, water quality and erosion control, floodplain management, environmental protection and transportation infrastructure.
Daniel Harrison, Urban Planner with Freese and Nichols, is managing this project. He stressed the need for community feedback as well as collaboration with county staff and elected officials for each revision of their plan.
“Once we get that input from the public, we’ll be working on doing the completed draft. Once we have the completed draft, … we have some more public outreach going on once we get closer to adopting that draft with the (Commissioners) Court,” Harrison said.
Between May and June, Freese and Nichols conducted hour-long interviews with Hays County staff as well as representatives of San Marcos, Kyle, Wimberley, Dripping Springs and Uhland. They also talked with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, The Watershed Association and the San Marcos River Foundation to identify major issues within Hays County, according to Harrison.
Incorporating input from these interviews, Freese and Nichols determined the key concepts of their plan to be water availability, flood plain management and envi- ronmental protection, variances and regulatory consistency, water quality and erosion control, wastewater infrastructure and on-site sewer services, and condominium development.
David Jones, Freese and Nichols assistant project manager, discussed the challenge of creating a balanced and comprehensive plan amidst rapid growth and shifting regulations.
“So we’re really trying to think through how can we operate within a legislative legal framework that’s constantly changing. It’s changing even now, with the special session potentially giving counties quite a bit more authority to regulate in certain realms where you haven’t been able to before,” Jones said.
Freese and Nichols also plan to focus on the control of water usage, erosion and drainage control at the county level, while at the same time addressing local housing demand and local housing regulations.
“(We are) trying to take a balanced approach between being development- focused and being conservation-focused, so that we’re not leaning too far to one or the other,” Jones said. “We’re looking at the contributing and recharge and transition of different aquifers. And we’re seeing that two and a half million people are using the aquifer to get their water.”
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra expressed confidence in the consulting firm although he requested regular updates on public engagement and the progression of project goals and objectives.
“I do have the strongest hope and belief that you guys are doing this right, but I don’t want to just check the boxes. I want to be able to, when I get stopped, speak intelligently about what’s been going on.”
Commissioner Morgan Hammer requested that the revised development regulations emphasize water sustainability, including incentivizing rainwater collection and updating the laws regarding water wells.
Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe said that the county has previously attempted to incentivize water conservation, but is hopeful that the new regulations will be more successful.
“We’ve tried that in the past with not much success,” Ingalsbe said. “So I’m hoping that we can come up with something to really incentivize developers who are willing to do it … because it’s so important as we continue to talk about the water shortage, so I’m looking forward to those discussions and seeing what y’all can come up with.”
Commissioner Walt Smith asked the firm to take into account the impact of current and future projects on Hays County, the affect of commercial development on groundwater availability and runoff protection, the affect of annexation rules on subdivision development, as well as the affect of legislative changes on Hays county regulations.
“I would encourage you to look at a study done by the Edwards Aquifer alliance that was published this last year regarding all of the counties over the Edwards Aquifer and the county’s jurisdiction and use of existing statutory authority,” Smith said.
Smith requested that in the future, the workshops should not be scheduled on days which the Commissioners Court convenes, so the Commissioners would have the option of attending meetings. The Dripping Springs and Wimberley meetings were scheduled for 2 p.m. The Commissioners Court session on Tuesday in San Marcos did not adjourn until approximately 1:45 p.m.
Freese and Nichols is a privately owned engineering, planning and consulting firm with clients across the United States.
To stay up-to-date on future meetings and progress with this project, or to ask questions, contact the Hays County Development Services Department at 512-393-2150 or at development@ hayscountytx.gov On Sept. 16, the final meeting discussing budget proposals will be held at the Commissioners Courthouse at 1 p.m. The agenda of this meeting includes the salaries of elected officials. The Fiscal Year 2026 Budget will be adopted after final changes. The San Marcos City Council will set the final budget for the City of San Marcos Fiscal Year Budget on the same day.
During a discussion of the budget on Tuesday, Hays County Budget officer Vickie Dorsett stated that the average home value in Hays county is now $461,069, which amounts to a property tax of approximately $1,840 annually, an increase of $18.82 per month or $225.86 per year.
The rise in tax rate is a consequence of the rapid growth in this area, according to Commissioner Michelle Cohen. “It’s tough having to go up, but we need the services and we need the investment in the County.”
Email comments regarding the Hays County budget via www.hayscountytx. gov/public-comment- form. Read more about the proposed tax increase at https://www.hayscountytx. gov/operatingbudget
