County ponies up funding for clean air
Hays County will pay the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) an additional $6,105 to help support the Clean Air Coalition (CAC), of which Hays County is a member.
At its meeting Tuesday morning, the Hays County Commissioners Court approved the payment, which comes in addition to the county’s $11,681 payment for 2017-2018. The additional $6,105 will help CAPCOG complete work on a new air quality program, prepare a 2018 air quality report for the region, continue providing staff support for the CAC and maintain the www.AirCentralTexas.org website and social media accounts. The money will also help CAPCOG conduct regional ozone monitoring at numerous sites in the region.
In previous years, a state grant paid for CAPCOG’s air quality program, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the grant in 2017. In response, the 22 jurisdictions that belong to the CAC contributed funds to keep the program going. The additional funds from Hays County and other jurisdictions will help pay for the clean air program for 2019.
Hays County resident Dan Lyon spoke out against the increased payment, criticizing CAPCOG as a regional government and saying that the assessment that Hays County is just 1 percent away from being in air quality non-attainment sounds like a “scam.”
However, Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Whisenant said the additional payment is a pro rata portion based on population that other jurisdictions are also following and that participation in the clean air program is a good investment in the long run.
“The real cost that will come to the counties in this region will come when it’s not in attainment,” he said.
In other business, as part of its consent agenda, the commissioners court approved a payment to the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District for a groundwater permit for a well on county-owned property near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 3237 and Camino de Rancho in Precinct 3. The permit will allow the drilling of a well for an emergency water supply for the county.
Commissioners also approved the county’s membership in Protect Our Blanco, which will allow the county to participate in a contested case regarding the discharge of more than 1 million gallons of treated wastewater into the Blanco River.
