City continues process in making San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter no-kill facility

The city took another step in the process of making the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter a no-kill facility last week.

At its most recent meeting, the San Marcos City Council appointed council members Melissa Derrick and Joca Marquez to serve on a budget and policy committee for the Animal Shelter Implementation Plan.

“We are almost at a point of completion and about to present the animal services no-kill live outcome implementation plan that we’ve been in collaboration with not only the community bud advocates and then also many of our regional partners,” City Manager Bert Lumbreras explained.

The budget and policy committee, he said, will be made up of elected officials from those regional partners, including the cities of Kyle and Buda and Hays County. The committee is meant to sort through the complexities of achieving no-kill status at the shelter.

“There’s going to be a lot of funding resources and a lot of commitments,” Lumbreras said.

In other business, the council directed city staff to make a change in how funds are approved for Mural Arts Program projects.

Mayor Jane Hughson clarified with Drew Wells, director of community services, that the city council currently does not get final approval on funds spent by the Mural Arts Committee.

“At this time … that money is part of our budget, and it’s really more of a graffiti abatement program,” Wells said.

“I think it started out that way; I don’t really think it’s that way anymore,” Hughson responded.

Hughson then made the suggestion that council get the final say on expenditures for Mural Arts Program projects, arguing that the committee members — who are not appointed by council — are making decisions about spending city funds. 

“I’m going to suggest that we change the process so that it’s more similar to other programs where we’re granting money back to the community,” Hughson said, “and that the arts funding recommendations, distributions, come to council for final approval.”

Council member Ed Mihalkanin said that he would rather the council stay out of public art decisions.

“I would rather have there be a statutorily created Mural Arts Program Committee that is appointed by the council that makes this allocation,” he said. “... I would rather not vote on mural art.”

Since the city council appoints the Arts Commission, Mihalkanin said, a similar process for the Mural Arts Program could be considered.

Hughson then made the suggestion that the Arts Commission consider the issue.

“That’s a good idea,” Mihalkanin said.

“I’m still not comfortable with people we haven’t appointed working on that committee,” Hughson said. “... I just feel like it should be people we appointed if we’re talking about spending money.”

“I would rather have the Arts Commission deal with it however it wants,” Mihalkanin said.

Also at its meeting last week, the city council named Alison Tudor to the Cemetery Commission and Jerilyn Miller from Central Texas Medical Center to the Commission on Children and Youth.