City council OKs $392K for soccer complex, eliminates overdue library fees

San Marcos City Council has agreed to eliminate late fees for San Marcos Public Library (SMPL) materials and spend nearly $400,000 on improving a 43-acre recreational facility, according to minutes from this week’s city council meeting.

On Monday, council motioned to approve all 11 items on the consent agenda, which included eliminating fees for overdue library materials and agreeing to spend $392,000 for improvements to the Five Mile Dam Soccer Complex via an Interlocal Funding Agreement with Hays County.

In 2010, Five Mile Dam parks added a recreational venue on Sept. 18, 2010, with the grand opening of a 43-acre soccer complex developed in conjunction with the City of San Marcos and other partners, according to the San Marcos Parks and Recreation website.

The city’s contribution, which matches $400,000 in funds from Hays County, will support facility enhancements including expanding the field lighting, the lighting in parking areas, and various other minor building improvements.

Council members also approved eliminating city library fees on the second of two readings after receiving a letter from the SMPL Board.

On May 23, 2022, the board issued a letter to Mayor Hughson and members of the City Council, asking them to amend the city’s current ordinance regarding library late fees:

“Many public libraries have gone fine-free recently and it led us to consider whether fines are consistent with the primary mission of libraries — to serve the public and provide for their educational, informational, and entertainment meetings,” the letter reads. “It is our opinion that creating a fine-free environment would improve the customer service interactions, increase the number of active cardholders, and welcome customers who may become disenfranchised.”

According to the letter, the library collects about $10,000 a year in fines, which represents .25% of the library budget. In the view of the board, maintaining the late fee policy disproportionately affects “communities that have income insecurity or individuals with low incomes” and “exacerbate[s] the wealth gap” faced by people of color.

“Late fees add up and become insurmountable for some families when forced to choose the fee or paying for basic necessities,” the letter concludes. “Looking through a ‘lens of equity,’ we would respectfully ask that the city council direct our library staff to initiate a fine-free policy for the betterment of our community.”

Also at Monday’s meeting, council voted 5-2 to postpone a discussion item formalizing the Ethics Review Commission's (ERC's) periodic review of campaign finance reports.

Ordinance 2022-92 would have required the ERC to review annual financial statements submitted by city council members, planning and zoning commissioners, the city manager, the city clerk, the city attorney, and the municipal court judge for compliance with individual contributions and aggregate fundraising limits “at least once a year,” according to City Attorney Michael Cosentino.

In 2018, San Marcos City Council passed an ordinance setting the aggregate fundraising limit for city council candidates to .50 times the number of registered voters on the date of the last election for "any council position" and the limit for mayoral candidates to .75 times the number of registered voters on the date of the last mayoral election.

The ordinance also capped individual contributions for mayoral or city council candidates at $500.

In his remarks, City Councilmember Jude Prather posited that the aggregate fundraising limits needed updating, given the rise in campaign expenses.

“What if you have hundreds of people wanting to donate to your campaign? How do you rectify that, and how do you rectify the cost of running for office when you start adding it all up?” Prather said. “It starts to hit that ceiling pretty quickly.”

The city election code dictates that mayors serve a two-year term and council members serve three years. Each year, two council seats are up for election.

Council will put the ordinance back on the agenda for a first reading Nov. 2 and add a separate agenda item to discuss aggregate and individual contribution limits, as well the ordinance’s provision prohibiting city officials from involvement in actions affecting economic interests.

To view the full meeting agenda and minutes, visit https://sanmarcostx.gov/421/City-Council-Videos-Archives.