"The problem is not that Kyle city officials mishandle money. The problem is that they have the misguided philosophy that growth pays for itself. So they encourage growth with low taxes - and enticements to businesses - and they get the growth, which always costs more in the form of infrastructure than they bargain for."
– A commenter
Note: This story is attracting howls of protest and blistering comments from the locals. We hate to say it, but this is what happens when a community grows too fast, and beyond reasonable means to support the growth except (later) through draconian utility and tax rate hikes. There is a lesson in this for every citizen in every other part of the county. If growth is what you want then you better be willing to pay for it, big time. If you can't afford it then you should let your local elected officials know about it before it's too late.
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Reprinted from the Austin American-Statesman
Published Sunday, July 24 2011
Read the complete story
By Melissa B. Taboada
Kyle residents might see double-digit percentage increases to their tax and utility rates under preliminary figures presented to council members by city staff last week.
The city is proposing a $37 million budget, down 12.5 percent from last year. But despite slimming down, the city would raise taxes by nearly 8 cents, or almost 19 percent, to 49.24 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
In addition, the average monthly water bill will jump 30 percent to $42.94, and the average monthly wastewater bill will increase 25 percent to $28.40. The plan also calls for 20 percent increases to water for the next two years, and 20 percent and 10 percent increases in each of the next two years for wastewater.
The city began the budget process earlier this year to help the council establish financial priorities. In February, City Manager Lanny Lambert announced a three-month hiring freeze and said officials would have to raise taxes in the next few years to cover the city's debt.
13 comments:
Growth will happen along the I-35 corridor. Better there than the Hill Country. Rather than complain about it, be happy it is not in an area where the growth is unsustainable because of no water.
Besides - don't people from Wimberley and Dripping Springs drive the roads built by the good citizens of Kyle and use the hospital and shop at the HEB? Yet, you don't have to pay those high property taxes.
You just benefit from them...
Congrats Kyle city council and your apologists for joining the Growth At Any Cost Club. There are only a handful of people in your community and outsiders who have made a bundle of money off of your runaway development. The rest of the population is stuck with reaping what you have sown. Suckers.
And you anonymous, I have heard your misdirected rant on Wimberley and Dripping before. Need I remind you it was your city fathers not ours who encouraged the opening of the flood gates, cramming subdivisions over every nook and cranny of farming blackland you could find.
No heritage left and no culture to speak of.
You and your city planners are sooo cookie cutter conventional.
You are delusional if you think we don't pay for all that in some way. It's all part of Hays County.
Any tax money that goes to Kyle does not go elsewhere within the county.
Money used for roads built in Kyle do not go to other cities and towns in Hays County.
Beware Kyle residents. After you get your tax increase, you will get another property tax increase and a possible bond issue will emerge that will increase your taxes further.
This is only in addition to what you can expect from now on.
We all are paying too much in fees on our utility bills and trash pickup. The county wants to bleed us because the state is bleeding them.
Development will not stop at I-35. It will continue throughout Hill Country and we will not recognize what is from what used to be.
That is the nature of development. Get used to it. It is happening as we speak.
Actually I avoid Kyle as much as possible.
to Anonymous #1:
When we people who don't live in Kyle do any shopping there, we pay sales tax, and part of that comes back to Kyle. Don't you want us to have roads to get there and spend money at your businesses?
And believe me, property taxes are
high everywhere in Hays County!
To "thebeat"--
Why should we "get used to it?"
Why don't we do something about it?
Hill country girl:
How does that add anything worthwhile to this thread?
My Wife and I shop in Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, Dripping Springs and New Braunfels all the time and avoid the Wimberley stores and shops unless we want to buy junk. We really prefer Kyle since it is so nice and new and clean. It is a great city and if I could unload the turkey I have in the Wimberley Valley, I'd move there and come out ahead due to the cost of ATI water and sewer here. There is nothing to brag about in Wimberley; it still looks like a white trash version of Fredericksburg.
I would disagree. Buda is 24.5 cents per 100 while SM, Kyle, Dripping, Wimberley are all over 40 per 100. So not everywhere in Hays is high on taxes.
Kyle and Buda and Dripping Springs are nothing more than long driveways in and out of Austin. Kyle and Buda are full of box subdivisions, elbow to elbow. Dripping still has much more breathing space and some pretty great views of the hills when you get off highway 290. Dripping doesn't have near as close to a high city property tax rate as Kyle. And Wimberley is the last frontier of Hays County. The city has no property tax (yet), some of the best views and open spaces in the county, probably the cleanest air in the county's four corners and still maintains a real hometown hill country (I emphasize Hill Country) feel. It's my favorite area in the county and I want it to stay that way. Don't mess with the Wimberley valley, ya hear!
Way to go Kyle. How's that collective bargaining thing going now? How 'bout the electric busses?
That's why I moved.
Listen... If we don't get more involved in the direction our governments are driving us, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.
Its not just Kyle, its most places, including Hays County.
Hays County begins its budget process on August 2nd. A group of citizens will be getting together Wednesday 27th, at 6:30p at the San Marcos Public Library to discuss strategies to inform, engage and empower the taxpayers in the count's budget process.
Anyone willing to work toward this goal with us is welcome to join us.
Without county land use authority, there's no way regional planning can happen.
Our state legislature does not want our counties to have authority; it would break the tradition of folks begging every 2 years for their help.
Development in Texas happens according to the developers wand. Nothing can stop it. Strategic plans aren't enforceable, public input doesn't matter, lack of infrastructure isn't considered.
And Austin doesn't see a problem with it. The legislature controls all.
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