Budget amendment cements fitness court location

The east side versus west side debate over the location of a proposed outdoor fitness court appears over, courtesy of a budget amendment presented today by City Manager Scott Sellers, with the staff-recommended Marketplace Avenue site emerging victorious over Steeplechase Park.

The amendment, one of nine Sellers outlined to the city council during its morning budget workshop, adds $130,000 to the list of CIP expenses for the court, $25,000 of which will come from a grant awarded the city from the National Fitness Campaign, with the remainder being paid for, according to Sellers’s presentation, from a “future PID bond reimbursement to the city.” That essentially means, when all is said and done, all taxpayer funds spent on the construction of the court will be reimbursed by a private developer, so there’s a net zero cost to the city. 

At least two council members, Mayor Travis Mitchell and Robert Rizo, wanted the court at Steeplechase Park, but only if city funds were going to be used for its construction. The staff recommended the west side site, located on the east side of Marketplace between the Burleson Road roundabout and Plum Creek, because of its central location, no park facilities currently exist there, and existing trees on the property offer shade for the court.

The other budget amendments of note Sellers presented to the council today included a $100,000 contribution that would go toward a “senior center project,” and $2.17 million for a sludge de-watering press system that reduces the amount of sludge that needs to be hauled away from the wastewater treatment plant. Sellers reminded council that the city uses private contractors to haul the sludge, but  this method is rapidly becoming cost prohibitive and the city is considering bringing this task in-house.

The other amendments were:

• $415,000 for site-specific beautification improvement projects
• $78,432 for a senior planner position for the Community Development Department
• $20,000 for DPS laboratory services for the Police Department
• $20,000 for consultant services for the Economic Development Department
• $12,610 to change the parks crew leader position to a parks and trails supervisor
• $5,280 for a 4 percent co-location cost increase for the Police Department

Property tax rate decrease expected in next fiscal year’s budget

Although the city is awaiting the final number from the Hays County Tax Assessor/Collector, Finance Director Perwez A. Moheet told the city council during its budget workshop today, in which the city manager unveiled his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, that he (Moheet) expects the city’s property tax rate will decrease by 2.6 percent.

City Manager Scott Sellers’ proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22 was largely unchanged from the proposal he outlined to council last month, but the council unanimously approved two significant amendments to that budget today — the addition of two patrol officers to the Police Department and another assistant/deputy city manager. Sellers currently has two staff members who act as his assistants, Assistant City Manager James Earp and Chief of Staff Jerry Hendrix. Traditionally, assistant city managers serve as the liaisons between department heads and the city manager.

But arguably the most important question facing residents — exactly how much more property owners will have to pay in ad valorem taxes — did not receive a definitive answer, because, as Moheet explained, the HCTAC has not determined the actual tax rates municipalities in the county may assess. But Moheet did say tax bills property owners begin receiving in the fall will be significantly higher than they were last year because the Hays Central Appraisal District assessed valuations for properties in Kyle were 14.1 percent higher this year than in 2020 — $4.2 billion in total valuations this year as compared to $3.7 billion last year. And because, unlike the city, which will lower its tax rate, the Hays Consolidated School District, which accounts for more than 50 percent of a property owner’s tax bill, has historically maintained or even increased its tax rate in order to finance its voter-approved construction costs as well as its operating budget.

Both Moheet and Sellers said they expected the actual tax rate recommendation will be available by Aug. 17, when the council’s next budget workshop is scheduled, but Moheet, who historically has been absolutely precise in his forecasts, said he expects the next fiscal year’s rate to be $.5065 per $100 valuation, down from the current rate of $.5201.

Council member Dex Ellison officially proposed amending the budget to add two more patrol officers to the police force, financed largely by cutting a proposed lobbyist from the budget. Police Chief Jeff Barnett said, however, those costs for the additional officers could be paid by increased revenue from fines that will be produced by police resuming practices that were curtailed by the pandemic, such as serving warrants, expired motor vehicle registration stickers and stricter enforcement of minor traffic regulations.

Mayor Pro Tem Rick Koch proposed the addition of another assistant manager, noting that at the last meeting it was discussed that Sellers “needed help.”

“That was my big takeaway from the last meeting — how much time Scott puts into this job,” Koch said. “It’s obvious to everybody that he needs more help … so that we can run more efficiently. So I asked him what he truly needed to keep pushing the city forward. The idea of a second assistant city manager position came up to be able to relieve him of a lot of his duties so he can spend more time doing the other things we need him to do.”

Sellers thanked the council for their consideration of another assistant, stressing “It was nothing that I asked for.”

“I would guess that we are the fastest growing city in America,” Sellers said. “If we’re not, we’re right there at the top — 10 percent growth has been historically the fastest growing. Some of the cities listed as the fastest growing are 8 or 9 percent and we’re 10. And if you compare our staffing levels to other cities of our size it’s disproportionate right now.”

Even with that growth, however, Sellers said. “When the mayor pro tem brought this idea to me, my first blush was to say ‘no’. But the more I’ve thought about this and the more research I’ve done on this, the more I think it does make sense, especially in the light of where this council is going.

“This council is definitely the most proactive council that I’ve ever worked with, hands down,” he said. “The expectation of council is super elevated, which is a great thing. Your foot has been on the gas pedal to match that growth rate and it has not come off and I think that’s a fantastic thing.”

Sellers said reacting to the council’s activism and focus “has been a great growing opportunity for me, very much a learning opportunity, but it has shifted my role from traditional management to be more 30,000 foot, from a planning aspect to meeting with outside entities, contract support/negotiation. So there’s just been a lot of additional council support that’s been incorporated into the role of the city manager that was not there before.

“I see that (additional assistant city manager) position continuing that transition,” he said. “I see this council continuing to push for excellence, which is perfect for the city of Kyle. We are a gold-standard city. 

“So just to meet that demand of epic growth, to meet that demand of council and the push for excellence, I think this position is needed.”

The first readings of budget and property tax rate ordinances are scheduled for the council’s meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 17, and the second and final passage of the ordinances are set for Wednesday, Aug. 25.

“All Kyle residents, taxpayers, business owners, and interested persons are invited to attend the city council’s (upcoming two) budget meetings and public hearings to provide their comments to the council,” the city said today. “An electronic copy of the city manager’s proposed operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 will be available on the city's website beginning Aug. 2.  A printed copy of the complete proposed budget document will also be available for public inspection during business hours at City Hall and at the Kyle Public Library.”

(Editor’s note: A PDF of the city manager’s proposed budget can be found at file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/Proposed_Budget_-_Worksession_%233__7-31-2021%20(1).pdf)

Costco coming to Kyle

Costco, the membership-only big box retail store — the fifth largest retailer in the world — will open a location in Kyle in front of the EVO entertainment complex, possibly as soon as a year from now.

The public announcement was made today at the State of the City address and was made possible by action taken earlier in the day during an emergency meeting of the city council.

The Kyle location will be Costco’s 814th worldwide location and the 563rd  in the United States. In 2020, the last year this information was available, Costco had 105.5 million members worldwide. Costco stores range in size from 73,000 to 205,000 square feet, with the average store being 143,000 square feet. The Kyle location is planned to be 150,000 square feet, according to an announcement today from the city.

“The new Costco location will be located along Interstate 35 between Kohlers Crossing and Kyle Crossing in the Dry River District Development, a 65-acre mixed-use commercial development by Endeavor Real Estate Group that is anchored by Evo Entertainment and Home Depot,” the city said in its announcement.

Today’s announcement is a major victory for City Manager Scott Sellers who has been working behind the scenes since his arrival in Kyle in January of 2015 to land a Costco here.

“We have been working to make Kyle a hub for high-paying and high-quality jobs along the I-35 corridor and having a company like Costco invest in our city is a valuable opportunity for our strong and always growing workforce” Sellers said today in a prepared statement. “Costco is not only one of the top retailers in the world, but they also have a proven track record of taking care of their employees with very competitive wages and benefits.”

Costco’s minimum wage is $16 per hour and the average wage for hourly Costco employees in the United States, excluding any overtime premium, but including an extra check component, is around $24, according to the city’s announcement. The new location in Kyle is expected to create approximately 225 jobs.

Brian Whelan, Costco’s Northwest Atlantic Division senior vice president, who represented the company at today’s State of the City luncheon, said he hopes construction on the Kyle store will begin early next year and that it will be open to the public by July 1, 2022.

The Kyle City Council met early today to approve a Chapter 380 Development Agreement, which, according to Mayor Travis Mitchell, provides Costco “with about $5 million in tax rebates over 15 years. It is projected that Costco will produce about $11 million on top of that $5 million in revenues (to the city). So that’s just under $1 million a year net benefit to the city. Certainly a win for us.”

Mitchell emphasized the city’s overall commercial growth during his luncheon State of the City address today noting that last year Kyle issued new permits for 761,000 square feet of commercial space.

“Even during the pandemic, that was a record for Kyle,” the mayor said. “And yet, in perspective, in the first five months of this year, Kyle has issued permits for 1.3 million square feet of commercial space. That means 2021 has already shattered the records of all previous years.

“The City of Kyle remains eager to offer incentives for high quality commercial development,” Mitchell said. “But I want to publicly state, our standards are high. Candidates for permits must clearly demonstrate how they will help the city continue to prosper, in the short term and in the long term. Costco will do that and that’s why we are proud to partner with them. 

"We’re looking for high-end jobs, high-end retail, vertical mixed-use, vertical Class-A office, boutique hotels and sit-down restaurants,” he added.

Two American companies — Walmart and Amazon — rank as the first and second leading retailers in the world, and two German corporations operating discount grocery stores — Schwarz Gruppe (operating under the Lidl and Kaufland brands) and Aldi (operators of 10,000 stores in 20 countries) — rank third and fourth on the list of the world’s leading retailers.

Council approves grant for outdoor fitness court

 

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution that will eventually lead to the construction of an outdoor fitness court to be located either in Steeplechase Park or on Marketplace Avenue between the Burleson Road roundabout and Plum Creek. The ultimate location could be decided by how the park is paid for.

Aimee Garcia, a recreational programmer in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, told the council the fitness court would cost $130,000, with $25,000 of that cost coming from a grant award from the National Fitness Campaign. Tuesday’s council vote was required to trigger the awarding of that grant. Garcia also said the city’s staff chose the Marketplace Drive location because that was considered “the center of Kyle and that was something NFC wanted to bring as well. They wanted to see something centralized that everyone gets the opportunity to utilize.”

However, Mayor Travis Mitchell and council member Robert Rizo pushed for the fitness court to be located on the east side of I-35, with Steeplechase Park being their preferred location. Council member Dex Ellison also seemed to favor the east side location. Council member Yvonne Flores-Cale, however, was adament in her support of the staff’s recommended location and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Koch and council member Ashlee Bradshaw seemed to be leaning in that direction as well.

The current plan is for the remaining $105,000 of the court’s costs to come from the Park Land Dedication Fund, although Garcia, along with Parks and Recreation Director Mariana Espinoza, said they will be soliciting donations from private sources. Garcia said she has already had preliminary talks with Starbucks about a contribution. Money in the Park Land Dedication Fund comes from developers who contribute to the fund in lieu of installing otherwise required park-style amenities in their own developments.

City Manager Scott Sellers told the council the developer that dedicated the 13.5 acres for the Marketplace location could be seeking to create a public improvement district to cover infrastructure costs at the proposed development and that PID could also include the $105,000 for the fitness court. Mitchell and Rizzo agreed that the formation of such a PID would force them to agree to place the court at the Marketplace location; however, if the $105,000 was going to come from the Park Land Dedication Fund, they would prefer the Steeplechase Park location.

Garcia reminded the council that the Marketplace location would be connected to Steeplechase Park by the Plum Creek Trail which will eventually burrow under I-35. The Marketplace Fitness Court would be located at the trailhead, she said. Garcia added that patrons of the disc golf facility at Steeplechase “want plenty of space,” which was one of the primary reasons staff decided against a Steeplechase location for the fitness court.

She also said the Marketplace location was preferred because “there’s nothing else out there right now. We’ll be bringing something new to this area.” Another plus, she said, was the abundance of trees at the Marketplace location, which would provide shade for the fitness court.

How the city council voted Tuesday night

CONSENT AGENDA

Item 5: Approve the 2021 annual service plan update for the Southwest Kyle Public Improvement District (PID).
Item 6: Approve the 2021 annual service plan update for the 6 Creeks Public Improvement District (PID). 
Item 7: Approve a resolution of the city council of the City of Kyle, accepting the Bunton Creek Reserve Phase 3 improvements: finding and determining that the meeting at which this resolution is passed was noticed and is open to the public as required by law.
Item 8: Approve postponement of public hearing and approval for the issuance of $5 million in combination tax and revenue Certificates of Obligation for the city's Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2 as originally scheduled and noticed to be conducted and acted upon by the city council from July 20 to Oct. 19. (Editor’s note: This postponement is being sought because of the delay in negotiation of the terms and conditions of the infrastructure agreement between the City of Kyle and the developer for the design and construction of three roads in the Brick and Mortar District.) 
Item 9: (Second Reading) An ordinance of the City of Kyle, amending chapter 41 of the Code of Ordinances by amending section 41-1 to include a definition of a transportation master plan; and by requiring compliance with the City of Kyle Transportation Master Plan in the development and construction of subdivisions; providing for repeal of conflicting ordinances; providing for severability; and providing effective date and open meetings clauses.
Item 10: (Second Reading) An ordinance of the City of Kyle, annexing 120.458 acres located in Hays County; including the abutting streets, roadways, and rights-of-way into the corporate limits of the city, at the request of the property owner; approving a service plan for the annexed area; making findings of fact; providing severability clause and an effective date; and providing for open meetings and other related matters.
Item 11: Authorize the city's director of finance to dispose through an auction facility police equipment identified in Lots No. 1-23, all city owned and formerly being provided via the 10-33 Program that has been determined to be surplus property by the police department.
Item 12: Authorize the city's director of finance to dispose through an auction facility police equipment identified in Lots No. 1-9, all city owned and formerly being attached to city-owned police vehicles that has been determined to be surplus property by the police department.
Item 13: Approve a temporary construction license agreement — Heroes Memorial Park Project.
Approved 7-0

ZONING ITEMS

Item 24: [Postponed 7/6/21] (First Reading) An ordinance amending Chapter 53 (Zoning) of the City of Kyle, for the purpose of assigning original zoning and rezone approximately 11.08 acres from Agriculture (AG) (.023-Acres) and Single Family (R-1) (10.85-Acres) to Single Family Residential-3 (R-1-3) for property located between Scott Street and the 800 block of South Sledge Street.
Motion to postpone indefinitely approved 7-0

ANNEXATION ITEMS

Item 21: (Second Reading) An ordinance of the City of Kyle, annexing 24.563 acres located in Hays County, including the abutting streets, roadways, and rights-of-way into the corporate limits of the city, at the request of the property owner; approving a service plan for the annexed area; making findings of fact; providing severability clause and an effective date; and providing for open meetings and other related matters.
Approved 7-0

OTHER ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION

Item 14 (pulled from Consent Agenda): Approve a temporary construction license agreement — park property.
Approved 7-0

Item 15: Approve a resolution authorizing the city manager and city engineer to negotiate an agreement with K. Friese & Associates of Austin, a civil engineering consulting firm, to provide project management services for the design and construction of specific road projects throughout the city to be funded under the 2022 road bond program and to bring back an agreement with all terms and conditions including contract amount for city council's approval at a future council meeting.
Approved 7-0

Item 16: Discussion and possible action to incorporate bond-related capital improvements into the scope of the citywide Trail System Task Force.
Approved 7-0

Item 17: Council consideration of forming a task force for bond-related capital improvements at Gregg-Clarke Park.
Approved 7-0 (Council members Dex Ellison, Yvonne Flores-Cale and Robert Rizzo named to the task force)

Item 18: (Second Reading) An ordinance of the City of Kyle,  amending Article ii to include a Section 12-23 roundabouts, requiring use of roundabouts in certain intersections, requiring consideration of roundabouts in certain intersections, requiring compliance with national standards in the construction of roundabouts, requiring notice of exclusions, providing severability, effective date, and open meetings clauses; and providing for related matters.
Motion to postpone consideration until Aug. 3 council meeting approved 6-1 (Tobias, dissenting)

Item 19: [Postponed 7/6/21] Consider approving site-specific declaration of covenants, restrictions and easements for the Heroes Memorial tracts and authorize the city manager to execute documents related to closing on the parcel.
No action taken

Item 20: (First Reading) Approve an ordinance regulating traffic, authorizing and directing the installation and erection of stop signs for traffic control at the intersection of West Blanco Street and North Sledge Street.
Approved 7-0 with direction added to repaint the crosswalks. (Second reading waived)

Item 22: Approve a resolution of the city council to adopt and allocate funds for an outdoor fitness court as part of the 2021 National Fitness Campaign.
Approved 7-0

Item 23: Discussion and possible action to consider adding council workshop sessions.
No action taken.

Item 25: (First Reading) Amendment to an ordinance of the City of Kyle, regulating oil and gas pipeline building standards and provisions; making findings of fact; providing severability and open meetings clauses; and providing for related matters.
Motion to postpone indefinitely approved 7-0

Item 28: Take action on items discussed in executive session: 

• Motion to direct the city manager to proceed with property acquisitions as discussed in executive session approved 7-0
• Motion to approve intervention in proceedings at the Railroad Commission regarding implementation of HB 1520 related to recovery of extraordinary costs incurred by certain gas utilities due to Winter Storm Uri fails 5-2 (Flores-Cale, Rizzo voting to approve)

 

About roundabouts

In Arizona there is this company called Footework that has, since its beginning in 1998, provided one-stop shopping for motor vehicle registration, titles, drivers licenses, etc. The company boasts that it “provides faster, friendlier services with shorter wait times. For a nominal convenience fee, you’ll leave our offices with a new driver license, vehicle title, registration or license plate in as little as 10 minutes.”

Footework also has its own blog and I discovered this information on that blog on the subject of roundabouts. And since our very own city council is on the precipice of adopting tonight an ordinance that would emphasize and promote the construction of roundabouts here in Kyle, I thought it might be informative to pass this information along.

Benefits of Roundabouts

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), there are many safety benefits associated with the modern roundabout:

• 90 percent reduction in fatal crashes
• 75 percent reduction in injury crashes
• 30 to 40 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes
• 10 percent reduction in bicycle crashes
• 30 to 50 percent increase in traffic capacity

There other benefits to roundabouts, including:

• Reduction in fuel use and pollution
• No signal equipment to install and repair
• Quieter neighborhoods

Cost of Roundabouts Versus Signals

The price tag of modern roundabouts versus traditional traffic-control methods can vary. Demographics, geography and environmental elements all make a difference when engineers, communities, and city and state planners begin to consider how to move traffic from one street to another.

Sometimes the financial cost of right-of-way acquisition is higher than the cost of traffic signal construction, and sometimes it is not a factor. For example, though modern roundabouts do not require traffic-light electricity, the maintenance of landscaping or public art can be a cost. However, the reduction in fatal, injury and pedestrian crashes can reduce other costs, including car insurance premiums, health insurance premiums, and physical and emotional trauma. When safety factors go up, the cost to society goes down.

History Of Roundabouts

Traffic circles have been part of the transportation system in the United States since 1905, when the Columbus Circle designed by William Phelps Eno opened in New York City. Subsequently, many large circles or rotaries were built in the United States. The prevailing designs enabled high-speed merging and weaving of vehicles. Priority was given to entering vehicles, facilitating high-speed entries. High crash experience and congestion in the circles led to rotaries falling out of favor in America after the mid-1950s. Internationally, the experience with traffic circles was equally negative, with many countries experiencing circles that locked up as traffic volumes increased.

The modern roundabout was developed in the United Kingdom to rectify problems associated with these traffic circles. In 1966, the United Kingdom adopted a mandatory “give-way” rule at all circular intersections, which required entering traffic to give way, or yield, to circulating traffic. This rule prevented circular intersections from locking up, by not allowing vehicles to enter the intersection until there were sufficient gaps in circulating traffic. In addition, smaller circular intersections were proposed that required adequate horizontal curvature of vehicle paths to achieve slower entry and circulating speeds.

These changes improved the safety characteristics of the circular intersections by reducing the number and particularly the severity of collisions. Thus, the resultant modern roundabout is significantly different from the older style traffic circle both in how it operates and in how it is designed. The modern roundabout represents a substantial improvement, in terms of operations and safety, when compared with older rotaries and traffic circles.

Country singer Kyle Park to headline annual Labor Day weekend hot-air balloon festival

 Kyle’s annual “Pie in the Sky” hot-air balloon festival, cancelled last year because of the COVID pandemic, is back on the schedule for the upcoming Labor Day weekend at Lake Kyle, 700 Lehman Road and will feature a performance by country singer Kyle Park, city officials announced today. 

The schedule calls for the festival to run from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3; 6:15 a.m. to noon and 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 4; and 6:15 to 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 5.

Advance tickets (which may be purchased by clicking here) are available for $5 per person for the Saturday and Sunday morning sessions and $10 per person for the Friday and Saturday evening sessions. The prices for tickets purchased at the gate will be twice those amounts. Children aged 10 and under will be admitted free of charge. Limited on-site public parking will be available at Lake Kyle for $20 a vehicle. Free shuttles to and from Lake Kyle will be running continuously between the festival and free parking locations at Lehman High School, 1700 Lehman Rd.; Tobias Elementary, 1005 East RM 150; and Seton Medical Professional Offices, 1180 Seton Parkway.

“After a year of postponements and cancellations, we are so excited to bring back the Kyle Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival,” Special Events Coordinator Sarah Watson said in today’s announcement. “We’ve arranged for lots of new festival experiences — including great specialty balloons, a headlining performance from Texas’ own Kyle Park, increased pie eating contest spectacle, kid zone activities and much more. We’ve got something for everyone this year, and we're planning on making a weekend of it.” 

The city said this year’s festival will feature about 25 balloons, including Top Flight, Ladybug and Spider Pig. For an additional $25 (payable onsite), festival attendees will be able to step inside a hot air balloon basket and go aloft; the balloon, however will remain tethered to the ground, so don’t expect any airborne tours of the city. Tickets for tethered rides are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and are weather dependent.

“The event features morning hot air balloon mass ascensions where balloons take off at sunrise flying over Kyle on Saturday and Sunday morning, as well as beautiful ‘glow shows’ in the evenings, where tethered hot air balloons will glow against the evening sky at Lake Kyle,” the city said in its announcement.  

Once again, this year’s festival will feature pie-eating as well as pie-baking contests, along with “a Pie Café, a vendor market with artisan crafts, unique products and great food, live music performances throughout the weekend, and a children’s zone with activities,” the city said. 

The city has signed Park, a country music singer with seven No. 1 singles on the Texas Regional Radio Report and 11 singles on the Texas Music Chart’s Top 10, to headline the Saturday concert. Additional music performances are planned from Django Walker, Sloppy Joe, the Broken Arrow Band and LC Rocks.

“Anyone named Kyle — spelled that way — is once again invited to participate in the ‘Gathering of the Kyles’ on Saturday morning with the goal to break the Guinness World Record for the most Kyles in one place,’ the city said. “Past participants have come from as far away as Massachusetts.” 

As a side note, I have not been able to determine exactly what the Guinness World Record is for most Kyles in one place. "So the record is technically for the largest gathering of people with the same first name (in one place)," city spokesperson Rachel Sonnier said today. "The current record is 2,325, and was achieved by Kupreški kosci (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2017."

"Aside from glow shows and morning flights, the festival will also light up the night sky with two fireworks shows on Friday and Saturday night,” the city said.

All tethered rides and ticket purchases at the gate will be credit/debit card only, though market vendors may accept cash or credit, the city said. An ATM will be available on site.

The city also said it is still accepting applications for market and food vendors.