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During its April 23 meeting, the Hays County Commissioners Court received a presentation by the Homeless Coalition of Hays County (HCHC) regarding the results of the 2024 Point-In-Time (PIT) count. Co-Chair of the HCHC and Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of San Marcos Rev. Joshua Sutherlun said the PIT...

HAYS COUNTY — Commissioner Michelle Cohen has held the ambition of writing children’s books for as long as she can remember. In a few weeks, her dream will come true, with the release of “A Day in the Life of a Hays County Commissioner.” “When I became county commissioner, even before that, when I was running for county commissioner and I would talk to people about my campaign, they would say things to me like, ‘Well, I’ll vote for you, but I don’t know what a commissioner does,’” Cohen explained. “There was definitely a lack of understanding of what a commissioner can do for the community.” In an effort to help educate others, she began thinking about how she could reach out to the community. In February 2023, Mary Lou Alvarez, a district judge in Bexar County, released an activity book filled with fun facts, puzzles and coloring pages about the courthouse. “The Courthouse Adventure Book” was aimed at familiarizing children with the courthouse and to teach them more about the justice system. “I really thought that was a great idea because we don’t see a lot of that from a local level — somebody from their community trying to put information out like this for young people,” said Cohen. “So, [that is] kind of why I followed that lead, but I’m really proud of it.” Ultimately, she decided that it would be a simple look into what an average day in the life of a commissioner is. The book depicts the county courthouse, located on The Square in San Marcos, the inside of the courtroom, ribbon cuttings and more. “I talked about how Texas has 254 counties [and] they each have four commissioners and a judge,” said Cohen. “I basically talk first about court. We talk about how we do the Pledge of Allegiance, we do the Texas Pledge, we listen to public comments, we do proclamations … [But] also how we have disagreements sometimes, but that everyone treats everyone very respectfully.” She also noted that the commissioners help communities by bringing services, building parks and trails and funding first responder agencies. Cohen's story is illustrated by Natasha Bolonna, who she found after noticing her illustrations in another book. “I contacted her and she’s been fantastic to work with,” she said. “I sent her a picture of the courthouse, just a photograph and she was able to create what she created, which was wonderful. I think it’s one of my favorite pages … I thought she captured it just brilliantly and I was just so pleased with the work.” There are also photos of the Kyle water tower, Lehman Road and the commissioner’s personal Ford Mustang, which she often drives in parades. Her hope is that children are able to recognize some of the aspects depicted of the county. It took approximately one year to finish the book, the commissioner said, but the community response has been great. A special memory was when she received a hard copy of the book for the first time. “It’s one of those moments where [you’re like], ‘Oh my gosh’ … To feel it and to see it in my hands, I was just so proud. I was personally proud of being able to achieve this because people talk about writing books all the time, but they never do for whatever reasons … I like to see the end result of [a project[ and I don’t like to just keep dreaming about it," the author said. "It’s just overwhelmingly happy.” Cohen is awaiting a shipment of books in the upcoming weeks. Afterwards, parents, schools and students can contact her office at annette.yanez@co.hays.tx.us or visit the office at 5458 FM 2770, Kyle, for free copies. “It’s kind of my contribution to the community of trying to help educate our young people because we do want them to be more involved, make their own opinions about politicians or office holders. Not just what they see or hear, but actually start learning about positions and maybe be a county commissioner one day or a county judge one day, where they can directly impact their communities,” said Cohen.

HAYS COUNTY — As the area has experienced significant population growth over the past decade, the Board of Commissioners of Hays County Emergency Services District No. 9 has called for a proposition to be placed on the ballot for the May 4 election. An Emergency Services District (ESD) is a local government created by voters in an area to provide fire protection, emergency medical services or both. HCESD No. 9 is the government entity that collects property taxes to provide funding for emergency medical services to the residents within the district boundaries, including Kyle, Mountain City, Niederwald, Uhland and outlying parts of San Marcos. If approved by voters, the proposition would authorize the district to raise the ad valorem tax rate cap to the state maximum ad valorem of $0.10 per $100 valuation, subject to the state laws related to increasing tax rate. This would raise the maximum property tax rate for the district to levy from $0.06 per $100 valuation. “When you talk to people who don't really know how EMS and fire get funded, they ask for EMS specifically like ‘How much of my property taxes is going to this level of service?’ meaning ‘When I call 911 [and] someone shows up within 10 to 15 minutes, ideally less than 10, how much of my property taxes are going to that?’ And it's really six cents of every $100,” said Tom Maia of the Hays County EMS Association. “They're like, ‘Really?’ Our response times, especially in Kyle and San Marcos, are pretty solid. You’ve got rural areas of the county that are far away from any nearby EMS or fire unit, like out in Niederwald. But for the most part, we do a really good job and so, people are surprised to hear that such a tiny little percentage of their property taxes goes towards EMS to get the service that they get.” There will not be an increase to the currently set property tax rate as part of the May 4 election, according to Maia. Raising the ad valorem cap does not immediately raise the property tax rate. The district would need to ask voters in a subsequent election for the authorization to increase the levied property tax rate if the increase will contribute to more than an additional $500,000 in total revenue from ad valorem taxes and result in more than an additional 3.5% in revenue from existing ad valorem tax sources from the previous year, according to the district’s website, www.esd9.net. “If this proposition passed, then it would go to a November ballot, which would then potentially raise the actual rates or raise the amount of money from property taxes devoted to EMS specifically,” Maia said. HCESD No. 9 has called for the election in order for more funding and resources to be devoted to EMS, especially because the district has experienced a high volume of 911 calls due to population growth. “Anyone who lives in Hays County knows that growth has exploded in the 21st century, I think something like 400%. Back in 2008, the population of Kyle, Texas, alone was maybe 20,000 and as we are in 2024, moving into 2025, we're probably going to reach 70,000 people in the city of Kyle alone. The trends are going up for every part of the county, no matter where you look. San Marcos itself is growing, so if you're talking about those areas of San Marcos that are just outside city limits, those parts are growing really fast. Mountain City, Uhland, Niederwald, the county as a whole is expanding rapidly,” Maia explained. “When you get more people, that means you get more people calling 911, that means you get more people experiencing traffic accidents [and] medical emergencies,” he continued. “Considering that two thirds of 911 calls are for medical aid, it means that we need to have a system that can keep up with those rising call volumes.” There are four major issues facing HCESD No. 9 which require additional funding beyond the current budget capabilities, according to the district’s website: • Station location relative to population density • Population growth and increased call volume within the service area • Limited number of ambulances, relating to: • Number of active calls able to be covered without activating neighboring aid Voters will need to look for the following language if they wish to cast their vote for the proposition: “Authorizing an increase in the maximum ad valorem tax rate that Hays County Emergency Services District No. 9 may impose on property within the District to a rate not to exceed ten cents ($0.10) per one hundred dollars ($100) valuation.” Election information can be found at www.hayscountytx.com/departments/elections . For more details on HCESD No. 9, visit www.esd9.net .

Several Central Texas city and school district offices are up for grabs, and voters will also weigh in on a slew of propositions. With so much going on, it might be difficult to discern what offices and issues are at play. Here's a helpful guide for everything on the May 4 ballot, broken down by county.

Hays County leaders learned more about the number of people experiencing homelessness in their community at a recent Hays County Commissioner's Court meeting.

The Hays County Commissioners Court is set to receive a presentation by the Homeless Coalition of Hays County regarding the Point in Time Count, to possibly submit a grant application for increased training for the Hays County Mental Health Unit and discuss and possibly approve the county animal ordinance at the regularly scheduled meeting today. The court is set to adopt a proclamation recognizing Soil and Water Stewardship Week, which occurs from April 28 to May 5. The court is set to adopt a proclamation recognizing Animal Cruelty Month and National Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week. The court is set to adopt...

AUSTIN, Texas — A number of communities in western Travis County and portions of Hays County will soon transition into Stage 2 water restrictions. Residents in Bee Cave, Lake Pointe and portions of northern Hays County will enter Stage 2 restrictions beginning in May. The move means that outdoor watering will be limited to once a week. Residents will be compelled to follow an outdoor watering schedule to ensure that water use is evenly distributed.

BUDA, Texas — One family is looking for changes to be made in Hays County after their loved one was killed last weekend trying to cross the highway. Elizabeth Garcia says her nephew Thomas Shears went to Buck’s Backyard, a bar and grill in Buda, to see Ted Nugent perform.