San Marcos Local News
Click here to see the original article

By LANCE DUNCAN
News Reporter

Three seats on the Kyle City Council will be on the line in a special election on Feb. 13 after four councilmembers filed to run for higher offices. Two of those councilmembers — Lucy Johnson and Michelle Lopez — are running for mayor in that special election.

The dominoes began to fall when Kyle Mayor Mike Gonzalez announced in December his run in the Republican Party for Hays County Precinct 2 Commissioner against Hays CISD Trustee Mark Jones. Councilmember Ray Bryant then announced his run on the Democratic side for the commissioner post. Johnson and Lopez announced they will run for mayor. Gonzalez, Bryant and Johnson were all compelled to resign by state statute with more than a year remaining on their terms. Kyle spokesman Jerry Hendrix said Lopez also resigned, though her term on council expires in May.

Local banker Russ Huebner and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Rhonda Cox are running for Bryant’s seat in the Feb. 13 election. The election for Johnson’s seat consists of four candidates — John Claeton, Mike Fulton, Jaime Sanchez and John Simmang.

In this first installment of a two-part interview, the San Marcos Local News sat down separately with the two mayoral candidates, Lopez and Johnson, to highlight the differences between them and give them an opportunity to talk about why they are running for office and what they want to accomplish if they win.

Both of the candidates currently serve on the Kyle City Council and are frequently outspoken on important issues. Lopez has been a councilmember since 2007, and Johnson since 2008.

San Marcos Local News: Why are you running for mayor, and what qualifies you for this position?

Michelle Lopez: I’m running for mayor because I want to continue my commitment to the families of Kyle, and continue to ensure that we are planning for Kyle’s future. I believe that I’ve been able to listen to the citizens’ concerns, and effectively take action to address their needs. I also believe that because I share many of those concerns, it helps me to better understand the impact that our decisions on council make on families and homeowners and everyone who lives in the Kyle community.

My experience includes serving on city council since 2007. The last two years I’ve had the opportunity to serve as mayor pro-tem, and assume the mayor’s responsibilities when he is not around. I chair the economic development and tourism committees, I chaired the charter review committee in 2005 for the city, I was a member of the parks board, and served on the building committees for both the library and the recreation center. I’m a member of the Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce, and also am active in both the United Way of Hays County and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. I believe I’ve had many opportunities to understand the needs and concerns of the community in Kyle, and how to address those concerns through effective partnerships.

Lucy Johnson: I was born and raised in Kyle. I went away for college, but I came back here because I love Kyle and I think it’s a great place to live. I want to work hard to make sure that Kyle continues to be the city that I grew up enjoying. I have enjoyed making a difference in my community on city committees and on the council. I seek to continue to lead the city as mayor by better representing its citizens and offering the services that they deserve from the city council. I know that I have the time and the energy and the commitment that it takes to be the mayor of a growing city, and I am more than willing to do the service in order to make Kyle a great place to live and work.

I have served on the city council for a year and a half, I’m chair of the parks and recreation committee, I represent Kyle on the Capital Area Council of Governments, and I have the unique advantage of living in Kyle my whole life and understanding the issues affecting all of its residents.

SMLN: Kyle has three major upcoming projects: the new library, new police station, and the recreation center. What do you feel the priority is among these projects?

Lucy Johnson: The police station and the library are essential projects for the city, and the police have been under-served. We have had a low crime rate for a long time in Kyle. I think some people have taken that for granted, but we have grown so much as a city that I think the police department no longer has the resources to adequately serve our citizens. The police are working out of an old post office building. This is obviously an inadequacy that needs to be addressed, and we need to do that soon. We need to give them a proper building.

We have already started the process of purchasing land and developing the plans for a new library. The library is something that all of our citizens can use. It offers a service that the least fortunate people in Kyle can really rely on. It offers internet access and classes to help people find jobs and help people figure out their taxes. It offers a place for children to go and do something other than watch TV. And their community meeting room is rented out almost constantly.

Currently, the city council still intends to take the rec center bond issue to the voters sometime in the future. If that was approved, that would mean taxpayers would have another 12-14 cents added to their property tax bill. I would love for Kyle to have a rec center one day, but I don’t think we can afford to build one at this time, especially with all the other pressing needs of our city and our current debt load.

Michelle Lopez: I do firmly believe that they are three very important projects for Kyle’s future. We’ve always had an understanding as council that we would bring the rec center to citizens as a vote, and I believe we still need to do that. I also believe that the library and police department are existing services which need to be enhanced to keep up with our city’s demands. So I would want to continue looking at our budget and determine how we can do that in the next few years.

SMLN: What kind of incentives, if any, do you think Kyle should offer to developers?

Michelle Lopez: I believe that it’s going to be based on the kind of projects that we’re dealing with. For example, we’ve used sales tax incentives. But it may be partnerships in developing perhaps raw land, which might be a development of a research or industrial park. I think we need to weigh the return on investment for our community versus the type of incentive that we would consider as a city.

Lucy Johnson: I think keeping property taxes low is one of the best incentives for attracting businesses to Kyle. Large national or state chains are going to come here because Kyle has the population to support them. We should make Kyle as attractive as possible for businesses looking for new locations, but offering millions of dollars in incentives is just another burden to the people who already live here that we don’t need right now. I am confident that we can continue to attract new businesses and grow our current businesses without burdening our taxpayers with millions of dollars in cash and tax breaks to national companies.

SMLN: What do you feel is an appropriate debt level for Kyle to have, and what do you think should be the highest tax rate for the city in the next few years?

Lucy Johnson: I would like to keep our tax rate as low as we responsibly can. I think councilmembers or other individuals who have set goals of a specific number for a tax rate may be shortsighted. If you set a maximum tax rate of say, 52 cents, staff will come back with a budget that has a tax rate of 51.99 cents. We have to look at each budget individually, and try to cut projects and expenditures that are not essential.

Currently, our debt payments take up the majority of our city property taxes each year. This needs to change. The first thing that we can do is to stop creating new debt, and we do that by putting all non-essential capital projects on hold, and also by waiting to see an increase in city revenues and sales taxes before we allow ourselves to increase spending.

Michelle Lopez: I think we need to determine a debt level where we can continue to provide some affordable living opportunities for families who are here or who are moving here. I think the ratio is one that we are reviewing right now through the debt management policy, and I think until we can actually analyze what we currently owe, I’d like for us to determine our current ratio and determine from there where we should stand. While we know that taxes have been as high as 51 cents, I don’t know that we need to get there in the next few years. But I still want to try to weigh what the return on investment is for the projects that need to happen in our community and continue to listen to what citizens feel are also important projects, and still maintain an affordable community for families who are here and who will be moving here.

Hello, Friends!

We are in the last week of the campaign, and I so appreciate all of your support. I wanted to send you information about the help I will need this week, for the campaign. If you have any time that you can give, I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much for your support! Feel free to call me if you have any questions

Ways to Volunteer/Assist with Michelle’s Campaign:

VOTE! Early voting continues this week at Kyle City Hall

o   Monday, 2/8 from 7am to 7pm

o   Tuesday, 2/9 from 8am to 5pm

GET YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO VOTE (who live in the Kyle city limits)!

o   This is such an important election. If you can get your friends and family to vote, please encourage them, drive them or remind them. And, hopefully you can persuade them to cast a vote for me. J

PREPARATION FOR ELECTION DAY (Friday, February 12^th)

o   On Friday evening, we will be preparing for election day beginning at 7pm. If you are available to help with that, we’d love to have you assist. The address is 231 Masonwood Drive, in The Trails Subdivision.

o   We will need people to help with addressing final push post cards, determine which volunteers we have lined up to hold signs the next day and other duties.

o   I’ll have some snacks for all!

ELECTION DAY (Saturday, February 13^th)

o   Get out Final Push Cards

o   Smile and Hold Signs at City Hall (7am to 7pm)

o   Assist with following up with voters across town

o   Staff the Campaign Headquarters and keep drinks/snacks refreshed

Again, I do appreciate all that you have done to support me in this campaign, and previously. Let me know if you have any questions or have any ideas about how to improve our voter turnout. J

Thanks!

Michelle

View original article

Demand for Early Care and Education in North Hays County Brings 16th Largest Privately Owned Child Care Provider in the Nation to Kyle, Texas

02.01.2010 – KYLE, Texas – Today, Stepping Stone School and Plum Creek Development Partners announced the recent closing on the site for a Stepping Stone School Child Development Center in Hays County. This will be Stepping Stone School’s first location in Hays County and eighteenth location in Central Texas.

The child development center will be built in Kyle’s Plum Creek master-planned community on a site located near Kyle Parkway (FM 1626) and Dorman Lane, adjacent to the newly opened TrustTexas Bank. Occupying 1.1 acres, the Kyle center will be an estimated 9,600 square feet. Stepping Stone School will provide early care and education to children from the ages of six weeks through 11 years old. Before and after-school programs will be offered for school age children, with Stepping Stone School transporting children from local elementary schools. School-age holiday care and a summer camp will also be offered.

Brett Arabie and Andrew Childers of Oxford Commercial represented Plum Creek Development Partners in the transaction.

“Stepping Stone School has proudly served the Austin and Bryan-College Station areas for over 30 years. We are thrilled to be opening a state of the art school in Kyle, Texas,” said Rhonda Paver, founder and executive director of Stepping Stone School. “The community and families of Kyle are a perfect match for Stepping Stone School. We are committed to the goals and values that lead the Kyle community. We look forward to a wonderful partnership with each and every family at our new center and in this region.”

The addition of Stepping Stone School is part of Plum Creek Development Partners’ plans to offer a New Urbanist community that suits a variety of ages, incomes and uses. This plan has unfolded over the past few years; in 2006 Plum Creek added local employer RSI and in 2009 brought Austin Regional Clinic, TrustTexas Bank and a 264-unit multifamily residential community to the development. A+ Federal Credit Union has also purchased a site in Plum Creek.

Population growth in Kyle has spurred demand for retail and services. Businesses and developments that have arrived to the area within the past three years include a City Lights Movie Theater, HEB Plus!, Kyle Marketplace, retailer Kohl’s, Seton Medical Center Hays and a Target department store.

“Rapid growth along FM 1626 is helping us realize our vision,” said Plum Creek Director of Operations, Peter French. “The value of a well-planned community has helped us sustain growth, even in an environment where capital markets are tight.”

About Stepping Stone School:
Stepping Stone School, the largest privately owned child care provider in Central Texas and the 16th largest in the nation, has been locally owned and operated since 1979. Its founders and employees apply the principles of the school’s nationally recognized curriculum while providing the highest quality early education and care. In addition, the founders consistently exercise their philanthropic commitment to their community through donations of time, money and resources to organizations whose missions are to better the lives and education of children and families. For more information, please visit the Stepping Stone School web site at www.steppingstoneschool.com.

Link to original article

Two Kyle council members vie to be mayor

Johnson and Lopez have different ideas on city’s growth

By Patrick George

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Lucy Johnson wants to cut debt load

Michelle Lopez wants better infrastructure

SAN MARCOS — The two Kyle City Council members running for mayor in Saturday’s special election have different visions on how the future of Kyle the fifth fastest-growing city in Texas should take shape.

District 1 Council Member Michelle Lopez and District 5 Council Member Lucy Johnson are running for the mayor’s seat vacated by Mike Gonzalez, who resigned to run for a spot on the Hays County Commissioners’ Court. Early voting ends today. Election Day voting is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kyle City Hall, 100 W. Center St.

The dominant issue for both candidates is how to best manage the city’s growth.

Lopez, an administrator at Texas State University, is also the chair of Kyle’s Economic Development Committee. She’d like to create an industrial park to attract more manufacturing and production jobs and improve infrastructure, city services and the community’s involvement in government, she said.

Johnson, a graphic designer, bills herself as the “more fiscally conservative candidate” and wants a more comprehensive growth plan and trims to the city budget.

With the addition of new retailers, restaurants, bars and the Seton Medical Center Hays, the bedroom community is rapidly changing.

Since 2000, the population of Kyle has increased almost fivefold, from 5,314 in 2000 to 26,103 in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That growth has come with a few headaches.

Kyle’s police department is dramatically understaffed compared with similarly sized cities. At the same time, the city has a relatively low crime rate, with 141.9 violent and property crimes per 10,000 residents. The statewide average is 449.4 per 10,000; the rate in Cedar Park and Georgetown is about 160 per 10,000, according to Texas Department of Public Safety reports.

The department is housed in an old post office building that is too small and fails to meet current needs, city officials said. The city’s five-year capital improvement plan includes a new station, but no funds have been set aside for it.

Johnson said the city carries $73 million of debt because of efforts to address rapid growth. She wants to push that down and keep the tax rate from rising.

She’s against a proposed $20-million recreation center, which the city probably will finish planning for in the next few months. The council would need to approve the project, before asking voters to approve a bond election to pay for it, something Johnson doesn’t think voters will support.

“We just can’t afford it right now,” she said. “Kyle is in a possibly difficult period with the economy.”

Lopez supports the recreation center, as did many residents before the economic downturn. But she wants to wait to bring it before voters until after November, when the election was originally planned, she said.

Johnson said she was the only council member who voted against the city budget in 2008, saying it had too many programs the city didn’t need. She also voted against a $100,000 plan to add an electric trolley service.

Lopez supported the trolley purchase — which is running one route — calling it a progressive step toward public transportation and reducing the city’s carbon footprint. “Most cities our size do not have trolleys, but it is a good step for us,” she said.

Lopez said she wants to see more citizen-based committees to advise the council. She also wants the city to have more civic events, such as Veterans’ Day parades and Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities, so residents don’t have to go to Austin or San Marcos.

While he said he’d stay out of the race and wouldn’t endorse a particular candidate, Hays County Commissioner Jeff Barton , whose precinct includes Kyle, said both candidates were smart and hard-working members of city government.

“Kyle’s lucky to have two strong choices,” Barton said.

pgeorge@statesman.com; 512-392-8750