Roads in East Hays County are particularly needed as that part of the county experiences rapid growth.
The $440 million road bond package, or Proposition A, is on the Nov. 5 general election ballot in Hays county. Proposition
A, if passed by voters, would authorize the County to issue bonds to fund 31 separate road projects. Some of those projects are ‘shovel ready’ while others require more time, and funds for studies and design work by engineering and environmental experts.
However, a group of Hays County residents is urging voters to reject Proposition A and send the entire package back to the County Commissioners Court, to allow more time for discussion and public input on each project.
The Hays Coalition for a Better Bond, a specific-purpose action committee (SPAC), is advocating for a ‘no’ vote on Proposition A. The group believes there is ample time to conduct what they see as a proper public process and place the bond on the May 2025 ballot. They argue that this timeline would allow for more equitable funding for road projects in East Hays County, which has been underserved for decades.
In August, the Hays County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the road bond for the November election, despite opposition to the specifics of the proposal from several community members.
The coalition believes voters should have more time to study the projects and engage in a dialogue with county leaders on which projects should be prioritized.
“This bond is not like other bonds. It was hatched in secret without public input on what should be included and how much it should cost taxpayers,’ said Dianne Wassenich, spokeswoman for the Better Bond coalition. ‘These roads will be forever. Compare that to waiting seven months to prioritize projects that make our roads safer, fix current bottlenecks, and remove projects that threaten our water and serve only developers.’
The coalition, formed recently to inform and educate voters, is sponsoring a campaign to urge voters to reject Proposition A. Bright orange signs, sponsored by the group, have been seen throughout the county.
The coalition claims that the bond package was rushed to voters without enough public input and that the County Commissioners Court should allow more time for voters to study the proposed projects and offer input.
“There was not a long public process, like the one conducted in recent years for the much smaller parks and open space bond,” Wassenich said.
During the August 19 Commissioners Court meeting where the bond package was approved, Commissioner Michelle Cohen expressed satisfaction that projects in East Hays County were included.
“I’ve lived in this county for 40-plus years, and a lot of our roads on the east side look exactly the same as they did back then,” Cohen said. “It makes me happy, as a longtime resident, to finally see real work being done in an area that has been severely disregarded and underserved.”
Virginia Parker, director of the San Marcos River Foundation, voiced concerns during the same meeting about the potential environmental impact of some of the proposed road projects.
“We all know how this county is growing, and we know one of your responsibilities is infrastructure,” Parker said. “But several of the road projects you will be voting on today seriously threaten the very things that draw people to our county — our aquifers, springs, and rivers.”
To allow for more community input, the coalition argues that voters must reject Proposition A, sending the issue back to the Hays County Commissioners Court for further discussion.
According to Wassenich, the coalition believes that delaying the bond until May 2025 will allow for a more equitable approach to funding road projects, particularly in underserved areas of East Hays County.
Wassenich and other coalition members are volunteering their time to “stop what we see as a terrible bond package resulting from a terrible process. Hays County voters deserve better.’
The coalition includes representatives from the San Marcos River Foundation, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, Save Our Springs Alliance, and various neighborhood groups from western Hays County, which oppose specific projects in that area. The coalition’s website can be found at betterunite.com/hayscoalition.
Reporter Shannon West contributed to this article.