HAYS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
The Hays County Commissioners Court had a discussion related to the Capital Improvement Plan with Broaddus & Associates to provide guidance and identify priority projects to be included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget at the regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.
James DeMeritt, a representative with Broaddus & Associates, explained the purpose of CIP.
“It’s a process that aims to develop an organized strategy for delivering county-wide services efficiently. This effort is focused on creating a comprehensive and organized plan that addresses current and future needs in the county, maximizes efficiency and improves citizen access,” DeMeritt said. “The final CIP document will outline [and] prioritize projects, cost estimates, implementation plans and site efficiency and effectively service citizens.”
DeMeritt listed some of the physical buildings listed in the CIP: another government center that would be separate from the courts (unlike the current one), a mental health bed facility in the “existing jail footprint,” the Pet Resource Center, the Hays County Civic Center, Precinct 4 Constables Office remodel and potential Transportation Office expansion.
Hays County Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe said that if the major county operations are moved out of the current Government Center and out of San Marcos, “we may need to consider leaving some operations here in San Marcos.” She said the county is also looking into a property across the street from the current Government Center in San Marcos that is approximately 3.66 acres.
Hays County Commissioner Michelle Cohen said the renovations within the government center are “extremely important.”
“I know we’re calling a Precinct 1 and 2 campus, but it’s really a new government campus is what it’s turning into. So I know that once that facility is up and running, all those offices within the government center are going to move out, making space available for what I know our judicial departments would like to use,” Cohen said. “As fast as this county is growing, I know that this historic building isn’t going to be sustainable the way it is. I think the future of our government building is we’re going to have to build another courthouse that has the commissioner’s court in it and more space for the departments that reside here and for the future expansion for departments that are coming.”
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said he believed the expansion of the jail footprint should involve partnerships.
“My thinking is to have that road map for those beds long term; We’re not building anything tomorrow but still [have it] be on the shorter list because we have the need. … And [we should] partner with the professionals, the clinics, the hospital systems and everyone [to accomplish that],” he said.
Becerra added that he had fears about borrowing money with the current state of the stock market and economy, which would lead to an increase in taxes for Hays County families that are already struggling. He said he was no longer in support of Hays County building a physical Pet Resource Center without partnerships that would lessen the financial burden.
“That is millions of dollars going to waste, so I encourage us most wholeheartedly to double down — Commissioner Ingalsbe, like you were mentioning visiting with [the city of ] Kyle — seeing how we can partner with someone,” Becerra said. “Again, that partnership piece, hiring everybody that we can hire around us to work with us, so that we don’t have to build our own facility. Because I am … nervous about us going to the market and borrowing all this money.”
Becerra said the county could possibly revisit the possibility of helping to fund expansion of the city of San Marcos’ facility.
Becerra said he was tentative to construct more than two or three buildings.
“Besides picking two to three key, critical items, I want to have an 18 month moratorium on all buildings because of the inconsistency that’s going on at the federal level and everyone being burdened with all of these things,” he said. “ I agree. We have to make improvements. … I’m always about supporting our coworkers, our judicial system, our first responders, always, and we always have supported them for the most part. But I also feel that we will [need to] serve our residents living paycheck to paycheck and not be so … willy nilly about getting debt and then saddling them with it, and saying, ‘Now this is your new bill.’” Hays County Commissioner Morgan Hammer wanted to weigh in as someone who is a financial advisor by trade.
“I just wanted to be very clear that the stock market and the fixed income market are two totally different things,” Hammer said. “If we issue debt that’s coming from the fixed income market, that’s not coming from the stock market with equities. Just wanted to say that because I know everyone has a 401K; so I don’t want them to be scared.”
Ingalsbe assured that if the county is to take on debt, it will be done in a beneficial way.
“We talk to our financial advisor, our auditor and budget officers to ensure that when we issue debt that we’re doing the best that we can for our residents,” she said. “I know that we’ll look at all those parameters once that time comes.”
Hays County Budget Officer Jonathan Blanco said that if the tax rate had not been lowered as much as it has been in previous years, the county would not need to take on debt to cover these buildings.
“If at any point in that time, we would have dropped the tax rate — not eight cents in one year but six cents in one year — we wouldn’t be looking at debt whatsoever, or not the kind of debt that we’re talking about,” Blanco said. “If we had dropped it a quarter of a percent less three years in a row — still drop the tax rate but a quarter of a percent — we would be in much better stead than we are now.”
