It seems that all discussion by elected local government officials regarding growth in Kendall County lead to one conclusion: “Growth is coming and nothing can stop it.” Special interest groups publicly vilify anyone for even questioning this foregone conclusion.
It’s hard to believe this is what the majority of the citizens in Kendall County want. If they did they, wouldn’t be living here. Certainly long time residents do not want growth to affect their property and their way of life. Clearly, new residents don’t want it to change that much either; otherwise they wouldn’t have moved here in the first place. Local residents enjoy the small town atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of dense urban living.
There has been a lot of hoopla regarding the financial benefits to the local residents through reduced taxes and lower utility rates. It’s highly questionable that the residents will benefit at all, and just as likely that the taxes and utility rates will go up. However, if rapid dense development is in fact a forgone conclusion, the residents of this county should expect their elected local government officials to be mindful of their health and safety before concentrating on filling the developers pockets with profits, and their coffers with property taxes.
Health and Safety and Quality of Life are tremendously important issues for the public, but for some reason they are not even being discussed. Quality of Life is easy to define by a few simple questions: Do you enjoy feeling safe in your home? Do you enjoy feeling safe walking downtown in the evening? Do you enjoy driving to and from work free of traffic jams? Do you like being able to find parking place downtown and enjoy the beautiful little shops? Do you enjoy the quiet country atmosphere and the wildlife? Do your children enjoy our excellent school system? Do you enjoy the beautiful pristine Hill Country Rivers, streams and scenery? Do you want all of this to change? These are just a few Quality of Life Issues; I’m sure you can think of a few more.
Health and Safety is arguably the most critical issue. Mass development dramatically changes our environment, and can threaten the health and safety of the general public if not properly controlled. State agencies like the TCEQ have proven to be completely ineffective and disinterested, so it is up to our local government to protect us. The current City Ordinances and County rules are designed for rural low populated areas. If we are destined to live in a densely developed urban community, then our County rules and City Ordinances must be modified now to regulate this inevitability. These ordinances and rules must be in place before the development onslaught is in full stride.
Issues like impervious cover, flood control, water resources, water quality, and wastewater discharge are gravely important when faced with massive development. If huge wastewater treatment plants are to be constructed as proposed, the discharge from these plants need to be carefully analyzed for the environmental impact. Our County and City leaders should look to the highly urban areas in the state for guidance. They have had to deal with massive development and know first hand what problems lurk.
Highly urban cities like the City of Austin and counties like Travis have had to address these issues head on. Our City and county leaders must be proactive, they cannot simply just “let it happen” and be sorry later for the problems that result.
It’s hard to believe this is what the majority of the citizens in Kendall County want. If they did they, wouldn’t be living here. Certainly long time residents do not want growth to affect their property and their way of life. Clearly, new residents don’t want it to change that much either; otherwise they wouldn’t have moved here in the first place. Local residents enjoy the small town atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of dense urban living.
There has been a lot of hoopla regarding the financial benefits to the local residents through reduced taxes and lower utility rates. It’s highly questionable that the residents will benefit at all, and just as likely that the taxes and utility rates will go up. However, if rapid dense development is in fact a forgone conclusion, the residents of this county should expect their elected local government officials to be mindful of their health and safety before concentrating on filling the developers pockets with profits, and their coffers with property taxes.
Health and Safety and Quality of Life are tremendously important issues for the public, but for some reason they are not even being discussed. Quality of Life is easy to define by a few simple questions: Do you enjoy feeling safe in your home? Do you enjoy feeling safe walking downtown in the evening? Do you enjoy driving to and from work free of traffic jams? Do you like being able to find parking place downtown and enjoy the beautiful little shops? Do you enjoy the quiet country atmosphere and the wildlife? Do your children enjoy our excellent school system? Do you enjoy the beautiful pristine Hill Country Rivers, streams and scenery? Do you want all of this to change? These are just a few Quality of Life Issues; I’m sure you can think of a few more.
Health and Safety is arguably the most critical issue. Mass development dramatically changes our environment, and can threaten the health and safety of the general public if not properly controlled. State agencies like the TCEQ have proven to be completely ineffective and disinterested, so it is up to our local government to protect us. The current City Ordinances and County rules are designed for rural low populated areas. If we are destined to live in a densely developed urban community, then our County rules and City Ordinances must be modified now to regulate this inevitability. These ordinances and rules must be in place before the development onslaught is in full stride.
Issues like impervious cover, flood control, water resources, water quality, and wastewater discharge are gravely important when faced with massive development. If huge wastewater treatment plants are to be constructed as proposed, the discharge from these plants need to be carefully analyzed for the environmental impact. Our County and City leaders should look to the highly urban areas in the state for guidance. They have had to deal with massive development and know first hand what problems lurk.
Highly urban cities like the City of Austin and counties like Travis have had to address these issues head on. Our City and county leaders must be proactive, they cannot simply just “let it happen” and be sorry later for the problems that result.
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