By Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Second Vice President,
County
Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as second vice president of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas. It is my pleasure and honor to serve each of you, and I’d like to thank you for the confidence you’ve placed in me. I commit to working with you to ensure we put forth and tackle the many issues affecting our counties today.
What a wonderful and well-attended conference we had in Corpus Christi in October. I’d like to thank our officers and everyone who played a part in making the event such a success. Special thanks to the Nueces County Commissioners Court for a great Host Court Night. So much work goes into planning for such a large conference, and everyone did a fantastic job. I’d also like to thank our sponsors and exhibitors who play such a vital role in our conferences. Without their support and financial contributions, we would not be able to hold such great and successful events.
I am currently serving my fourth term as Hays County Commissioner Pct. 1. Prior to taking office, I spent five years working in a constable’s office where I received my peace officer’s certification from the Travis County Sheriff’s Academy and began a career as a deputy constable in the San Marcos area.
During the past 18 years I have seen many changes in our county. In a short time we have gone from being a rural county to a more suburban and urban county. Our location on the I-35 corridor has brought great opportunities and challenges. Between 1960 and 2000, Hays County grew by 229 percent. Its total population has increased since then by 53 percent to approximately 149,500 residents. By 2020, that number is projected to rise to more than 180,000 people, making Hays County the second-densest county in the region behind Travis County. Most of the growth centers along the I-35 corridor are in towns such as Buda, Kyle and San Marcos.
The western portion of our county has seen changes too, with rural subdivisions of single-family homes for retirees and telecommuters springing up along the rolling hills. While this growth has increased revenues, the direct cost for providing roads and bridges, new schools and utilities, and the consequences of loss of place, are now being realized. Hays County, like much of the Central Texas region, struggles with the question, “How do we grow responsibly while protecting our drinking water and other natural resources and creating safe places for our children to play, and provide all the necessary services expected?”
There have been no significant legislative changes to county land use power since the most recent large-scale updates to Section 232 of the Texas Local Government Code were passed in 2001. The debate on the issue has largely focused on the issues of protecting property rights and the desire to avoid growing county governments, rather than the benefits of the reduction of incompatible uses, overcrowding, and protection of property values that can occur with well-executed planning and zoning. Even though legislation presented has used a format that makes county zoning a local option that must be approved through a referendum, rather than something that is mandatory or enacted through act of the commissioners court, legislation expanding county land use powers cannot gather the necessary votes for approval.
I understand many counties are experiencing some of these same challenges, and I look forward to helping find solutions and working with and through our legislators and the legislative process to help counties become better equipped to meet those needs. Counties have many good friends in the Legislature, but they must hear from us, which will take all of us working together. I will take my position as second vice president very seriously, and I will seek your help in achieving county authority that has been lacking and to help fight those bills that will negatively affect our counties.
God bless you, God bless our great State of Texas, and thank you again for the opportunity to serve you and to serve alongside you. Have a great New Year!