OCTOBER 12, 2022 HAYS HAWKS CARVE OUT A 44-41 WIN OVER CANYON
KYLE’S ICONIC HALLOWEEN YARD
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Hays Free Press
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HaysFreePress.com
Vol. 128 • No. 31
Serving Hays County, TX
Happy 142nd Birthday, Kyle! Communities, law NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
enforcement gather BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Office and other local agencies also visited the nearly 30 neighborhood KYLE — Last week, block parties going on for residents and law National Night Out to meet enforcement agencies residents, speak about around Hays County participated in a worldwide important safety topics and hand out a variety of event that seeks to strengthen the relationship safety literature and other between communities and goodies. Neighborhoods like Shadow Creek in Buda police. even had appearances The Lehman High School Lobo mascot entertains National Night Out is from the Austin Mounted Members of the Kyle VFW Post 12058 wave as people of all ages in front of Mary Kyle Hartson held on the first Tuesday Patrol and activities like a they parade down the street. City Square Park. of October in Texas and kid-friendly traffic safety is aimed at bringing course. citizens, law enforcement During the event, agencies, local officials residents were encouraged and businesses together to turn on their porch to increase anti-crime lights to show unity against awareness while also criminal activity. strengthening community Kyle PD Officer James partnerships. Plant said that National The Kyle Police Night Out event gives Department hosted a residents the opportunity downtown party at Mary to meet law enforcement Kyle Hartson City Square in a more casual setting Park on Oct. 4, giving as opposed to a griefcommunity members the stricken, stressful situation, opportunity to meet and which is oftentimes the talk with law enforcement circumstances that people officers and other first meet them under. Events responders. like this, he said, allows The party also featured for positive interaction local vendors from between law enforcement organizations like Hays and the community, from County Crime Stoppers young kids to older adults. and CERT (Community Mark your calendar for Emergency Response the next National Night Out Team), and sausage wraps in Texas, which will take were provided by the Kyle place on Oct. 3, 2023. More VFW Post 12058 and Kyle information can be found PHOTOS BY ASHLEY KONTNIER Masons Lodge 304. Members of the Lehman High School Navy JROTC march proudly down Center Street at the 2022 The Hays County Sheriff ’s at www.natw.org.
Kyle Founder’s Day Parade.
FINANCES
Kyle City Council approves credit card ordinance BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN KYLE —Over the course of several meetings, the Kyle City Council unanimously approved a city-issued credit card policy. On Aug. 25, the city council asked the Director of Finance Perwez Moheet
to incorporate changes recommended by the Compensation Committee related to city council compensation, which was reviewed extensively in a series of earlier meetings. Moheet made the requested changes and brought the amended policy back for a second reading on Oct. 3 – which was unanimously approved with a 6-0 vote. In the drafted ordinance, presented on first reading during the Sept. 20 meeting, there were recommendations made by the Compensation Committee that addressed outgoing council members – whether their term is complete or they resign. Under the policy, the ownership and responsibility are on the individual council members to complete the appropriate forms to submit by the deadline. Mayor Travis Mitchell thought the draft ordinance was “pretty good” but wanted to discuss a couple of things regarding the way
the policy was written. Mitchell suggested that the council keep the item budget the same but allow the different categories within the budget to be flexible as long as they don’t exceed their budgeted amount. Council member Ashlee Bradshaw agreed. “I think we all serve in different ways and that’s a good opportunity for each of us to show up and utilize those funds the best way that we see fit,” Bradshaw said. Council member Yvonne Flores-Cale’s major concern was whether or not the policy significantly increased the duties of the city secretary. “I’m thinking, is there anything we can do to do an online system so we can fill out forms and upload receipts, and that way they’re sent to her [Holm] electronically?” Flores-Cale asked. Perwez said that this policy does have more paperwork and more administrative requirements but whether it goes to the city secretary’s office or directly to the finance department, it
COUNTY PET RESOURCE CENTER IN THE WORKS – PAGE 6
would be the same amount of work. “The ownership and responsibility is on individual council members when you travel,” Moheet said. Mitchell motioned to remove Section 8, which gave the city secretary the responsibility of placing items on the agenda when a council member returns from traveling. “I didn’t really like the fact that it was the city secretary’s responsibility to be placing items like that on the agenda,” Mitchell said. “I think it’s our responsibility to be compliant; we control the agenda by the charter, and so it should be us that makes that request per the council policy.” Flores-Cale said she did not see consequences in the procedure. “If you want to build in a consequence, and I’d like to see that throughout because these are a lot of procedures that are great, but there’s no repercussions or accountability if we don’t follow through with that,”
PHOTO BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Members of the Kyle VFW Post 12058 and Kyle Masonic Lodge 304, including Ray, left, and David, right, provided sausage wraps and bottled water at the downtown party.
PHOTO BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Kyle Police Department’s National Night Out downtown party on Oct. 4 gave the community a chance to meet and interact with local law enforcement.
PHOTO BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Along with the opportunity to meet and chat with law enforcement, vendors such as CERT (Citizen See FINANCES, page 7 Emergency Response Team) set up booths to further educate the community on safety. The Hays Free Press Barton Publications, Inc.
The Hays Free Press (USPS 361-430) published weekly by Barton Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Buda, TX 78610. Periodicals postage paid at Buda, TX 78610 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Barton Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Buda, TX 78610. ISSN#1087-9323