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HaysNewsDispatch.com
Vol. 40 • No. 43
Serving Hays County, TX
Vacancy persists in constable post BY ANITA MILLER
County Judge Ruben Becerra is trying again. Becerra has called a special meeting for 1 p.m. Friday concerning the vacancy created when Pct. 3 Constable Ray Helm on July 31 surrendered his peace officer certification for life in order to avoid prosecution for falsifying
1st public hearing on FY21 budget set Aug. 11
records and other offenses, some felonies. A special called meeting of the Hays County Commissioners Court to discuss the vacancy created by the Helm’s resignation was called off on Monday 30 minutes after it was to begin. The meeting was called off due to a lack of a quorum. Only Becerra, a Democrat, and Pct. 3
Commissioner Lon Shell, Republican, showed up for the meeting. Absent were Pct. 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Democrat, and Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones and Pct. 4 Commissioner Walt Smith, both Republicans. Ray Helm turned in his gun and badge July 31 under threat of prosecution. He resigned his posi-
tion as Pct. 3 Constable as part of a deal with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE): Either surrender his license for life, or face prosecution of wrongdoing including felony offenses. While there is no constable in the Pct. 3 position, deputy constables and other personnel at the constable’s office can remain there until Dec. 31, as that is when
Helm’s term would have expired. Helm had held his position since 2016 and won handily over challenger Jessica Deatherage in the March GOP primary. He had no Democratic opponent and would have, on Nov. 3, secured his second four-year term. He had also overcome an
County allocates CARES funding
Feed the People
BY SAHAR CHMAIS
BY ANITA MILLER Hays County will hold budget workshops on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. and on Tuesday, Aug 25 at 1 p.m. as part of the regularly scheduled meeting of the commissioner court. County Judge Ruben Becerra laid out the bones of the FY 2021-2022 document in court July 28. “It’s a tough budget for a tough time,” Becerra said as he opened his presentation, adding that since the new Fiscal Year doesn’t start until Oct. 1, “we don’t know what the sitution will be” when it becomes effective. The budget includes a slight tax increase that is a result of increased home valuations, even though the effective tax rate was lowered from .4237 to .4187. Becerra said the “average” home, which is valued at $262,755, would see an increase of $37.07 a year or $3.08 a month. “I can live with that,” he said. Some of the highlights: • Requests for the FY 21 budget were reduced to current FY 20 expenditures • 2% cost of living increase for employees (elected officials are excluded) • No new positions beyond where county is already obligated • Eliminates outsourcing inmate expense of approximately $4 million
COUNTY FY 2021 BUDGET, 7
CONSTABLE RESIGNS, 5
PHOTOS BY ANITA MILLER Dozens of volunteers were undeterred by rising heat on Sunday as they assembled 1,200 plates from San Marcos BBQ that were given out free at the Kyle Optimist Fields by county law enforcement officers and elected officials. Above, left, Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones chats with the occupants of a SUV. Above, right, Pct. 1 Constable David Peterson shows off some of the sausage. The event was one of four planned, courtesy of a grant from the Capital Area Housing Finance Corporation.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act has allotted $4.8 million to Hays County to spend on resident and staff COVID-19 safety. So far, the county has decided how 20% of the funds will be spent, and the rest is in the works. It is necessary that the county uses 75% of the CARES Act funds on medical, public health and payroll expenses for employees mitigating and responding to the emergency. The other 25% should go toward small business assistance. The rest of the funds will be purposed after the county spends the first 20%, or $966,000. The county also decided to use this money to open up a few more job opportunities for its understaffed health department. Hays County has a current commitment of almost $308,000 to spend on supplies for first responders, PPE equipment, COVID-19 testing, disinfecting county offices, call center data lines, staff hours and social services relief. While the county wants to hire more employees in its health department using this grant, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has hired an additional epidemiologist for
CARES FUNDS, 8
Businesses can apply for county ECAP funds Aug. 10 BY ANITA MILLER Hays County businesses with 10 or fewer employees that did not get assistance through the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP) or the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) administered by the Small Business Administration may apply next week for assistance through the county’s Emergency Cash Assistance Program (ECAP). Although it won’t be “live” until Aug. 10, business owners can get a sneak peak at the documentation required to apply at www.hayscountyecap.com by download-
The program is being administered through People Fund and has $600,000 in available funding. Hays County put up $500,000 and the city of Kyle added $100,000. Grants of up to $1,000 per employee may be granted after applications are reviewed by an awards committee. ing a pdf. Grants will be issued on a first come, first served basis. The money can be used for working capital, payroll, equipment, furniture and supplies and fixtures, such as items required for social distancing. Nonprofits can also apply if they have been in operation since Jan. 1, 2019 or before. “Mom and pop”
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES
• The pandemic and disaster preparedness • Texas State prepares for virtual commencement • TxDOT debuts distracted driving video
haysfreepress.com • haysnewsdispatch.com
businesses literally run by two members of one family may be awarded a grant of up to $2,500. Gustavo Lasala of People Fund said about 20 percent of small businesses in municipalities and cities outside major urban centers did not get federal help “for a variety of reasons,” and when his organization realized that included Hays County, they wanted
to help. “We immediately signed up for that and are glad and honored” to be a part of the effort to support the most vulnerable busineses. He said businesses can be paired with a mentor if they need help filling out the application or gathering required documents. “We will be there to guide them each step of the way,” Lasala said in a
The News-Dispatch Barton Publications, Inc. The News-Dispatch (USPS 011-401) 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
Zoom press conference on July 30. He urged those possibly eligible for a grant to use the time until Aug. 10 to study what’s required. All assistance through People Fund comes without charge. John Ellis of the Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP), which is assisting the county with the program said according to three surveys, 65 percent of eligible small businesses did not get either PPP or EIDL. Although having received that assistance disqualifies businesses from the ECAP, those businesses that did not
BUSINESS STIMULUS, 5