Wimberley City Council Elections

Place 5

Q: The plan to have the city’s effluent treated by Aqua Texas is well underway, but there are still steps to be taken before it is finalized. It appears there may be a possibility for the city council to reverse course and revert back to the city-owned treatment plan. If elected, how will you try and handle the sewer system and why do you believe that is the correct and feasible option?

Bowman: It now appears that we have two competing sewer plans, both of which will have to overcome significant obstacles in order to make it to completion. Given the current level of mistrust in the community, I believe the only way forward is to educate the public as to the positives and negatives of both plans as they currently stand. If elected, I would immediately call for a series of town halls, to be held in the Wimberley Community Center, to answer the public’s questions and concerns.

At the time of this writing, the city has received permission from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to pursue a sewer hook-up with Aqua Texas. Unfortunately, the TWDB will require a shift to a taxbased bond for this change in scope to be completed. This would most likely mean that the city would have to levy a property tax for the first time. I feel that the residents of Wimberley do not support any additional property tax at this time.

Due to delays and cancellations by the current council, the city-owned sewer plant would also face huge hurdles to get to completion. The citizens of Wimberley need to be involved in any potential solution.

Q: Besides the sewer system, what are your main priorities if elected?

Bowman: I believe the biggest problem facing the city at this moment is the looming budget crisis. It took the city nearly 18 years to amass a 1.4 million dollar surplus. This year the city council, by their own projections, will run a $650,000 deficit that will cut that hard earned surplus almost in half. In addition, the city has paid a $200,000 legal settlement to cancel the water treatment plant contract. The TWDB has told the city to restore the site originally slated for the sewer plant. The city estimate for that restoration is $39,000. There is an almost $300,000 bond payment due on the sewer project in July and it appears there will be no sewer revenue available to pay for it. Simple subtraction will show you that we are coming very close to wiping out two decades of accumulating reserves.

Q: Do you foresee a need or an appropriate situation for the city of Wimberley to have a property tax above zero percent? Would you support a property tax?

Bowman: In my time campaigning around the city I have had the opportunity to talk to a large number of voters. Based on the conversations I have had, I feel that an overwhelming majority of city residents do not support an additional property tax of any kind. I believe that it would be very divisive and corrosive to the relationship between city government and the citizens of Wimberley to increase the tax burden at this time.

Q: For a number of years, local politics have become rather divisive in Wimberley with the discord creating apparent issues for the city and council. How will you try and heal that division and can you work with those on the other side of a political issue to strike a compromise?

Bowman: My experience in the Navy taught me that you have a duty to watch out and care for those around you. My twenty years of teaching experience has taught me how to build a learning environment based on trust. Finally, my legal education and experience have allowed me to spot potential problems when planning for major projects.

It is upsetting for me to watch a city like Wimberley, with so much going for it, be mired in such a division. In my opinion, the only way out of this is to try and restore a climate of respect for citizens of both the city and the Wimberley Valley. I pledge to continue Allison Davis’s Saturday morning meetings. A city council member should see themselves as a servant and leave their personal prejudices and ideologies aside. It’s what Wimberley needs right now and how I would conduct myself if elected.

Q: The city recently deannexed two properties in Wimberley totaling more than 100 acres. How do you view the issue of deannexation for the city?

Bowman: Among the most important duties of any city official, elected or appointed, is to protect the boundaries of the city. One of the original reasons for Wimberley’s incorporation was to protect against unregulated development. I believe these concerns are even more relevant today. When we deannex property we give up the ability to have a say in any future projects that may take place at that location. If elected, I will never vote for any property to be allowed to deannex. I think it was a huge mistake for the current city council to allow this situation to happen.