Wimberley extends state of disaster
The Wimberley City Council extended Mayor Susan Jaggers’ Declaration of Public Health Emergency until May 14.
State law gives the mayor the power to declare such an emergency, but it is only active for up to seven days unless the declaration is ratified by the city council.
This time line matches closely with the county’s disaster declaration and can be rescinded before that date if necessary.
An attorney for the city of Wimberley stated that this declaration was necessary in order to be eligible for future disaster relief funding.
City Administrator Shawn Cox said that the city is doing well on sales tax collections up to this point of the year, but they won’t know the actual impact of the coronavirus on sales tax for two months. That is how long it takes the state to issue sales tax allocations. He said that the city has a “healthy fund balance reserve” as does Blue Hole Regional Park should the situation warrant.
‘We also get 20 percent of all of our sales tax from grocery stores, which I know are doing well,” Cox said. “We’ll see how it affects us in two months when it is released from the state.”
Jaggers’ used her authority under the emergency declaration to approve a temporary digital sign that was offer to the city for free. The sign, which is intended to help citizens become aware of important information during the emergency, will be placed in the green space at the “Y” of Ranch Road 12 and FM 2325. Jaggers asked the company donating the sign to coordinate with Cox on the messages the city would like to be displayed.
The newest plans for the route of the sewer system south of Cypress Creek should be ready for review by the Texas Department of Transportation as early as next week. Capital Excavation is currently working on digging a hole for the lift station near the intersection of Ranch Road 12 and FM 3237. After hitting a significant portion of limestone, a company will be called in to help drill the nine-foot-wide, 32-footdeep hole. They are anticipating being done with the current section by March 30 when construction will move to the lines along FM 3237 between Ranch Road 12 and Old Kyle Road.
A Short Term Rental Review Committee was created by the council, and a Short Term Rental Conditional Use Permit was approved at 180 Southriver.
It was also brought up during the meeting that dialing 2-1-1 will take you to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. Selecting option six will take you to a coronavirus helpline that is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.