by Michael Robinson |Uvalde Hesperian

01-12-24

Local government bodies of the Uvalde Commissioners Court and the Uvalde City Council will meet this week for their respective first regular meetings of the new year.

The Uvalde County Commissioners Court is scheduled to meet on Monday, January 13th at 10AM on the third-floor courtroom of the Uvalde County Courthouse.

The Uvalde City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, January 14th at 6 PM at the City of Uvalde City Hall.

Citizen comments at both meetings are typically the proverbial “wild cards” on topics both on or off the slated agendas.

Both meetings can be viewed via live streams: The Uvalde County Commissioners Court 

Roy Kothmann representing Uvalde County Precinct 3 will join the Uvalde County Judge William “Bill” Mitchell along with the other returning County Commissioners to consider and act on a slate of items on this January 13th, 2025 agenda.

On the U.C. Commissioners Court agenda. the court will take possible action on appointments for the Uvalde County Historical Commission and the Uvalde County Child Welfare Board. Additionally, the court will make decisions on adopting 2025 Capital Asset Policy and 2025 Data Disaster Recovery Plan.

The Court will consider and act upon designating interior of Uvalde County buildings as smoke/vape free zones.

l

by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

10/08/24

At tonight’s October 8th,2024 City of Uvalde City Council meeting, a public hearing will be held on the designation and creation of a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ).

 

  What is a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone? 

What Are Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZs)?

  “Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZs) are special zones created by City Council to attract new investment in an area. These zones help finance costs of redevelopment and promote growth in areas that would otherwise not attract sufficient market development in a timely manner. Taxes attributable to new improvements (tax increments) are set-aside in a fund to finance public improvements within the boundaries of the zone.”

 The Uvalde Hesperian learned from unofficial sources that City Officials had meet previously with an individual who is interested in starting a new real estate development within the Uvalde City Limits and the request for a creation of a new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ).

If approved, the new TIRZ could mean the property now outside of the Uvalde City Limits might be annexed into the City Limits.

Criteria for a TIRZ
• To create a TIRZ, the city or county must determine that investment in the area “would
not occur solely through private investment in the reasonably foreseeable future.”
§ 311.003(a)
• The land in a TIRZ must also “substantially arrest or impair the sound growth of the
municipality or county designating the zone” as result of several factors listed in the
statute, such as deteriorating buildings or faulty street layout. These are known as the
“blight” criteria. § 311.005
o Given the subjective nature of the “blight” criteria, these factors are relatively
easy to meet. One example of a “blighted” area is the North Fort Worth Cabela’s
development, where the blight criteria was a stream on the property.
• For petition-TIRZs (initiated by property owners), no blight criteria apply. § 311.005(a)(4