County residents buck against subdivision rules

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

Several concerned citizens spoke to the Caldwell County Commissioners Court on Monday morning, urging the Commissioners to reconsider their move toward enacting sweeping development regulations that some say will restrict private property owners’ rights in Caldwell County.

Comparing the 64-page Development Ordinance to the Federal Go

vernment’s controversial health care legislation, county resident Peggy Duda urged the Court to stop working on the ordinance, and instead tackle the problems of illegal subdivisions in small steps.

“It’s poorly written, and it seems like you’re rushing through and trying to cover too much ground,” she said. “Let’s don’t start at the top and stumble through to the bottom – let’s start with the things that need to be addressed in a small way.”

Duda also suggested the Court might consider putting the measure to a vote, saying that such regulations are something the people of Caldwell County “might want to decide for themselves.”

Other opponents of the issue expressed concern that in its current incarnation, the Development Ordinance does not address how many residences can be built on a parcel of property, and that it sets out the rules in such a way that a residential property owner who hopes to divide his or her property is not set apart from a professional developer.

Although the measure was not on the agenda for discussion this week, the Commissioners assured the gallery that another public hearing on the ordinance is planned during the month of November, and that the hearing will be well publicized two weeks in advance, to give those interested an opportunity to make plans to attend and have their concerns heard.

In brief news:
The Commissioners heard information from Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority representative Oscar Fogle regarding a resolution passed last week in support of the Lower Colorado River Authority’s desire to “aggressively move efforts forward that will enhance water supplies for the lower basin” of the Colorado River. That action, Fogle said, will not only not benefit Caldwell County residents, but may hurt them. Caldwell County is not located in the LCRA service basin, and efforts by LCRA to obtain more water might hamper the activities of the GBRA, which does actively supply water to Caldwell County.

The Court paid bills in the amount of $98,188.14, which included $2,094 in indigent legal defense fees.