Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 127, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 26, 2013 Page: 2 of 25
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2A • Thursday, September 26, 2013 • Hondo Anvil Herald
Council awards 5-year power contract to CPS
By William Hoover
Anvil Herald Correspondent
Hondo City Council on
Monday night awarded CPS
Energy of San Antonio a five-
year contract to serve the City
of Hondo’s energy needs. The
decision came in executive
session, which in this case, is
permitted by law
Before council recessed
into closed session, Mayor
Jim Danner asked City At-
torney William “Mick” McK-
amie to explain the need for
a closed session to conduct
the city’s wholesale power
supply negotiations be-
tween Garland Power and
Light and CPS Energy of San
Antonio. Both companies
are vying to serve the city’s
electrical needs for the up-
coming budget year.
“This is the only exception
in state law that allows a city
council that acts as an oper-
ator of electric or gas utility
to act in executive session,”
said McKamie.
Back in the 1990s when
power was deregulated in
Texas, an accommodation
was made to public power
utilities, such as those op-
erated by cities, in order to
allow them to compete on
the same level for purposes
of purchasing fuel, entering
into power supply agree-
ments, costing and pric-
ing. The law was adopted
in 1999, and amended in
2001 and 2011, according to
McKamie.
“That is how we got the
statute we are operating
under for competitive mat-
ters in executive session,”
he said. “Section 551.086 of
the local government code
provides the exception to
the open meetings act to al-
low the council to consider
a competitive matter in the
electric utility field.”
Once the council deter-
mines a matter is a compet-
itive matter under the pro-
visions of the resolution the
City of Hondo has adopted,
McKamie said, they can ac-
tually vote and take action
in executive session.
“I believe every city that
operates an electric trans-
mission or generation utility
has adopted a similar reso-
lution,” he noted. “Not only
is it possible for council to
consider action in executive
session on the wholesale
power agreement, we, as
your attorneys, recommend
you do so to maintain com-
petitive confidentiality. The
parties we are doing busi-
ness with expect it and they
have the same provisions in
their operating rules.”
“Thank you,” said Dan-
ner before asking council to
recess into closed session.
“We want that to be out in
the public so they under-
stand why we are taking this
route.”
Upon returning to open
session in an empty City
Hall, council adjourned.
“In the executive session
last night, we awarded a
five-year contract for our
wholesale power to CPS
Energy,” reported Dan-
ner on Tuesday morning.
“That is about all I can say.
It is a good contract, so we
are pleased. The budget is
already set and the needed
rate increases are in there.
This only affects our cash
ouday.”
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Special use permit process
made more business friendly
By William Hoover
Anvil Herald Correspondent
Hondo City Council on
Monday moved to stream-
line the special use permit
process by amending the
zoning ordinance.
The amendment makes
renewal of permits contin-
gent upon confirmation
of the permitted use and
compliance with all city or-
dinances, codes and regula-
tions rather than by annual
review of the council.
“We discussed this at one
of our prior meetings and
it has gone through the
Planning & Zoning Com-
mission,” said Mayor Jim
Danner, who asked Code
Compliance Officer Gilbert
Contreras to present the
agenda item.
“Basically, we are asking
the zoning ordinance that
refers to specific use permits
be amended to remove the
statement that says that city
council will review the per-
mits annually,” said Contre-
ras. “It will now read ‘reten-
tion of specific use permits
conditioned on continued
permitted use and compli-
ance requirements’.
“This will also provide for
more efficient use of city
resources and encourage
economic development
and employment oppor-
tunities,” he added, noting
the P&Z unanimously rec-
ommended approval of the
amendment.
“Chairman of the P&Z
Mike Hackebeil was present
when we had the other dis-
cussion, so he is well versed
on the concerns we had,”
said Danner.
Place 4 Councilwoman
Ann Michelle Long offered
the motion to approve the
ordinance amending the
zoning ordinance. The mo-
tion passed unanimously
after receiving a second
from Place 1 Councilman
John McAnelly.
“Thank you all. This is
really needed,” said Long.
“Business will be happy.”
“This will make things a
lot easier in the long run,”
said Contreras.
“It is a lot more business
friendly than what we had,”
agreed Place 5 Councilman
Keith Lutz.
In related business, coun-
cil approved the mayor’s
recommended board ap-
pointments.
“Tonight, we have the
new Zoning Board of Ad-
justments to address,”
said Danner. “We passed
an ordinance creating this
board about a month ago.
It requires a board of seven
SBOE honors
HISD volunteer
Kathy Carskadden
The State Board of Education
(SBOE) has announced that 17
Texans who have provided col-
lectively more than 100 years of
volunteer service to Texas public
schools are being honored with
the Heroes for Children award
at the SBOE meeting on Friday.
The representative for SBOE
District 1, is Kathy Carskadden,
a volunteer in the Hondo ISD.
She works with groups
of students needing a little
extra help on their English
Language Arts lessons. As
a volunteer, she is fulfilling
her lifelong dream of helping
those students who were “fall-
ing through the cracks.”
She has volunteered in the
members with two of the
seven being designated as
alternate members.”
Council approved ap-
pointing Henry Escamilla,
M.I. Stevens, Erasmo Trini-
dad, current P&Z member
Adela Urrutia and local re-
tiree Tom Taylor, to the re-
cendy activated ZBA, Roger
DeLeon and Mary Massena
were appointed as alternate
ZBA members.
An as yet unknown per-
son will be appointed to
the P&Z to replace Urrutia,
since P&Z members are
prohibited from serving on
the ZBA.
Barbara Fisher, widow of
former Mayor Ed Fisher and
an active Methodist, was
appointed to the Cemetery
Advisory Board to replace
the recently deceased Bill
Cogbum. Cogburn rep-
resented the First United
Methodist Church while he
served on the CAB.
In airport business, Coun-
cil awarded a contract for
the Texas Department of
Transportation 2013 Air-
port Improvement Project
to low bidder Alamo City
Construction. The total cost
of the TxDOT grant funded
project is $1,243,564. The
city’s 10% cost is $124,350.
“The project includes
pavement rehabilitation,
Turning
65?
HISD for many years.
The Heroes for Children
honorees are selected by the
State Board members and rec-
ognized for volunteering their
time, talents and skills to help
improve the public schools in
their communities. Each hero
will receive a certificate of
honor, a copy of the resolution
scheduled for board approval,
and photographs commemo-
rating the ceremony. Each hero
will also have his or her name
engraved on a plaque that is
permanently displayed at the
Texas Education Agency.
They were honored last Fri-
day in the William B. Travis
State Office Building in Austin.
Time to gather
Veterans’ pictures
for Nov. 7 issue
The Anvil Herald will print a
special section again this year
honoring all military veterans
as well as active duty military
with ties to Medina County.
All photos published last year
will be included again on these
pages Nov. 7.
To have your veteran’s pho-
to included, bring the photo
(not a printed-out copy from
a printer, please) to the Anvil
Herald to be scanned and re-
turned to you.
Provide the vet’s name, rank,
service years and a daytime
phone number where you can
be reached.
For more information, call
Diane, 830-426-3346.
Subscribe
Hondo Anvil Herald
830-426-3346
runway and apron repairs,
tree clearing, installation of
a game fence, taxiway sig-
nage and pavement mark-
ings,” said Public Works Di-
rector Eric Salazar on behalf
of Airport Manager John Be-
navides who was ill.
In Other Business
• Mayor Danner present-
ed a plaque to former Mu-
nicipal Court Judge Chris
Schuchart.
“This is a special item to
honor a gendeman who
served the City of Hondo for
about 10 years and retired
recently,” said Danner. “He
is going on, we hope, to big-
ger and better things.”
Danner then stepped
down from the podium,
pausing to read the inscrip-
tion on the plaque before
handing it to the outgoing
judge.
“In recognition and appre-
ciation of 10 years of dedi-
cated and faithful service as
municipal court judge Chris
Schuchart 2003-2013,” said
the mayor.
“Thank you guys very
much,” said an appreciative
Schuchart.
• The next regular Hondo
City Council meeting will be
Monday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m.
in city hall. The meeting is
open to the public.
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 127, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 26, 2013, newspaper, September 26, 2013; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth740941/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.