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October 5, 2023
Bandera City Council Notes
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
On the heels of an enforcement moratorium that expires this month, Bandera City Council members discussed the Outdoor Lighting Code, but delayed decision to allow review of proposed ordinance changes.
“I don’t know if we are ready for action,” Council Member Tony Battle said during council’s meeting last week. “There was an ordinance adopted…that is extremely restrictive in terms of outdoor lighting.”
Battle said the ordinance had some benefits, such as required shielding for outdoor lights, however he said banning light that “trespasses out of your window…is far too restrictive. Basically that’s every lamp, every dining room light.”
“I think the intent was to try to put some development standards in place for new construction, as well as regulate some lighting in town,” Battle said, adding new proposals include a 10-year grace period for residents to come into compliance, softer white lights, and curfews for outdoor landscape lighting. The template also addresses string/party/festoon lights, security lights, and potentially lumens per lot.
“As long as we allow individuals who want to light up their yard for safety reasons, such as widows and single moms,” Council Member Lynn Palmer said.
Mayor Rebeca Gibson said the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country could be willing to fund a grant that would help citizens with financial hardships come into compliance.
In other business, council members received a report on Bandera 2040 from Simplecity. Design President and Founder Matt Lewis.
Lewis said changes to the master plan included bringing codes and engineering up to legislative standards, updating sign ordinances and “small tweaks” in response to what is working and what is not, including Place Type changes from residential to commercial.
“There is no perfect development,” Lewis said, acknowledging Bandera is a pro-property right community. “We worked really hard to strike a balance… This community was built when horse and buggies were on the road. Bandera wanted to remain Bandera, and didn’t want to become a Boerne.”
~ Council members unanimously approved the 2023-24 fiscal year tax rate of $0.47000 per $100 valuation, a drop from last year’s rate of $0.48093.
To see more of the city’s budget, go to www.cityofbandera.org, or see it on the front desk in City Hall.
“I don’t know if we are ready for action,” Council Member Tony Battle said during council’s meeting last week. “There was an ordinance adopted…that is extremely restrictive in terms of outdoor lighting.”
Battle said the ordinance had some benefits, such as required shielding for outdoor lights, however he said banning light that “trespasses out of your window…is far too restrictive. Basically that’s every lamp, every dining room light.”
“I think the intent was to try to put some development standards in place for new construction, as well as regulate some lighting in town,” Battle said, adding new proposals include a 10-year grace period for residents to come into compliance, softer white lights, and curfews for outdoor landscape lighting. The template also addresses string/party/festoon lights, security lights, and potentially lumens per lot.
“As long as we allow individuals who want to light up their yard for safety reasons, such as widows and single moms,” Council Member Lynn Palmer said.
Mayor Rebeca Gibson said the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country could be willing to fund a grant that would help citizens with financial hardships come into compliance.
In other business, council members received a report on Bandera 2040 from Simplecity. Design President and Founder Matt Lewis.
Lewis said changes to the master plan included bringing codes and engineering up to legislative standards, updating sign ordinances and “small tweaks” in response to what is working and what is not, including Place Type changes from residential to commercial.
“There is no perfect development,” Lewis said, acknowledging Bandera is a pro-property right community. “We worked really hard to strike a balance… This community was built when horse and buggies were on the road. Bandera wanted to remain Bandera, and didn’t want to become a Boerne.”
~ Council members unanimously approved the 2023-24 fiscal year tax rate of $0.47000 per $100 valuation, a drop from last year’s rate of $0.48093.
To see more of the city’s budget, go to www.cityofbandera.org, or see it on the front desk in City Hall.