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THE BIG PICTURE
(City of Buda Weekly Newsletter)
Week of Nov. 16, 2020
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In this Issue:
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Thanksgiving Holiday - Thursday, Nov. 26 & Friday, Nov. 27
- Buda Looks to Boost Business This Holiday Season
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Downtown Virtual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Saturday, Nov. 28
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Buda Trail of Lights - Dec. 5 & 6, 10-13,17-20
- Stagecoach Park Closed to Vehicular Traffic
- Four-Way Stop Installed at Intersection of Old San Antonio Road and Cabelas Drive
- New and Re-Elected Council Members Sworn In
- Reception for Outgoing Mayor George Haehn and Council Member Remy Fallon (Video)
- City of Buda Approves New Five-Year Franchise Agreement with Pedernales Electric Cooperative
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Buda Turkey Trot - Thursday, Nov. 26
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- Age of Central Texas Free Virtual Caregiver's Seminar - (Video)
- Hays County Hillside Terrace Improvement Project
- New Online/Phone Options for Court Defendants
- Curative COVID-19 Testing Kiosk
- City of Buda In-Person and Online Services
- Water Smart Customer Portal
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Stage 1 Water Restrictions - Effective Monday, Aug. 24
- COVID-19 Hays County Resources
- COVID-19 Hotline
- COVID-19 Dashboard
- COVID-19 Updates on City of Buda Website
- Pay By Phone Automated System
- City of Buda E-Billing
- City of Buda Job Opportunities
- Upcoming Meetings
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All city offices, including the Buda Public Library, are closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27 in observance of Thanksgiving. The library will close at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25 |
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Buda Looks to Boost Local Business
This Holiday Season
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Shop our historic downtown Buda businesses in person or online all day on Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday has been a long-standing tradition in Buda, kicking-off the holiday shopping season for gift-givers. Each year, the community shows their support for local businesses, neighbors, and friends by shopping with Buda businesses and attending festive events complete with hot cocoa, Santa, and lights. While the big events will not be taking place this year, residents still have plenty of opportunity to support local business on November 28-30 with Small Business Saturday, Virtual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Artists Sunday, Cyber Monday, and throughout the holiday season.
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Downtown Virtual Tree Lighting Ceremony |
The City is having a Downtown Tree Lighting that we will broadcast on Facebook Live Saturday, November 28 starting at 5:45 p.m. Families can enjoy the sights, sounds, and cocoa from the comfort of their own home. Live music will fill the screen and Santa, along with newly elected Mayor, Lee Urbanovsky, will countdown to lighting the Christmas tree in Greenbelt Park at exactly 6:00 p.m. Residents are encouraged to dawn their holiday jammies at home, and sip on the cocoa they received while shopping.
Tree Lighting Schedule:
- 5:45PM Live Stream Begins with Musical Performance
- 5:50PM Mayor's Speech
- 5:55PM Santa's Sing-A-Long
- 6:00PM Lights Turn On & More Musical Performances
- 6:15PM Live Stream Ends
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Buda Trail of Lights Drive-Thru |
A holiday tradition in Buda is just around the corner. The City is gearing up for the 12th Annual Trail of Lights event! As with all City events in 2020, things will look a little different this year. In an effort to limit the gathering of large crowds and to keep our staff safe, we are hosting a drive-thru experience for this year’s Trail of Lights! You will get to experience all of the fun displays and lights from the safety of your vehicle. THIS IS A FREE EVENT.
𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟓 & 𝟔, 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟑, 𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟎
𝟔:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌 - 𝟏𝟎:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌
𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤
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We have included a map of this year’s route below. The route begins on Hawk Lane at the entrance to Stagecoach Park & Visitor’s Center and winds its way around to Loop Street where motorists will exit back on to Main Street. Keep in mind that this is the traffic flow map and not the display map. Displays may not line the entire route. To ensure safe entry into the park, traffic will only be allowed to enter from the westbound lanes of Main. Eastbound traffic will not have a turning lane into the park. Buda PD will be on hand to direct traffic. |
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Stagecoach Park Closed to Vehicular Traffic
For Trail of Lights Setup
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Stagecoach Park is closed to vehicular traffic due to the Trail of Lights setup. The park is still open to pedestrian traffic. Therefore you can still walk/run on the trail. We will share more on this year's Trail of Lights event soon! We will be hosting a drive-thru experience for this year's event in order to limit large crowds of people gathering. |
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Permanent Four-Way Stop Installed
At Intersection of Old San Antonio Road & Cabelas Drive
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On Friday, Nov. 20 a permanent four-way stop will go up at the intersection of Old San Antonio Road and Cabelas Drive. Please keep this in mind when driving through the intersection. |
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New and Re-Elected Council Members Sworn In |
New and re-elected Buda City Council members were sworn in at the Nov. 17 City Council meeting.
Mayor Lee Urbanovsky, who was unopposed, takes over for Mayor George Haehn. Haehn decided not to run for re-election. Mayor Urbanovsky previously held the at-large Position 1 seat and served as mayor pro tem. Urbanovsky’s at-large Position 1 seat will be filled by Matt Smith, who ran against LaVonia Horne-Williams and won with 54.67% of the vote.
The at-large Position 2 seat will be filled by Monica Davidson, who ran against Bobby Lane and won with 60.30% of the vote. Davidson fills the seat of Council Member Remy Fallon, who decided not to run for re-election.
Council Member Evan Ture was re-elected in the single-member District B seat. Ture ran unopposed.
The votes in the Nov. 3 Election were canvassed on Monday, Nov. 16.
Buda City Council also elected Evan Ture as mayor pro tem.
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Reception for Outgoing Mayor George Haehn
& Outgoing Council Member Remy Fallon
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A big thank you to outgoing Mayor George Haehn and outgoing Council Member Remy Fallon. Mayor Haehn was elected to the city council in 2012 and was later elected Mayor. Council Member Fallon was elected to city council in 2017. We appreciate your service and dedication to the City of Buda! You will be missed on the dais. Below is the reception for the outgoing Mayor and Council Member. |
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The Buda City Council recently approved a new five-year franchise agreement with Pedernales Elective Cooperative (PEC). Under the new agreement, PEC will pay a higher franchise fee to operate within the City’s right of way and other public places.
Buda will now receive a 4.5% franchise fee from PEC. The City’s last agreement was a 50 year agreement approved in 1970 that locked us into a 2% fee, below what other cities are able to collect. The 4.5% franchise fee is in line with surrounding cities that have negotiated new agreements in the last ten years.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞?
A franchise fee is intended to reimburse the public for a private use of public space. In this case, PEC uses city’s road and locates assets in the city’s right-of-way to distribute electricity. The new franchise agreement with PEC will increase revenue to the City’s General Fund and allow the City to recover costs for the private use of public right of way. Cities also charge franchise fees to solid waste companies and telecommunication companies. This is one of the ways the City diversifies its revenue to safeguard against economic fluctuations.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬?
PEC will send a notice to Buda customers next week, notifying them of the franchise rate change. For a residential customer with a PEC bill of $150 per month, their bill will increase roughly $3.75 for the additional franchise fee. The new franchise fee will be implemented on January 1, 2021. Customers will see it on their February 2021 bills for the January 2021 usage.
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Due to construction on Main St., this year's Turkey Trot event has been moved to the Sunfield Lazy River Amenity Center. We have provided a map of the route below. This will happen on Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 26). So please keep this in mind if you are driving in that area on Thanksgiving morning.
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Age of Central Texas
Virtual Caregiver's Seminar
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If you missed the Age of Central Texas "Avoiding Caregiving Burnout During COVID-19" seminar you can watch it below. |
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Hays County Hillside Terrace Improvement Project |
Hays County is planning for improvements to Hillside Terrace to improve mobility, safety and connectivity. Share your feedback about the proposed improvement to Hillside Terrace through a Virtual Open House Nov. 9 - Nov. 24. Your input is important! Visit www.hillsideterraceimprovements.com to learn more and participate in the open house.
The project team is also available for phone appointments or in-person meetings on Thursday, November 19. Please call 512-400-4297 for more information.
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New Online/Phone Options for Court Defendants |
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On Thursday, Nov. 5, the City will roll out several new options for court defendants:
- Online Case Resolution (InSite) – The City of Buda currently uses some of the options offered through Online Case Resolution, but this upgrade will allow the City to enable additional features like Court Dismissals and Court Scheduling. Basically, any service the City offers on-site will now also be offered online.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Municipal Court defendants will be able to call 1-866-311-9322 to pay on citations over the phone. This is a new option being offered by the City.
- Tyler Notify – The City has been using notifications by phone call for a while, and now we have the ability to use text messaging at no cost to the City.
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Free COVID-19 Testing in Buda |
Free COVID-19 testing is available in Buda through Curative! Please note the location change. Curative is located in the parking lot at Main Street and China Street near the public restrooms across from Main Street Dental.
Use the QR code to select a time slot in advance. Walk-ups are welcome! This testing is available for ANYONE. You do not have to be experiencing symptoms.
All testing is provided by Curative; they're using non-invasive oral swab tests.
𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐚
*𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 (𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬) 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥
𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐚
𝟗 𝐚.𝐦. - 𝟓 𝐩.𝐦. - 𝟕 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤!
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On Monday, Sept. 28, the City of Buda reopened most public facilities. Although the number of COVID-19 cases are declining in Hays County, it is still important to wear a face covering and maintain social distancing to keep the community safe. Phone and online methods of communication are still encouraged.
City of Buda Employees are following strict social distancing practices and will be wearing masks or face coverings to provide protection for co-workers and the public.
𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
Per Governor Abbott’s Executive Order, face coverings are required wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household.
- City-sponsored public meetings may resume with strict social distancing practices in place and room capacity is limited to 25%. City Council and Boards and Commissions meetings may resume in-person meetings or virtual meetings.
- No rental of indoor public spaces.
- Daily disinfection cleaning.
- Stay home if you are sick.
𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲
- The Library will reopen with limited hours at 25% capacity with a maximum of 30 patrons at a time for “grab and go” service. Library hours are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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Library will continue to offer curbside pickup service. Buda Public Library Curbside Service will be Mondays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. People who can’t pick up during those times can email librarian@budalibrary.org to arrange another pick-up time.
- No in-person library programming.
- No study rooms.
- Use of Library public computers is by appointment only for one hour blocks for card holders. Computer pods will be disinfected after each use.
- Daily disinfection cleaning
- Stay home if you are sick.
𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 (𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞)
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬
- Notary Public Services are provided at the front reception desk. For additional questions, please call 512-312-0084.
𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰:
City of Buda Main Number (Reception) - 512-312-0084
Public Works (512-312-2876)
Buda Police Department - Non-Emergency (512-393-7896)
Parks and Recreation (512-523-1081)
Utility Billing (512-295-8845)
Municipal Court (512-295-2562)
Library (512-295-5899)
Planning, Permitting, and Engineering (512-312-5745)
Visitor’s Center (512-295-7170)
𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 payments may be paid online at https://www.municipalonlinepayments.com/budatx or through the automated phone system at 1-866-279-0787. Additional ways to make utility payments include online through your bank, by mail to 405 E. Loop St., Building 100, Buda, Texas, or by utilizing the utility payment drop boxes at the front entrance of the building and near the library book drop. Customers can contact utility billing staff directly by email at utilitybilling@ci.buda.tx.us or over the phone at 512-295-8845.
𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬:
You can view City Council meetings online here:
For more information on Buda Library Services:
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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡?
You can register your account (for free) on the Water Smart Customer Portal. All you need is your account ID and your zip code. By signing up on the portal, you can set water usage alerts, leak alerts, keep up with your monthly usage and more!
Water Smart Customer Portal Instructional Video
Register Your Account on the Water Smart Customer Portal
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Stage 1 Water Restrictions
Effective Monday, Aug. 24, 2020
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Effective Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, Stage 1 Water Restrictions will go into effect for City of Buda water customers in accordance with the City’s adopted Water Resource Management and Drought Response Ordinance. This is due to the lack of consistent precipitation, and higher than normal demands on our water production system.
Under Stage 1, irrigation with hose-end (sprinkler attached to a hose) and automatic sprinkler systems is restricted to twice per week. Irrigation with handheld bucket, handheld hose, soaker hose, or drip irrigation system is allowed any day and at any time. Violation of the ordinance could result in a fine of up to $2,000 per offense and a surcharge on the customer’s utility bill.
𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞-𝐞𝐧𝐝 (𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬
Twice per week on designated day; prohibited between the hours of 10:00am and 7:00 pm
- Odd-numbered residential: Wednesday and Saturday
- Even-numbered residential: Thursday and Sunday
- Commercial, mixed use and multi-family: Tuesday and Friday
- It is recommended that outdoor watering be limited to one of the permitted watering days each week to promote conservation
𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭, 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦
- Allowed any day and at any time
For more information on Stage 1 restrictions and water conservation tips please our website.👇
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Hays County has provided a list of resources for residents who have lost their jobs or need food, mental health support, or other assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Hays County has a COVID-19 hotline. The number is 512-393-5525 and it is operational Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.
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(The information coming from Hays County will continue to change. Please follow Hays County at www.haysinformed.com)
An online dashboard created by City of San Marcos provides the public with a current count and other statistics related to COVID-19 cases in Hays County in near real-time.
The data on the dashboard shows a snapshot of COVID-19 related information for the County, as well as the number of active and recovered cases per City.
For example, the public can see the current number of confirmed cases as of that day. The data includes the cases considered active or in recovery, along with the number of tests administered. The data is also available in map format.
County residents may visit
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As a reminder, you can visit the City's website at www.ci.buda.tx.us/coronavirusinformation for the latest on COVID-19. This page includes the Governor's Order, Hays County Order, and Mayor George Haehn order. We have also embedded the COVID-19 Dashboard from Hays County with the latest number of cases.
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Pay By Phone Automated System |
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The City of Buda has launched a new way for customers to pay bills by phone. You will be able to call 1-866-279-0787 and pay through an automated system over the phone.
- Save postage by paying your bill by phone.
- Access your updated account instantly.
- Hear real-time balances, payment amounts, and due dates
- Enter your information securely through an automated system
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City of Buda
Job Opportunities
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Interested in joining our team? Check out our latest employment opportunities.
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Thank you for subscribing to "The Big Picture" weekly newsletter! It's a "Budaful" way to keep up with the latest City news.
Sincerely,
City of Buda
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405. E Loop St., Building 100
Buda, TX 78610
512-312-0084
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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