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Join HCA in protecting the precious natural resources and heritage of the Hill Country. With a vast library of resources, regular postings of news and events and a host of dedicated informed volunteers, we strive to be your information center.

County Authority

The Texas Hill Country region is experiencing rapid population growth in unincorporated areas, creating numerous health, safety, infrastructure and financial challenges for Hill Country Counties. Elected officials from throughout this region are asking the Texas Legislature for the expanded authority to help fund safer roads, set density averages to protect water resources and protect property values by separating industrial and commercial use from existing neighborhoods, farms and ranches.

Unlike counties in the rest of the USA, counties in Texas generally do not have the authority to protect land values. Others do this by ensuring new development does not deplete or pollute our water supply, collecting impact fees from developers to pay for the cost of infrastructure, designating impervious cover or density guidelines, protecting night skies, or preserving scenic beauty by regulating billboards or cell towers.

To truly �grow smart,� the Hill Country must be empowered by the Texas Legislature to develop a coordinated approach to sensible land use and transportation planning, surface water and groundwater management, open space conservation and environmental and agricultural protection.

Recent News:

December 19, 2009

Travis County commissioners ponder quarry project

If recent history is a guide, the Travis County Commissioners will approve plans this week for a quarry just east of Austin that would pull gravel from the ground just a few hundred feet from homes. But as the Tuesday vote approaches, commissioners say the proposal � brought by Texas Industries Inc., known as TXI, the state's largest cement producer � has raised new questions. And this time commissioners say they just might possess the legal authority to reject a major project. Read full Statesman.com article here.

November 10,2009

County Favors More Say In Power Line Planning

In hopes of getting Gillespie County government more involved in an ongoing discussion over planned routing of transmission power lines through this part of the Texas Hill Country, Gillespie County Commissioners on Monday discussed forming a regional planning commission. Read full Fredericksburg Standard article here.

November 6, 2009

CAPCOG Releases Report On County Land Use Authority In Texas

This report highlights the current state of counties� ability to manage growth, detailing the specific chapters in Texas Code that grant counties the ability to regulate land use while pointing out innovations that some counties have made in the exercise of their authority. Read full CAPCOG media release here.

More County Authority News and Upcoming Events.

Helpful documents:

Time to Act: The Future of the Texas Hill Country - Information pamphlet creating awareness of the role residents of the Hill Country can play in determining the future of this area.
How does County Authority in Texas compare to other states?
The Tools Hill Country Counties Need to Plan for Growth
HRO: Do Counties Need more Power to Deal with Sprawl?
LWVCA: Land-Use Planning in Comal County 'A Growing Problem'
Learn how County Authority can help manage growth in Travis County
Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties
A table on County Authority around the U.S. - Texas is far behind other States when it comes to the county authority for carrying out regional plans � view a helpful table of comparison.

Helpful Links

TWDB Task Force - Texas Water Development Board's Uniform County Subdivision Regulation Task Force

Back to Issues

Upcoming Events

March

March 9 in Kerrville - �Hill Country Archeology: Why it is Important to You� - Hosted by Riverside Nature Center - Details

March 12-13 in Kerrville - Texas Rainwater Catchment Association 2010 State Conference - Details and Registration

March 12-14 in Junction - Riparian Essentials in Practice Workshop - Hosted by Texas Riparian Association - Details

March 25 - Water Issue Symposium �Kids, Water and Science: Perspectives from Our Future� - Details

March 25 in Boerne - Free Texas Watershed Steward Training Program - Details

March 27 - Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park announces the 3rd annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour - Details

March 31 in Austin - 2010 Envision Central Texas Regional Forum Series - Bringing together regional leaders to examine the critical infrastructure needs and resource constraints facing Central Texas and how to translate these challenges into opportunities - Details

April

April 6 in Canyon Lake - Annual Research Update on Geology in the Canyon Lake Gorge, Presentation by Southwest Research Institute - Visit Website

April 13 in Kerrville - �The Geology of the Hill Country� - Hosted by Riverside Nature Center - Details

April 17 in Kerrville - Earth Day Celebration - Sponsored by Riverside Nature Center and the Kerrville Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas - Details

April 24 in New Braunfels - 4th Annual New Braunfels Earth Day Celebration - Details

April 28-30 in Austin - 2010 Statewide Land Conservation Conference - Details and Registration

May

May 31 - Last day of 2010 Hill Country Alliance Photo Contest.

See more upcoming events

The Latest News

Ranchers team up with feds to clear cedar, boost water supply
As water supplies become more valuable, conservationists say proper range management is an important way to improve them in urban areas, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service has begun an effort it calls Rural Land-Urban Water to promote the connection to urban audiences. Read full Statesman.com article here.

Drop by Drop: Seven Ways Texas Cities Can Conserve Water
The National Wildlife Federation and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club released a joint report today recommending seven common-sense water conservation measures. The report reviews 19 cities around the state to see where these measures are in place and concludes that, with some exceptions, most of the cities surveyed are not doing enough to make the most efficient use of existing water supplies. Read more...

Watershed group meetings slated for spring in Seguin,
New Braunfels The Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Partnership will conduct various workgroup meetings this spring in Seguin and New Braunfels. Data obtained from these group meetings will be used in watershed characterization and evaluation toward developing a Watershed Protection Plan. Read more

3rd Annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour Set for March
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park announces the 3rd annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour, �A Ride to Preserve History.� Details

Hill Country Deserves Protection of Environmental Impact Statement
Organizations across the Hill Country are asking state and federal agencies to ensure that protecting the Hill Country environment is a primary consideration as sites are selected for the high-voltage transmission lines soon to be built throughout the region. Read full media release here.

2010 Hill Country Alliance Photo Contest has begun
The Texas Hill Country is a photographer�s paradise. Creeks are once again flowing, and the forecast calls for a green spring with plenty of wildflowers. Now is the time to dust off your camera and head outside to capture the beauty and mystique of this special region. Read full media release here.

An Open letter to LCRA and PUC
The LCRA is finished with this last round of open houses but people in the Hill Country still have many concerns. It�s not too late to send in your comments. Read this open letter from one landowner and learn more. Read more...

Read more Hill Country news...