Citizen asks court to increase plat fees

During the public forum portion of the Commissioners’ Court on Oct. 13, county resident Margo Denke advocated for the Bandera County Commissioners’ Court to increase plat fees.

Her request echoed and supported the County Engineer’s recommendation and included examples from neighboring counties that were often five figures. Bandera’s plat fees are $500 across the board.

Denke proposed: “Bandera County has long remained rural “Cowboy Country” because our county lacks interstates, railroads, and a major city. Most of our roads are two lanes, most without shoulders. We have BISD serving exclusively Bandera County, share two far smaller school districts with neighboring counties( Medina ISD, Utopia ISD) and share a small part of the largest school district in Bexar County (Northside ISD). Most residents rely on domestic wells; there are few public water utilities in our county. Most residents rely on septic systems for disposal of domestic wastewater; there is only one direct wastewater discharge permit in our County. All of these factors, plus the lower costs of land compared to other bedroom counties close to San Antonio, create an environment where our County will end up being ‘developed’ without considerations for sustainable growth”

Considering what the court has already done, Denke said, “We are proud of the significant step the Commissioners’ Court made to require that an assessment of water availability be made prior to submission of a preliminary plat. We are also proud that our county revised lot sizes for new plats from five acres to ten acres to be consistent with BCRAGD.

In support of her appeal, Denke contended developers, not current taxpaying Bandera County residents, should pay the costs to review new plat proposals and to inspect the quality of street, road and drainage improvements as work proceeds.

“We recognize that the county cannot recoup all of the costs of growth, but we ask for due diligence to collect all costs from all possible sources to pay for the needed infrastructure to support this growth,” she said.

Denke concluded by asking the Court to review and deliberate this issue before this item is placed on their agenda.

Bandera County Judge Richard Evans thanked Denke.