Tim McHutchion – District 4 Kyle City Council Candidate, November 2020

Based on the latest developments, is there anything the city can do to protect the safety of its citizens from the proposed Permian Highway Pipeline?

Unfortunately, the Texas Railroad Commission has approved construction for Kinder Morgan to build this pipeline without sufficient input from the public. Having said this, I believe that we should hold Kinder Morgan responsible for maintenance and inspection of parts of the pipeline that come into close proximity of Kyle and fine Kinder Morgan if they fail to do this.

What can be done to ensure builders are paying their fair share so the infrastructure is done right when they build in Kyle?

Developers that come to Kyle pay the maximum allowed to Parks and Recreation and also for road improvements when development is approved. As far as the building of infrastructure, the council needs to stay on top of the progress of the development to ensure standards promised before construction are being adhered to as well as all facets of the development to be completed. This can be done with constant communication with the developer and also our city engineer.

What are your thoughts about Kyle's affordable housing situation? If more is needed, how would you provide for it?

Affordable housing for Kyle is limited to our 2 HUD housing projects, as well as our mobile home communities. Land prices, because of lack of development, are still more affordable on the east side of Kyle, however, having said this, council and planning need to ensure that housing developments that come to the east side of Kyle are building a quality product, and not one that will develop into an eyesore in 15 to 20 years because of poor and cost-cutting construction methods. I will always deny construction and development to builders who come to Kyle on this premise and wait for a better product to come to East Kyle

What do you think about the current bond proposition to build a $37 million public safety center for the Kyle Police Department?

I am a proponent for the bond to build a Public Safety Center for our police due to a couple or 3 reasons. One, is that our current police facilities our terribly inadequate for a city of 50,000 plus population. 2nd, our Police Department should be used as an example of what constitutes a quality, community-minded law enforcement agency. During these times with Police Abuse all over the media and under the microscope, our Police Department has had no charges of racial bias, nor has there been any accusations of excessive force being used during apprehension, processing, or incarceration. Lastly, the number one responsibility of any elected or appointed official is public safety. This new facility will ensure enhanced safety for our citizens, as well as provide a safe enviorment for our Women and Men in blue.

Law enforcement is one of the largest expenses in the city’s budget. What are your thoughts about the size of Kyle's police force and if they are being deployed adequately and appropriately?

The city council this year approved an increase of $1.1 million to our police department budget. However, with a current ratio of 1 police officer per every 1000 citizens is inadequate. The department does utilize priority in response to calls, however, it is quite apparent that we need to expand the police department presence in our city to promote public safety.

The Kyle police department rarely uses cite and release for non-violent, low-level offenses. Do you support expanding cite and release by broadening the definition of residency to include "working, living or going to school in Hays County"?

I would prefer to meet with our police chief in Kyle and also our Hays County sheriff after the election to discuss this situation and see what they can bring to the table to address this issue.

Should Kyle give economic incentives to attract businesses, or is the city’s location on the I-35 corridor and its position as one of the fastest-growing cities incentive enough? Explain.

Economic incentives are always in play when bringing large business into our city, that will bring jobs and property tax revenue. Right now, one of our biggest projects is the tax increment refinance zone known as TIRZ 2 in uptown Kyle and runs along 1626 to 2770. This area is designed to provide developers to bring business to Kyle and also stabilize their property taxes for 20 years, investing the increase of the tax base back into the TIRZ itself for infrastructure development without increasing taxation on our homeowners.

What should the city council do to support local businesses that have experienced losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Currently, Hays County has secured 600,000 dollars to provide grants to small business in Hays County that has had a negative impact on their business. The city of Kyle has contributed 100,000 dollars to this fund to provide assistance to our local business owners. If this fund is exhausted and no vaccine is in place, then we should expand on this program on a local level, utilizing funds from the general fund.

How well is Kyle planning for the future? What improvements would you suggest?

The future of our city lies within its Comprehensive Plan. The city was unable to update our 2010 plan, which was updated in 2017, in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic, because of a lack of public participation, however, once a vaccine is secured, the city will move forward with a new Comprehensive plan, with a promise to lay out a future in our city that will benefit our business owners, homeowners, and overall population of our city.

What are you willing to do to maintain an open dialog with your constituents?

The sky is the limit. One of my ideas to city staff is to include information involving city administration in our utility bills, therefore ensuring that information is being reached to all citizens. Having either virtual or public town hall meetings to ensure the public is up to date on city agenda items, I would always be open to suggestions for reaching out and ensuring our citizens are part of the decision process in regards to city administration.

If elected, how will you work to ensure city council operates in a transparent manner?

By being a watchdog for the council agenda, and identify questionable items on it. Also, through communication with council members, to ensure they are doing the same for the best interests of their constituents.