The Bandera City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 23, heard a request from the Bandera Equine Posse to use the Cedar Street Hangar as the Bandera Livery and considered several other items, including the Howard-to-Solstice Transmission Line, new bylaws for the Economic Development Corporation, expenditures for city projects, and amendments to administrative duties.
Equine Posse facility request
Diana Walters, owner of the Bandera Ice Haus and OST restaurant, appeared with the Bandera Equine Posse to propose a new equine support facility in the historic downtown district.
The facility would provide an enclosed, shaded space with water access from dawn to dusk, designed to allow riders to secure horses while visiting shops, restaurants and bars.
The proposal emphasized that despite being called a “livery,” the facility would not provide stabling, feeding or related care. Instead, it would serve as a short-term holding location for horses.
The Posse requested a seven- year lease from the city, with modifications to be overseen by Public Works Director Terry Wells.
Mayor Denise Griffin expressed general support for the idea but raised concerns about liability.
“I know you [Bandera Equine Posse] have farm animal liability signs, but there’s always going to be that possibility that something can happen,” Griffin said.
She added that the group would need to include a general liability clause in its proposal before the lease could move forward.
Griffin also noted that City Attorney Matt Grove had suggested the EDC offer the lease to the Posse.
Councilmember Debbie Breen questioned the length of the lease. “Seven years is a long time,” Breen said. “I would like a shorter one. I would also like to this opened to a public forum out of fairness to the community.”
The council expressed support for the concept but tabled the motion pending further discussion with the Posse.
Howard-to-Solstice Transmission Line
The council voted unanimously to oppose the Howard-to-Solstice Transmission Line. Griffin asked Interim City Manager Jill Dickerson for an updated date on the opposition form, as the document had been backdated to Sept. 10.
“I’m all for opposing this,” Councilmember Tony Battle said. “But you have to do your research because at any moment, you could be subpoenaed.”
Battle also noted that he would attend a disposition next week regarding the proposed OTX water pumping project.
Dickerson, who has attended multiple meetings on the issue, said the line would not bring power to Bandera but would instead carry power from San Antonio to Fort Stockton.
EDC bylaws
The council next reviewed updated bylaws for the Economic Development Corporation.
When Breen requested an extension on the decision because the council had not received the amendments in advance, Councilmember Brett Hicks asked Grove to summarize the changes.
“What we worked on was updating it to current code,” Grove said. “The main changes were the limits on the public hearing requirements. The current bylaws state that anything more than $5,000 goes before the council for approval. The actual law states it is $10,000. Both would still have to go to a public hearing [$5,000].”
Grove said the remaining revisions were mostly grammatical. Councilmember Lynn Palmer voiced confidence in the EDC board.
“I can say that this new board sitting now does exercise better decisions on how the money should be sent than the previous board,” Palmer said.
Breen again asked for an extension, but her motion failed. The rest of the council voted to approve the amended bylaws.
EDC expenditures
The council reviewed two EDC-approved expenditures: $10,000 for the Bandera Trail of Lights and $15,000 for the Bandera Disc Golf Course.
Administrative amendments
The final agenda item was an amendment to Ordinance 456, regarding the powers and duties of the City Administrator and City Treasurer.
The amendment clarifies that City Treasurer Allyson Wright — daughter of Interim City Manager Jill Dickerson — will report directly to the council to avoid a conflict of interest.
“I don’t like making changes for one person,” Breen said, adding that the council had already discussed Wright reporting to the mayor.
“The reason we are doing this is so we have something to fall back on legally,” Griffin said. “It’s not just enough to say during the meeting what you want, we have to change what is written in our code.”
Griffin confirmed that the ordinance would need to be revised again if a new city treasurer or city administrator were appointed.
The council approved the amendment unanimously.
The next Bandera City Council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.
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