Fredericksburg City Council Regular Meeting – November 4, 2025

The Fredericksburg City Council met in regular session at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at New City Hall at East Campus, 2818 E. U.S. Hwy. 290, with Mayor Jeryl Hoover presiding. A quorum was present; Councilmember Tony Klein was absent on a scheduled vacation. The agenda included police department reaccreditation, consent items, a lease-purchase financing resolution, a Goehmann Lane ETJ development discussion, the city manager's Hollmig Lane report, future agenda items, and a posted executive session.

Ceremonial Matters

• The invocation was delivered by Rev. Karen Horan, followed by the Pledges of Allegiance.
• Chief Brian Vorauer accepted a reaccreditation certificate from Steve Fedis, a police chief representing the Texas Police Chiefs Association. The Fredericksburg Police Department was first accredited in 2013 as the 75th Texas agency to achieve that status and was now reaccredited unanimously after demonstrating compliance with 173 standards. The association representative noted that only 224 of about 2,800 Texas law enforcement agencies hold the honor; Mayor Hoover added that of 788 municipal police departments in Texas, only 190 have achieved accreditation, less than 25 percent. Chief Vorauer credited Lieutenant Braxton Raymer with directing the accreditation program since 2012.

Council Comments

• Councilmember Todd Eidson reported Oktoberfest paid attendance of 23,000, up about 5 percent from last year, noted the CBB board is working with a search firm to replace its executive, and was leaving for Texas Association of Builders meetings.
• Mayor Pro Tem Emily Kirchner reported on the Texas Municipal League conference in Fort Worth, where PIO Sean Dory presented on community engagement.
• Councilmember Bobby Watson reported airport advisory board updates, including the hangar hotel sold out weekends through December, the Dec. 20 Santa fly-in, four planned 2026 events with about 200 aircraft, hangars 100 percent occupied with 48 on the waitlist, EAA Young Eagles flying 28 kids, five Texas Forest Service aircraft stationed in Fredericksburg, and the Oct. 21-26 Food and Wine Fest selling 3,339 tickets and exceeding last year's sales by $100,000.

Consent Calendar

• Council approved the consent agenda by voice vote with no discussion. It included approval of the Oct. 21 council minutes; purchase of FY26-budgeted police vehicles for approximately $433,250 but not to exceed $433,650; purchase of emergency lights, radars, equipment, graphics, and installation for seven marked police units from FarrWest Specialty Vehicles for approximately $181,383.26 but not to exceed $185,437.49; purchase of a Water Department hydro excavation trailer for $123,540; and confirmation of Brad Hardin and Jim Jarreau to the Gillespie County Economic Development Commission Board for terms beginning Dec. 31, 2025.

Ordinances, Resolutions and Public Hearings

• Finance Director Krista Wareham presented Resolution 2025-28 authorizing acquisition and lease-purchase financing of public equipment with Frost Bank. The RFP was issued Oct. 8, proposals were due Oct. 22, six proposals were received, and Frost Bank offered the lowest interest rate and amount. Council approved the resolution with one recusal/abstention.

Public Comments & Testimony

• On the Goehmann Lane ETJ discussion, a resident identified with the countryside neighborhood expressed concerns about traffic exiting onto Goehmann Lane, the Barons Creek bridge condition, residential property values, school safety, and lack of accessible information, and asked for assurance that an Olive connection would be completed before bridge work.
• Michael Brayton submitted a written comment stating he owns property adjacent to the Waldorf development at 503 Goehmann Lane, that he and the developer purchased properties with a bypass right-of-way restriction, that he did not want a new extension on his property, and that the right-of-way should remain as is.
• George Studer submitted a written comment asking why public safety is not a guiding principle of the comprehensive plan and requesting public safety requirements such as sidewalks and crosswalks for new development. Mayor Hoover noted on the record that battery storage facilities are prohibited inside the city limits.
• A resident who owns Barons Creek Resort across from the Waldorf property asked whether the project would include hotel rooms, restaurants, and a spa or only residences, citing conflicting published descriptions. The developer responded that the plan includes 60 hotel rooms, 37 villas, about 45 estate lots, three restaurants, and a spa beginning at about 12,500 square feet, and said he has volunteered to fix the Barons Creek bridge and has completed a traffic impact analysis under city review.
• On the Hollmig Lane report, Kyle Segner, identified as spokesperson for the property owner group, thanked the city manager for facilitating mediation, urged the city and county to conduct a mass drainage and downstream impact analysis with hydrogeologists, cautioned against interim fixes, and asked to delay annexation until the UDC and comprehensive plan work is complete.
• A second Hollmig Lane resident supported delaying annexation and announced a Nov. 10, 10 a.m. meeting at the Sonoma Oaks sales office with Marisa Bruno of the Hill Country Alliance to examine drainage and green infrastructure opportunities.

Discussion Items

• Goehmann Lane ETJ development: Planning staff explained that the development plat was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission with a condition requiring removal or replacement of the Frederick Road extension shown on the city's thoroughfare plan before final plat approval. The applicant requested that the city study alternate routes, citing cost and bridge constraints; a 2019 Kimley-Horn study estimated the extension at $18 million pre-COVID and the applicant estimated it may be about $30 million now. Council members expressed openness to a new Kimley-Horn study but questioned the benefit and cost to the city, noted no thoroughfare projects have been constructed, and discussed county coordination and right-of-way. Staff said they would raise the alternate-route question at a Kimley-Horn scoping meeting the next day and return with schedule and cost information. The city manager asked whether the developer would consider immediate annexation; the developer said he would be open to discussing it if grading can start, with an opening target of 2027.
• Hollmig Lane development: City Manager Bailey reported three mediation-style meetings since Oct. 21, including with about 20 landowners, developer Cory Keller, engineer Randy Genigis of SEH Engineering, and County Commissioner Chuck Yinski. Issues include stormwater runoff, erosion, traffic, pedestrian safety, lighting, and trash; drainage and traffic are the biggest. Staff is verifying whether constructed drainage meets the design standard of equal to or less than pre-developed flow rates. A structured meeting between developers and property owners is planned for the next day, with another council update scheduled for Nov. 18.

Future Agenda Items

• City Manager Bailey reviewed upcoming dates: a Nov. 18 special meeting on minor items including brush and leaf pickup, boards and commissions waiting-period rules, ordinance amendments, and the Hollmig Lane update, with the location changed to the John William Klein Room; a Dec. 2 regular meeting including Citizen University recognition, GCAD vote allocation, the 2026 holiday schedule, market fees, health board appointments, health fees, and the Keller Oaks conditional use permit; Jan. 6 ordinances on solicitors permits, animal control fees, and horse-drawn carriages, pedicabs, and vehicles for hire; Jan. 13 and Jan. 20 HOT funding review and awards; a Dec. 9 strategic plan kickoff; and a Nov. 19 coffee with the city manager.

Key Outcomes

• Council unanimously approved the consent calendar as presented.
• Council adopted Resolution 2025-28 with one recusal/abstention.
• Council took no formal action on the Goehmann Lane ETJ item; staff will include an alternate-route study in the next Kimley-Horn scoping meeting and report back.
• Council took no formal action on Hollmig Lane; the city manager will continue facilitation and update the council Nov. 18.
• The posted agenda included an executive session under Texas Government Code Section 551.071 regarding a Former Texas Rangers Foundation 380 agreement and ground lease, pending federal litigation Civil Action No. 1:24-CV-00701-D11, and a legal matters update. No open-session action on those items was described in the transcript.