Hays County judge outlines his 2025 legislative priorities
HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – As everyone begins to return to work after the holiday season, leaders in Hays County are preparing themselves for a productive year. Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra shared his legislative priorities for the new year.
He listed priorities as implementing the projects under the $400 million transportation bond, expanding mental health resources in the county, and finalizing plans for a new county civic center.
Transportation bond
Voters in November passed Proposition A, which proposed $440 million to improve the transportation infrastructure, including 30 projects to improve old roads and create new ones to help the city’s continued growth.
“There's a strong push to get these going,” Becerra said.
“We're so lucky that we put shovel-ready projects that had been on the books for many years,” Becerra said. “We could see things happening March or April, where turning of the dirt is taking place.”
“I have no patience, and I hate waiting. I don't like the pace at which the government moves. And so I've always been an advocate for if the voters supported it, let's give it to them, and let's give it to them while they're still here,” he continued.
Mental health resources
In recent years, Hays County has increased its efforts to address mental health issues to help people stay out of county jail. In 2022, the county started its mental health court, which offers treatment as an alternative to jail in situations where mental health problems played a role in the arrest.
“The recidivism rate, which is people that go back to jail, is exceptionally low, not only within our Hays County system but also statewide,” Becerra said. “We are working with expanding mental health programs so that folks don't just have something take place and end up in our county jail – costing taxpayer dollars and not benefiting anyone.”
“[We want to] bolster the existing programs. We have great programs in place, and now it's going to be [about] expanding the process,” Becerra added.
New civic center
Hays County closed the doors to its 40-year-old civic center in 2013. Now Becerra said the county is making plans to build a new one.
“We are working aggressively to rebuild the civic center,” he said. “There is a [road map] – some rough sketches – to build a whole facility – a civic center, hotel and conference center so that the region can benefit from this effort.”
“The idea is also to create a hardened facility within that footprint to become an emergency operations center – a place where we can help evacuees from the coast. [It will be] a place to hold large animals because nowhere around here does that.”