At its May 21 meeting, San Marcos City Council approved amending the city’s fiscal budget to account for $750,000 of emergency expenses in response to the May 9, 2024 storm.

According to the agenda, these expenditures are eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“We will be spending this money [for storm responses] out of our general fund, but the county has requested a disaster declaration which is based on damage,” Councilmember Mark Gleason said. “The only way to do that is to figure out and figure up those totals [of damage] for people to self-report.”

According to the San Marcos Code of Ordinances, a declaration of disaster is a declaration of an “occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage resulting from any natural, all hazards or manmade cause.”

Gleason said reporting damages could potentially help the city get reimbursed for funds that have gone to respond to the storm.

According to San Marcos’ Emergency Management Specialist Bridget Burneau, if Hays County reports $1.1 million in damages, it is eligible for up to 75% of the repair costs to be reimbursed federally from FEMA.

Burneau also said volunteers who helped post-storm should report their hours to equal out the remaining 25% from San Marcos’ general fund.

“[Residents] can report [damages] by contacting our resource recovery department to let them know if there’s debris and they’re also coordinating with our emergency management folks to make sure that all those things get done,” City Manager Stephanie Reyes said.

The council passed the resolution to amend the fiscal budget in a 6-0 vote, with Councilmember Alyssa Garza absent.

San Marcos City Council also held a public hearing to discuss a resolution to approve a Conditional Use Permit allowing an expansion for Elliot Electric Supply to use a warehouse and storage.

San Marcos residents spoke during the public hearing to emphasize the reduction of noise production late at night when Elliot Electric Supply has deliveries.

“Sometimes after midnight [there is] a lot of noise from the forklift, deliveries and conversations between workers that get loud even in my unit which is currently the furthest from the drive,” Hannah Farmer, a San Marcos resident who lives across the street from Elliot Electric Supply said at the public hearing.

Mayor Jane Hughson requested to post the permit in “conspicuous locations” at Elliot Electric Supply, enforcing Section 7.4.2.1 of the San Marcos Development Code and making sure the permit would be visible to employees and those who drop off deliveries.

According to the San Marcos Development Code, an aspect of Section 7.4.2.1 requires no activity on a property to produce sound “in excess of 75 decibels between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.”

San Marcos City Council passed the overall resolution in a 5-0 vote, with Garza absent and Councilmember Shane Scott abstaining.

The San Marcos City Council meets at 6 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of each month. For more information, visit its website.