The incredible success of this fundraiser would not be possible without the people of Kyle. Every dollar counts and the generosity shown by Kyle’s residents is truly appreciated.

Katie Vandegriff
Muscular Dystrophy Association

We found ourselves in a personal crisis due to Bobby needing medical attention and also having to deal with an inside broken water pipe causing our home some flooding.

Thank you again, Mike, and the crew for service performed beyond your duty and your commitment to our community.

Bobby and Hilda Barrera
Kyle

I thought your readers would be interested to know that since 2000, the Postal Service has reduced its costs by $1 billion per year every year except for 2009 when the reduction totaled $6.1 billion. In the same timeframe, we have reduced our employee complement by more than 200,000 employees, all the while maintaining record breaking independently measured service scores.

The editorial further asserts that the Postal Service is somehow flaunting the law by proposing a price increase above a CPA cap enacted in 2006. That same law permits the Postal Service to propose an increase under “extraordinary or exceptional” circumstances. You are aware that an anthrax attack would meet this standard, but since Congress did not offer a definition, we’d suggest that the worst recession since the Great Depression just might apply.

We have seen our mail volumes drop from 213 billion pieces in 2006 to 177 billion pieces in 2009. That’s the largest drop in our history, surely extraordinary is not exceptional.

You further note, correctly, that the Postal Service is burdened by a requirement that it prepay its retiree health benefit obligation by $5.5 billion per year; another aspect of the 2006 law referred to above. You say Congressman Lloyd Doggett has signed in to legislation a bill  that would relieve us of that requirement. Unfortunately, there is no such bill pending.

In summation, we’re doing our best to control our costs and believe that the 5.4 percent price increase we’ve proposed (two cents on a First Class stamp) is modest and reasonable and will help the Postal Service financially in the short term. There are a number of other actions that need to be taken, but be assured, our goal is a viable and healthy Postal Service working for the people of Kyle well into the future.

Manny Arguello
District Manager Rio Grande District,
USPS

We may choose to remain a little quiet for a time but be assured that we are ever present and watchful when it comes to our original town of Kyle and we will remain active in supporting Kyle and our summer activities.

Thanks to Brenda and all who have supported our group and will continue to do so.

Gene and Moe Johnson
Kyle

They seem willing to play their political games rather than fix what is broken.

Peter Stern
Driftwood

Over the years the library has outgrown the facility. They need more space for books, computers, people, storage and activities.

The library has many well attended activities for children of all ages. There is not sufficient space for these activities and no room or personnel to expand them.

As a community library, and it is a community library even thought it is owned by the city of Buda, 30 percent of its users live in the city, and 70 percent of its users live outside the city. Hays County does contribute limited funding each year. The two political subdivisions and the Friends of the Library are not able to provide enough funding for building, books, computers and personnel expansion.

If you have expertise in fund raising, grant writing and can find the time to help out, please contact the library director, library board, Friends of the Library or our elected officials.

My thanks goes out to the library staff, library board and the Friends of the Library for their hard work and dedication. They are the ones that make the Buda Library an excellent library.

Margaret McCaughan
Buda

Some years back the rest stops on IH35 north and south bound at mile marker 211 were closed. I’m sure there was a reason for this stupid move, but what I see on the east side of 35 is the 18 wheelers lined up every morning along the side of the highway or parked in the weigh stations that have a “No parking when closed” sign. A trucker north bound one night pulled to the side of the highway at mile marker 210, or there about. The next morning while checking his tires another trucker hit and killed him. I have seen 15 or 16 big trucks parked on the side of the highway in the mornings, between mile marker 213 to just past mile marker 211, due to the rest stop being closed. But all this is another story. What I want to talk about are the weeds along side IH35. Before the rest stops were closed, the stops and the sides of the highway were kept cut and clean. Now they look like some of the other states that just don’t care. At the off ramps you can’t see if a vehicle is coming off or not, the weeds are so high. There are dead limbs off one of the trees at the rest stop on the east side I think has been there about a year. If you want to close the rest stops for whatever reason, why let the weeds grow so high with the “I don’t care look”?  Not to say anything about the mosquitoes that are breeding in the high weeds or the snakes. Maybe the health department needs to check into this or someone who cares about what motorists passing through our Great State think when they see all of this.

Henry Klipple
Kyle

In the article it referred to the “outcry from a group of citizens who said that the development would…mar the gateway to Buda.”

Please correct me if I’m wrong but my understanding is that the land on the north side of Main Street that is now home to that dilapidated rust bucket of a barn and other ramshackle buildings is owned by the chief opponent of the U.S. Foods project and financier of BudaFirst. Surely nothing could “mar the gateway to Buda” as much as that eyesore has done for going on years now. What I heard was that those buildings were somehow going to be incorporated into the Heep “upscale development”.

That kind of turns the meaning of upscale on its head. If that is the  case I think the city should prod the developers into getting that accomplished immediately or condemn those buildings and remove them. Do they have a permit to store those buildings on that lot permanently?

Bob Caldwell
Buda

What’s even more disturbing is increased spending did not make its way to the classroom. The money isn’t going to the teacher. Average teacher pay in the 08-09 school year was $47,159 up from $34,336 ten years ago.  Ten years ago with 6,309 students our total staff to student ratio was 7.39:1. In 2008-09 with 13,821 students this ratio was 7:05:1.  Higher enrollment lead to decreased efficiency! While enrollment skyrocketed from 6,309 to 13,821, a 120% increase, central administration employment increased 333% during this same period!

On the interest and sinking fund side, the amount that pays for debt service, we have increased our debt to over $330 million, a whopping $24,000 per student. Sixty nine fast growth districts comprise 96% of total statewide enrollment growth. These 69 districts have average debt per student of $16,300. Hays’ per student debt is 50% higher than the other fast growth districts and our method of financing debt will burden future generations for decades to come.  The 2008 bond issue alone defers principal repayments for 22 years costing another $65 million in interest. Look at it this way: In 98/99, our per student debt service was $1,219.  In 08/09, it was $1,665, an increase of only 37%. During this same period of time debt went from $46.4 million to $331 million, an increase of 713%! This means each new student cost us $37,000 in new debt but only $450 in debt service.  That’s because we’re laying huge repayments off on future generations. That’s shameful.

Ten years ago, Hemphill, Fuentes and Elm Grove cost a combined $12.3 million. Today, Carpenter Hill and Pfluger cost over $20 million EACH.

Bryce C. Bales
Manchaca

Ray Wolbrecht
Kyle