County takes over platting in Seguin ETJ

Dalondo Moultrie The Seguin Gazette

Guadalupe County and Seguin officials have hammered out a deal that will make platting subdivisions in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction of the county less confusing.

Both Guadalupe County Commissioners Court and Seguin City Council approved recently resolutions adopting an interlocal agreement shifting platting authority from the city the county in extraterritorial jurisdiction subdivisions that don’t connect to public city water or sewer systems.

“This will eliminate the conflicts between the varying regulations and county government,” read a City Council memo on the subject. “It will also allow property owners in the county to follow the subdivision rules of their own local jurisdiction. The new agreement proposes that the city’s platting authority be limited to properties with existing development agreements and properties that will be served by the city or Seguin water or sewer system.”

The interlocal agreement is not new. The last time the parties amended it was in March 2018, said Pam Centeno, Seguin director of planning.

The agreement allows Guadalupe County to control most of the platting in the extraterritorial jurisdiction, she said. Rules in the city and county are very different, Centeno said.

While the agreement grants to the county authority for most of the jurisdiction, many bigger subdivisions will fall under city rules, she said.

“Most of the large subdivisions we see coming in are asking for sewer service or they’re asking for annexation and we’re working with them already,” Centeno said. “This will allow those smaller lots in the county to work with the county instead of the city. I think it’s a big benefit, especially for the county residents.”

Considering the astronomical growth that has come into the county and is predicted to continue, the exclusive platting authority can mean substantially more work for Guadalupe County Environmental Health Director Shelly Jackson and her staff, Precinct 2 Commissioner Drew Engelke said.

With help from other departments when needed, she and her staff should be able to handle what comes their way, Jackson said.

“I don’t know what to expect or how heavy it is going to be, or the increase in the development outside the city limits that is not connecting to the city sewer,” Jackson said. “I’m sure there is going to be an increase like you said with the wastewater plants that are permitted through TCEQ but we’ll try our best to do what we can.”

The court directed Jackson to let them know ahead of time if she thinks her office is tasked with more work than it can handle.

Meanwhile, the change could mean county officials gain more ability to guide development outside the city, County Judge Kyle Kutscher said.

“It gets really gray on what counties have the ability to regulate in those manners,” he said. “But we would have a positive position of negotiating with developers upfront if we are the platting authority and saying, ‘look, we really think this would be helpful. What do you see as a benefit to the development?’”

Seguin City Council approved the interlocal agreement at its regular meeting Dec. 21. It went into effect Jan. 11 after Commissioners Court approved it and Kutscher signed it.

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