The election is well underway. Therefore, this will be my last column urging Bulverde voters to approve our Home-Rule Charter. If the charter is approved, the city will have the legal authority to grow gradually beyond its current boundaries. 

Without home rule, Bul-verde will forever be limited to its current territory. If we are unable to grow, we will be strangled by the coming development around us. The strain on Bulverde’s municipal services will cause expenses to rise without a corresponding increase in our tax base. Bulverde citizens will be forced to subsidize their neighbors who live just outside the city limits and pay no city taxes. Thus, if you vote against home rule, you are voting to increase your own taxes.

If you have seen signs around town which claim that a vote for home rule equals higher taxes, you might ask yourself why these signs are created and posted by large property owners from outside the city. They do not have a vote on the issue. They do not want to pay our very low city taxes even though they use and benefit from our city services. 

No citizen of Bulverde will see an increase in taxes if we approve home rule. Instead, home rule will help us to keep our taxes low. In spite of the true tax effect of home rule , these large property owners hope that they can influence voters with catchy, but false slogans.

Approval will result in no immediate changes to our daily life in Bulverde. Home rule is the normal form of government for the overwhelming majority of cities in Texas.  Nevertheless, this is a momentous vote for our future.  Home rule will allow us to provide better services to our citizens and to preserve our beautiful Hill Country way of life. Most of the undeveloped land in our area is outside the city, where the developers who oppose home rule can develop without any reasonable land use restrictions. This is our last chance. Please stand up for our future and go to City Hall to cast your vote in favor of the Home-Rule Charter.