Crownover Urges Residents to Fight for Rural Recycling Pickup Sites

Comal County Judge Sherman Krause wants to get rid of the county’s rural recycling pickup sites so employees can be redeployed to the Road Department.

He outlined these plans while presenting his proposed 2025 county budget at Commissioners Court on Aug. 8.

Pct. 4 Commissioner Jen Crownover isn’t having it.

She took to Facebook today to urge residents to show up to speak up during public sessions at Thursday’s (Aug. 15) and Aug. 22 Commissioners Court meetings, and to email members of the court to let them know how popular this service is with residents who live outside New Braunfels city limits.

“I’ve gotten a huge amount of feedback from folks who are not happy about this idea and wondering what we can do to keep the program in place,” she said.

“I completely agree with y’all but remember I’m only one vote. Your concerns need to be shared with the entire court so that every commissioner and the judge are aware of how important this program is to you.”

The court’s Thursday morning meetings begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. at the historical courthouse, 100 Main Plaza, New Braunfels.

“You’re also welcome to email the members of the court,” she said.

Those email addresses are

• Commissioners Court Judge Sherman Krause – krause@co.comal.tx.us
• Comal County Commissioner Pct. 2 – haagsc@co.comal.tx.us,
• Comal County Pct. 3 Commissioner Kevin Webb – webbke@co.comal.tx.us
• Crownover – crownj@co.comal.tx.us
• Comal County Pct. 1 Commissioner Donna Eccleston, cctdme@co.comal.tx.us

Crownover and the commenters on her Facebook post also shared concerns that closing the recycling centers would create more dumping and junk hoarding on county roads.

“I can’t see any good coming out of eliminating this service to our community,” she said.

Total salaries for recycling employees in the 2024 budget topped out at $424,000. If the court approves Krause’s 2025 budget, personnel expenses for the Recycling Department would fall to $302,830.

Krause said the Recycling and Chipping Center, located at 281 Resource Dr. off of Highway 46 West in New Braunfels, will remain open.

“When we started the remote recycling pickup, it was a different time in our county,” he said. ”We didn’t have recycling pickup services, especially in the private sector…but it is more available, and we are not recommending that we do away with recycling, just remote pickup.”

Centers that would close are:

• Spring Branch, fire station FM 311/Highway 281
• Garden Ridge, end of Municipal Parkway
• Startzville/Canyon Lake, 691 Canyon Springs Dr
• Sattler/Canyon Lake, VFW building, corner of FM 2673 and River Road
• Mystic Shores boat ramp, 22100 North Cranes Mill Rd.
• Bulverde, 30447 Cougar Bend