Comal County would close all outlying recycling centers under Judge Sherman Krause’s proposed 2025 budget.
In a presentation to commissioners on Thursday, Aug. 8, Krause said commercial waste companies now provide the recycling services that businesses and residents living outside of New Braunfels need.
“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.”
These proposed closures would allow the county to transfer employees to the Road Department.
Krause said the Recycling and Chipping Center, located at 281 Resource Dr. off of Highway 46 West in New Braunfels, will remain open.
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
Total salaries for recycling employees in the 2024 budget topped out at $424,200.
If the court approves Krause’s 2025 budget, personnel expenses for the Recycling Department will fall to $302,830.
In 2023 the Startzville Recycling Center moved from 160 Oblate Dr. to Canyon Spring Drive, a property located on a 6.378-acre tract of land owned by the Canyon Springs POA.
At that time, Krause commended the POA for stepping up to the plate after Comal County ESD (Emergency Services District) No. 3, better known as Canyon Lake Fire/EMS, announced plans to build a new facility.
Pct. 1 Commissioner Donna Eccleston said residents had been frustrated by the inconvenience of driving to the county’s facility on FM 46.
“It’s been a long time coming, we’re very grateful to the POA who extended the invitation to look at their site, and I know a lot of people were frustrated, having to go farther away, but we are very, very pleased that we have this site cause as you know it’s very difficult to find a place up at the lake,” she said.
A public hearing on Krause’s proposed budget is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 22 in the historic courtroom, 100 Main Plaza, New Braunfels. The court will take action to adopt the budget the same day.
Please let our elected leaders know how you feel about cutting our services, raising our taxes and now expecting us to pay $$$ out of pocket for commercial services!
The landfills are already overflowing- and expected to get worse as we continue to be the fifth fastest growing county, in America!
One email, all addresses- only takes a minute-
cctdme@co.comal.tx.us,
haagsc@co.comal.tx.us,
webbke@co.comal.tx.us,
crownj@co.comal.tx.us, and
krause@co.comal.tx.us
I agree with Hayley’s comments, and being a senior citizen I don’t need to be driving the extra 15 miles for recycling or I can bare the cost of additional costs for more trash pickup or commercial recycling costs, either way, we all lose. Please stand up for us and reject this budget change.