Marble Falls council candidates for Place 2 answer forum questions

Candidates vying to serve on the Marble Falls City Council answered questions submitted by residents during a public forum on March 23. While two of the three contested races were represented, Place 2 candidate Karlee Cauble was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. Her opponent, John Davis, was present at the forum. 

To ensure each candidate has an equal chance to present their case, the staff at DailyTrib.com shared the questions asked at the forum with Cauble, affording her the same opportunity as other candidates to share her opinion about the current state of city business.

Cauble submitted her answers via email. Davis was given the same opportunity to provide written responses to the questions but instead elected to rely on a transcript of his remarks during the March 23 forum. 

Both candidates’ responses were edited for length.

Election Day is Saturday, May 6. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at Texas Tech University at Highland Lakes, 806 Steve Hawkins Parkway in Marble Falls. Early voting is April 24-May 5, also at the TTU campus.

To listen to the full recording of the forum, visit KBEYFM.com.

INTRODUCTIONS

CAUBLE: Prior to moving to Marble Falls, I attended Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. I graduated in 2018 with a degree in Business Administration. I grew up in a small town near Uvalde where I was raised with Christian and conservative Texas family values, and these roots allowed me to understand the importance of public service to a small community. I am the property manager at The Residences at Panther Hollow, a new residential development in our community, and have absolutely fallen in love with Marble Falls. It is a privilege and an honor to serve the families that live at The Residences at Panther Hollow as well as the opportunity to operate the day-to-day business operations.

I met and married Taylor Cauble, a lifelong resident of Marble Falls who attended Marble Falls High School, and we have a 2-year-old son, Braxton. My family is my inspiration for running, and they provide me with the passion to serve my community and the families that reside in our beautiful city. I take tremendous pride in raising Braxton in Marble Falls and have a strong desire to help shape the future of the city where he will grow up! I am a mature-minded, 26-year-old woman with an incredible desire to help our community grow with intention and purpose. My personal goal is to serve my community with integrity while inspiring and encouraging our future generations to act and serve in our community as well. I am eager for the opportunity to represent Marble Falls families and businesses as we shape the future together. Local elections can be decided by just a handful of votes. I humbly ask for your vote to support my goal to help shape the future of our beloved community.

DAVIS: I have a business here at 1803 Highway 281 North (Celebrations Limousines). If you drive by, you’ll see it’s a full parking lot all the time and I’m generally running through it trying to get something done. 

My main reason for running for council is somewhat opposite of some of these people. I don’t believe the small-town feel is still here. I think the growth is killing this small town. One of the contestants for mayor eluded to the fact that there’s possibly a north and south Marble Falls, and I believe that very well could happen. I believe they just passed Tuesday (March 21) an opportunity for somebody to annex 465 acres to build apartments south of town with the commercial (zoning). 

I one hundred percent agree with the commercial (zoning). We need the sales tax. The sales tax in this town is incredible, but we also have people from around the area that are going to come here regardless of whether they live here or not. I just don’t see the need, in my opinion, to be annexing property south of town, south of the city limits, south of (U.S.) 71, when we need infrastructure. 

I decided it was time to find out why the need to annex south of town. I know there’s properties south of town that were annexed years ago that still don’t have water or sewer to them. I know those people that own that land and there’s no reason given, no explanations given for why they don’t have that water and sewer — other than the cost of excavating the dolomite to get it there. I don’t guess the city wants to take on that expense, but I don’t know what it is. 

That’s my reason for running. I’d like to know what’s happening personally instead of just hearing it after the fact. I also think if you care about this town, you need to get involved. You need to go to these council meetings and find out what’s happening. You will be amazed at the money that’s being spent. It shocks me. 

QUESTIONS

TRAFFIC: Obviously, the city’s ability to decrease traffic congestion is limited due to the Texas Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction on main roads such as RR 1431 and U.S. 281. That being said, what plans do you have to make traffic flow easier in Marble Falls?

CAUBLE: This is a common question that I have received while campaigning. Truth be told, it was one of my questions and concerns when just moving to Marble Falls and experiencing the congestion. Learning TxDOT oversees 281 and 1431, I asked these questions prior to running for City Council and was able to receive great feedback from current council members and while attending city council meetings. Manzano Mile being connected to Resource Parkway I believe to be crucial, as it will take away a lot of school traffic. The wastewater project will help open the right-of-way from Walmart to Avenue U. There are many side streets that can be revamped, helping current locals that will help with cut-throughs.

DAVIS: I think everyone ahead of me has answered that. There are also roads as Mr. (Bryan) Walker said that those of us that have been here long enough know how to get around. They’re not intended to be the roads used for what they are. 

Right across from my business is the busiest street I’ve ever seen. MoJo (Coffee) sits right there and they back up traffic, (U.S.) 281 gets backed up. There’s at least a wreck every 10 days at that intersection because of the speed coming through this town. I’ve requested several times that they put the speed limit sign that they have — the monitor— and post it so that these people realize how fast they’re going and what the actual speed limit is. Once they come from the north at 50 miles an hour, they don’t know where that ends. They’re certainly not doing 50 miles an hour. Most of everybody is doing 55 or 60 and that just continues to go right to (RR) 1431 unless traffic is backed up on a busy week or busy weekday, but before a weekend. 

The Manzano Mile, continuing it, and Nature Heights (ideas), which I’m now aware of after attending the council meeting, I think are good ideas. They are very feasible and would be designed for the traffic and not Bluebonnet Drive and Lantana Drive and some of the streets that are getting used for bypasses to get around town.

WATER: With the current drought we find ourselves in, how can the city of Marble Falls expect to provide hundreds of new homes in new subdivisions with sufficient water without draining Lake Marble Falls?

CAUBLE:  As a property manager that oversees 200-plus residents, plus maintaining the landscape of a 15-building property, I have shorthand experienced this during water restrictions. There is a process that is currently coming to a near end that will not only depend on the lake and diversify the water. The wastewater project, as mentioned above, is a crucial part of this.

DAVIS: I have no idea, sir. I know it was passed at the last council meeting for a consulting company to look at the groundwater along with the surface water. There was also mention that the city of Georgetown did that and it created problems with their system. I guess that’s why the firm has been hired to make sure that doesn’t happen in Marble Falls. 

I think groundwater is great. I think a moratorium on annexing and building south of town would be even better. Then, we don’t have to worry about furnishing water to those people. If those people want to come here, build it. Build it to the requirements that the city needs. Once the city has the infrastructure, annex it if you want it. 

ZONING: Would you support revamping commercial zoning regulations and limiting multi-family apartment complexes adjacent to single-family residence neighborhoods? If you’re against apartments, how do you propose solving the affordable housing shortage in Marble Falls?

CAUBLE: As a property manager of an apartment complex, I support the idea that multi-family complexes need to continue as it will help drive current rates to be affordable. I hate seeing locals not able to afford to live in Marble Falls. With this, there has been approved close to 1,700 units to be built in Marble Falls. So, the housing is coming, rezoning is not needed. We do need to protect the zoning of commercial zoning for the City of Marble Falls’s current and future revenue.

DAVIS: You’re not going to fix the affordable housing. As I just said, people are coming here and paying ridiculous prices for real estate, for homes. The cost of materials has tripled. It came down a little bit, but I think it’s probably going to go back up. Sales taxes are going up. I own investment property. I own rental property. Between the mortgage, the interest, and the taxes, it’s not affordable. I’ll be the first one to tell you.

I’ve been approached about building affordable housing for school teachers, for firemen, for police officers. It’s not feasible. I can’t do it. I can’t give you a fixed price and hold that price for five years at the rate that taxes and insurance are going up. 

GROWTH: How do you plan to guide the growth of Marble Falls so it won’t lose its identity? In other words, what will you do to keep Marble Falls from becoming another Round Rock, Leander, or Lakeway?

CAUBLE: Growth isn’t “coming,” it has been happening. What we can do to prevent it from becoming another Round Rock, Leander, or Lakeway is pace the growth and determine what is right for our town while knowing growth is also important. As Councilman (Dave) Rhodes mentioned, getting out to get to know the new residents and business owners of the community is crucial. I personally learned the identity of Marble Falls through city events, church events, current business owners, and current citizens of Marble Falls. I have and always will encourage citizens and visitors to go to an event, go to a Sunday service, go downtown and walk around. That is how Marble Falls will not lose its identity.

DAVIS: I think I spoke on that a moment ago. I would absolutely — I would be one voice if I made it to council — that would say ‘put a moratorium on it’ and stop the annexation. 

If you want to come here and you want to pay stupid prices, drill a well and put a septic system in and do whatever you want to do about it to live here, but I just don’t think there’s a cure for Marble Falls being the town that we grew up in. 

(Marble Falls) still is a great town, but we’re losing our way, and if the people don’t start paying attention, they’re going to forget what Marble Falls was and it’s going to be a Round Rock, a Pflugerville, a Leander, a Liberty Hill, and you’re not going to recognize it anymore.

CURRENT CITY PROJECTS: The city is currently in the process of two expensive projects: the new wastewater plant and the new City Hall. How is the city going to pay for them, and which, in your opinion, is the priority and why?

CAUBLE: The wastewater plant is 100 percent a priority as it is needed to take care of the infrastructure of Marble Falls. We do need a bigger space for our city workers. While I do think this is needed, I do not want to have to raise taxes in order for us to get there. So, I do think that this is something that we will need to continue to work to conclude while being conservative and aggressive with the financial aspects of the project.

DAVIS: I enjoy flushing the toilet and it not backing up, so I am obviously for the wastewater plant. That needs to happen. 

As far as City Hall goes, I sat there in a council meeting Tuesday and wondered how come we didn’t have more room and the air conditioning was as stifling as it was. This is a great place right here (MFISD Central Office Community Room), I don’t know why council couldn’t just meet right there. I don’t know if that’s a possibility or not, but they need more room. I agree with David (Rhodes). Let someone build it and let’s rent it or lease it from them. I don’t see any reason at this point in time to spend an insane amount of money on City Hall.

nathan@thepicayune.com