Boerne council annexes 0.927 acres of Cascade Caverns Road right-of-way after landowner questions

The Boerne City Council on Feb. 25 approved second reading of an ordinance annexing approximately 0.927 acres of County Road right-of-way along Cascade Caverns Road, passing the measure 5-0.

City staff said the parcel is a long-standing roadway and that Kendall County requested the annexation to reconcile a gap where city and county right-of-way maintenance met. Jeff Carroll, a city presenter, told the council the strip was historically a road and became an official county right-of-way in 2007; the city has been maintaining small adjacent slivers while the county maintained the remainder.

The annexation covers a cross-hatched easement area adjacent to the South Glen (Spencer Ranch) development. Carroll said the city would assume maintenance of that section, and that the annexation applies only to the right-of-way easement, not to the remaining privately owned acreage behind it.

Property owners whose land borders the easement urged the council to postpone the annexation or meet with them. Eddie Masuric (spelled by the speaker as Eddie Mazerik), who said he and siblings own the southern portion of the proposed annexation area, said they received no direct notice of the annexation and worried the change would restrict what they can do on their property. He asked the council to delay action so the family could meet with city and county officials.

Resident Ricky Pfeiffer raised emergency-services and maintenance questions, asking whether dispatch and responder boundaries would change and whether county crews would need to cross city-maintained portions to reach nearby county sections. Council members and the police chief said Boerne public safety would continue to respond to nearby calls and would not withhold emergency response because of the administrative change.

Council members asked staff to confirm that property owners would not receive a city tax bill for land underneath the right-of-way. Carroll said the city would coordinate with the appraisal district to ensure the easement is not taxed as typical taxable property.

Council discussion emphasized that state law requires annexation of abutting rights-of-way. Carroll said the county notified the city late last year that the portion had not been annexed previously and requested the city take action. The council voted to approve second reading of Ordinance No. 2025-02, annexing the described right-of-way.

The council and staff noted one outstanding operational question: maintenance of cattle guards within the annexed area. Carroll said the county and city are discussing an agreement about future maintenance of cattle guards because the city has not previously maintained them.

The ordinance takes effect as adopted; staff said they will follow up with the appraisal district and continue communications with the landowners and Kendall County about maintenance agreements.