Leaders lay out their visions at Boerne’s State of the City
As Boerne prepares for more growth, the Hill Country city will focus on managing development and resources, as well as improving its infrastructure to keep up, city leaders say.
That was the message Mayor Frank Ritchie and City Manager Ben Thatcher delivered Wednesday during Boerne’s annual State of the City event, which was organized by the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking at the Bevy Hotel — a linchpin in the city’s swiftly developing “Sobo” district — Ritchie and Thatcher focused on familiar themes: Managing water use, controlling development and how the city is prioritizing roads and other infrastructure needs.
Boerne’s population has surged in recent years, growing from 10,471 in 2010 to almost 21,000 as of 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. That growth has extended into surrounding Kendall County, which has seen its population jump from 33,410 in 2010 to almost 49,000 as of 2022.
Ritchie, who has been in office for five months, said his key message is that even with its challenges, the future is bright for Boerne.
“I wanted to make sure that we got across to the city and to the people here that Boerne’s in a
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good spot,” Ritchie said. As development has boomed in the city, some long-time residents have called on the city to do what it can to manage or slow down the growth. Thatcher said the city is looking for “quality of development” over quantity.
Ritchie won the mayor’s race thanks to grassroots support from residents who were dissatisfied with the city’s handling of development. “Not everything that we do is going to be approved, appreciated, or liked,” Ritchie said.
The city has increased funding for road projects by 782% since 2018, according to the city’s slideshow at the event. A $36 million bond package approved by voters during the November election to improve roads and parks is a big contributor to that figure.
Ritchie said his first five months in office have been “eyeopening,” and said he has learned how much city staffers contribute to making Boerne’s city government function well each day.
“I don’t think that’s probably the case in a lot of places,” Ritchie said. ‘Some people are just collecting a paycheck and moving. I don’t get that kind of vibe from the staff , from the top levels to even lower level of frontline workers.’