KIRBY, Texas – Kirby council members have asked staff to crunch numbers to assess the pros and cons of a boundary expansion in the future.
The city, which has a population of about 8,300 people and is two-square miles, says it needs to find more revenue sources. Right now, it has limited revenue from property taxes and has not had significant development in a while.
City leaders are asking to see if there is any financial benefits to current residents and to the future of the city if it expands. The city is surrounded by San Antonio and Bexar County.
An expansion to the west and south would bring in commercial businesses. If the city expands to the east, it could annex the Sunrise and Candlewood neighborhoods.
The city says looking at the cost benefits would help them decide if it wants to begin to formulate a plan and move forward with a conversation with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County.
Longtime residents like Charles Baker said they would like to hear more about how it will benefit him.
“If you start building newer homes, it would raise taxes there,” he said.
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The city will also have to account on how first responders would be impacted by an expansion and how it may have to pay for additional staff and training to deal with issues associated with that growth.
The City of Converse already has a plan that will expand its boundary closer to the City of Kirby by 2033.
The conversation is still in it’s early stages. Staff is expected to have information for city leaders in the near future.