KERRVILLE, Texas – Kerrville City Council met multiple times on Tuesday to discuss the city’s continued response after catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country.
The council heard updates on community recovery at a workshop, which was followed by its regular biweekly meeting. These were among the city’s first meetings since the one-month mark of the July 4 floods.
Officials said they are working on a long-term plan for recovery with a focus on building back business.
The city also met earlier Tuesday to work on its budget.
Property tax rate calculations were discussed at the last meeting. Because of the disaster, the city could use a special method to calculate this rate with an increased percentage, but the city has not voted on a property tax rate increase.
Search continues for 2 missing
Search efforts continue for the two people who remain missing from the flood.
Michael Hornes, assistant city manager of Kerrville, said crews searched Nimitz Lake on Tuesday.
Last week, Kerr County officials released the names of 117 people killed in the Hill Country floods.
>> 117 Kerr County flood victims identified by local officials
As of Aug. 8, officials confirmed two people are still unaccounted for, including one Camp Mystic camper:
- Jeffrey Ramsey, 63, of Lewisville, Texas. Jake Ramsey said his father, Jeffrey, was able to record goodbye voicemails before floodwaters overtook the couple’s camper. “He was just all about helping his community, helping veterans,” Jake Ramsey said of his father. “He just loved his country and loved us more than anything. And so I couldn’t have asked for a better dad.”
- Cecilia Steward, 8, of Austin, Texas.
City working to lift water restrictions, use water treatment plant
During Tuesday’s meeting, Hornes said one of the city’s priorities has been cleanup at the water treatment plant.
The plant’s intake was flooded with debris on July 4. Since then, the city has been using well water while dredging happens near the plant. On Tuesday night, Hornes said he hopes to exit Stage 4 water conservation conditions and be back up and running at the water plant by the end of the week.
During Stage 4, automatic and hose-end sprinklers and soaker hoses are prohibited at all times of day.
On July 28, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice declared a water supply emergency. Hornes said staff is working on ensuring no further issues occurred at the plant.
Disaster relief, debris cleanup ongoing
A set of soccer fields off Loop 534 in Kerrville have turned into storage stations for debris.
As of Monday, Aug. 11, a total of 115,403 cubic yards of debris has been collected, Hornes said.
While it’s unclear how much the final total will be, Hornes said the Texas Department of Transportation announced it needs a few more weeks for debris removal.
“Still a long way to go,” Hornes said.
Kerr County is still accepting applications for the Private Property Debris Removal Program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Residential property owners who are eligible for the program can meet DebrisTech personnel at the following sites:
- Ingram Volunteer Fire Department (lower field), 107 Old Ingram Loop: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday
- Center Point Volunteer Fire Department, 548 West Kelly St.: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday
For more information, including eligibility requirements, click here.
A representative with the Small Business Administration also spoke about loans available to some residents affected by the floods. The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Sept. 4, 2025.
For more information, click here.
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