To view the original notice, click here FILED HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS at 8:29 o'clock AM.

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO ISSUE HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS COMBINATION TAX AND REVENUE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on January 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at a regular meeting of the Commissioners Court of Hays County, Texas (the “Commissioners Court”), to be held at its regular meeting place in the Hays County Courthouse, Room 301, 111 E. San Antonio Street, San Marcos, Texas, the Commissioners Court intends to pass one or more orders authorizing the issuance of not to exceed $100,000,000 total principal amount of certificates of obligation, in one or more series (collectively, the “Certificates”), bearing interest at any rate or rates not to exceed the maximum interest rate authorized by law, as shall be determined within the discretion of the Commissioners Court at the time of issuance of the Certificates, and maturing over a period of not to exceed thirty (30)years from their date of issuance, for the purpose of paying contractual obligations to be incurred for all or any portion of the costs associated with (i) constructing, equipping, improving, extending,expanding, upgrading and/or developing a County administration building to be known as the East side Campus, including any necessary acquisition of land or interest in land in connection therewith,related drainage and utility costs, and other costs related thereto; (ii) acquiring, constructing,equipping, improving, renovating, extending, expanding, upgrading and/or developing animal shelter facilities, including any necessary land acquisition, related drainage and utility costs and other costs related thereto; (iii) remodeling, constructing, equipping, improving, renovating, extending,expanding, upgrading the existing Hays County Government Center; (iv) acquiring, constructing,equipping, improving, renovating, extending, expanding, upgrading and/or developing a Precinct 4office building, including any necessary land acquisition in connection therewith, related drainage and utility costs, and other costs related thereto; (v) acquiring, constructing, equipping, improving,renovating, extending, expanding, upgrading and/or developing a Precinct 5 office building, including any necessary land acquisition in connection therewith, related drainage and utility costs, and other costs related thereto; and (vi) professional services of attorneys, financial advisors, engineers and other professionals in connection with the foregoing purposes and the issuance of the Certificates.Said Certificates shall be payable from the levy of a direct and continuing ad valorem tax, levied within the limits prescribed by law, against all taxable property within the County sufficient to pay the interest on said Certificates as due and to provide for the payment of the principal thereof as the same matures, as authorized by Sub chapter C, Chapter 271, Texas Local Government Code, as amended, and from certain of the net revenues of the County's Solid Waste Management System. The estimated combined principal and interest required to pay the Certificates on time and in full is $184,959,875.00. Such estimate is provided for illustrative purposes only and is based on an assumed interest rate of 5.25%. Market conditions affecting interest rates vary based on numerous factors beyond the control of the County, and the County cannot provide any assurance regarding the rate of interest that the Certificates will bear upon their issuance. As of the date of this notice, the aggregate principal amount of outstanding debt obligations of the County secured by and payable from ad valorem taxes is $635,108,993.00. Based on the County's expectations, as of the date of this notice, the combined principal and interest required to pay all of the outstanding debt obligations of the County secured by and payable from ad valorem taxes on time and in full is $923,048,745.64.  COMMISSIONERS COURT HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS November 18, 2025

SAN MARCOS , Texas – The office of Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins announced today that 50-year-old Jaime Espericueta of Liberty Hill, Texas, was sentenced to 75 years in prison on Feb. 23, 2026.  On Nov. 24, 2025, a jury found Jaime Espericueta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The evidence at trial showed that Jaime Espericueta sexually abused two different children over several years. Espericueta elected to have his punishment determined by the judge instead of a jury. After the jury found Espericueta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child, the punishment hearing occurred on Feb. 23, 2026. At this hearing, a third victim testified that Espericueta had also abused her when she was a child. The State presented additional evidence of the traumatic effects of sexual abuse. After hearing the evidence, Judge Alicia Key of the 483 rd District Court of Hays County sentenced Espericueta to 75 years in prison. Under the law applicable to the case, the defendant is not eligible for parole. This case was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Elizabeth Schmidt and Miranda Ebersole. Ebersole stated, “This was a case where the defendant spent years hiding his crimes of sexual abuse, often hiding behind his own family members for protection. The bravery of the survivors in this case to speak out about the abuse and stand up to the defendant in court was inspiring. This case is a warning to other abusers that even though years go by, we will still hold them accountable for the abuse they inflict on children.” # # #

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The office of Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins announced that a Hays County jury sentenced Andy Wayne Carty to 65 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, family violence, after convicting him in a case involving a violent attack on his girlfriend in front of their young children in Kyle. The jury also found Carty guilty of continuous family violence, assault family violence — impeding breath/circulation, and violation of a protective order, each with a five-year prison sentence. The sentences are concurrent, and Carty must serve 30 years before parole eligibility for the aggravated assault conviction. Judge Joe Pool presided over the two-week trial, which began on Feb. 3. The convictions arose from assaults on two separate nights — Jan. 31, 2023, and Feb. 25, 2023 — involving an adult female victim and her two young daughters. On Jan. 31, 2023, a verbal argument escalated when Carty slammed the woman’s shoulder and head into a wall, resulting in significant injuries. The children witnessed the assault, and when one attempted to call 911, Carty took the phone. The mother and children escaped into the garage, barricaded themselves in a vehicle, called 911, and waited for police to arrive. Carty was arrested on misdemeanor assault charges and bonded out the next day. On Feb. 25, 2023, he entered the home between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. by climbing through an unlocked window. His head was shaved, he was barefoot, and he wore only boxer shorts. He hid electronic devices that could be used to call for help as his family slept. Then, he strangled the woman in bed while whispering that he would kill her for sending him to jail. One of the children was sleeping beside her. The assault escalated as the mother fought to escape. Carty choked her nearly unconscious and struck her in the head multiple times with a 10-pound dumbbell, causing significant injuries. He wielded a long hunting knife and attempted to duct-tape his family’s mouths shut. The struggle continued to the front door, where Carty again attempted to strangle the woman as a child fought to pull him away. The children fled through the garage to a neighbor’s home while their mother fought off their father and escaped to the neighbor’s as well. Police and SWAT responded, and the woman was taken for medical care. Carty fled but was apprehended later that morning after a brief manhunt by the Kyle Police Department. Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Jon English and Claudia Garcia of the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office in San Marcos prosecuted the case. “The defendant was brought to justice because regular people did heroic things,” English said. “The victim’s strength, her children’s courage, and the Kyle Police Department’s dedication inspire us in our fight against domestic violence.” “The jury’s sentence holds the offender accountable and warns that domestic violence will have serious consequences,” Garcia said. “We appreciate the Kyle Police Department’s professionalism and persistence, and we’re committed to protecting victims and pursuing justice in domestic violence cases.”  The prosecution team included Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Daniella Garcia, Abigail Whitaker and Harrison Watson; Victim Assistance Coordinators Annalise Brewer-Hall and Erin Dupalo; Legal Assistant Avery Slocum; Digital Media Evidence Assistant Mercedes Pena; and HCDAO Investigator Sgt. Rheanne Garcia. # # #