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Group sues Guadalupe county, commissioners court over data centers

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Story by: Dalondo Moultrie | The Seguin Gazette Managing Editor

Jul 21, 2026 Updated Jul 22, 2026

A coalition of residents and property owners filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block Guadalupe County from allowing two large data centers developments.

A coalition of residents and property owners filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block Guadalupe County from allowing two large data centers developments.

The suit against Guadalupe County and its commissioners court says the county advanced the Cloudburst and Palomino Alpha data projects and granted them tax abatements through “inadequate public notice, private negotiations and unlawful conflicts of interest,” according to the lawsuit and a written statement attorney Bobby Levinski released Monday.

Levinski filed the suit on behalf of the Data Center Action Coalition and residents Kara Finlayson, Barry Lindsey and Torrie Martin, all of whom are listed as plaintiffs. The group is not seeking money but filed the suit as an attempt to save all taxpayers money, Levinski said.

To read the entire story click here to go the Seguin Gazette.

Seguin Seeks Federal Grant to Add Six School Resource Officers

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Seguin has authorized an application for up to $750,000 in federal funding to create six new School Resource Officer positions in Seguin ISD schools.

Seguin Police SUV parked outside a school as students enter campus, promoting a proposed school safety grant to fund six new School Resource Officers.

At its July 21 meeting, the Seguin City Council approved a resolution authorizing the City to apply for a federal grant that could help fund six additional School Resource Officers for Seguin Independent School District campuses.

The application will be submitted through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program. The program provides financial assistance to local law-enforcement agencies seeking to hire or rehire officers for community policing and crime-prevention efforts.

The City is requesting up to $750,000, or a maximum of $125,000 for each of the six proposed officers, over a three-year grant period. The positions would be new Seguin Police Department positions assigned to Seguin ISD schools.

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How the Positions Would Be Funded

According to the City Council memorandum, the estimated salaries for the six officers would total approximately $1.31 million over three years, not including benefits.

The proposed federal funding would decrease during the grant period:

  • Year 1: $375,000
  • Year 2: $300,000
  • Year 3: $75,000

Seguin ISD has provided a letter of support agreeing to contribute approximately $555,584.72 toward salary costs not covered by the grant. The City of Seguin would be responsible for the officers’ fringe benefits and other grant-matching obligations.

The City’s memorandum contains two different estimates for its benefit costs. One portion lists approximately $610,000, while another lists approximately $650,000 over the three-year period. That difference should be clarified before any final agreement is approved.

An Ongoing Financial Commitment

The federal grant would not eliminate the local cost of these positions. It would provide temporary, declining assistance while the City and school district assume a larger share of the expense.

The grant also requires the City to retain the six positions for at least 12 months after the three-year federal funding period ends. If the application is approved, the City and Seguin ISD would be required to formalize their respective financial responsibilities through a memorandum of understanding within 90 days of the grant award.

It is also important to understand that the Council’s action authorizes an application. It does not guarantee that Seguin will receive the grant or that the six positions have already been funded.

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Better Seguin’s Perspective

Placing additional trained law-enforcement officers in local schools could provide meaningful benefits for students, teachers, staff and families. School Resource Officers can improve emergency response, strengthen relationships between young people and law enforcement, assist school administrators and provide a visible public-safety presence on campus.

This proposal represents a potentially valuable investment in school safety. At the same time, the City and Seguin ISD should provide the public with a clear long-term funding plan before the positions are created.

Residents deserve to know:

  • How the positions will be funded after the federal grant ends.
  • Whether Seguin ISD’s contribution will continue beyond the initial grant period.
  • The final and accurate amount of the City’s benefit obligations.

Better Seguin supports responsible efforts to strengthen public safety. We also believe major ongoing personnel commitments should be accompanied by transparent cost projections, clearly defined responsibilities and a plan that can be sustained after temporary federal funding expires.

Seguin Transportation Funding: What’s Changing

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Seguin Transportation Funding Faces New Challenges — and Project Readiness Will Matter More Than Ever

Seguin’s participation in the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has helped fund major road, trail and sidewalk projects. However, rising construction costs and uncertain state and federal funding are changing how future projects will be selected.

City roads funding announcement in Texas

The City of Seguin recently received an update on changes taking place within the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, commonly known as AAMPO. These changes could have a significant effect on how future transportation projects in Seguin are planned, funded and constructed.

Seguin’s participation in AAMPO has already produced important benefits. However, transportation funding is becoming more competitive, construction costs are rising rapidly, and regional leaders are placing greater emphasis on whether a project is fully planned and ready to begin construction.

The message for Seguin is clear: participation in regional transportation planning remains extremely important, but the City may need to invest more money and effort upfront to keep local projects competitive.

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What Is AAMPO?

AAMPO coordinates long-range transportation planning for the San Antonio metropolitan region, which includes Seguin and portions of Guadalupe County.

The organization brings together local governments, counties, TxDOT, public transportation agencies, federal officials and other stakeholders to determine regional transportation priorities. The process is intended to be continuous, cooperative and comprehensive.

AAMPO does not normally build roads itself. Instead, it helps identify needs, prioritize projects and allocate available state and federal transportation funding. The actual work is generally carried out by TxDOT, cities, counties or transportation agencies.

This gives Seguin an important seat at the regional table. Without participation in this process, local projects would have a much more difficult time competing for federal and state transportation dollars.

What Has Seguin Received Through AAMPO Participation?

AAMPO’s Transportation Improvement Program, commonly called the TIP, has helped fund several important Seguin projects.

According to the City’s presentation, TIP funding has contributed to:

  • Tor Drive
  • Rudeloff Road
  • Cordova Road
  • Walnut Springs Trail
  • District 5 sidewalks

These projects demonstrate the direct value of Seguin’s participation in regional transportation planning.

One current regional priority list also identifies the proposed SH 123 project from Cordova Lane to Interstate 10 as a high-priority project. The project is listed as having environmental clearance and right-of-way completed, with plans reportedly at 100 percent. That level of readiness is exactly what transportation officials are now looking for when deciding which projects should move forward.

Where Does the Transportation Money Come From?

TxDOT’s transportation budget is funded through several major sources.

For the 2026–2027 biennium, the documents show approximately:

  • 30 percent from federal funding
  • 25 percent from fuel taxes, registration fees and the State Highway Fund
  • 20 percent from Proposition 1 oil and gas severance-tax revenue
  • 17 percent from Proposition 7 sales and vehicle-sales taxes
  • 8 percent from other sources

Each of these funding sources presents challenges.

Federal transportation funding is uncertain as Congress considers the next major transportation authorization. Traditional gasoline and diesel taxes have also lost purchasing power because the tax rate has not been indexed to inflation.

Proposition 1 funding can fluctuate dramatically depending on oil and natural-gas prices. Proposition 7 is more stable, but a large portion of the funding is fixed and does not automatically increase with construction costs.

Construction Costs Are Rising Faster Than Funding

The biggest immediate challenge is inflation.

The presentations report that highway construction costs increased approximately 55 to 60 percent in five years. In practical terms, a road project that cost $100 million several years ago could now cost approximately $160 million.

At the same time, TxDOT’s accumulated cash balance has been depleted, its ten-year construction program has been reduced and approximately $20 billion in projects statewide are being delayed. Funding for new projects, engineering work and right-of-way acquisition is also limited.

This means more Texas communities will be competing for a smaller pool of available money.

Seguin is not only competing against neighboring cities. It is competing against major metropolitan regions with much larger populations, more legislative representation and, in some cases, access to toll-road revenues that can be used as matching funds.

Why AAMPO Is Changing Its Process

Under the traditional process, cities and counties often submitted projects during a call for funding before all the planning, design, environmental work and right-of-way acquisition had been completed.

A project might be placed in the TIP with the expectation that the remaining work would be finished later. When projects were delayed, transportation money could remain committed for years without construction beginning.

According to the presentations, this has contributed to:

  • Projects that are not sufficiently prepared
  • Limited flexibility in moving money between projects
  • Large funding balances being carried over from year to year
  • Loss of purchasing power because of inflation
  • The possibility that unused funds could be redirected to another region

AAMPO is now considering a more needs-based and planning-driven process.

“Plan Slow, Deliver Fast”

The new approach is being described as “Plan Slow, Deliver Fast.”

That does not mean intentionally delaying projects. It means completing more of the difficult planning work before construction money is committed.

Under this model, a transportation project would move through corridor studies, public input, environmental review, preliminary engineering, right-of-way planning and design before being placed into the short-term funding program.

Only projects that are substantially “shovel ready” would receive major construction commitments.

The goal is to ensure that once money is awarded, the project can move quickly into construction instead of sitting in the funding program for years.

What This Means for Seguin

Seguin will need to maintain a pipeline of well-developed transportation projects.

In many cases, this may require the City to spend more local money upfront for:

  • Engineering and design
  • Traffic and corridor studies
  • Environmental reviews
  • Right-of-way planning or acquisition
  • Cost estimates
  • Public involvement
  • Grant applications
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Local funding can then be used to leverage much larger state or federal investments.

Transportation officials are also recommending that communities provide a meaningful local match or demonstrate that they have “skin in the game.” Cities with projects that are fully planned, publicly supported and ready to build will be in a much stronger position when unexpected funding becomes available.

The regional strategy also calls for better data, stronger partnerships with TxDOT, coordinated advocacy and creative funding arrangements, including public-private partnerships where appropriate.

Why the Public Should Pay Attention

Transportation planning may appear technical, but the results affect nearly every Seguin resident.

These decisions influence:

  • Traffic congestion
  • Road safety
  • Economic development
  • Emergency response times
  • Neighborhood access
  • Sidewalk and trail construction
  • The condition and capacity of major roads
  • How quickly Seguin can respond to continued population growth

A road project may take many years to move from an idea to construction. Decisions made today about planning, engineering and project readiness could determine which Seguin projects receive funding five, ten or even twenty years from now.

Seguin has benefited from being part of AAMPO, and continued participation is essential. But simply placing a project on a wish list will no longer be enough.

To remain competitive, Seguin must identify its most important transportation needs, complete the necessary planning and keep projects ready to move when funding opportunities arise.

That preparation will require discipline and, in some cases, an upfront local investment. However, failing to prepare could mean watching limited transportation dollars go to another community that was ready when the opportunity arrived.