STAFF REPORT

BUDA - Just as surely as crime rates rise wherever a police department is instituted, so, too, is a youth curfew certain to follow.

Crime rates rise simply because there’s finally a direct agency to which crimes can be reported. Curfews follow because the cops see who is on the streets late at night.

According to a memo from Buda’s city staff to the city council, “The City of Buda has experienced an increase in the incidence of juveniles who roam the City unsupervised during the early morning hours, leading to an increase in crimes involving minors such as criminal mischief, burglary, public drinking, and drug use. There does seem to be a correlation with the time of day (early morning hours) and juvenile crime. The goal of a limited curfew is to remove minors from city streets between the hours that many crimes occur, and ultimately effect delinquent behavior.”

So, the City of Buda, about a year after the installation of a Hays County deputies division, is soon to place a curfew on children younger than 17. The curfew would be in effect Sunday through Thursday from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following day, and from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Buda City Council passed a curfew on first reading Tuesday night, despite objections from Councilmember Sandra Tenorio that some parents, despite their best efforts, would be fined up to $500 per offense. The city staff is expected to revise the ordinance to make provisions for parents who attempt to control their children.

The council is expected to pass the curfew into law on July 1.