Issues
Where Rich Paces Stands
Direct, fact-based answers on the issues that matter most to Kerr County voters.
Rich Paces is the current Kerr County Precinct 2 Commissioner — a Christian conservative, professional engineer, volunteer firefighter, and fiscal conservative focused on responsible growth, lower property taxes, public safety, groundwater protection, and transparent county government.
What does Rich Paces believe about property taxes?
Rich Paces is committed to keeping Kerr County property taxes as low as possible. As a fiscal conservative and engineer who understands the county budget, he advocates for disciplined spending and finding more cost-effective ways to deliver county services and infrastructure.
Key points
- Advocates to keep property taxes as low as possible
- Brings an engineer's understanding of the county budget
- Pursuing AG Barn improvements at roughly half the original $8 million bond cost — through grants or visitor-funded venue taxes
- Champions fiscal discipline rooted in conservative principles
What is Rich Paces doing about the July 4th flood and flood warnings?
Rich Paces is focused on helping residents and businesses rebuild from the July 4th flood and ensuring an effective Flood Warning System is in place so Kerr County never again experiences loss of life from a flood. He was personally on the ground from the first hours of the disaster.
Key points
- Helping residents and businesses rebuild and recover
- Pushing for an effective countywide Flood Warning System
- Public education so people know what to do when warnings come
- Personally led door-to-door warnings, search & rescue, debris cleanup, and welfare checks
What is Rich Paces' position on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)?
Rich Paces is leading the regional fight against Battery Energy Storage Systems invading Kerr, Kendall and Gillespie Counties. As President of the Chapter 391 Sub-Regional Planning Commission, he is using a regional, multi-county strategy to protect the Hill Country.
Key points
- Opposes BESS facilities being placed in the Hill Country
- President of the Chapter 391 Sub-Regional Planning Commission
- Coordinates a regional response across Kerr, Kendall and Gillespie Counties
- Committed to finishing the fight he started
Texas Grid Reliability, Ratepayer Protection & Responsible Energy Planning
Texas needs an electric grid that is reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable — and an energy-planning process that considers where new generation and battery storage facilities are built, how reliably they perform, and what their full costs are to Texas ratepayers.
Key points
- Mandatory PUCT reliability, location, and public-interest finding for covered large generation and storage projects
- Developers — not Texas ratepayers — pay for the independent project analysis
- Generation sited closer to demand to reduce transmission, congestion, and losses
- Cybersecurity, foreign-adversary supply-chain, and BESS safety reviewed before final market clearance
The Issue
In 1999, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 7, restructuring much of the state's electric market around competition. Retail electric choice followed across much of ERCOT.
That competitive framework brought benefits, but our 391 Hill Country Energy Sub-Regional Planning Commission (HCESRPC) working group believes an important planning gap remains.
Developers have substantial freedom to determine the type and location of new generation and electric energy storage facilities. We believe Texas needs a clearer process for evaluating the broader consequences of major projects before they receive final market clearance.
Those considerations should include reliability, location, proximity to demand, transmission requirements, total system costs, ratepayer impacts, cybersecurity, foreign-adversary supply-chain exposure, emergency preparedness, and BESS safety.
Proposed SB 3 Amendment
Our HCESRPC working group has developed a proposed amendment to Senate Bill 3 from the 87th Legislature intended to address this issue.
The proposal would establish a mandatory PUCT Large Resource Reliability, Location, and Public Interest Finding for covered large generation and electric energy storage projects.
Before a covered project receives specified final approvals or market clearances, the Public Utility Commission of Texas — with technical support from ERCOT and transmission providers — would evaluate factors including:
- location and proximity to electrical demand;
- deliverability and transmission requirements;
- reliability contribution and critical-period performance;
- total system and ratepayer costs;
- cybersecurity and remote-operation risks;
- foreign-adversary and critical-infrastructure exposure;
- emergency preparedness; and
- BESS and energy-storage safety risks.
Under the proposal, the cost of the independent project analysis would be borne by the developer rather than Texas ratepayers.
Why Location Matters
Where electricity is generated matters.
Locating reliable generation closer to major areas of demand can potentially reduce transmission requirements, congestion, electrical losses, and the need for additional long-distance infrastructure.
This is particularly important as Texas considers major transmission expansion, including proposed 765 kV transmission infrastructure. New transmission can involve significant costs as well as property-rights and eminent-domain concerns for Texas landowners.
Our objective is straightforward: before Texans are asked to bear those consequences, Texas should evaluate whether proposed generation is the right type, in the right location, and provides sufficient reliability value relative to its total system cost.
BESS Safety and Rural Communities
Battery Energy Storage Systems can provide important grid services, but large installations also raise legitimate questions concerning thermal runaway, fire response, emergency preparedness, environmental consequences, facility siting, and neighboring property owners.
Small and rural counties should not be expected to absorb significant safety or infrastructure consequences without appropriate state standards and consideration of local impacts.
HCESRPC is therefore pursuing both immediate protections involving individual BESS projects and longer-term legislative reforms addressing how Texas evaluates generation and storage development.
Grid Security Is Now a National Issue
Recent federal action has reinforced the importance of grid cybersecurity and supply-chain security.
The August 26, 2026 Presidential Executive Order declaring a national emergency concerning security of the United States bulk-power system expressly identifies battery energy storage systems among covered bulk-power equipment and addresses risks involving critical components, software, firmware, remote access, and supply-chain dependencies.
Texas should take these risks seriously while maintaining its own independent authority to protect the ERCOT grid.
Federal policy may reinforce the case for action, but Texas law should stand on its own.
The Goal
For more than two years, HCESRPC has been examining energy development, BESS facilities, transmission expansion, grid reliability, and the role of state agencies in long-range planning.
The proposed SB 3 amendment represents an effort to address these issues at their source by establishing a clearer public-interest review of major generation and storage projects.
The goal is not simply more generating capacity.
It is the right capacity, in the right locations, with the right reliability value, appropriate security and safety protections, and a total system cost Texans can defend.
The proposed amendment has been provided to Texas legislators for review and discussion. It remains a working legislative proposal subject to legislative and legal review.
— Rich Paces
Kerr County Commissioner, Precinct 2
President, Chapter 391 Hill Country Energy Sub-Regional Planning Commission
How Will Rich Paces Help Protect Kerr County's Groundwater and Aquifers?
While groundwater regulation and management are the responsibility of the Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District, Rich Paces strongly supports protecting Kerr County's aquifers and water resources for future generations. As a Registered Professional Engineer, Rich brings technical understanding and practical experience to issues involving groundwater, development, and infrastructure. He has personally studied Kerr County aquifer geology and groundwater movement and believes county leaders should work cooperatively with the Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District to encourage responsible growth and protect the county's long-term water supply. Rich has also consistently voiced concerns about industrial projects or development that could pose unnecessary risks to Kerr County's natural resources and rural character.
Key points
- Registered Professional Engineer with technical understanding of aquifers and groundwater systems
- Has personally studied Kerr County aquifer geology and groundwater movement
- Supports the mission and responsibility of the Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District
- Believes groundwater protection is a generational responsibility
- Supports responsible growth and careful review of higher-risk industrial uses
What is Rich Paces' plan for the AG Barn?
Rich Paces plans to complete the AG Barn improvements he initiated — and do so at roughly HALF the cost of the original $8 million bond proposal. The plan reflects Rich's fiscally conservative, engineer-driven approach to county projects: fix what is needed, avoid waste, and protect taxpayers.
Key points
- In 2024, Rich secured critical structural repairs and a new roof using remaining ARPA funds
- Detailed architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans completed for competitive bidding
- Structural repairs, new roof, and full engineering plans completed for approximately $650,000
- Currently pursuing grant funding for remaining improvements
- If grants are insufficient, a 2% venue tax on hotels/B&Bs could be considered — paid by visitors, not county taxpayers
- Any venue tax would require voter approval through a future ballot measure
- Committed to no unnecessary debt or costs for non-critical improvements
Importantly, the structural repairs, new roof, and full engineering and construction plans were all completed for approximately $650,000. Rich remains firmly committed to ensuring Kerr County taxpayers are not burdened with unnecessary debt or costs for improvements that are not critically needed.
Where does Rich Paces stand on election integrity?
Rich Paces is a strong advocate for election integrity in Kerr County. He believes voters deserve transparent, secure elections and a county government that takes the integrity of the ballot seriously.
Key points
- Supports strong election integrity protections
- Stands with the Republican Party's stated priorities on elections
- Wants county government that is open and accountable to voters
What kind of leadership does Rich Paces bring to Kerr County?
Rich Paces offers continuity, hands-on service, and conservative principles. He is the kind of commissioner who shows up — at 6 a.m. during a flood, at fire calls, at community projects — and who keeps the public informed every step of the way.
Key points
- Continuity of leadership in Commissioners Court
- Hands-on, show-up-and-help leadership style
- Keeps the public informed and engaged
- Christian conservative values guide decision-making