Real Estate Photographer in Kerrville, TX

Meagan Booth says benefits were a major reason her husband stayed with the department for nearly two decades, despite low pay.

SAN ANTONIO — The wife of a longtime Kerrville firefighter is speaking out after proposed changes to the city's employee health benefits left her and other first responder families stunned—prompting viral social media attention and a growing petition.

Meagan Booth, wife of firefighter Micah Booth, says the City of Kerrville’s decision to reduce its healthcare contribution from 100% to 89% blindsided many employees after it was presented during a July 22 Employee Benefits Trust (EBT) meeting.

“Last week the information came to us very suddenly,” Booth said. “It’s dropped now to 89%, which is a huge decrease all of a sudden.”

Booth, a mother of four, took to TikTok to share her concerns. The video has since garnered nearly 100,000 views. She also launched an online petition urging the city to reconsider the cut, which has collected over 1,300 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

Booth emphasized that benefits were a major reason her husband stayed with the department for nearly two decades, despite low pay.

“He’s pretty much had to have a second job at all times,” she said. “One of the other reasons he’s remained with the fire department for so long was the benefits package.”

During the July 22 meeting, Booth says city officials discussed a longer-term plan to gradually decrease the city’s contributions toward employee healthcare, a move she called deeply concerning.

“That’s another huge concern. This something we’re going to face again in a year?” Booth said. “For first responders, it feels like a slap in the face, especially with everything they went through with the July 4 floods.”

In a statement to KENS 5, the City of Kerrville said the proposed changes were not related to recent flood disaster spending and had been in development beforehand.

City Manager Dalton Rice also released a statement saying the HMO plan being offered still covers employees 100%, but that insurance renewal rates had increased. He said fully covering those increases would have forced the city to cut funding in other departments.

Still, Booth says employees were initially told the cuts may have stemmed from the city’s disaster response.

“It was told to some employees that this may be due to disaster-related spending, which was initially what shocked all of us,” she said.

With emotions running high, Kerrville first responders and their families planned to voice their concerns during Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting.

“We can’t let this happen,” Booth said. “We want City Council and the mayor to hear the truth and the real paycheck impact this has on its employees.”

As residents and business owners face the difficult task of rebuilding after the July 4 presidentially-declared flooding disaster in Kerr County, preventing future loss of life and property damage from flood is our primary concern, said Kerr County Engineer Charlie Hastings, P.E., CFM.

The Kerr County Flood Damage Prevention Court Order safeguards the public and individuals’ financial investments in rebuilding in high flood risk areas. Property owners in the unincorporated areas of Kerr County (outside of the cities of Ingram and Kerrville) are urged to determine if a floodplain development permit is required and, if so, take the appropriate action detailed below.

Property owners within the city limits of Ingram or Kerrville should contact their respective floodplain administrator. Their contact information is:

Professional Permitting Guide:

Hire floodplain design professionals (engineer and surveyor) and let these professionals handle all aspects of design and permitting -- even determining if a permit is required.

Do-it-yourself Permitting Guide:

Step 1 - Determine if any portion of the structure touches Zone A , AE, or Floodway by going to FEMA’s Map Service Center and typing in the address or longitude/latitude coordinates.

If ANY portion of structure touches Zone A, AE, or Floodway then a PERMIT is required (even for repairs or demolition.) GO TO STEP 2.

However, if no portion of the structure touches Zone A, AE, or Floodway then a permit is not required. However, consider higher standards by consulting floodplain design professionals to better protect your property from flood damage.

Step 2 – Obtain a completed Elevation Certificate (FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152, 2023 edition) from a licensed professional surveyor. GO TO STEP 3.

Step 3 – Submit completed Floodplain Development Permit Application with completed Elevation Certificate to floodplain@kerrcountytx.gov.

There is no cost for disaster-related floodplain permit applications due to relief provided by the unanimous vote of the Kerr County Commissioners’ Court.

KERR COUNTY, Texas — On Tuesday, Glasheen, Valles & Inderman Injury Lawyers announced that they filed what is believed to be the first lawsuit in Kerr County arising from the devastating Central Texas floods.

What You Need To Know

The suit is on behalf of the family of Jayda Floyd, a 22-year-old from Odessa, Texas, who tragically lost her life when floodwaters swept through HTR TX Hill Country Resort, a luxury RV park and campground on the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas.

Floyd was staying at the resort with her fiancé, Bailey Martin and his family when floodwater began rising rapidly in the night.

“They were awakened in the middle of the night by what they thought was knocking at the door, which turned out be floodwaters hitting the RV,” said Jon Clark, attorney at Glasheen, Valles & Inderman, LLP.

Clark said Floyd was a dedicated juvenile probation officer in Ector County. She was pursuing her master’s degree in psychology at the University of Texas Permian Basin. According to a press release, her mission was to serve at-risk youth and change the course of young lives.

“She was someone who was going to make a difference in the lives of people, particularly kids,” said her father, David Floyd, in a press release.

While her family can't bring her back, they're seeking what they call accountability. The lawsuit names campground owners: the Davis Companies, Inc., DIV HTR § Kerrville, LLC, Blue Water § Development, LLC and general manager Ilana Callahan. The family alleges the resort failed to establish storm and flood procedures and didn’t provide proper equipment and training for their employees. They claim the campground ignored flash flood warnings and did not have proper escape routes.

A spokesperson for HTR TX Hill Country responded to Spectrum News with a statement.

“Our hearts go out to Ms. Floyd’s family, her fiancé, and other loved ones – and to all of those who were impacted by the flooding that devastated the Kerrville community. As has been widely acknowledged by state and local authorities, meteorologists, and other experts, no one could have anticipated the unprecedented severity and rapid onset of the flooding that occurred and that exposed serious failures in public warning systems and emergency response protocols. While we have not yet been served with this complaint, we have reviewed a copy. We reject its fundamental premise and will be prepared to vigorously defend ourselves in court.”

The Floyd family is seeking over $1 million in financial relief and hopes other parks put proper procedures in place for their guests in the future.

“Businesses operating campgrounds along the river have known about its flooding history for decades,” said Clark. “We will investigate what steps—if any—were taken to monitor conditions and warn guests of the danger they were in.”