Lakeway Police Prescription Take Back Initiative - This Saturday! Get rid of unwanted prescription drugs. Here's a link to more information!
Effective April 27th - As of April 27, 2011, no ground fires or cooking fires are allowed in Lakeway City Parks that are fueled by charcoal, wood or any other solid fuels, even inside fire rings or above-ground barbecue grills. Park visitors are only allowed to cook with "container" equipment like Coleman grills or other propane stoves. The temporary ban is in an effort to minimize the risk of a wildfire in Lakeway’s parks and greenbelts and to ensure the safety of park patrons and residents.
City Wide Indoor Garage Sale - Saturday May7th from 9am-1pm. No admission fee - come look for a treasure!
From Steve Jones:
Traffic counters have been installed on Lakeway Dr. between Cross Creek and Star Drive to collect speed data. They will be there until Monday so we can get weekend data also. The counters will be moved to other locations to give us data around Lakeway.
560 feet of Lakeway Blvd. East of The Hills Dr. was repaved this week. A new process was used that enabled this to be done in hours instead of days.
Bee Cave will host two large events this Saturday - The Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce's Springfest and a Willie Nelson concert. Our police will be assisting with traffic control and Bee Cave is paying for the officers and patrol cars. You can find more info on Springfest here!
Per Paul Duncan: The Holiday Inn Express project is moving forward and site construction plans are close to approval - no start date is available. The site plan for Lakeway Airpark South is approvable once a Special Use Permit is acquired. The Highlands Village site development plans have been submitted.
Todd Radford reports that a piece of construction equipment stolen from Rough Hollow was recovered in Kimball County.
Travis County is considering a resolution supporting a ban on “floating habitable structures” on Lake Travis. County staff members believe that LCRA staff is preparing to recommend a ban on these projects, and they are looking for support from cities and counties. I asked the county to send me a copy of their resolution for our consideration. Floating habitable structures can include floating condominium complexes, hotels and restaurants. A developer has sought a permit for a residential project on Lake Travis. For more info click here.
Thanks for LOOKING!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
So Far this Week!
Here is Monday's Police Report for the previous week.
ZAPCO met for a workshop Wednesday. The agenda was to discuss changes to the City zoning code. Items were discussed at length and some changes and deletions were made. I will post the final changes when they are released for Council action.
CBC met today in regular session. Here is that agenda. Here is a report of the results of that meeting furnished by Sally Bu
ckovinsky. Thanks Sally!
In case you haven't noticed, we have a new motorcycle patrolling our neighborhoods. I have seen it around making sure we are all safe!
ZAPCO will meet in regular session May 4th. Here is that agenda - looks like it will be a long one!
More soon!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
ZAPCO met for a workshop Wednesday. The agenda was to discuss changes to the City zoning code. Items were discussed at length and some changes and deletions were made. I will post the final changes when they are released for Council action.
CBC met today in regular session. Here is that agenda. Here is a report of the results of that meeting furnished by Sally Bu
ckovinsky. Thanks Sally!In case you haven't noticed, we have a new motorcycle patrolling our neighborhoods. I have seen it around making sure we are all safe!
ZAPCO will meet in regular session May 4th. Here is that agenda - looks like it will be a long one!
More soon!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Monday, April 25, 2011
Here's Whats Going ON!
I hope everyone had a GREAT Easter Holiday!
ZAPCO will have a work session Wednesday at 9AM. Here is the agenda. The members will be discussing the proposed amendments to the Subdivision and Site Development sections of the City of Lakeway Code.
The City Building Commission will meet in regular session on Thursday at 9AM. Here is that agenda!
Mayor DeOme and Steve Jones accompanied Chief Radford, Capt. Crowder, Detective Pribble, and Senior Sargent Farr to a Texas Police Chief's Association luncheon where our police department was once again honored with a certificate for completing the TPCA's Best Practices Program. Lakeway Police Dept. is one of only 45 departments state wide to achieve certification so far.
From Steve Jones:
Staff met with HDR Engineering to work on the cost estimate for Flintrock Road this week. The City is looking at two designs, including a 4 lane divided with median and 2 lane undivided for different sections.
The City is preparing an inventory of homes in the foreclosure process to determine if any have issues that need immediate attention.
On my morning walk today, I noticed a bench that was damaged along the Hamilton Greenbelt. It appears to be intentional and if you have any information about what happened please report it to the police!
More as I find out!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
ZAPCO will have a work session Wednesday at 9AM. Here is the agenda. The members will be discussing the proposed amendments to the Subdivision and Site Development sections of the City of Lakeway Code.
The City Building Commission will meet in regular session on Thursday at 9AM. Here is that agenda!
Mayor DeOme and Steve Jones accompanied Chief Radford, Capt. Crowder, Detective Pribble, and Senior Sargent Farr to a Texas Police Chief's Association luncheon where our police department was once again honored with a certificate for completing the TPCA's Best Practices Program. Lakeway Police Dept. is one of only 45 departments state wide to achieve certification so far.
From Steve Jones:
Staff met with HDR Engineering to work on the cost estimate for Flintrock Road this week. The City is looking at two designs, including a 4 lane divided with median and 2 lane undivided for different sections.
The City is preparing an inventory of homes in the foreclosure process to determine if any have issues that need immediate attention.
On my morning walk today, I noticed a bench that was damaged along the Hamilton Greenbelt. It appears to be intentional and if you have any information about what happened please report it to the police!
More as I find out!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
CBC, Council, Police, ++
The CBC met in regular session last Thursday, here is the agenda and here are the results - Thanks Sally for the extra effort on the matrix!
Council met in regular session Monday, April 18. Here is the agenda.
Here are the results - it was a long meeting, please bear with me;
3. Two citizens spoke on issues on a foreclosed house on Rudder that has an unprotected pool and other issues - Building and Development is working on the issue and will attempt to resolve it and others more effectively.
5. The Lakeway Police Department was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Texas Police Chiefs Association. There are 164 required standards that our Department met. This is another example of our Police working hard to exceed expectations and do a GREAT job for our citizens! Thanks for the GREAT effort!
6. Mayor DeOme proclaimed the week of May 21-27, 2011, Safe Boating Week in Lakeway.
7. An ordinance adopting public hearing dates for proposed annexation hearings was passed. Properties included are some waterfront parcels (some submerged), parcels on Brooks Hollow Road, Flint Rock Road, and Pawnee Pass. Two individuals spoke against the annexation. The vote was unanimous passing the ordinance.
8. An Interlocal Agreement between the City and the Library District was approved. There was one issue on the agreement that will be worked out by both sides.
9. The Code of Ethics for the City was amended to include a section that was omitted when the documents were codified.
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. All of these items have to do with annexation, zoning and plans for Rough Hollow and The Highlands. It basically puts some property together, annexes it and zones it according to the development plan. Here is a link to the site plan for the Highlands Village amenity center.
17. The Code of Ordinance Amendment was passed with one caveat. There is a section on heights where additions must seek a height from CBC in sections that have overall heights granted that will go to the City Attorney for an opinion on if it is enforceable.
18. The FY2011 Budget was amended. This included accounting for monies donated to the police for purchase of a motorcycle, monies to pay for fencing per an agreement made with The Hills of Lakeway, and court funds transferred to cover additional salaries for the new prosecutor.
19. The City of Lakeway Comprehensive Fund Balance Policy was approved.
20. Council went into Executive Session and discussed several properties for possible purchase for public parks use. No action was taken.
________________________
From Steve Jones:
Work has resumed at the old Exxon. Soil samples came back clear and they are filling in the excavations.
Serene Hills drive has been accepted by the City. The potentially dangerous turn lane situation was corrected. See photo 1 and photo 2.
From Shannon Burke: Medical Parkway, the major drive at the medical center has been paved. P Terry's construction has started and they are moving forward. A permit was issued for demo on the Wunneburger Tract - the historic buildings will not be demoed and there is no development planned - they are just clearing away old structures.
__________________
There will be a ZAPCO work session on proposed development ordinance amendments has been set for Wednesday, April 27 at 9:00AM.
Chief Radford reports an auto theft from Firebird Drive was cleared by the arrest of Daniel Villareal. The car was found burned near Driftwood. There are other suspects that have been identified but not located.
Last weekend's events were huge successes again. Thanks for all the work making it all work Andra!
More soon, I'm trying to catch up!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Council met in regular session Monday, April 18. Here is the agenda.
Here are the results - it was a long meeting, please bear with me;
3. Two citizens spoke on issues on a foreclosed house on Rudder that has an unprotected pool and other issues - Building and Development is working on the issue and will attempt to resolve it and others more effectively.
5. The Lakeway Police Department was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Texas Police Chiefs Association. There are 164 required standards that our Department met. This is another example of our Police working hard to exceed expectations and do a GREAT job for our citizens! Thanks for the GREAT effort!
6. Mayor DeOme proclaimed the week of May 21-27, 2011, Safe Boating Week in Lakeway.
7. An ordinance adopting public hearing dates for proposed annexation hearings was passed. Properties included are some waterfront parcels (some submerged), parcels on Brooks Hollow Road, Flint Rock Road, and Pawnee Pass. Two individuals spoke against the annexation. The vote was unanimous passing the ordinance.
8. An Interlocal Agreement between the City and the Library District was approved. There was one issue on the agreement that will be worked out by both sides.
9. The Code of Ethics for the City was amended to include a section that was omitted when the documents were codified.
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. All of these items have to do with annexation, zoning and plans for Rough Hollow and The Highlands. It basically puts some property together, annexes it and zones it according to the development plan. Here is a link to the site plan for the Highlands Village amenity center.
17. The Code of Ordinance Amendment was passed with one caveat. There is a section on heights where additions must seek a height from CBC in sections that have overall heights granted that will go to the City Attorney for an opinion on if it is enforceable.
18. The FY2011 Budget was amended. This included accounting for monies donated to the police for purchase of a motorcycle, monies to pay for fencing per an agreement made with The Hills of Lakeway, and court funds transferred to cover additional salaries for the new prosecutor.
19. The City of Lakeway Comprehensive Fund Balance Policy was approved.
20. Council went into Executive Session and discussed several properties for possible purchase for public parks use. No action was taken.
________________________
From Steve Jones:
Work has resumed at the old Exxon. Soil samples came back clear and they are filling in the excavations.
Serene Hills drive has been accepted by the City. The potentially dangerous turn lane situation was corrected. See photo 1 and photo 2.
From Shannon Burke: Medical Parkway, the major drive at the medical center has been paved. P Terry's construction has started and they are moving forward. A permit was issued for demo on the Wunneburger Tract - the historic buildings will not be demoed and there is no development planned - they are just clearing away old structures.
__________________
There will be a ZAPCO work session on proposed development ordinance amendments has been set for Wednesday, April 27 at 9:00AM.
Chief Radford reports an auto theft from Firebird Drive was cleared by the arrest of Daniel Villareal. The car was found burned near Driftwood. There are other suspects that have been identified but not located.
Last weekend's events were huge successes again. Thanks for all the work making it all work Andra!
More soon, I'm trying to catch up!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Thursday, April 14, 2011
New Police Report
Mr. Jones and Chief Radford have come up with a weekly report that replaces the previous daily report and still gives info about what the police are doing! Here is last weeks report for your enjoyment.
the CBC met today, here is the agenda and results.
the CBC met today, here is the agenda and results.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
MUD, Flags, Bonds, Distracted Driving!
The Lakeway MUD met this morning in regular session - here is the agenda. It was a short meeting and item 4 (Amendment 2) was passed for Service between Lakeway MUD and Travis County MUD 11 (Rough Hollow and Highlands). A presentation of LEED certification was made at M3 at 11AM.
One citizen asked what the final cost was for the M3 building including overruns and was assured that would be provided to her.
In other news, the Flags are up at Lohmans and 620 - thanks!
There has been much talk about the upcoming Travis County Bond election this year. If your interested in the process, here is a link to an explanation from Karen Huber!
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the City of Lakeway is proud to join TXDOT in it's Talk. Text. Crash. Campaign to raise awareness of the dangers associated with distracted driving. Here is a link to the full article.
More soon! Enjoy the weather - we sure could use some rain!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
One citizen asked what the final cost was for the M3 building including overruns and was assured that would be provided to her.
In other news, the Flags are up at Lohmans and 620 - thanks!
There has been much talk about the upcoming Travis County Bond election this year. If your interested in the process, here is a link to an explanation from Karen Huber!
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the City of Lakeway is proud to join TXDOT in it's Talk. Text. Crash. Campaign to raise awareness of the dangers associated with distracted driving. Here is a link to the full article.
More soon! Enjoy the weather - we sure could use some rain!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Friday, April 8, 2011
Saga of the flags on Lohmans and 620 continues - now there is a problem with one of the lights, soon to be repaired I hope!
If you have tried out Serene Hills drive, you might have noticed that there is a little surprise when the road goes from two lanes to one coming from Hwy. 71. That has been noticed and the City will paint stripes to give folks more warning - until then, stay left.
The City is doing a study to pave the way to raise the speed limit on Highlands Parkway to 35. I'll let you know more soon.
Paul Workman has put an amendment on House Bill 1 to continue the funding for the 911 PSAP in Lakeway and several other small cities. Hopefully this will be passed - if not, the Council is looking into funding this by the City.
Some of your City Volunteers took a tour of the new Hospital on 620 Friday. I'm told they may be interested in doing open tours for residents in the area! More on that soon! It is scheduled to open in May of 2012.
From Steve Jones:
This week, ZAPCO approved permanent signs for two businesses, Boat Candy and Urology Austin. The remainder of the meeting was taken up with discussion of the Lakeway Highlands Amenity Center, and proposed changes to the subdivision and site development ordinances. The amenity center will eventually include a welcome center, bar & grill, store and (possible) gas station, event center, fitness center, multiple pools, day spa, amphitheater, office space, and other amenities (see attached site plan for details). It is impressive. This project will come to the Council on the 18th for annexation, zoning, and approval of a preliminary plan and special use permit for the gas station/convenience store. From the discussion on the ordinance changes, it seems that the number and magnitude of the proposed changes are somewhat overwhelming. It will probably require a work session in order to give this matter sufficient time and explanation.
Bee Cave’s problem with Planet K has caused us to initiate a review of our ordinances to be sure they have provisions to regulate “head shops” to the extent possible. We are also looking into our “sexually oriented business” regulations.
BDS continues to make progress with East El Paso on the Airpark South project. Shannon and the developer are very close to having an application for a special use permit that Shannon can support. If progress continues, we may have an application for your consideration in May or June. Since the project was denied and the time limit of one year has not expired, we will have to amend the zoning ordinance to allow East El Paso to resubmit. We should probably amend the ordinance in any event to allow reconsideration of zoning cases where material changes have occurred in the circumstances that warrant reconsideration.
Paul Duncan is researching our ability to perform an in-house speed study on local streets. Our intention is to perform a study on Highlands Boulevard and evaluate possible changes in the speed limit for that road. I occasionally receive comments that 30 MPH is too low. You have probably heard the same thing.
The police department tested six applicants for police officer this week. Four of them passed the written and physical testing and fitness board interviews. Background investigations are underway and hiring offers will be made soon. We are attempting to fill three empty officer positions.
You have probably noticed that we are repainting all of our crosswalks, stop bars, and directional markings. The fresh white paint really stands out!
Even though we have repaired the flagpoles at Lohmans Crossing and RR 620, the flags have been down due to electrical problems with the lights. The lights are back in working order and the flags should be up by the end of the day today.
__________________________
Mayor DeOme, Alan Tye, Steve Jones and myself are going over the second draft of the interlocal agreement with the Library District on the Bond funding. This one looks pretty good and it should go to Council at the next meeting.
CBC will meet in regular session on April 14, 2011 at 9AM. Here is that agenda!
I'm sure there will be more soon - check back often! I am still working on the issue with AOL hyperlinks so please be patient.
Thanks for LOOKING!
Joe Bain
Lakeway@bain.us
If you have tried out Serene Hills drive, you might have noticed that there is a little surprise when the road goes from two lanes to one coming from Hwy. 71. That has been noticed and the City will paint stripes to give folks more warning - until then, stay left.
The City is doing a study to pave the way to raise the speed limit on Highlands Parkway to 35. I'll let you know more soon.
Paul Workman has put an amendment on House Bill 1 to continue the funding for the 911 PSAP in Lakeway and several other small cities. Hopefully this will be passed - if not, the Council is looking into funding this by the City.
Some of your City Volunteers took a tour of the new Hospital on 620 Friday. I'm told they may be interested in doing open tours for residents in the area! More on that soon! It is scheduled to open in May of 2012.
From Steve Jones:
This week, ZAPCO approved permanent signs for two businesses, Boat Candy and Urology Austin. The remainder of the meeting was taken up with discussion of the Lakeway Highlands Amenity Center, and proposed changes to the subdivision and site development ordinances. The amenity center will eventually include a welcome center, bar & grill, store and (possible) gas station, event center, fitness center, multiple pools, day spa, amphitheater, office space, and other amenities (see attached site plan for details). It is impressive. This project will come to the Council on the 18th for annexation, zoning, and approval of a preliminary plan and special use permit for the gas station/convenience store. From the discussion on the ordinance changes, it seems that the number and magnitude of the proposed changes are somewhat overwhelming. It will probably require a work session in order to give this matter sufficient time and explanation.
Bee Cave’s problem with Planet K has caused us to initiate a review of our ordinances to be sure they have provisions to regulate “head shops” to the extent possible. We are also looking into our “sexually oriented business” regulations.
BDS continues to make progress with East El Paso on the Airpark South project. Shannon and the developer are very close to having an application for a special use permit that Shannon can support. If progress continues, we may have an application for your consideration in May or June. Since the project was denied and the time limit of one year has not expired, we will have to amend the zoning ordinance to allow East El Paso to resubmit. We should probably amend the ordinance in any event to allow reconsideration of zoning cases where material changes have occurred in the circumstances that warrant reconsideration.
Paul Duncan is researching our ability to perform an in-house speed study on local streets. Our intention is to perform a study on Highlands Boulevard and evaluate possible changes in the speed limit for that road. I occasionally receive comments that 30 MPH is too low. You have probably heard the same thing.
The police department tested six applicants for police officer this week. Four of them passed the written and physical testing and fitness board interviews. Background investigations are underway and hiring offers will be made soon. We are attempting to fill three empty officer positions.
You have probably noticed that we are repainting all of our crosswalks, stop bars, and directional markings. The fresh white paint really stands out!
Even though we have repaired the flagpoles at Lohmans Crossing and RR 620, the flags have been down due to electrical problems with the lights. The lights are back in working order and the flags should be up by the end of the day today.
__________________________
Mayor DeOme, Alan Tye, Steve Jones and myself are going over the second draft of the interlocal agreement with the Library District on the Bond funding. This one looks pretty good and it should go to Council at the next meeting.
CBC will meet in regular session on April 14, 2011 at 9AM. Here is that agenda!
I'm sure there will be more soon - check back often! I am still working on the issue with AOL hyperlinks so please be patient.
Thanks for LOOKING!
Joe Bain
Lakeway@bain.us
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Events, City News
First a couple of event reminders:
Household Hazardous Waste Event - Saturday, May 21, 8AM till noon, Hudson Bend Middle School. Here's a link to more info!
The annual Eggstravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th at 2PM. The Lakeway Swim Center Summer Season is from May 31 - August 21, 2011. For more info on these click here!
Serene Hills Dr. is now open to Hwy 71. Check it out!
From Steve Jones:
I rode with Sergeant Brinkman this week to see firsthand how our new patrol technology works. The new automated ticket writers and mobile computer system were demonstrated and then they went to the dispatch center to see how it all integrates into the dispatch system. I was impressed with the technology and its capabilities, and the officers seem to be very appreciative of these new tools.
We (Lakeway, Bee Cave, Sunset Valley, and Rollingwood) met with Austin Energy to discuss our concerns with their proposed utility franchise agreement. Their response was encouraging and agreement was reached on the main points of concern - we should have a satisfactory document drafted within the next few weeks!
The warrant roundup this year was a huge success! Preliminary numbers show that we collected $108,707 and cleard more thatn 400 cases! March was also a record breaking month for regular warrant collections, clearing 125 cases and collecting $152,068 in fines. A lot of credit goes to the efforts of Citizens Police Academy graduates who volunteered their time to work the phones and locate defendants - THANKS! Click here for a full report!
I attended the District Court hearing for the Brown vs. Lakeway lawsuit in which Brown alleges that Lakeway is guilty of contempt of court for approving a development agreement for the Crosswater Yacht Club. Patty Akers (City Attorney) was able to convince Brown to "non-suit" the city and the judge dismissed us from the case. Crosswater is still implicated and their motion for dismissal is under consideration.
Cheif Radford, Mayor DeOme and I met with CAPCOG this week to discuss the status of our 9-1-1 PSAP (public safety answering point). they advised us they have plans to stop our service in July. We are considering funding the service ourselves to keep the service and will need to have this on the May agenda for a decision.
Dave DeOme, Alan Tye, Joe Bain and I met this week to work on the interlocal agreement with the Lake Travis Community Library District. The recommended changes have been forwarded to our bond attorney who should respond next week.
We recently performed an audit of local businesses and discovered quite a few that were not collecting and remitting sales tax. We are now engaged in an audit of franchise fees from Pedernales Electric Coop and the property tax roll at Travis Central Appraisal District. It's too early to have good numbers, but it looks likely that we will identify a dozen or more errors in each one.
________________________
Thanks for all the support!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Household Hazardous Waste Event - Saturday, May 21, 8AM till noon, Hudson Bend Middle School. Here's a link to more info!
The annual Eggstravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th at 2PM. The Lakeway Swim Center Summer Season is from May 31 - August 21, 2011. For more info on these click here!
Serene Hills Dr. is now open to Hwy 71. Check it out!
From Steve Jones:
I rode with Sergeant Brinkman this week to see firsthand how our new patrol technology works. The new automated ticket writers and mobile computer system were demonstrated and then they went to the dispatch center to see how it all integrates into the dispatch system. I was impressed with the technology and its capabilities, and the officers seem to be very appreciative of these new tools.
We (Lakeway, Bee Cave, Sunset Valley, and Rollingwood) met with Austin Energy to discuss our concerns with their proposed utility franchise agreement. Their response was encouraging and agreement was reached on the main points of concern - we should have a satisfactory document drafted within the next few weeks!
The warrant roundup this year was a huge success! Preliminary numbers show that we collected $108,707 and cleard more thatn 400 cases! March was also a record breaking month for regular warrant collections, clearing 125 cases and collecting $152,068 in fines. A lot of credit goes to the efforts of Citizens Police Academy graduates who volunteered their time to work the phones and locate defendants - THANKS! Click here for a full report!
I attended the District Court hearing for the Brown vs. Lakeway lawsuit in which Brown alleges that Lakeway is guilty of contempt of court for approving a development agreement for the Crosswater Yacht Club. Patty Akers (City Attorney) was able to convince Brown to "non-suit" the city and the judge dismissed us from the case. Crosswater is still implicated and their motion for dismissal is under consideration.
Cheif Radford, Mayor DeOme and I met with CAPCOG this week to discuss the status of our 9-1-1 PSAP (public safety answering point). they advised us they have plans to stop our service in July. We are considering funding the service ourselves to keep the service and will need to have this on the May agenda for a decision.
Dave DeOme, Alan Tye, Joe Bain and I met this week to work on the interlocal agreement with the Lake Travis Community Library District. The recommended changes have been forwarded to our bond attorney who should respond next week.
We recently performed an audit of local businesses and discovered quite a few that were not collecting and remitting sales tax. We are now engaged in an audit of franchise fees from Pedernales Electric Coop and the property tax roll at Travis Central Appraisal District. It's too early to have good numbers, but it looks likely that we will identify a dozen or more errors in each one.
________________________
Thanks for all the support!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
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