Merry Christmas! +

Merry Christmas to all! It's been a slow week around the City it appears, and I have taken a job and now enjoy? full time employment and have not been around as much to stir up trouble (the staff seems to appreciate that!).

Join everyone for the Lake Travis Parade of Champions January 7th at the Hill country Galleria. Football, Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, the Band and the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program Honorees will all be represented! For more information click here!

From Steve Jones:

Another mediation was held with East El Paso regarding the Airpark South lawsuit Wednesday. We again failed to reach an agreement, but the developer did not dismiss our offer and is considering it further. We hope this will have a positive outcome for both the City and developer.

Monday, the FBI Assistant Agent in Charge of the Austin Field Office, Patrick Loll, (a new Lakeway resident) came to the Justice Center to recognize David Davis for his participation in an investigation.

The City is considering selling Rebel Park to some adjacent landowners and has mailed letters informing other residents soliciting any concerns. If this is accepted by Council, it would go to the Citizens for a vote in 2012 since it is public park land.

Don Stevenson (our new emergency management coordinator) and I met with Travis County Emergency Management Coordinator Pete Baldwin this week. Lakeway falls under Travis County’s emergency management plan “umbrella” so I wanted to introduce Don to Pete and establish a relationship between them. Pete educated us on the county’s plan, and how we fit in. He also helped Don understand the important elements of our local emergency management plan. Don is now drafting a scope of work for updating our plan and program elements such as training and practice events.

Our forester, Carrie Burns, has been attending local meetings of fire and emergency management officials aimed at developing programs to address the potential fire hazards we face from what they call the “wild land/urban interface.” I know that many of our residents are concerned about potential wildfires in our greenbelts and parks next to residences. Carrie is working to identify our most vulnerable neighborhoods and to introduce them to existing programs that teach residents how to prepare and protect their property against wildfire. If resources permit, and we get sufficient neighborhood participation, we are looking into organizing neighborhood events to remove debris and other fire fuel from selected areas of the greenbelts and parks, possibly including the bird preserve east of RR 620.

This week, DR Services installed the floor in our log cabin and started filling the spaces between the logs with mortar. It looks great. The floor is made of stones in a very rustic manner that was typical of cabins from the period. The mortar between the logs is made following a formula provided by the State Historical Commission that approximates the look and feel of the original material use in the cabin. We are making every effort to restore the cabin to its original condition. Today I was given an intact gun cartridge that was found in one of the cabin walls when workers cleaned away the old mortar. It appears to be an old .44 Henry Flat rim-fire cartridge that was used in Henry Repeating Rifles in the 1860’s and 1870’s.
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I hope all of you have a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Years Holiday!

I will not be posting next week unless something of interest comes up - enjoy the wet weather and I hope to see all of you next year!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

CAVS take FIVE, Council, Jones Report

The BIG news of the day - Lake Travis Cavaliers make state history by winning the State Championship 4A title for a fifth consecutive season! They beat Waco Midway by a score of 22-7. It was televised nationally and was a GREAT game! Go Cav's!

Council will meet Monday in regular session at 6:30PM. Here is that agenda.

Council will take up a sale agreement and some license agreements and easements with the Lakeway MUD. The Final Plat for Serene Hills Phase 2E will be considered. Revisions to the noise ordinance will be considered.

The other items addressing multifamily zoning in the Highlands has been postponed.

From Steve Jones:

Council Member Alan Tye has been working hard on a Hotel / Motel tax and organizing a Commission to administer the funds collected if the tax is approved. Thanks Alan for your work on this project!

Shannon Burke, Chessie Blanchard and I met with the developer of Serene Hills this week to discuss the final plat of Phase 2E. The big issues is driveways that directly access Serene Hills Dr. This item will be on the agenda at Council Monday evening.

Staff is working on a purchase and sale agreement for a portion of Rebel Park - if Council approves this, it will have to go to the voters for approval at the May, 2012 general election. This will be on the January Council agenda.

A petition has been received from the residents on Porpoise Drive to reduce the speed limit on the road to 20 mph. State law allows a minimum of 25 mph and this request will go to Council in January also.

There is still interest in the former Exxon station. One is a potential developer that wants to put in a standard convenience store and I recently had an inquiry from a resident just returning from Afghanistan that would like to set up an auto repair shop. More on that as I hear it.

The Lakeway Activity Center has been honored for the second year in a row for excellence in programming by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), an international association in lifelong learning. Here is more information on that award. Congratulations!

Lakeway Police participated in a multi-agency debriefing of last Friday's event at Lake Travis Middle School and High School. Many lessons were learned. and they will be improving some of their plans for such incidents.

That's all for now, I hope everyone is looking forward to a Wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

News, School, ZAPCO

The big news of the week was the event at the Lake Travis Middle School. If you haven't heard, a maintenance person walked in on a man in the restroom and said he had what might have been a gun in a box. The man ran out after the maintenance person started yelling and disappeared. The school was locked down and the complete campus was searched and cleared. As of this time, the person has not been found. There was a combined effort from Travis County Sheriffs, Lakeway Police and Bee Cave Officers to get to the bottom of the issue. No one was hurt and no gun has been found.

The Lake Travis Cavs won another game Friday night by beating Pearland Dawson 45-14 and have moved to the Finals. They will play next Friday, December 16 in Cowboy Stadium against Waco midway to win an unprecedented 5th straight 4A State Championship! Go Cavs!

Zapco met Wednesday, here is that agenda.

3. A Special Use Permit was issued to Philomena Rolands to operate a business from her home after much discussion.

4. The final plat was approved for Serene Hills Phase 2E after much dicussion and agreement that they will modify the direct access to lots on Serene Hills Dr.

5-6. The commission voted 4-3 to recommend against Multifamily Zoning in the Lakeway Highlands. This means Council would have to vote a super majority to grant this zoning (6-1 for).
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From Steve Jones:

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved LCRA's request to cut back or cut off Highland Lakes water to downstream farmers next year if the drought does not imporve significantly - this was a unanimous decision. Here is the full release.

Sales tax revenue continues to be good news for Lakeway. While the increase in our current month revenue is modest at 2.8% over this month last year, our year-to-date revenue is up almost 11% over last year. I have attached a report from Tax Revenue Consultants, LLC with data from selected Travis County taxing jurisdictions for your reference.

Travis County recently performed a multi-way stop warrant analysis at the intersection of Flint Rock Road and Serene Hills Drive and determined that it meets warrants for a four-way stop. The county installed new stop signs on the Flintrock Road approaches to the intersection this week, and it is now a four-way stop. Previously only vehicles on Serene Hills Drive had to stop.

Paul Duncan is reviewing construction plans for the proposed Starbucks next to Wendy's and a plan for Recovery Ways, a high-end rehab clinic to be located at Rolling Green and Lohmans Crossing.
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If you haven't had a chance yet, be sure to go by and check out the Christmas Trail of Lights by the City Hall - it is fabulous! Thanks to the employees that put so much effort in this project every year!

Next week CBC will meet and it looks to be a busy day. Here is that agenda.

Did you know there is a new book out about Lakeway and it's history? Here is more information.

That's all for now - stay warm and enjoy the holidays - be safe!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Week End News

The Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held Thursday evening at the Lakeway Resort Glass Pavillion - what an event! Thanks to all of the City volunteers that work hard to keep Lakeway the wonderful place to live that we all enjoy.

There were three awards presented, first was an unsung hero award to Ann Neighbors for her tireless work organizing the July 4th activities for many years. Thanks Ann!

Second, another unsung hero award went to Dr. Leigh Naftolin for his extradinary efforts in the recent County Bond issue that garnered about $14 million in funding for Flintrock Road and Bee Creek Road. Thanks Leigh! I'm sorry, I don't have a picture of Leigh for the blog.

Citizen of the year was awarded to Jim Anderson for his volunteer work for many years. The Anderson's moved here in 1990 and hit the ground running. Jim has been on many committee's and is currently Chairman of the City Building Commission. Thanks for all your service!

Lights On! has been cancelled this evening because of the rain. The lights will be on and you are welcome to enjoy the trail but there will be no vendors and Santa won't be there. Its a shame, this year the July 4th fireworks were cancelled because of a lack of rain and now the Lights On! celebration is cancelled because of too much rain!

The Lakeway Sing-A-Longs Present "Green Santa" this Sunday December 4th with two showings at 2:00PM and 4:30PM at the Activity Center. Bring a gift and enjoy the show! Get there early for a good seat, it's always crowded!

In case you haven't noticed, Lakeway has it's own Farmers Market! Sundays in the parking lot at 620 and Lakeway Blvd. from 9:00AM until 1:00PM you can pick up fresh produce, beef, chickens and other delights!

ZAPCO will meet next Wednesday at 9:10AM in Council Chambers. Here is that agenda. There main item of interest will be zoning for multifamily (apartments) in the Highlands. Be sure to attend if you have an opinion either way on this, I'm sure the commission will appreciate the input!

The Library is moving toward accepting a bid for construction of the new building. Currently they appear to be about $200,000 short of the funds necessary and are working to secure more donations and cut costs.

The Lakeway Police are holding the 2nd Annual Christmas Gala. This event is the main fundraiser for the Lakeway Police Memorial & Benevolent Foundation. The funds raised go towards scholarships, projects and equipment for the police department and its employees. Please join them for this exciting evening of fun, food and festivities! Here is a link to more information and ticket information.

From Steve Jones:

It appears that our community has been the victim of cybercrime. Credit and debit card numbers of many residents (including Joe Bain, myself, and other city employees) appear to have been electronically “stolen” from patrons of Flores restaurant in the past few weeks and used to make purchases throughout the country. Police have no reason to believe that the restaurant had any involvement in or knowledge of the fraud. The owner has been very helpful in supplying information and evidence.

One of our officers sustained a head injury this week when responding to a call. He was attempting to free a deer from an iron fence and fell face first into the fence causing the wound and the injury required some stitches. Let's wish him a speed recovery!

We are experiencing intermittent problems with traffic signals on RR 620. The problem appears to be with the controllers. Fortunately, TxDot has been responsive and is working to resolve the malfunctions.

This week we installed “profile stripes” (pained stripes with bumps in them) on the double white striping separating the recreation lane from the street on Hurst Creek Drive at Explorer and at Plum. We are evaluating the use of profile stripes to help keep vehicles out of the rec lane in these two dangerous curves. Cost permitting, we plan to use more of this type of striping on other rec lanes.

The Lake Travis High School football team is still in the hunt for a record setting, fifth-consecutive state championship. The Cavaliers play Cedar Park tonight in the quarterfinal game at DKR Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas. Go Cavs!
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That's all for now - keep dry and warm!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Short Week, But Busy!

The first thing that happened was early Sunday morning! If you were up just after daylight and driving on Lohmans Crossing you might have seen a rustic old cabin going down the road. The Liebelt cabin was moved to City Hall where it will be set up and become a symbol of Lakeway's history.

Monday the City Council met in regular session. Here is that agenda. Five members of Council were present, Bruce Harris and David Taylor were unable to attend. The first item was the Financial Report given by Treasurer Al Tyson. Our finances are doing well and our expenses are under budget and revenues are over budget.

Jamie Smith from Pedernales Electric gave a report on future PEC events and current services.

Zoning for recently annexed areas was addressed next. Two residents from North Brooks Hollow, Kim Magee and Margaret Ryan were requested to leave during Council discussion because they were disruptive and made derogatory remarks about the Mayor and Council. They were escorted out by Chief Todd Radford but were not charged. Zoning passed on this item with a 4-0 vote - Council Member Alan Tye abstained.

All other area's zoning and the Consent Agenda passed unanimously.

From Steve Jones:

This morning’s View had a front-page article on a recent study of the Austin/Travis County Emergency Services. The study indicates significantly slower response times to EMS calls outside of the City of Austin. The objective of the study was to draw attention to that fact and try to improve response times to the outlying areas such as Lakeway. I believe it will achieve the intended result, although we are not yet sure what form that will take.

Hospital Administrator David Kreye took Mayor DeOme and I on a tour this week. The parking garage is complete, and they are happy with the progress of the new medical office building under construction. While it will not be completely finished, the office building should be partially functional when the hospital opens this Spring. They still plan to open the hospital in April. The lower floors are substantially finished and final cleaning is underway in some areas. Finish work is taking place on the upper floors with the installation of equipment and furnishings. From the look of it, I don’t believe they will have trouble opening on time.

Our police department has been notified of plans for a possible “Occupy” Bee Cave event this Friday. If there is any problem, we will be acting in a backup roll only.
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I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a VERY Happy Thanksgiving - for those traveling, please have a safe trip!

Thanks again for all of the support!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Council, Weeks News

Council will meet in regular session Monday, November 21 at 6:30PM. Here is the agenda. Zoning will be voted on for the recently annexed areas.

The City Building Commission met Thursday - here is that agenda. All waivers and variances were approved as requested. Item 11 on the use of synthetic grass was tabled to allow more time for consideration.

Tomorrow is the Lakeway Blood Drive and there are still 30 slots open. There's still time, call Searcy at 261-9055 to make an appointment!

Parks and Recreation has been busy! Here is a link to Andra Dearing's report! It appears Breakfast with Santa is sold out and they have a waiting list! Don't forget the "Light's On" event on December 2nd. I'm told the Leibelt Cabin might be moved soon - I'll be watching.

From Steve Jones:

Mike Boston reported that the 19th century log cabin will be moved from the lot at 1504 RM 620 S and be transported to City Hall in Lakeway at 7:30 a.m. this coming Sunday morning. Local law enforcement and other emergency services have been notified to preclude any problems in responding to emergencies or tying up traffic. The route of travel will be south on 620 to Lohman's Crossing, then right on Lohman's Crossing to City Hall. Mike will prepare a small media kit with what information we have on German immigrant August Liebelt, the individual who constructed the cabin circa 1870.

Austin/Travis County EMS advised me that they plan to add a third ambulance to our area soon. EMS is gathering resources to equip and man a station to be located at the Travis County Sheriff’s Office on RR 620 at Hudson Bend Road. For now, the station will be manned 12 hours per day, seven days per week. They plan to make it 24/7 in the future as budgets allow. While this ambulance will not be located in Lakeway, it will relieve our existing two ambulances and increase their availability for local responses. The leading locations for EMS call are the Summit in Lakeway, Bee Cave, and Hudson Bend (Emerald Point Marian area).

TxDot is studying the removal of the school zone on RR 620 at the Lake Travis Middle School / High School. The City will be looking at safety issues and pros and cons of this action - more to come.

We did a recent count of vehicle collisions on RR 620 at our major intersections, and the numbers are amazingly low. Since May 2010, we averaged about one accident per month at 620 and Lakeway Boulevard, less than one per month at 620 and Aria Drive, and about two per month at 620 and Lohmans Crossing (our busiest intersection). I was surprised at those numbers considering the volume of traffic in this area of 620 (almost 50,000 vehicles per day).
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It appears to have been a quiet week - that is a good thing! More as I find out!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Weeks Events!

The week started off with a Special Council Meeting on November 7, 2011 to approve the appointment of Cobby Caputo to represent the city in the matter of Cokins vs. Lakeway. Here is the agenda. This was approved unanimously.

The big news of the week was the election results. The Lake Travis I.S.D's Bond was approved and shortly after Brad Lancaster of the Midway I.S.D. named sole finalist in it's search for a permanent superintendent.

Friday, November 11, Lakeway held it's annual salute to Veterans at the Spirit of Freedom monument. This year was the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and Major General Rod Kelly, USAF Retired spoke of that date and the experiences he was a part of while assigned to the Pentagon. It was well attended and was a moving Ceremony.

The Travis County Bonds also passed muster with the voters. That bond will supply funds for two major projects in Lakeway, Flintrock Road improvements and Highlands Blvd. to Hwy 71.

Parks and Recreation has been busy lately! Here is a report from Andra Dearing summarizing the recent accomplishments. Thanks Andra!

The City Building Commission will meet next week. Here is that agenda.

From Steve Jones:

Sales Tax receipts continue to be healthy! Our receipts through November are almost 15% above November of last year. Here is a chart. It appears we have a generally healthy local economy!

Building Services continues to have talks with developer Haythem Dawlett about proposed apartments in the Highlands.

Public Works is preparing to repaint intersection markings on Aria Dr. at 620, Lohman's Crossing at 620, Lohman's Spur at 620, and Clara Van at 620. There will also be some crack sealing work started in various parts of the City.
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It appears the Lake Travis Cavaliers are well on their way to 5 championships by beating McCallup 58-7 in the first of six rounds of playoffs in this years 4A State Championship - GO CAVS!

On a personal note, Monday marked my 31st Wedding Anniversary to my beautiful and patient wife Nancy. Thanks Honey! I'm looking forward to the next 31!

That's all for now. If you would like an email when I do posts, send your email address to lakeway@bain.us!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

More Drought, Council and More!

Bob Rose did an LCRA presentation about the drought and weather projected weather conditions for the next year - it really looks bleak. Here are the last couple of pages from that presentation - next year looks pretty dry!

The "Drug Take Back Day" results were fantastic! A lot of folks brought in unused prescriptions for disposal. Lakeway Police collected 127 pounds of prescriptions! Here is a chart that gives the results of other areas in central Texas.

ZAPCO met Wednesday morning - here is the agenda and the results of that meeting:
3. Permanent Signs were approved for Lakeway Highlands.
4. With some discussion, all of the Proposed Zoning for newly annexed areas was approved as proposed by Staff.
7-8 Pulled by developers. There is not much support for apartments being built in Lakeway.
9. The Amendment to address driving on lawns was postponed to allow Staff time to re-access ways of controlling a reported issue.

Lakeway MUD will meet Wednesday. Here is that agenda! Give it a minute, it takes a while to load.

City Council will meet in Special Session to approve appointment of counsel to represent the City in the matter of Cokins vs. Lakeway. Here is that agenda.

From Steve Jones:

Lakeway MUD notified the City that they can no longer supply the City reuse water for irrigation of road medians. The MUD has exhausted their supply of wastewater effluent and cannot supplement it with raw water because their raw water intake is no longer usable due to the low water level of the lake. Earl Foster thinks they may eventually be able to give us some water once a week. Commercial reuse customers are in much worse shape. There is no relief in site for them.

Deer have been trapped 4 times this year and so far 86 deer have been taken. This is typical for he first few weeks of trapping.

Chief Radford reports two new employees started this week - one dispatcher and one Officer - welcome!

LWPD assisted TCSO during the early hours of Wednesday morning with a burglary of a boat in progress at the Sail and Ski Marina. The primary suspect was apprehended and a second escaped but was identified. TCSO is following up!

Thursday afternoon LWPD assisted US Marshalls with the arrest of a fugitive who was in a vehicle on Lakeway Dr. The subject was apprehended without incident.
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The City hoped to move the Liebelt log cabin this week but encountered more rock under the cabin than expected. They are making progress and hopefully will be able to move it next week.

Andra Dearing reports that the Lakeway Blvd. trail is now complete! I have already seen many folks enjoying the new trail and the City has received many positive reports on it.

Lake Travis plays Cedar Park tonight! They are so far undefeated for the season and are the favorite for an unprecedented fifth consecutive state 4A championship! Good luck Cavs!

That's all for now!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Lakeway Photo Fest, Hospital Forum, Bond Information

Be sure to check out the Lakeway Photo Festival at the Lakeway Activity Center this week through Saturday! Here is a link to a flyer with all the information.

If you are interested in the Lakeway Regional Hospital, there will be a forum tomorrow night. Here is a link to more info on that.

A lot of folks are talking about the Lake Travis ISD bond issue. Please take time to look at both sides and inform yourself BEFORE you vote. Here are two links: FOR the bond and AGAINST the bond. There is a lot of good information on both sites!

More soon!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Weekly Update

Hi folks!

This week started with a Special Meeting of the Council Monday morning. Here is that agenda.

Council considered a petition from the owners of a subdivision known as Lago Acres to include that property in the City's 3 year plan. They denied that request.

Council amended Ordinance No. 2011-09-19-03 annexing the area known as North Brooks Hollow into the City of Lakeway. The amendment changed the effective date from January 1, 2012 to an immediate date. This was done to address a possible date issue brought forward by the pending lawsuit.

Council authorized City Manager Steve Jones to hire legal counsel to represent the city in the matter of Cokins vs. Lakeway.

ZAPCO will meet Wednesday in regular session. Here is that agenda. The major items of interest in this agenda will be:

Members will address zoning for recently annexed properties.

A request from Las Ventanas Land Partners for a zoning change from R-1 and GUI to R-8 (Multifamily Residential) to allow apartments to be built on property South of Highlands Blvd.

A request from Cherry Peak, Ltd. to change the zoning of about 21 acres located along Wild Cherry Drive from R-1 to R-8 (Multifamily Residential) has been postponed and will not be addressed at this meeting.

From Steve Jones:

Site work has started at city hall for the Liebelt Cabin project. The cabin will be located inside the orange construction fence on City Hall property. The cabin is scheduled to be moved sometime next week.

Parks and Public Works departments have begun installation of Christmas decorations on the trail of lights at city hall. It looks to be another GREAT display that the City can be proud of!

A contingency of staff and elected officials will attend a mediation next week on the Lakeway Airpark South project. The mediation will include representatives from the developer and Lakeway Airpark.

Shannon Burke met this week with Lakeway Regional Medical Center Group and they intend to submit the first draft of a proposed Planned Unit Development next week. The plan is to include not only the existing medical center property, but also the property to the South and North, including the 27 acre Cherry Knoll tract that abuts Flint Rock.

Shannon also reported that the architects and engineers for the proposed HEB on Hwy 71 are still working on the construction drawings for the project. The project is still moving forward, even if the design phase is taking longer than they anticipated.

It looks to be a busy week ahead. Don't forget the RX return day at the Justice Center between 10 and 2 tomorrow!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Weeks End Update!

The week started off with Council meeting on Monday evening. Here is that agenda. The financials look good with about a $500k surplus.

Mayor DeOme made two proclamations - the first recognizing the week of October 19 - 23 as Chamber of Commerce Week in Lakeway, the second recognizing the week of November 7-11, 2011 as Municipal Court Week in Lakeway.

A petition was considered from Kay Sconci that the City of Lakeway include the Travis Oak Trails subdivision in the City's 3 year annexation plan - this was denied.

Annexation of several areas was then considered. All areas were passed unanimously except item (e) Lochan Ora which was opposed by Bruce Harris and item (b) Travis Oaks Trails which was opposed by both Council Member Tye and Council Member Harris.

An amendment was passed to our Health and Sanitation Ordinance to allow Code Enforcement employees the ability to enforce that Ordinance.

Council will meet in Special Session Monday, October 24 at 9:00AM. Here is that agenda. At this meeting, Council will consider yet another petition from owners to be included in a 3 year annexation plan. The current state statute requires Council to "act" on these petitions.

The Council will also consider an amendment to Ordinance No. 2011-09-19-03 that annexed North Brooks Hollow into the City of Lakeway.

Council will meet with the City Attorney on the lawsuit filed by Steve and Anita Cokins.

Steve Jones has asked for authorization to engage legal counsel to represent the City in the matter of Cokins vs. Lakeway.

In other news, Judge Madison and the courts are having an Open House and Presentation and want to invite everyone November 10th. There will be a reception along with presentations on Traffic and Safety - see this link for more information. This is especially important for those with Teen Age Drivers!

Don't forget the Safety Day and Bike Rodeo tomorrow, October 22, 2011. Here is a link to more information about that!

I was just told that protesters are at the Lakeway Activity Center being filmed by YNN News. They are protesting the LTISD bonds. It should make Channel 8 (Time Warner Customers) tonight!

That's all for now - more as I find out!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Weekly Update, Upcoming Events+

Let's start out with the agenda for the Council Meeting Monday night. Here is a link. The main items are a petition from Kay Sconci requesting Travis Oaks Trail be included in the City of Lakeway's 3 year plan for annexation. This is the same type of petition presented by North Brooks Hollow by Steve and Anita Cokins. Council will address this petition at the Council Meeting Monday.

The Council will also address the question of annexation of several areas.

And finally, Council will address modification of the Health and Sanitation ordinance clear up issues allowing code enforcement to handle certain issues in addition to police officers.
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In other news, the City was served yesterday with a petition for a lawsuit by Steve and Anita Cokins regarding annexation of their property and the Brooks Hollow neighborhood.

From Steve Jones:

Lakeway Civic Corporation approved funding of $20,277 that will be combined with the Craftsman Grant and money available from the Heritage Center Fund to relocate and restore the Liebelt log cabin near the City Hall. This will be a GREAT addition to the area and will preserve this part of the area's history. Thanks!

The Lakeway MUD board of directors voted to sell their vacant lot at 129 Schooner to the city for $30,000. Since this price is slightly higher than previously approved, it will be brought back to the Council for approval. This conveyance would also include an easement for the proposed bicycle trail in Hamilton Greenbelt and a license for a trail adjacent to the MUD's large effluent storage pond on Highlands Blvd.

Our first wildfire ad was published in this weeks View. We have another ad that will be published in next week's paper. Banners will also be posted next week.

The City's total sales tax receipts for last month show a 15.4% increase over the same period last year and a 11.1% increase year to date.

Chief Radford reports we are up to 29 sworn officers beginning this weekend and our newest officer will start work on November 1st. The police will support Goblin Glow this weekend and will be gearing up for Public Safety Day on October 22. The Drug Take Back day will occur on October 29. Personal video cameras are being assigned and should be in use. The department is stepping up enforcement of speeding and cell phone use in school zones.

That's all for now!

Joe Bain
joe@bain.us

Prescriptions, CBC, City News

Prescription Take Back Day - Start getting your old prescriptions together so you can take them to the Lakeway Police Department on October 29, 2011 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Here is a link to more information!

CBC will meet in regular session on October 13, 2011. Here is that agenda!

Public Safety Day and Bike Rodeo it coming up on October 22, 2011. This is a huge event with EMS, Fire, Police, Sheriff's Dept. and many more attending. Put it on your calendar - it's all FREE! Here is a link to more information!

From Steve Jones:

You should be seeing a new banner around the City about fire hazards. Here is what it will look like. Thanks to Rachel Wallace for a great job designing it!

The lot behind the Justice Center has been cleaned up after a complaint from a neighbor. Thanks to the City for being a responsible neighbor and setting an example for others.

The Village of the Hills is ready to install their 5-foot concrete sidewalk along the East side of The Hills Drive from their entrance to Lakeway Blvd., a portion of which is within our City limits. Permits have been issued and work should be complete within 30 days.

Shannon Burke reports we finished the fiscal year with 169 new house permits compared to 136 last year, a 20% increase! He also reports the site work and subdivision improvements for the hospital behind the Post Office were officially completed. We have no information on when it is planed to open.

Chief Radford reports that Officers Sam Smith and Chris Doles successfully completed their field-training and have been assigned to solo patrol - Congratulations! He reported that National Night Out was a successful project! He estimated 350-400 people attended seventeen different neighborhood meetings.

Andra Dearing reports "Viewpoints" will have their first meeting on Sunday, October 16, with Margaret Perry discussing how Opera has flourished for four centuries. There are tickets available, call the Activity Center, 261-1010.

The Activity Center is undergoing a redesign that includes painting and furniture upgrades. All the work should be complete by the end of the year. There will be an "Open House" after the work is completed!

The trail in the east Lakeway Blvd. median is virtually complete with the exception of the footbridge - it looks like it withstood the recent rain (hooray!!!!) except for the vehicle that ran across one part of the newly established trail. New signs have been installed at the intersections of Crestview/Lakeway Blvd., Duck Lake/Lakeway Blvd. and at the Heritage Center.
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We had a GREAT rain didn't we! My gauge shows a little over 2 inches. Although this somewhat helps the immediate fire damage, it does little to help the current drought conditions. Water restrictions are still in effect - once a week watering as far as I can tell.

The Lakeway MUD will meet October 12 at 9:30AM. Here is the full agenda.

That's all for now!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

NNO, Weeks News

National Night Out was a huge success! 17 neighbors opened their front yard to neighbors to get together, meet each other, and talk about safety issues. There was an estimated 350 total attendance. My thanks to police and City Officials that visited the gatherings and answered questions and talked to citizens about current events.

There was much concern about fires and notifications - if you would like your cell phone to be added to the CAPCOG Emergency Notification System click on this link.

From Steve Jones:

Rachel Wallace, Administrative Assistant, is producing a public information program on wildfire safety. She has already posted information on our website informing readers on how they can help, how to find information, and how to prepare for the possibility of a wildfire in your area.

Code Enforcement is actively looking for overgrown lots that need attention. They are currently working 40 active cases. Because of the severity of the situation, I have directed them to reduce all notice periods to be as short as possible to speed up the process of getting lots cleared.

I talked to the POA manager at the Hills about their contractor tracking tar onto Lakeway Blvd. and obscuring our pavement markings. The contractor has agreed to help pay the cost for repainting the stripes. This should happen in the near future!

There has been some concern about our ability to hold local elections in May because of legislation about National Primary Elections. Decisions by the City of Austin will make it possible for us to continue holding our election in May. Their final vote will occur on their October 6 meeting.

The City has recently done some traffic studies on Lakeway Blvd. and Lakeway Dr. Average speeds are usually withing a few MPH of posted limits, however a disturbing number of drivers are driving 5 to 10 MPH over the limit. Chief Radford is working on an effort to slow down traffic based on information from the study.

Chessie Blanchard reports that Maldonado Nursery and Landscaping has been selected from the bids that were received for landscape maintenance services. Their bid was $15,000 less than our current expense level and they are experienced in high visibility projects.
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Lakeway MUD went to their new watering restrictions Monday. One watering a week is allowed - odd addresses on Tuesday and even's on Thursday. Go to their site for a complete list of restrictions - www.lakewaymud.org

In other MUD news, the developer that has been trying to by their cedar tract property on Lohmans defaulted on the purchase last Friday. More on that as I find out.

That's all for now - more soon! Thanks for all the support. If you would like to be added to my email list, write me at lakeway@bain.us

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Drought, Stage Two Restrictions, Events

More drought news!

The Lake Travis Economic Impact Study was formally released Thursday at the Oasis. Here is a link to their website where you can view both a summary of the findings and the full report. Councilman Alan Tye spoke briefly about the ongoing affects on the area and our City.

Starting October 3, 2011, those served by Lakeway MUD will go to Stage Two water restrictions. This means watering your lawn will be restricted to one day a week. Here is a link to their website - scroll down to see the full information on watering restrictions.

The ongoing drought continues to severely stress Texas trees. A new Texas Forrest Service video give some good timely information on how to water. Here is a link to that information.

The Lakeway Police Department is proud to participate in a collaborative effort with the DEA to support National Prescription Take Back Day - October 29, 2011. Here is a link to more information!

Have you heard? The 6th Annual Great Goblin Glow for 2011 is happening on October 15, 2011 at the City Park. Here is a link to more info - see you there!

Here is a link for information about registering to vote - you will need this if you want to participate in the upcoming bond elections.

That's all for now - I am trying to get some info on the MUD Cedar Tract sale - if I find anything out I'll let you know!

Joe Bain
Lakeway@bain.us

Special Council Results

City Council met in Special Session today, September 26, 2011 at 9:00AM. Here is that agenda.

The first item was addressing a petition from Steve and Anita Cokins to add their property and the rest of the North Brooks Hollow properties to a 3 year annexation plan. They also petitioned for arbitration if that was not granted.

The City Council went into executive session to discuss the issue with the City's attorney.

After the executive session, Council voted unanimously to deny both the addition to an annexation plan and the arbitration.

The next item was the second public hearing for the annexation of several other areas. There were several residents speaking against annexation of Travis Oaks Trail.

The public hearing was closed and the consent agenda was passed unanimously. Please welcome Bob Mickelson as a new member of the Arts and Beautification Committee.

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Weeks End Update

Let's start out with the Lakeway MUD. Looks like they are going to have a Special Meeting on Wednesday, September 28th. Here is the agenda. Looks like they are working through their FY 2012 rates and tax rates, have some new info on the LCRA Barge purchase and will consider the 17th amendment to an Earnest Money Contract on the Cedar Tract.

Of course the drought is on everyone's mind as we continue to go without any rain! Here is a press release from LCRA on their Drought Relief Measures. The LCRA also released some information on Floating habitats. Here are two releases on that issue. Structures - Structure Resolution. There is also a Board resolution on the Wastewater Divestitures.

Here is Steve Jone's report for the week:

Because of Council Members suggestions, the City will be working on a public information campaign regarding wildfire safety. There is already information on our website, and we plan to bolster that with newspaper articles, banners, and other means of getting the word out.

The Deer Management Committee plans to test a new tactic in trapping this year. We have ordered a device that uses compressed air to launch a net over the deer. The launcher will work in areas that are too small for conventional drop nets.

The Building and Development Services Department is almost ready to issue a building permit for the new library. The in house review is complete and we are waiting for final comments from the Fire Marshal and water district before issuing the permit.

The release of the Lake Travis Economic Impact Report will be next Thursday at Top of the Oasis at 10:00 AM. Council Member Alan Tye will be one of the honored speakers at this event.

Andra Dearing Reports: The trail on the East end of Lakeway Blvd. is progressing nicely! The crushed granite is being placed, stained concrete sections are being installed and the rockwork border is nearing completion.

Lakeway Civic Corp. gave a generous donation of $10,600 to provide new trail signs for the Canyonlands Trail. This project has been on hold for nearly three years due to a lack of funding. We are excited to see it move forward.

Many records have been set this year by the Activity Center Staff! Records including youth class revenue and facility rental are way ahead of projections!

Shannon Burk reports that they have started bringing in mulch to cover up the bare spots in Tuscan Village. Recent landscaping improvements have substantially improved the appearance of the project.
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Lakeway City Council will meet in Special Session on Monday, September 26, 2011. Here is that agenda.

More Soon!

Thanks for all the support!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Council Update

City Council met in regular session last night at 6PM. Here is that agenda.

The financial report was presented by Treasurer Al Tyson. The City is under budget on expenses and over budget on revenues. The City departments have been doing an excellent job of curtailing expenses - they continue to find ways to make the most of limited funds. The revenues are up due to higher sales tax receipts and Building and Development increases due to higher than expected activity in permits. All this is good news for the city!

Item 5 was a Proclamation by Mayor DeOme of October 4, 2011 to support National Night Out Against Crime. Here is the proclamation.

Item 6 dealt with updating the Subdivision and Site Development Ordinance - since various areas of the City including areas scheduled for annexation are now in the updated Flood Plain, the City adopted language from Travis Counties current Code so as to not further restrict any of these properties and allow those residents access to Federal Flood Insurance. Passed unanimously.

Item 7 was a Zoning Code Amendment structured to attempt to accommodate residents of areas scheduled for annexation. Residents in North Brooks Hollow were adamant the ordinance amendment did not address a significant number of concerns, many of which centered around the "Grandfathering" of many of their current conditions. Although Council delayed annexation of the area for 90 days to allow discussion and negotiations, the residents of the area felt like the proposed Amendment was not done in good faith. Council voted to approve the Amendment with a vote of 4-3. Council Members Wallace, Harris and Tye voted against the measure.

Item 8 addressed the annexation of North Brooks Hollow and was a hotly contested item. One of the resident's attorney submitted a document questioning the right of the City to unilaterally annex the area under Local Government Code 43.052(h)(1) at 6:25PM, 5 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start. Here is that document. The public hearing with heated comments including disruptions which eventually led to some attendees being asked to leave. After discussion by Council, the annexation was passed by a vote of 5-2, Mr. Harris and Mr. Tye dissenting.

Item 9 was a scheduled public hearing for the possible annexation of several other areas detailed in the agenda. This was also a hotly contested item and required police intervention to control the meeting. No action was required on this item.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2012 was adopted unanimously.

The tax rate of $.1996 (same as last year) was adopted unanimously. This is an example of how good fiscal management keeps services at a high quality level and costs down. Thanks!

The FY2011 budget was amended to include some recent expenses and unexpected revenue unanimously.

13. A special Use permit was granted to B&B Body and Paint to operate a vehicle repair shop. The property is zoned C-2 which is appropriate but requires a SUP. The design looks good an Council approved the Permit unanimously.

14. Council approved another Special Use Permit to allow the Lakeway Commons to operate a weekly Farmers Market at the shopping center. This will be a good use of the area and hopefully will bring some good fresh produce for citizens to enjoy!

15. Council approved a Zoning Code Amendment for the hospital area on 620. It allows use of a flat roof on any building over 40 feet tall in that MMC zoning. All equipment on the roof will be concealed by the flat roof.

Finally, item 16 was a discussion and instructed the Staff to develop changes to the City's noise ordinance to allow more control on commercial use of amplified sound. More on that at the next meeting.

The Consent agenda was approved with the exception of the appointment of Don Stevenson as Emergency Management Coordinator. That item was pulled to allow more time to Mr. Stevenson decide on acceptance of the appointment.

Council will meet in Special Session on Monday, September 26, 2011. This will be another Public Hearing on areas included in the annexation plan.

Drought, Rain, MUD, Weekly Report and much more!

Let's start with the drought. It looks like the Lakeway MUD (and other MUDs) will be going to a higher level on drought watering restrictions at the end of September if we don't get substantial rain by then. We will go to one watering a week and no more than the equivalent one inch of rain. Hours will be further restricted also.

Here is a link to Texas Parks pictures from around the area. Here is a link to a news release from LCRA - it speaks to curtailing water usage including downstream users.

We actually had a little shower today - I hope it's a sign of things to come!

The Lakeway MUD met in regular session Wednesday - here is that agenda. It appears their tax rate will stay the same next year, $0.2052 per $100 evaluation. There was much discussion on an ongoing IRS audit and the other item that took a lot of time was an attempt to remove Linda Wishard from the APC committee that failed for lack of a motion. Here is a link to the video page if you would care to watch the whole meeting.

From Steve Jones:

Last week we met with representatives of the developer for the Lakeway Regional Medical Center. They indicated a desire to revise their site plan to include about 250 apartment units on the property. The developer expressed a need for close, affordable housing for hospital employees. This might be an appropriate location but staff is very concerned about potential traffic impact on an already congested section of RR620.

There was much discussion at last week's ZAPCO meeting on the proposed zoning change and special use permit for Lakeway Airpark South. The plan was again postponed pending revision.

ZAPCO also deliberated a proposal from Las Ventanas t develop a nine acre apartment complex in Lakeway Highlands. There were many concerns and action was postponed on this also.

The commission also voted to recommend annexation of the remaining areas under consideration with the exception of the Lochan Ora Subdivision (located North of and adjacent to City Park).

Chief Radford reports the Public Safety Day has been rescheduled for October 22. All first line supervisors received training in the new Guardian software - we have a trial program and have rolled it out for testing.

Shannon Burke reported he has received a number of special event permit applications for fundraiser for the fire victims, so you may see some banners over the next couple of weeks directing folks to fundraisers.

Numbers released from the State Comptroller's office indicate that our sales tax receipts are up 10.6% over year to date from last year.
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CBC will meet in regular session next Thursday at 9AM. Here is that agenda.

Council will meet Monday evening at 6:30 - here is that agenda. There will be several items on the agenda that I expect will have lengthy public hearings. Annexation of North Brooks Hollow and amendments to the R-6 zoning along with amendments to Subdivision and Site Development plans is early on the agenda.

Annexation of several other areas is also on the agenda with public hearings on each item.

There are also several Special Use Permits on the agenda, all of which will have public hearings.

All of the items pertaining to Lakeway Airpark South have been postponed per request of the submitter.

I received a report of commendation for our police this morning. It seems that bicycles were stolen from a resident of the World of Tennis and shortly after discovery, the police had recovered the bicycles and made an arrest! GREAT job!

That's all for now - more as I find out!

Thanks for LOOKING!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Here is a link to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Flickr show on the drought. It's pretty sad!

Last Week, Looking Forward

ZAPCO's regular meeting was held on Sept. 7th. Here is that agenda.

Items 1-9 were approved with little discussion.

Items 10-11 were recommended unanimously with some discussion from North Brooks Hollow and Travis Oaks Trail.

Item 12 - Consider annexation by City of Lakeway.

All sections on this agenda item were recommended for annexation except item 12e, a subdivision known as Lochan Ora, located East of Hurst Creek and North of Lakeway Park.

13-15 After much discussion the Special Use Permit for Lakeway Airpark South was denied 3-2. After discussion on the zoning change the commission retracted the denial and tabled all three of the items to allow applicant time for a revision.

16-18 Were all passed unanimously.

19-21 These items included a section of the Highlands the developer wants to re-zone for multifamily (R-8). It was tabled to allow the developer more time.

22 This item was passed unanimously.

This meeting set a record for time I think. It actually adjourned about 3:15.

CBC met on Thursday - here is that agenda.

Item 1 was denied on site. The applicant wanted to put a pool in front of the house and has a septic field in the back restriction that area. Since LMUD sewer is available at that location and there were concerns on screening and fencing, the application was denied.

2. Variance was approved - road requiring 25' setback was never built and commission felt it never will be.

3. Two requests were considered, the variance to build a cantilevered walkway above ground in the 5' building setback was approved. Request to allow a detached structure without a covered breeze way was denied.

One of the big concerns of the City is the continued high fire danger in the area. Since the temperatures are climbing again and expected to be in the 100+ degree range this week, please use extreme caution whenever outside or in any of the Cities parkland.

Here is a link to a Youtube video of planes scooping up water from Lake Travis a few days ago.

Here is another link to a video posted by Texas Park and Wildlife showing how fast the fire moved.

You might have noticed that the parks and greenbelts were closed for a couple of days last week. Because of the extreme fire danger these areas were closed. Please be aware that if necessary this could happen again as long as the heat and drought are with us. Citizens safety is our prime concern!

Today there will be another budget work session at City Hall starting at 2PM. Here is that agenda.

Thanks for all the support! I have been traveling quite a bit the last couple of months and hope to get back to a more regular schedule of posting!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Catch Up and Current Events

If you have been watching the news, you probably already know of the fire issues in our area and all of Texas. The cooler temperatures are nice, but the wind is making fire conditions worse. Steiner Ranch, Bastrop, areas off Hamilton Pool and Hwy 12 and areas around the Pedernales are all affected.

Here is a link to some aerial photo's supplied by Jeff Brinkman!

I have just been notified that all Travis County and DPS deputies have been called in to help with traffic and evacuations in the area. We are using some of our resources to help when we can. Lakeway appears to be in good shape for the time being.

In case you haven't heard, Lakeway MUD has gone to stage two water restrictions, bummer! Here is a link to their webpage for all the info. Please adhere to these restriction, we are in a major drought!

From Steve Jones: Cheif Radford reports that the FBI arrested a suspect in a robbery in Round Rock at a home in Lakeway by tracking the suspects cell phone. The suspect was not a resident of Lakeway.

We now have an executed copy of the new franchise agreement with Austin Energy - this will provide funds in next years budget!

The building permit for Holiday Inn Express was approved last week and site work is ongoing.

City Staff met with the Lakeway MUD officials and are working to acquire easements and licenses across LMUD property to allow construction of walking trails that will connect residents in western Lakeway to Rough Hollow and the Canyonlands Trail system. Easements are also in the works for new bicycle trails in the Hamilton Greenbelt. LMUD officials have been helpful and seem to be supporting our plans for the trails.
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ZAPCO will meet in regular session on Sept. 7th at 9:10 AM. Here is that agenda. It will be a long session as you can see from the agenda. The issues that I expect will take much of the time are zoning amendments for R-6, Site Development amendment - Flood Plain, Annexation issues, and possibly zoning issues with multifamily tracts in the Highlands.

CBC will meet next Thursday at 9AM. Here is that agenda. There are several variance requests on that agenda.

Forclosures, Holiday Inn, School Starts, Swim Center Closes

Wonder about Lakeway forclosures? Greg Delong has identified 40+ properties in Lakeway in forclosure. Greg is compiling an inventory of contact information and will be keeping an eye on these properties.

The Holiday Inn Express has made available a rendering of what the building will look like when complete. They will be going before the CBC to have the colors approved next Thursday. Here is a link to the rendering.

This weekend marks the end of the season for the Lakeway Pool. With school starting next week, there are no lifeguards available. Lake Travis ISD has inquired about terminating their contract with the City and have plans to move to Nitro.

School starts next week so be sure to watch your speed and be careful in the school zones.

That's all for today, more soon!

Thanks again!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Need some Help, Week's Report, Drought

I normally don't use this blog to further charities but this is one of the exceptions. Our Assistant City Manager, Chessie Blanchard-Zimmerman and her husband Tracy are working to support the Green Beret Foundation. Here is their website. Please check out the site and help them help the troops and their families. I appreciate your generous support!

City Building Commission meets next Thursday at 9AM. Here is that agenda.

The Mayor and Assistant City Manager met with representatives of North Brooks Hollow and went over the revisions to the R-6 zoning ordinance. Hopefully most of the concerns are being addressed.

There was a meeting of the Hills POA and Flintrock Falls residents over traffic involving Jack Nicklaus Drive. It appears there are several opinions on how to handle the issues but not much agreement on any solutions. For now it appears that no cut through for either The Hills Residents or Flintrock Falls residents will be allowed!

The Men's Breakfast Club's speaker was Bob Rose, the LCRA meteorologist. His outlook was not very positive. It appears without some relief our area will be moving to Stage II restrictions. This could mean watering our yard only one day a week!

I notice that all of our medians are looking poorly because of the drought and the City has many of trees that are in a stressed condition. In contrast, the new plantings and beds around Lohman's and Lakeway Blvd. are a real improvement to the area landscape!

Thanks for all the support. Please email me if you would like to be added to my email list that I send out when blogs are posted. Stay cool and pray for rain!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Council Update, DeOme checks out St. Davids

Hello everyone! Mayor DeOme was unable to attend the Council meeting last night, he made an unexpected visit to St. Davids in Bee Cave. He is fine and at home and is expected to make a full recovery. I hear those kidney stones are really painful!

Here are the highlights from Council's agenda. Our financials continue to be a bright spot in Lakeway. We again were above budget in revenue and below budget in expense - both GOOD news!

Items 5, 6, and 7 were delayed until the next meeting at the Mayor's request.

Item 8 was approved to clean up ownership of a section of Hayden Ridge Lane - although the City has been maintaining the road, it appears it was privately owned by The Hills POA and now it is City ROW.

9. The City is authorized to hire a firm for collection of Municipal court fines and fees. The City has about $2 million outstanding that if pursued will net $700 - $800 thousand dollars. 30% will go to the collection agency.

10. A resolution was passed to not impose a subscriber fee for operation of a Public channel since Lakeway does not have an entity to pursue this.

11. Lakeway Airpark South was denied R-1 zoning last October and is requesting reconsideration of their zoning ahead of the normal 1 year anniversary. This was granted, however there were questions about the new plan that will need to be answered.

12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 were all passed pertaining to Annexation and Zoning of property in the Highlands at the request of the developer.

17, 18, and 19 were all passed instituting new ordinances for Short Term Rentals in Lakeway.

20. A zoning code amendment addressing sexually-oriented businesses was passed unanimously.

21-22. Council spent a few minutes discussing and requesting additional information from Staff on the FY2012 budget. Since we intend to use the current tax rate of $0.1996 per hundred, no action was required.

The meeting ended a little before 8PM, well ahead of expectations because of the items that were deferred.

Thanks for the support! If you would like to be on my email list, simply send me a note at lakeway@bain.us and I will sign you up!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Drought, Weekly Update ++

Its been hot and dry hasn't it! I was thinking about hitching a ride around the area in a friends plane for some pictures of the lake and just received this Youtube video made by the LCRA. Here is a link - it's really sad!

Here is a link to Don Gardner's tips for keeping your trees alive during this drought!

Triton Trial - Bee Cave and Uplands resident Kurt Barton's fraud trial started this week with testimony about the profligate spending of the company now known to have been a giant Ponzi scheme - Triton Financial. Leveraging relationships with several local Football stars, Barton is alleged to have embezzled over $50 million and is charged with fraud and numerous other offenses in this Federal case.

From Steve Jones:

The Village of The Hills wants to install a sidewalk along The Hills Drive from Trophy Drive To Lakeway Blvd. Part of it will be in our jurisdiction so they have submitted plans for review. It looks good and will be a nice improvement for our children who walk or bike to Serene Hills Elementary.

A drainage problem at 303 Duck Lake caused by a driveway installed 13 years ago should be corrected in a week or so. It appears the City failed to require a culvert under the driveway.

Paul Duncan (City Engineer) held a pre-construction meeting this week for the HEB wastewater extension in Serene Hills. Hopefully this indicates that HEB is getting serious about building at this location.

Residential building permits increased by 54.7% from this time last year. Our sales tax receipts are also up 28.7% over this month last year. Our local economy continues to show signs of good health!

Annexation Update:

Last week, staff sent copies of the proposed amendments to the R-6 Zoning district and floodplain ordinance to representatives of North Brooks Hollow and Travis Oaks Trails. This week we received communications from attorneys representing both groups. The process will move along as directed by Council in the June meeting. In September, the agenda will include action items for adopting the proposed amendments and annexing the North Brooks Hollow area.
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Here is the Agenda for Monday's Council meeting - there are many action items and I expect the meeting will run long.

The tenth annual Lakeway Photo Festival is coming up in November. Here is a link to more information!

And finally, although the Transitional Medical Center (behind the Post Office) seems to be nearly complete, the latest information I have is that it will open sometime in 2012.

Thanks for all the letters of support! More as I find out!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Travis County Bond, Council Results

I have received word that the projects City needed were included in the Bond procedure. Both the Flintrock Road Construction and the Bee Creek Road Construction made the cut. From what I understand, many items previously cut were also included. The total bond package is a little over 200 million dollars. The Bond election will be in November this year.

Council met Monday at 2PM, here is that agenda. There was a work session on the FY 2012 City budget. Following a presentation by City Manager Steve Jones, the budget was discussed. The plan is to keep the tax rate at $.197 per $100 of evaluation - the same as last year. It appears that many items deferred from the last 3-4 years can be addressed in this budget.

An amendment was passed to amend the FY 2011 budget to allow use of unused funds.

Next Monday, Council will meet in regular session at 6:30PM. Here is that agenda. I expect this meeting will run long - there is a lot on the agenda.

CBC meets tomorrow, August 11, 2011 at 9AM. Here is that agenda.

More soon!

Thanks for the support!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

Here's The Latest!

Today there will be a Special Council Meeting on the budget. Starts at 2PM and here is the agenda.

Staff is working with all the departments to draft a budget on the effective tax rate so there will be no tax increase. The goal is to fill frozen positions, catch up on deferred maintenance and include a cost of living adjustment in wages. It looks like this will be attainable since we are under budget for last year.

From Steve Jones:

Dave Taylor, Bruce Harris, Dennis Wallace and I attended the ribbon cutting for St. David's new ER at the Hill Country Galleria.

Time Warner Cable is going to change to the State Wide franchise agreement September 1st. We anticipate this will result in about a $120K increase in revenue in FY 2012.

The City did not overlay any streets this year to enable us to overlay Lohmans Crossing between Lakeway Blvd. and RR 620.

Shannon Burke:

The LRMC is moving forward with an expedited schedule for a Medical Office next to the Hospital.

Haythem Dawlett will approach ZAPCO and Council in September for approval of R-8 (apartment) zoning for a tract immediately West of the Highland Village amenity center.
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There is no new news on the Hospital behind the Post Office.

A draft of new amendments has been produced by staff for changes to the R-6 zoning. This is in response to the North Brooks Hollow annexation and addresses the issues brought up in public meetings.

The City of Lakeway has joined the "Stars for Our Troops" campaign. Here is a link to more information.

ZAPCO met last week and had a long agenda. Here are the high points:

3. Tug's BBQ sign was denied because of too many colors.

5. Lake Travis Library sign was denied because it was too large - almost 4 times permitted size.

8. Marina Village development permit was approved with the requirement that fencing and restoration of construction area.

9. A proposed amendment to Short Term Rentals was recommended.

All the rest of items were approved except items 16-20 that were postponed.

More after Council today - thanks for looking!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us

BOA Canceled, LT Rating, St. Davids, CBC, more!

Wednesdays long awaited Board of Adjustment meeting was cancelled at the last minute. The developer was appealing the decision of the Building Commission denying his request to allow front facing garages on the lots.

The Lake Travis ISD received an exemplary rating for the second year. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

St. David’s Emergency Center will hold a community-wide event to celebrate the grand opening of the center on Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The free event will allow residents of Bee Cave, Lakeway and Lake Travis, as well as other surrounding areas, to tour the new emergency center and learn more about the medical services it offers.

Travis County will hold a public hearing July 26th and a decision is expected to finalize the projects to be included on the bond election this November.

CBC will meet next week in regular session on Thursday at 9AM. Here is that agenda. Support your commissioners, they work hard to keep Lakeway the GREAT city it is!

Steve Jones, Dave DeOme and I met with representatives from the Lakeway Regional Medical Center this week. They have decided to step in and build both a Medical Office Building and the Flintrock Road entrance because of their importance to the opening of the Hospital. They are asking for expedited handling of these projects through the City and Staff feels this will not be an issue.

From Steve Jones:

The Village of The Hills is seal coating their streets this week and some of the tar is being tracked onto city streets at their entrances. This causes no damage and will disappear pretty quickly.

There is a bad patch of asphalt on Lohmans Crossing near the intersection with Hurst Creek Dr. This portion of the road was overlaid last year and is under warranty! The contractor has been contracted and they are scheduled to make repairs next week.

Tuscan Village is looking better all the time. Some Certificates of Occupancy have been issued and more are on the was as site work is completed.
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Chief Todd Radford reports officers have been testing the body-worn video cameras and have had good results so far. You might have seen a story done on the cameras - here is a link to one of the reports.

July 30th Movies in the Park will present The Karate Kid starting at 8:45 PM! Here is a link to more info on that event!

Thanks again for the support!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us