Rain and More!

GREAT RAIN!  Can you believe it?  I got about 2.5 inches and have heard others that got 3 inches - Lake rose about 13 inches - well it's a start!  I'll have to take credit for it, my only official action while the Mayor was out of town was to sign the extension of the burn ban, 24 hours later we had a bunch of rain!  Here's some pictures courtesy of the Lakeway Police!

I'm a little late on this one, but it's ongoing.  The small recycle bins should be left out with your trash and will be picked up.  Here's a link to more information.

Thursday April 11, 2013 is the last day to register to vote for the coming up election.  Please vote for the continuation of the Road Sales Tax that will be on the ballot.

As on my last post, George Blume reinstated his suit against the LCC.  The suit is only against LCC and the City was previously dropped from the suit.  The City however is covering the LCC's cost at this time.  I afor one am very disappointed that this has been done - it seems like a waste of time and taxpayers money!

From Steve Jones:
I am sad to report that Finance Director Julie Oakley has submitted her resignation effective this month.  She was recruited away from us by the City of Horseshoe Bay.  Julie has been a valuable part of our management team, and she will be sorely missed.  However, we wish her good luck in the next phase of her career. 

Court Clerk Ruth Sandoval reports, “I attended this year’s TMCEC Municipal Traffic Safety Initiative Conference.  I had the honor of receiving our fourth Traffic Safety Award.  Our entry was about our program’s approach to traffic safety and our implementation of these programs through the court and in our community.  To mention a few, we have the Report My Unsafe Driving Bumper Sticker Program, No Cell Phone and No Texting Order, Jacqui Saburido Before and After media packet, Parent-Teen Contract Agreement, and 25 Reasons Not to Text and Drive.”

Troy Anderson reports, “This week, the Zoning Commission approved sign permits for The Grove and Lola Savannah, and denied a sign alteration to the Shell/Circle K freestanding sign.  We also saw Lakeway Highlands Phase 2 kick-off with approvals from the Zoning Commission for an amendment to the Developers Agreement, annexation of 35 acres, zoning of the same, a preliminary plan, and four final plats that allow the developer to begin development of 161 new homes.  Also, this week, we sent the petition and notice of hearing regarding unsafe buildings to owners of property located on Medalist Street and Mettle Drive.  The hearing is set for May 14 at the Lakeway Municipal Court.”

Public Works Director Dale DeLong reports, “On Wednesday, in cooperation with WCID 17, LMUD, and Hurst Creek MUD, we started cleaning up the future site of the Travis County Regional Reuse and Recycle Center.  Another cleanup day needs to be scheduled to complete the project.  Tuesday evening’s storms washed away parts of the Lakeway Boulevard median trail and knocked down a cedar tree that blocked the roadway.  Repairs should be completed today to the damaged areas of the trail.  This past Saturday, City Forester Carrie Burns organized the Eagle Scout fuel reduction cleanup in Hamilton Greenbelt.  You can see the progress they made in the attached photos.  There are two more cleanups scheduled for this month.” 

Julie Oakley reported, “The Finance Department has been working on auctioning surplus items online.  Eleven postings brought in $19,118 in revenue.  This included a 1998 Jeep Cherokee from BDS that sold for $3,235 and a 2006 Ford F-150 from the Police Department that sold for $4,500.  This program keeps us in compliance with legal provisions regarding government property and is an efficient way to manage surplus assets.” 

Chief Radford reported, “We had some bad weather roll through the area earlier this week.  You will see by the photos attached that water rose quickly and flash flooding occurred.  We had no reported power outages, and no traffic lights malfunctioned during the storm.  We had minor street flooding and some tree limbs down, but these items were handled quickly.  A new officer started this week.  That brings us to full strength.  Officer Josh Love comes to us from east Texas.  Thanks go to the Lakeway Police Foundation; it funded additional equipment for the police training gym.  Officers and civilian staff are taking full advantage of this facility.  The 11th Citizens Police Academy is in its second week with 31 participants.  This week, they had a presentation from Lt. Ken Farr regarding our patrol function from the aspects of recruiting, the hiring process, field training, and patrol operations.”
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That's all for the moment - more as I hear it!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us