The Audit Report was presented by Singleton, Clark & Company, P.C. The City once again came through the annual audit with flying colors. Chessie Zimmerman was instrumental in holding things together and keeping the City on the straight and narrow during the interval where we had no Finance Director. We certainly appreciate her efforts! Julie Oakley then took over and iced the cake!
Council passed an ordinance declaring the unopposed candidates for the office of Councilmember and cancelled the General Election on May 10, 2014. Please welcome Mayor Pro Tem Dave Taylor for another term and Dwight Haley and Sandy Cox as members of the City Council.
A Special Use Permit was approved for a child-care facility at 1501 Lohman's Crossing Rd. (at the corner of Rolling Green).
A Special Use Permit was denied to Raising Cane Fried Chicken in the Hospital District. Several things were of concern including signage, colors, possible traffic issues, and some concern over the developer's agreement to finish a road before the restaurant opens. The vote was 4 to 3 against. Mayor DeOme, Dee Ann Burns, Phil Brown and myself were against. Dave Taylor, Bruce Harris and Jim Powell voted in favor.
Council will meet in Special Session Monday, March 24 at 2PM. This will be the first of two special public hearings on the annexation of 318 acres Northwest of Bee Creek Rd. Here is a link to the full agenda.
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There was a distraction during the meeting that caused me some concern. An aircraft flying almost continuously over City hall caused an issue several times. I've also received several emails with concerns about this same kind of issue at residences last Monday night. If you have comments or suggestions please email the Airpark Board of Directors at concerns@3r9.org .
CBC (City Building Commission) will meet in regular session on Thursday March 27. Here is that agenda.
Judge Kevin Madison will be hosting a Mother's Against Drunk Driving Regional Task Force meeting next Tuesday on March 25th at 1PM. They will have MADD support staff and officers from: Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol, Austin Police Department, Travis County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife, LCRA, and other local police agencies. The meeting meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Lakeway Municipal Court.
Spring is here and that means Eggstravaganza is coming up! Join Parks and Recreation for this free event April 12 from 2-4p.m. Here is a link to more information.
The City Memorial Day ceremony will move this year to the Lake Travis High School Performing Arts Center. The event will be on May 26th and the Air Force Band of the West will be performing - put it on your calendar, it should be a GREAT event!
From Steve Jones:
We met with HDR Engineering this week for a review of the design plans on the Flint Rock Road project. The plans are 60% complete, and we are on schedule to finish them this summer and be ready to bid the project this fall if right of way is acquired.
From Chessie Zimmerman:
Steve and I met with area residents to discuss their concerns about a proposed condominium development in the city’s ETJ. The project, Vistas at Lake Travis, is located on 65 acres between Crosswind Drive and Lakehurst Road.
Troy and I met with Alan Bojorquez to discuss claims related to Chapter 245 (grandfathered) status. There are two projects for which this question has been raised, one residential and one commercial. Determining whether a 245 claim is valid requires a thorough research of historic approvals, jurisdiction, and regulatory changes for each property.
I attended an open house at the UT Network Modeling Center. The staff provided information and examples of their dynamic traffic assignment model. DTA modeling is considerably more sophisticated than trip based modeling in assessing the impact of proposed changes to a transportation system. Trip based modeling has been the standard for a half-century, but it is a relatively blunt tool. You can learn more about DTA and the Center here: http://utnmc.org/.
Paul Duncan has finished his review of the site plan for Lexus of Lakeway, and Lexus advised us that they have closed on their construction loan.
Chief Radford reported, “Officers investigated an assault case which originated at Fore Restaurant. A man was assaulted inside the restaurant, and a warrant is in process for the suspect. Officers assisted the LTFD with a fire call at Rocky Coast Cove. Officers arrived to find a loaded dump truck in flames because of a mechanical problem. The truck, a total loss, was towed from the scene.”
This week, Alpha Paving completed the milling projects on Lakeway Blvd & Lakeway Drive (photo attached). The only real evidence we found as to why the roads failed in those areas was a that the asphalt wasn’t as thick in the failed areas and couldn’t handle some of the heavy loads that were being put on it. Thanks to the weather and an organized contractor, both projects were completed on time and in a professional manner.
The landscape contractor installed sub-surface drip irrigation on the median at Lohmans crossing and Lohmans Spur (photo attached). This is a test island to see if it will be successful enough to install on all the medians on Lohmans Crossing. If successful, it will eliminate the problems we have with overspray. This method will also reduce water waste since all the water is distributed directly to the roots of the grass.
In closing, I have followed news about LCRA’s proposed water rate increase. It appears that the river authority intends to recover the cost of a proposed $200 million downstream reservoir by increasing the rates of “firm” water customers. LCRA states that firm water customers will benefit from the reservoir. I do not agree with that. I plan to attend a public meeting on the proposed rates hosted by the LCRA in Bee Cave on April 3. You might want to attend that meeting also. At some point, the City Council may want to express its opinion on the proposed rate increase.
That's all I have for now - enjoy the Spring like weather we are forecast to have later this week!
Joe Bain
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