Labor Day, Budgets, Upcoming Work Sessions and More!

Labor Day weekend - it's going to be Fall soon!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend!  

Tuesday September 1st there was a ceremony honoring the "Greatest Generation" at the Heritage Center  celebrating the end of WW II.  There was a good crowd and the whole program was wonderful.  Here is a link to pictures by Bill Hawkins.  Take some time and enjoy!

Harris County Sheriff Darren Goforth was honored by police departments across the State including Lakeway.  He was put to rest and please keep the family in your prayers.  This was another senseless act of violence, please join with me to support our police - they do a GREAT job!

CBC will meet in regular session Sept. 10th at 9:00 am.  Here is that agenda.

We had a Budget Work Session at City Hall Thursday.  After a Presentation by City Manager Steve Jones and Deputy City Manager Chessie Zimmerman, a proposed Ad Volorem tax rate of $0.17 per hundred dollars valuation was accepted unanimously.  There will be a Public Hearing on the tax rate Sept. 14th at 2:00 pm and again at the regular Council Meeting on Sept. 21.

We are looking at dates for Council Work Sessions where we will discuss and learn about a possible Performing Arts Center funded by the Hotel Tax.  We will also be looking at the need for a new Justice Center, paid for with a bond, where it would be located and sizing considerations.  Both big projects that will be completely vetted with I'm sure several public hearings.  More on both of these as I get the information.

From Steve Jones:
I have a meeting scheduled next week with our city attorney to discuss changes to our short-term rental (STR) ordinance.  It is my intention to add provisions that will address recent problems we have experienced with STRs.  Our proposal will be to limit the number of people who can stay, require a minimum distance between STRs, require a special use permit, require HOA approval, limit the number of nights an STR may be used, require self-reporting on the operations, and increase the fee to cover the cost of enforcement.  There may be other items in the final draft.  If you have any thoughts or suggestions on short-term rentals, please let me know.  I hope to have a draft ready for your consideration at our October meeting.  

As we discussed yesterday, we need to schedule work sessions on the capital improvement plan and the performing arts center.  I anticipate that the CIP discussion will focus on the proposed justice center.  If you will send me your availability for a meeting this month and next, we will look for a time that will accommodate as many councilmembers as possible.  

HR reports that we currently have job postings for a Police Officer I, Police Dispatcher, Aquatic Programs Coordinator, Accounting Specialist, and Administrative Assistant for Activity Center.  The job postings are on our website at http://www.lakeway-tx.gov/jobs.aspx.

From Chief Radford:
Routine traffic stops resulted in the following charges; Out of Jurisdiction Warrant X 4; Lakeway Warrant X 1; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia X 8; Possession of a Controlled Substance X 2; Possession of Marijuana X 1; Driving While Intoxicated X 5; Driving while License Suspended X 2. 

Officers responded to a call on Cutty Trail. A subject had left home intoxicated with a child in the vehicle. The child was located at a neighbor’s residence a short time later. No charges were filed, but the case has been sent to CID for follow up. 

A Lakeway Blvd. resident reported that approximately 8 gallons of gasoline was stolen from the tank of their vehicle. No suspects at this time. 

Officers took a report of an Assault at a local RR 620 S. Restaurant. It was reported that two employees had been in an altercation in the kitchen. 

Patrol will be monitoring our roadways for DWI drivers over the holiday weekend as part of the central Texas task force on DWI prevention. 

CID filed misdemeanor charges in two separate retail theft cases this week. 

The Axon representative who is coordinating the beta testing of Axon’s in car video system visited to receive input about the testing. To date the auto activation beta test is working very well.  


Our fleet manager is working with the vendor to get hail-damaged done to our patrol cars repaired.

Please have a safe Labor Day weekend, if anything big happens I get it out there when I can!

If you want to be included on my email list, please send a note to lakeway@bain.us and I'll sign you up.  Thanks again for all the support!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us