Blue Hole is experiencing a record swimming season with more than 21,000 visitors since the park opened in June generating just over $110,000
Note: City Hall Briefs, written and edited by Bob Flocke to inform the citizens of Wimberley about city activities, is neither an official nor an authorized publication of the City of Wimberley. City Hall Briefs is distributed by e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive it. Anyone who wishes to be added to the distribution list should send their email address to Mayor Flocke (below). The RoundUp has edited the Briefs for length and style.Send your comments and questions to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Mr. Flocke at rflocke@austin.rr.com, 512.847.5421, or click on the "comments" at the bottom of the report
Wimberley city elections to remain in May
The Wimberley City Council at its Thursday night meeting, Sept. 1, voted to keep elections for council members and mayor on the second Saturday in May every year instead of moving the election day to November. City elections have been held in May since Wimberley’s incorporation in 2000.
The council vote was forced by the passage of Senate Bill 100 in the last session of the Texas Legislature which was enacted to comply with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act that requires 45 days between federal elections. Senate Bill 100 designates the fourth Tuesday in May in even-numbered years for the runoff election day for the March primary election. The designation of the new runoff election date makes it impossible for Hays County election officials to continue to conduct elections for the city of Wimberley in even-numbered years because of the close proximity to the runoff election to the state’s may uniform election date – the second Saturday in May – in even numbered years.
The council voted to keep city elections on the second Saturday in May after considering three options. One choice was to unstagger the terms of council members and elect council members on the May uniform election day only in odd-numbered years. This would have resulted in a city election every two years where the entire city council would be elected at the same time.
The second option was to continue to stagger the terms of council members and move city elections to the November uniform election date. This would have placed city candidates on the same ballot with candidates for federal, state and county office.
The third choice—the one the council adopted—was to continue to stagger the terms of council members, buy or lease voting machines from a vendor and continue to conduct elections on the May uniform election date. The first two options would have required that the terms of some council members would have been held over to reflect the change in the election process.
The council also directed City Administrator Don Ferguson to seek a vendor from which to lease voting machines and to investigate forming partnerships with the city of Woodcreek and the Wimberley Independent School District to share the cost of elections. The estimated cost of purchasing election equipment is $35,000, while the cost of leasing is just over $10,000.
The Wimberley ISD has indicated a willingness to join with the city and lease the equipment needed for the May election. Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District officials are leaning in the direction of a November election. The Woodcreek City Council will consider its options at a meeting on September 6.
Talks on unified regional water conservation efforts underway
Wimberley City Administrator Don Ferguson recently met with representatives of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, Aqua Texas, the Wimberley Water Supply Corporation and the city of Woodcreek in an effort to create some uniformity in the area’s water conservation regulations. The group discussed the need for uniform conservation stages and triggers for those stages and common watering restrictions. The group plans to expand to include the city of Dripping Springs.
Council delays action on reopening Las Flores, neighborhood meeting set
After explain his plan for traffic safety changes in the Las Flores and La Buena Vista Drive neighborhood in the northern part of Wimberley Thursday evening, City Councilman Tom Talcott asked to delay a vote on the plan. Talcott cited neighborhood resident requests for more information and time to consider the plan as the reason for the delay. A meeting of neighborhood (residents) to discuss the plan (was) scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 6 at City Hall.
Acting on concerns of some neighborhood residents about increased traffic through the neighborhood between RM 12 and RM 2325, the city closed Las Flores Drive and routed through traffic onto La Buena Vista Drive in August 2010.
Talcott’s proposal involves reopening the east end of Las Flores, making La Buena Vista one-way beginning where it intersects the east end of Las Flores and ending at its intersection with the west end of Las Flores. The west end of Las Flores would be realigned to create a “T” intersection with La Buena with a three-way stop. Additional speed humps would be placed on both streets.
Funding for city marshal placed in proposed FY ’12 city budget
Acting on a proposal by Mayor Bob Flocke, the city council placed funding for a city marshal, a vehicle, and necessary law enforcement equipment in the proposed city general fund budget for fiscal year 2012. The funding totaling about $130,000 is part of the $960,000 general fund budget which must be approved by the council before the new fiscal year begins on October 1. The council will consider and possibly act on approving the new budget after a public hearing at its September 15 meeting. The former city marshal’s position was abolished by the council two years ago to make room in the budget for a program to resurface streets.
2011 a record year for Blue Hole, water remains safe for swimmers
Blue Hole is experiencing a record swimming season with more than 21,000 visitors since the park opened in June generating just over $110,000. Weekly water quality tests continue to show E.coli counts within acceptable level for water contact recreation. Park officials also are monitoring the depth of the water to ensure safe swimming and diving.
August sales tax revenues highest in city history
Wimberley’s August sales tax revenue check from the state comptroller’s office is the largest monthly sales tax check in the city’s 11 year history. The check, representing June sales, totaled $74,526—up seven percent from August 2010’s check. Year to date, city sales tax revenues are up four percent compared to last year. Actual sales tax revenues have exceeded fiscal year budget estimates by two percent.
Wimberley recycling tonnage up
During the first six months of 2011, Wimberley residents have generated more than 55 tons of recycled materials—up 56 percent from the same period last year.
7 comments:
Thank God the Russkies over at City Hall are opening up Las Flores again. I can't wait to again use it as a by-pass for my big rig.
Hell, I'll flatten those speed bumps with one pass through.
Long live the Tea Party victory.
I want to thank Councilman Mac McCullough for being the adult in the room during the City Council meeting last week that dealt with the Las Flores issue by calling a spade a spade - lambasting this sham as nothing more than political payback to some immature and paranoid local tea party clones, which actually attempted to terrorize a Las Flores residents at its peak.
Recycling is up 56% from last year?
On the one hand that is good.
On the other, is it because the WISD high school kids are bought a bunch of junk by their parents when they graduate?
Wouldn't it be great if the high school kids today said: "Mom and Dad, donate some money to the needy instead of buying me insipid crap made in China and stuff that will end up in the recycling bin that shows up in local statistics.
The best recycling is prevention. BUY LESS!
City of Wimberley should use the over $1 million it has not yet spent on Blue Hole to start work on the sanitation mess on the Square instead.
The city will not get any grants, loans, or subsidies unless they show that it itself is making some financial effort to correct the deplorable mess. Get on with it! Put up the Blue Hole money or enact a city property tax (probably doomed to be voted down) or take some other measure to get the ball rolling -- but do it!
Las Flores should be re-opened. Traffic is still taking basically the same route, but now it passes right in front of a Montessori school!
To Emancipator--
The fact that recycling is up 56% doesn't necessarily meant that 56% more stuff was bought. It's largely because folks are more aware of reusing materials which are becoming depleted on the planet and because trash hauling rates are escalating.
If the City of Wimberley doesn't want to pay to create a school zone for that Montessori school (signs, blinking light, striping, etc.), then Los Flores Street should be re-opened.
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