Musical rocks at Seminole Canyon

Recently I took an iPhone video of my mother-in-law "playing" the bell-like rocks at a special place in Seminole Canyon State Park (about 40 miles west of Del Rio, TX). Each rock seems to have a different pitch.

Fall colors in Woodway

The evergreen live oak trees contrast nicely with what I believe are red oaks.

Waco Tribune Herald writes about our new Council member, Barbara Grandy

A nice story about our newest Council member, Barbara Grandy, has appeared in the Waco newspaper here.

Results of the December 12th meeting

Mayor Don Baker opened the meeting at 5:34 pm, and Reverend James Menke of Trinity Lutheran Church at Badger Ranch gave the invocation.

Next was administration of the oath of office to new Council member Barbara Grandy. Barbara was appointed by the Council last week from a field of 15 applicants.

Then volunteer Ray Dobbs and Assistant Police Chief Robert Smith presented a check for $8,000 toward a new rescue truck. This was from funds raised in last summer's barbeque, the 38th annual one.

Then was an excellent presentation by Jed Walker proposing a new apartment development adjacent to the Hollywood theaters. The design was well-planned and very impressive. But the proposal required a dramatic deviation from Woodway zoning ordinances. The plan was for 272 one-to-three bedroom units located on 15.8 acres, which corresponds to about 17 units per acre, generating $137K in property taxes annually for Woodway. However, Woodway ordinance limits developments to no more than 6 units per acre. The developers said this was not financially feasible for apartment developments. Mayor Baker, in particular, voiced serious opposition to apartments especially if special zoning was required. He rightly stated that individual ownership protects property values much better than do rental properties. The developers, I believe, will consider condominiums that have individual ownership rather than rental status. I hope something acceptable can be developed in this location.

Next was a time to hear from visitors, but no one present elected to speak.

Then came discussion of a problem with water accumulation as a result of a resident innocently building up the outflow of a pond. The water had covered a City manhole and also had invaded a couple of backyards. Interestingly enough, while a State-issued permit was supposed to be required before making the modification, a permit also appears to be necessary to undo it! The City is investigating how to proceed.

Next was a discussion of how Woodway's votes for the McLennan County Appraisal District's Board of Commissioner candidates should be cast. The Council voted to support John Embry, who has been helpful in the past.

Then came the consent agenda, mainly purchase of new glass for the Woodway Family Center.

The meeting adjourned about 7 pm. HEB had provided a holiday cake, which City Secretary Jennifer Canady had divided up for everyone to take some.

Agenda for the December 12th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City's website here. This will be the first meeting with new Council member Barbara Grandy.

Results of the December 5th meeting

Mayor Baker opened the meeting at 5:33 pm. The invocation was scheduled to be delivered by a pastor from Central Presbyterian Church but there must have been a mistake somewhere. Mayor Baker gave the invocation himself.

The next item was to hear from visitors, but though there were several visitors, none elected to speak.

Item 3 was first a public hearing followed by a discussion on the taxation of "goods in transit", which basically refers to products warehoused in or passing through the City. This was a minor tax adopted in 2007, but recent Texas Senate Bill 1 required that taxing entities reaffirm their desire to continue this tax. It generates maybe a few thousand dollars a year in Woodway. The Council voted to adopt this tax, though I abstained since I'm not sure I agree with the idea behind such a tax.

Item 4 was to approve the minutes of the last meeting (November 28th).

Item 5 was an application to develop in a planned district, for a single story retail/medical building near the Hollywood theaters. There was perhaps a 15 minute discussion with a representative of the developer concerning some aesthetic aspects of the plan. The Council voted unanimously to send this to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further consideration.

The next item (#6) was a discussion of options to deal with the infrastructure surrounding the Business Acres well. This is the well that is producing rather warm (116°F) water that needs to be cooled before being pumped through PVC pipes (otherwise the heat weakens the plastic pipe). There were a few options presented, some cheaper and some more expensive. But the bottom line is that you get what you pay for, and the Council decided to choose the long-term cheaper option rather than the short-term one. This will involve, among other things, a 1 million gallon concrete holding tank, said to be maintenance-free by well-consultant Bob Wallace. The City already has one such tank that has given very good service. In contrast, the cheaper steel tanks (as on Bosque) have to be sand-blasted and painted at intervals at a cost of about $100k each time. I think this was a good decision for the long-term stability of the Woodway water system.

Item 7 concerned "pod" type storage containers within the City. The Council had previously expressed a strong sentiment against having such storage containers in residential areas on any sort of permanent basis, but commercial situations had not been seriously addressed. The Council was shown photos of three commercial sites in Woodway with pod-type storage, at least one of which was unsightly. There was sentiment expressed that the City should not burden businesses with fees for long-term pod storage. City staff are investigating how to proceed.

Item 8A was an Executive Session to discuss possible replacements for General Bill Weber's at-large Council position. Afterwards, in open session, item 8B was discussion and to consider action on choosing a replacement for the open Council position. There were several highly qualified applicants, and the Council voted unanimously to appoint Barbara Grandy to the open Council position. Ms. Grandy has served the City of Woodway in several capacities through the years including service on the Woodway Beautiful Commission, the Carleen Bright Arboretum Board, and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Her dedicated efforts led to the City receiving a $10,000 beautification award from the State of Texas. In addition, she was instrumental in the organization of the very first "Trash-Off Day" in Woodway, and she served on both the original master plan committee and the master plan expansion committee for the Carleen Bright Arboretum. Ms. Grandy has also volunteered in many other ways throughout the Woodway community such as serving as chair of the Woodway Foundation.

The meeting adjourned at 7:59 pm. Contrary to my expectation, this was a long meeting (2.5 hours). Another meeting next Monday!

Agenda for the December 5th meeting

The agenda has been posted at the City website here. It looks to be one of the shorter meetings.

The November 28th meeting

The meeting opened at 5:32 pm, with the invocation given by Pastor Jim Gray of First Baptist Church of Woodway.

There were no visitors present to speak.

Then Finance director William Klump gave the quarterly report, which finalized the 2010-11 fiscal year. Woodway is doing well financially, especially in the area of water sales, since the Hwy 84 well has come back online.

The next topic was year end budget transfers. This is where the City transfers funds that remain in certain categories to other categories. Then we discussed the proposed Charter Amendment language, to be voted on in the upcoming May 2012 election. The City will be making a serious effort to explain all aspects of the proposed changes, most of which are to fix outdated things. With one minor addition, the Council voted to approve the wording for the ballot. This will be presented in both English and Spanish.

Then came the "consent agenda", where several relatively minor items are discussed. This time, purchase of a 4" tapping machine was requested. This allows smaller pipes to be rapidly connected to larger ones. Also, some electronic equipment for three patrol cars was requested, and two special use permits were presented. All were approved.

The Council then went into executive session to discuss a property issue.

Back in open session, the Oncor tree-trimming effort was discussed. Oncor works very hard to keep the power on despite many, many conflicts between tree branches and power lines. If you find a bright green door-hanger on your property, it means Oncor will be doing some trimming nearby soon.

The meeting adjourned about 6:30 pm. There are meetings for each of the next two weeks. City Manager/Police Chief Yost Zakhary commented that this was the only time he could recall that the City Council will have met three consecutive weeks. The next meeting (Dec. 5th) may be more interesting.

Agenda for the November 28th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Woodway City Council has been posted here. Among other things there will be a quarterly presentation of of City finances, and discussion of and possible action on the ballot wording of the proposed Charter changes.

An immediate opening on the City Council

There is an immediate opening on the City Council as a result of the resignation of General Bill Weber. Any qualified voter who has resided in Woodway for at least one year is eligible to apply. The application form is on the City website here and has a December 1 deadline.

The November 14th meeting

Mayor Don Baker opened the meeting at 5:31 with an invocation by Dr. Jim Martin of the Crestview Church of Christ. Then Yard of the Month awards were presented to the Reagan, Terry, Johnson and Perez families.

Next was a time to hear from visitors, but none came forward to speak.

Then there was an update on the Business Acres (BA) and Hwy 84 wells. The BA well has been drilled but this deeper water is coming out hotter (116°F) than usual (the Hwy 84 well runs at 97-98°F). This means that cooling will be necessary before the water can be pumped into the system, and this will almost certainly increase the cost, by perhaps as much as 30%. But it is still well worth the cost, as well water costs roughly $0.78 per 1000 gallons to produce, while Waco water costs about $3.10 per 1000 gallons (which is more than what Woodway charges residents). As well consultant Bob Wallace mentioned, the City could be said to lose money when we need to use Waco water. The good news is that the Hwy 84 well, long a source of problems, is pumping and testing nicely.

Then the Council was presented with the consent agenda, which included purchase of chlorine for water treatment and new jackets for the Patrol section of Public Safety.

Then Marion Lee of Bacon Lee Associates gave a presentation of what is involved in a feasibility (or planning) study of possible fundraising for the Arboretum development. She is a principle in a highly experienced firm that specializes in this. The Council approved $36k to fund this feasibility study, which can include a survey of opinions about of certain other City-related activities like the Family Center.

Then was a discussion of the "parking ordinance", that is, the camper/RV/boat parking rules. The Council unanimously agreed that the wording of the current ordinance was confusing, and the majority also agreed that campers, RVs and boats should not be allowed to be parked in front of a home, nor in side yards unless screened. I was the lone dissenter. I can't recall having ever been bothered by seeing anyone's camper, RV or boat. So I agreed only that on-street parking should be prohibited, feeling that driveway parking should be allowed. But the Council consensus was otherwise. The Ordinance Committee will be revisiting the wording soon.

The Council then accepted the resignation of General Bill Weber, who is currently employed elsewhere. His humor and military efficiency are greatly missed.

Then the Council went into Executive Session to discuss how to deal with the resulting Council vacancy.

Open session was resumed and the meeting quickly adjourned, ending about 7:25 pm.

Agenda for the November 14 meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City's website here. The agenda includes an update from the City Engineer regarding the Business Acres and Highway 84 water wells, a discussion on Chapter 10, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Article V, Vehicle Parking Regulations, of the City of Woodway Code of Ordinances (the camper/RV/boat parking rules), and discussion and consideration of action on acceptance of the resignation of Councilmember Louis W. Weber.

October 24th meeting

I was out of town for the October 24th meeting. The audio file is here.

Agenda for the October 24th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted on the City's website here. This agenda is probably the shortest I have seen in 18 months on the Council, as there was a meeting only a week ago.

An upcoming opening on the Woodway City Council

I want to give anyone who wants to run for my seat on the Council plenty of notice: I won't be running for re-election in May. I have enjoyed being on the Council, have learned a lot and met a lot of good people, but I think there are some who really want a chance to be on the Council and who would do at least as good a job. If you are interested, this position requires that you live in Ward II (see map below for approximate boundaries). The filing deadline is in March; contact City Secretary Jennifer Canady (772-4480 or jcanady@woodway-texas.com) if you are interested. I hope someone on the Council will take over this blog, or start their own.

Incidentally, I have found that Woodway is very well run and the employees I know are hardworking, honest, and happy with their management. City Manager Yost Zakhary is very good at planning ahead and well-liked by the employees. Finance Director William Klump is extremely meticulous and honest. The staff I got to know the best ((Jennifer, Natalie and Donna) were great to work with. Every police officer I met was very professional and friendly. The Animal Control Office Albert Lopez is great at "finding new homes" for raccoons that I evicted from my attic. I also want to say that I am impressed with all of the other members of the City Council. To a person they are outstanding citizens and fine public servants.

Results of the October 17th meeting

I apologize for the delay in getting this posted; I was busy with a visitor to the Chemistry Department and a few other things.

Mayor Don Baker opened the meeting at 5:35 pm, and the invocation was given by Pastor John Dirk of Woodway First United Methodist Church. Having local pastors do the invocation was Mayor Baker's idea, seems good to me.

The next agenda item was to make Yard of the Month Awards. The winners were the Nosworthy, Grandy, Davis and Johnson families, but none were present. So we just looked at the photos of their yards and thanked them in absentia for buying so much Woodway water!

The next agenda item was to hear from visitors, but none were present.

Then we had the quarterly presentation of the Public Safety Department and the Community Services and Development Department. Notably, traffic citations are up 67% for the quarter (over last year) and 62% for the year. There is a new laser radar in use (one Councilmember joked that they were trying to pay for it with increased citations). Criminal investigations have tripled this year over last year; Assistant Police Chief Robert Smith said it was not any one area that was responsible. In looking at some of the other numbers, I think theft is one of the main areas of increase. However, a car burglary ring was caught awhile back, resulting in a big decrease in that category. And the theft of mail from residential mailboxes has decreased too.

The next item was amendments to the City Charter and proposed wording for the May 2012 ballot. But the City Attorney David Cherry asked that this be deferred until some wording adjustments were made.

The next item was discussion of a feasibility study to raise funds for the Arboretum. But the representative from Bacon Lee (the company the Arboretum Board recommended to carry out the study) could not attend, so this was deferred too. The basic idea is that we would hire a firm to conduct a survey/interviews to determine what level of support there is for private and corporate giving to the Arboretum development. One of the Arboretum Board members happens to be very knowledgable about this sort of thing.

Next was the "consent agenda" with several items on it, including buying t-shirts and caps for the teams at the Woodway Family Center ($16.5k), and the purchase of some replacement vehicles for the City ($184k). One interesting note: state law allows for purchasing locally even if the bid is up to 3% above the lowest bidder. But "locally" means "business located in Woodway", so vehicle purchases from Allen Samuels or any of the other Waco dealers are not allowed unless they happen to be the lowest bidders. The consent agenda was approved unanimously.

Incidentally, the bid to provide pizza to the Woodway Family Center was won by Rosati's, at $5 per pizza.

There was a City Manager's report. The main item of interest was that the Council will be going "paperless", using laptops or ipads, etc., instead of paper copied of the documents. This will probably take place in a few months. There was also a discussion of some complaints about water taste or odor, and about a complaint of the condition of one of the streets.

The meeting adjourned about 7:10 pm.

There is another meeting in one week (October 24th), because we skipped the meeting that would have taken place on Columbus day.

Agenda for the October 17th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City's website here.

Also, you can view the entries for the best scarecrow contest here.

This marks my 150th post on this blog.

Children's Garden Fair This Sunday

This Sunday (October 16th) starting at 2 pm will be the annual Children's Garden Fair at the Woodway Arboretum. This is always a fun event. You might even spot a cardinal as big as a high school student!

Anyone you know?

Two stray dogs were picked up by Woodway animal control last Sunday. Anyone you know?

Results of the September 26th meeting

Mayor Don Baker opened the meeting at 5:37 pm, having waited a few minutes for Councilperson Dr. Paul Scibielski. He is what Ph.D.'s refer to as "a real doctor", and he drives in from seeing patients in outlying communities. Mayor pro tem Gil Lillard was uncharacteristically absent, being tied up in Dallas on this occasion. I did the invocation at Mayor Baker's request.

Item 1 was hearing from visitors, but although there were more than usual in attendance (maybe a dozen or so), no one came forward to speak.

Item 2 was a special use permit for childcare requested by Tiffany Dorman. There had been no complaints and the application was in order. However, only four of the Council were present, and as P&Z had denied the application on a technicality, five votes were required for approval. Mayor Baker asked that the item be deferred until later in the meeting when Dr. Scibielski was expected to be in attendance.

Item #3 was approval of last meeting's minutes.

Item #4 was a discussion of what would be required to allow video conferencing of out-of-town Councilpersons to participate in meetings. The context here is that Councilmember Bill Weber had expressed an interest in participating via video conference. The City staff had explored the various requirements and costs. The reported cost was a lot higher than what I expected, driven largely by certain Open Meeting Act rules. Also, the City appeared to have no other use of such facilities. After probably 30 minutes of discussion, we voted to not proceed with video conferencing at this time.

With Dr. Scibielski now in attendance, we returned to item #2, and approved the special use permit.

Item #5 was a discussion of how the Council would fill any openings. The City Charter requires that the Council appoint a replacement in "a reasonable time" after any opening occurs (see here, thanks to Jennifer Canady for the location of this). The proposed new charter (to be voted on in May) requires a special election, which is expensive and time-consuming. But the proposed 3-year terms may make that necessary (I gather that you can't fill that long of an unexpired term by appointment).

Item #6 was a very lengthy discussion on the parking ordinance that has resulted in 90 or so violations noted in the past year or so, and about 9 cases where the City filed a complaint. Code Enforcement Officer Albert Lopez tries hard to work with residents to bring situations into compliance. Last October the Council approved a change that made RVs "prohibited vehicles" that cannot be simply parked in one's driveway or even on the side of your home unless screened as to be almost invisible from the street, and enforcement of boat, camper and RV parking was stepped up around that time I believe. Assistant Police Chief Robert Smith went over the existing law, complete with photos. Then Robert Humphrey spoke. The Council discussed this for probably 30-40 minutes and concluded that the ordinance should be revisited if only to clarify language. I understand that on-street parking could be a problem, but I have never considered campers, boats and RVs to be unsightly (in general at least). I think parking of these in one's driveway should be permitted, but I sense that most of the Council disagrees.

The Council then went into Executive Session to discuss property until 7:33 pm.

After brief Manager's Report and a little discussion of Council Report stuff, the meeting was adjourned at 7:43 pm. I was impressed by Mayor Baker's handling of the meeting; he was patient to hear everyone out and did an excellent job of managing things.

Agenda for September 26th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City's website here. Items of interest will include a discussion of whether Councilperson Bill Weber can participate in meetings via videoconferencing and a discussion of the "prohibited vehicle" parking ordinance. This is the new rule (or newly enforced rule?) that is causing some Woodway residents to struggle to "properly" park their boats, campers and RVs.

Anyone you know?

Two dogs have been found in the Windwood Lane area of Woodway, and their photos posted on the City website here. Anyone you know?

Beware of mail theft

Waco has warned its residents not to mail checks from home mailboxes, because there has been a rash of thefts and attempts to fraudulently pass stolen checks. I heard awhile back that there was some of this sort of thing going on in Woodway too. So to be safe, use postal boxes instead.

Results of the September 12th meeting

Mayor Bill Weber opened the meeting and asked Councilman Don Baker to give the invocation, though I didn't arrive until a couple minutes later. When I came in, Mayor Weber was honoring the Public Utilities workers for keeping Woodway water operating through a very long, hot and dry summer. Those honored were

Donald Barnett
Nathan Donnnell
Greg Niemiek
Robert Starnes
Dale Glass
Derrick Robinson

The assembled crowd responded with a standing ovation for this group.

Next was the proclamation of Woodway Public Safety Association Day, as October 1st. This is also the day of the annual barbeque, 11 am to 7 pm at Woodway Elementary School. For more information, here is the website announcement. Three officers were present to represent the Public Safety Association:

Norm Burgess
Ray Dobbs
Bert Hernandez

These received a round of applause at the conclusion of the ceremony. I met these three (and two others) waaay back at the beginning of my term (see here), and can testify that they are amazingly dedicated and a great credit to the City.

Next was the Yard of the Month awards. The Deaton, Henke, Mayer and Crawford families were honored, but none were in attendance. ("must be working on their yards" someone quipped)

Next was a time to hear from visitors. Only one was present to speak, former Councilman Robert Humphrey. He came to speak about the boat/RV/camper ordinance, and distributed color photos of various violations of the ordinance around the city. His point was that it was "obvious that the City does not have a uniform approach to this..." and requested that the Council revisit this issue. (I'm in favor of this.) In particular, he wondered if it shouldn't apply so broadly to all three categories. He went on to call on Mayor Bill Weber (whose resignation was being considered later) to fully resign from the Council and not simply from the Mayoral position.

Next was the "consent agenda", which included the minutes of three meetings, purchase of some almost indestructible (and expensive) laptops for Public Safety, and appointment of Natalie Edwards to represent the City at the MPO Board (Metropolitan Planning Organization). These were unanimously approved.

Next was a discussion of street lighting in Woodway. This was on the agenda at my request, prompted by an email from a constituent. The policy is that unless a developer puts in street lighting, new lights require a citizen request (including agreement among 4-6 near neighbors) and a $600 fee. The actual cost is much greater, but largely borne by Oncor (after a feasibility study approval). The City Engineer (Mitch Davidson) said that no requests for street lights had been placed in the past year or so. Councilman Scott Giddings said that Marble Falls had no well-defined policy on street lighting. Given that some are opposed to lights near their homes, the Council consensus was that the system was reasonable as-is.

The Council skipped ahead to the Manager's report, then returned to items 7-8, discussion and possible action on Mayor Weber's letter of resignation. Bill said this was a very difficult decision, but that he is taking a job elsewhere. He went on to say, "It was an honor and a privilege serving and working with the City." Full of humor as always, Mayor Weber said that the excellence of Woodway City employees "must be a function of my leadership." The Council voted unanimously to accept his resignation as Mayor (could we refuse?!).

Under the direction of City Attorney Mike Dixon, the Council then proceeded to elect a new Mayor. Councilperson Jane Kittner nominated Don Baker. Then Mayor pro tem Gil Lillard nominated Scott Giddings, but Scott declined, saying that he was honored and could certainly do the job, but that he wanted Don Baker to be Mayor. With only one nomination, the Council proceeded to vote unanimously for Don Baker to be the new Mayor of Woodway. This was followed by applause. The local newspaper reported on all this here.

Mayor Baker then asked Bill Weber to conclude the meeting, which adjourned at 6:18 pm.

Agenda for the September 12th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City's website here. Items of interest include announcing Woodway Public Safety Association Day (more later), a discussion of street lighting (or lack thereof) in Woodway, and the impending resignation of Mayor Bill Weber as he moves on to bigger and better things (hopefully).

Anyone you know?

A Jack Russell terrier has been found in Poage Park by Woodway Animal Control, photo below. Anyone you know?

Results of the August 29th meeting

Mayor Bill Weber opened the meeting at 5:30, with Mayor pro tem Gil Lillard doing the invocation.

The first agenda item was to hear from visitors. Former Councilman Robert Humphrey came to speak about the parking ordinance. The City is requiring him to move his boat, which has been parked beside his house and behind the front edge of the house. He passed around photos of the arrangement, which showed a very well-kept yard and driveway. Mr. Humphrey was very eloquent in his appeal that boats be exempted from the parking ordinance. In the discussion that followed, City Manager Yost Zakhary said that about 90 violations (applying to boats, RVs and campers) had been identified in Woodway, and all but about 4 of those had been rectified.

Items 2-5 dealt with approving the annual budget, tax rate, employee compensation, and the master fee schedule. The short version is that the tax rate in Woodway is staying the same (actually going down very slightly) as it has for the past 10 years or so. Even so, with rising property values (more accurately, with rising assessments), the total revenue the City expects to bring in should be up by about 6.5% over the past fiscal year. Also, some slight increases in the fees charged for various things are happening. This includes slight changes in the water rates, but only by about $ 0.10 per one thousand gallons, which is roughly a 2-3% increase.

We then skipped to item 7, the proposed purchase of electronic voting machines. A recent change in federal and state law, and in the county's willingness to supply voting machines at low cost, had threatened to force major changes in the timing of Woodway elections. The best solution appears to be the purchase of our own voting machines, with the cost being shared by at least the Midway Independent School District and possibly by the City of Hewitt. The costs are not excessive (about $4600 now and some money each year for programming) and will keep our elections the same as they have been. The City Secretary Jennifer Canady did a lot of work to explore the various possibilities. She is extremely professional in all her work, especially when it comes to elections.

Item 6 was going through the recommendations for changes to the City charter recommended by the Charter Review Committee. This committee was headed by Linc Harris and put in a huge amount of time updating the charter and fixing possible problems. The Council went through the recommendations for something like an hour or more, aided by City Attorney Mike Dixon. The major change is that Council terms would be transitioned to 3 years. I believe the idea behind this is mostly to make it so that a turnover of a majority of the Council would require at least two consecutive elections. This would prevent what happened in the 2009 elections, where 4 incumbents were replaced, fueled by an anti-incumbent mood and allegations that proved to be unsubstantiated. The 4 who were voted off the Council that year were all good people. The proposed change would have no more than 3 up for re-election in any given year. In addition, a limit of three consecutive terms has been proposed in order to give more citizens a chance to participate in City governance. The charter changes will be voted on by the citizens of Woodway in the May 2012 election.

The meeting adjourned at 7:44 pm.

Family Movie Night THIS FRIDAY

This Friday (August 19th) is the annual Woodway Family Movie night, described on the City website here. The movie is "Despicable Me" and will be shown on a 28-foot screen at 8 pm at the Woodway Family Center lawn. The movie and even the concessions are free!

Agenda for the August 15th meeting

Due to travel, I missed the August 15th meeting, but the agenda is posted on the City's website here. If I learn of anything especially interesting happening, I'll post it below.

For the past couple of weeks, my blog seemed to be having technical issues (most of the content not displaying), but that problem seems to have resolved itself.

Results of the August 1 meeting

Mayor Bill Weber opened the meeting at 5:31 pm, and Mayor pro tem Gil Lillard gave the invocation.

The first agenda item was Yard of the Month awards, to the Reynold, Jennings, Stone and Cannon families. However, none were present to receive the awards.

The second agenda item was to hear from visitors, but no one wished to speak.

The third and fourth agenda items were to consider approval for a final replatting and for an application to develop in a zoned area near the Hollywood Theaters. These refer to a planned Christian Brothers Automotive repair facility. Jonathan Wakefield was present to describe the history and philosophy of the company, which has nearly 100 stores open and has never closed a single location since 1982. This is a light repair facility with unusually good aesthetics and very conscientious management. The Council approved both items, with Councilperson Jane Kittner abstaining.

For item 5, the Council voted to accept an application for a granite counter facility proposed along Hwy 84.

Item 6 involved consideration for approval of an agreement between Woodway and the Extraco Events Center (formerly known as the Heart of Texas Coliseum) to advertise for the Woodway hotels at various events. Mr. Wes Allison was present to discuss the details. It turns out that the Woodway hotels are the closest ones to the Extraco Center. The proposal had strong support from local hotel operators, and the Council approved it unanimously.

Note: During the discussion it was mentioned that the Woodway hotels increase their rates to $200-300 per night during Baylor football weekends. City staff knew of one incident where business was lost to the less expensive Hewitt hotels because of this.

Item 7 was renewal of a special use permit to operate the Verizon communications tower in Woodway. This sits on one of the highest points in McLennan County, and Woodway has a good deal of equipment that uses this tower. The Council approved this unanimously.

Item 8 dealt with adopting an ordinance that would implement a change in the rate that Atmos Energy had proposed to charge for replacement of steel natural gas lines within the City. The allowed increase was less than half of what Atmos had sought, and this was approved.

Item 9 was the consent agenda, minute of the last meeting and also an agreement with the Waco Humane Society dealing with the cost of holding animals at their facility. The cost has gone up to $75 per day, which will be charged to any Woodway resident who brings an animal to their facility or claims an animal from there or is ultimately found to be the owner of any animal taken there by Woodway Animal Control.

Item 10 was approval of the consent agenda.

Item 11 was acceptance of the 2011 tax roll valuation. The taxable property in Woodway was assessed at $832,950,416, and the Council accepted this figure.

Item 12 was agreement of what the Woodway tax rate should be for the upcoming fiscal year. For 10-11 years now the rate has remained at $0.4569 per $100 of valuation (or 0.4569% of total assessed valuation). Of course, total tax revenue has increased significantly over this period because assessed valuations have risen (especially in the last 2 years, in my experience) and there has also been new construction in the City, adding to the tax rolls. There was a good deal of debate among the Council about whether to make a slight decrease in the tax rate this year, in light of the fact that every year the City has a surplus of roughly $500k. But this surplus is always moved to the capitol projects fund (covers expensive things like road resurfacing, etc.), which in many cities would have been a budget item anyway. So there really isn't a surplus if you consider the need for long-term budgeting for expensive projects. In the end, the Council voted 6 to 1 in favor of the current tax rate. Councilperson Jane Kittner dissented, having favored a rate of $0.4565.

Interestingly, Hewitt has raised their rate by $0.03 last year and is expected to raise it another $0.05 this year to give an overall rate of $0.55, well above that of Woodway. The quality of our City planning has prevented that kind of increase in Woodway, with credit going to mostly to City Manager Yost Zakhary.

Incidentally, anyone who knows Finance Director William Klump would know that there could not be anything unscrupulous going on with Woodway finances. William is one of the most honest people I have ever met, and is extremely knowledgeable about the City's finances.

Item 13 approved placement on a future agenda for possible adoption the proposed tax rate.

Agenda item 14 set dates for public hearings on the proposed tax rate, chosen as August 15th (5:30 pm) and August 18th (8:15 am).

The Council went into Executive Session at 6:50 pm to discuss a personnel issue. This concluded at 7:31 pm.

Items 16 and 17 (City Manager's and Council reports, resp.) were dealt with in short order and the meeting adjourned at 7:34 pm.

Agenda for the August 1st meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Woodway City Council has been posted on the City's website here, as well as on the glass doors of City Hall. Notable items include possible action on approval of a couple of new businesses (a car-care center and a granite dealer) along Hwy 84, consider an agreement with the Extraco Events Center to advertise for Woodway, and an Executive Session to perform the City Manager's annual evaluation. And of course a time to hear from visitors right after the Yard of the Month awards.

Remember the upcoming Family Movie night, August 19th at 8 pm, showing "Despicable Me".

Anyone you know?

Medium size chihuahua female white / tan in color with pink collar no tags or micro chip. Found in the area of Riverview / Wooded Crest on July 18th.

Results of the July 18th meeting

I apologize for this post being a day late; last night and today were extremely busy.

I arrived at this meeting two minutes late, having drove straight in from DFW. The Yard of the Month awards were in progress, given to the Lomax, Farrell, Péna and Walker families. Only Mr. Lomax was in attendance, and posed with Mayor Bill Weber for a photo.

Then William Klump, Woodway's Finance Director for the past 10 years, received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. William is a real gem, as honest as the day is long and very careful and dedicated in the budgeting process.

Item 3 was to hear from visitors, but none were present to speak.

Item 4 was a presentation by the Charter Review Committee, chaired by Mr. Link Harris. The committee spent many hours carefully going through the City charter to update the language and resolve certain ambiguities. Mr. Harris also recognized the significant contribution of Natalie Edwards, Assistant to the City Manager.

The State of Texas threw a wrench in the works with SB 100, which (to comply with the federal MOVE mandate) made primary election dates so early that they interfere with municipal (city) election dates. One effect is that counties no longer are required to provide voting machines for municipal elections. There are several options for cities, but all involve inconveniences.

Item 5 was final action on an application to develop a multi-story office/retail building in the 7400 block of Woodway Drive (Hwy 84). Approved.

Item 6 was an ordinance to amend ordinance 98-26. This involved fixing a historical problem with the zoning at the Woodway First Baptist Church that dated back to 1998. This allows the Church to move ahead with (I believe) an expansion of their school facilities.

Item 7 was acceptance of an application for a high-end auto repair facility proposed in the vicinity of the Hollywood Theaters.

Item 8 was acceptance of an application to convert the old Kettle restaurant property near the corner of Hwy 6 and Hwy 84 to a convenience store with gas pumps. I believe it will be a 7-11 store.

Item 9 related to allowing a legal firm to check on whether the City has been overcharged for street lighting. This is to be done at no cost ton the City, and potentially could result in lowered costs and perhaps even some refund to the City.

Item 10 was selecting a bidder to do the landscaping for the Arboretum Expansion. Four bids were received, two were competetive, but Fitzgerald Landscaping was consistently rated somewhat better by two independent committees. Approved cost was $205,000, a figure that was carefully minimized by arboretum staff.

Item 11 was the "consent agenda", most notably repair of the Vactor (sewer pumping) truck ($7126) and also renewal of Boy Scout Flag Services ($3060).The scouts put up 102 American flags along Estates and Bosque Blvds six times a year (Labor Day, Veterans Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day). The scouts do this remarkably efficiently and inexpensively too. A special use permit was also renewed (catalog sales out of 12000 Woodfall Circle).

Item 12 was approval of the consent agenda.

Item 13 was presentation on the proposed 2011/2012 budget and proposed 2011 ad valorem tax rate. The Council decided to leave the rate where it has been for the past 10 years, $ 0.4572 per $100 of accessed valuation.

Item 14 was the City Manager's report. Most notably, Captain Barney Witt intends to file for McClennan County Sheriff.

The Council adjourned about 7:14 pm

Agenda for the July 18th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City website here. There are a few requests related to business development in the City, and a discussion of the Boy Scout flag services.

Family movie night in Woodway

Family movie night is an annual event in Woodway. This year it will be held on Friday, August 19th at 8 pm at the Woodway Family Center lawn, and the movie is "Despicable Me". The City website has more information here. The movie is rated PG, and a review is available here.

Drought contingency, stage 1: voluntary water restrictions

July 5, 2011

Contact: Randall Riggs

Director

Community Services & Development

(254) 772-4050

rriggs@hot.rr.com

Stage One of Drought Contingency Plan Initiated

Effective immediately, the City of Woodway is implementing Stage 1 of the Drought Contingency Plan.

Stage 1 of the Drought Contingency Plan (Water Watch), calls for voluntary reductions of water use. Citizens are asked to voluntarily practice good water management techniques inside and outside the home, including such practices as cutting back on lawn watering.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, citing concerns of worsening conditions, has issued letters to all water suppliers in the state, encouraging those not already under drought restrictions to implement drought contingency plans now.

Conservation efforts, though voluntary in Stage 1, are imperative in determining whether further stages of the city’s drought contingency plan will be implemented, including mandatory water restrictions.

We are asking citizens to conserve water and use it wisely until we get some relief from this drought. The following steps may help us keep from going into a mandatory conservation mode:

1. Turn water off at sink and lavatory when not needed.

2. Try taking shorter showers.

3. Wash only full loads of laundry or dishes.

4. Check faucets and toilets for leaks.

5. Water in early morning while cool to make best use of water.

6. Use sprinklers that produce large drops to cut down on evaporation.

7. Hand water when possible.

8. Water less often and less area.

9. Help us by watching for water leaks on the system water lines.

The City appreciates your assistance in this conservation effort. Please contact the Community Services Department with any questions or concerns.

Arboretum event pavillion design

The design for the Arboretum event pavillion was carefully refined over many months by several groups. It will be one of the larger facilities in the area, able to accomodate approximately 350 seated guests. The design is provided below. (click on image to expand)

Results of the June 13th meeting

Mayor Bill Weber opened the meeting at 5:30 pm and asked Councilman Scott Giddings to do the invocation. Then Yard of the Month presentations were made (see photo below).











Mayor Bill Weber (left) and June 2011 Yard-of-the-month awardees.

Agenda item 2 was to hear from visitors, but no one chose to speak.

Item 3 was a presentation by MTTS Granite (Tim Hicks) regarding a proposed design for construction of a granite-countertop business along Hwy 84. At issue were small deviations from the ordinance specifying various parameters. Its not clear why some of the figures in the ordinance had been chosen, so the consensus was that the City staff should look into whether changes in some parameters would not be in order.

Item 4 was discussion and possible approval of a $4.56M General Obligation Refunding bond issue to refinance City debt. This was presented by Jason Hughes of First Southwest. It turns out that by doing this, the City can save a good deal of money, given that the bonds can be had at something like 1.8% interest, saving the City something close to $300K. And this was done without extending any of the payoff dates for the existing debt. These terms were helped by Woodway having the third-highest credit rating possible (AA). Mayor Weber paused to thank the previous City Councils and City Manager Yost Zakhary for the City having such good credit ratings. The proposal was approved unanimously.

Item 5 was also regarded issuance of Certificate of Obligation bonds, these for the Arboretum expansion project ($1.8M). These were at about 3.58%, and will be repaid by hotel occupancy tax revenues. Neither of the bond issues are expected to result in property tax rate increases. This was also approved unanimously.

Item six was a proposed bid to microsurface about 20 Woodway streets, at total cost of $265K.

Item 7 involved acceptance of an application for an office/retail development near the Woodway Best Western (adjacent to Hollywood Theaters). The Council was impressed with the design, and voted to send this to P&Z for further study.

Item 8 was the "consent agenda", the most interesting thing being a proposal that some items being replaced in the Public Safety renovation, like light fixtures, be declared "excess" and thereby available for donation to Habitat for Humanity, for example.

Item 9 was approval of the consent agenda, unanimous.

Item 10 was presentation of a preliminary 2011-12 budget. This is very preliminary document, and subject to revision until final adoption in August or September. Item 11 was setting of a date for a public hearing on the budget (August 15).

After a brief City Manager's Report, the meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.

Agenda for the June 13 meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted on the City website here. There are two major financing issues being discussed and voted on, one for the Arboretum expansion project ($1.85 M) and one that I believe is to refinance existing City debt ($4.56 M).

Arboretum Event Pavillion groundbreaking

The groundbreaking reception and ceremony (photos below, second one thanks to Gil's daughter Jennifer) attracted many Woodway residents as well as some local news services. The members of the Arboretum Board (headed by Dean Haun) were all present, as were Arboretum staff Janet and Megan, and nearly all of the City Council members. City Manager Yost Zakhary introduced Mayor Bill Weber and Arboretum Board Chair Dean Haun to speak briefly on the significance of the project. Then a group of City staff and Council members donned hard hats and shovels to break ground (actually a nicely packed sand pile made just for the event). Most or all of the crowd stayed for the second of the Midsummer Nights concert series (the Elephants), though I had to leave.

Waco Trib article on Arboretum groundbreaking

The Waco Tribune Herald has a story today on the upcoming Arboretum groundbreaking here, but it might require a subscription to read.

Arboretum Event Pavillion groundbreaking

Enough said?

Midsummer Nights with The Morticians

The first midsummer nights concert tok place tonight, featuring The Morticians. It was a beautiful night, if a bit warm at 91° and no breeze. Mayor Bill Weber opened the event by welcoming the crowd, estimated at over 400 by one source. Mayor pro tem Gil Lillard was also present. Mayor Weber noted that last year this same event was essentially rained out (see my report here). Then Mike Tambrella of the Arboretum Board invited everyone to next week's new Event Pavillion groundbreaking, saying that this will result in the Arboretum becoming "a destination spot in central Texas", and I agree.

The Morticians are an oldies group, one of the best in the area. They played Old Time Rock and Roll (Bob Seger), Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Desperado (the Eagles), Long Cool Woman (the Hollies)...you get the idea. The crowd was clearly enjoying the music, with one couple dancing at the front. Some photos below.

Next week: Event pavillion groundbreaking and The Elephants.















Mayor Weber welcomes the crowd.



Arboretum Manager Janet Schaffer and husband Troy.

Event Pavillion groundbreaking ceremony

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Event Pavillion at the Carleen Bright Arboretum will be held on Wednesday, June 8th at 7:00 pm. I gather that there will be refreshments provided. This is just before the Elephants perform the second of the Midsummer Nights Concerts. The new pavillion has been very carefully planned, and I think you'll find the design to be impressive.

Another lost doggie...

A lost dog has been reported on the Woodway website here. "Brown female boxer in the 400 block of Elm Wood. No tags or chip. Has on a silver choker chain. Very friendly." Anyone you know?

Midsummer Nights concert series

As in years past, the City of Woodway is sponsoring the Midsummer Nights concerts every Wednesday evening in June at the Carleen Bright Arboretum. Concerts begin at 8 pm. The schedule is posted here. The first concert (June 1st) will be The Morticians, a very popular local oldies band. I highly recommend this one!

Results of the May 23rd meeting

Note: The audio recordings (three parts) are found here.

Reporting on this meeting will be shorter than usual because I didn't arrive until nearly the end. I was out of town visiting my wife in Holland, Michigan, for the past 10 days. My return flight was designed to get me back to DFW with enough time... assuming no weather problems. But the plane left Grand Rapids about 90 minutes late, and I arrived at DFW almost 2 hrs late. All this wouldn't matter so much except this is the one meeting of the year where the Council chooses a Mayor and Mayor pro tem for the next year. That still wouldn't matter so much except the other six Council members ended up being deadlocked at a 3:3 vote for both positions, and I ended up being the deciding vote, so they waited for me to arrive. I made it from DFW to Woodway in 2 hrs despite rush hour traffic. I arrived about 7:05 pm, only about 5 minutes or so after the regular business was finished.

One of the City Attorneys (Craig Cherry) was present to take the re-vote after I arrived, and it was an exact repeat of last year's vote. There were two nominees for Mayor (Don Baker and Bill Weber), and the vote was 3:4 in favor of Bill Weber. There were two nominees for Mayor pro tem (Jane Kittner and Gil Lillard), and the vote was 3:4 in favor of Gil Lillard. The Mayor has a lot of input in setting the meeting agendas and, of course, presiding over meetings. Don Baker is a highly-experienced and dedicated Councilman and former Mayor, on the Council since 1991 (see here for Council history, scroll down to the chart). Bill Weber is ex-military with lots of practical get-it-done know-how. He has lead the Council to ask new questions and look at some things from different perspectives. Overall, I think Woodway City government has been somewhat more responsive to our citizen's needs since Bill Weber took over as Mayor.

Since I missed all of the other business, I'm not sure what transpired. I'll post a link to the audio recording when is becomes available.

Agenda for May 23rd meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City website here. Items of interest are (a) annual organization of the Council, including choosing both a Mayor and Mayor pro tem, (b) recognizing Troop 456 for work of the Woodway Park trails, and (c) "Discussion and consider action on postponing to June 13, 2011, the adoption of an ordinance authorizing the issuance, sale and delivery of an amount not to exceed $2,500,000 in aggregate principal amount of "City of Woodway, Texas Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2011"; securing the payment thereof by authorizing the levy of an annual ad valorem tax and pledging certain surplus waterworks and sewer system revenues; and approving and authorizing the execution of a paying agent/registrar agreement, purchase contract, official statement and all other instruments and procedures related thereto."

Woodway Park trails ribbon-cutting

This Monday (May 16th) at 6:00 pm at Woodway Park there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the upgrading of the park's hike and bike trail system. A new bridge across Cherry Creek was installed recently (described in the May 9th meeting report, see photo below). The park is said to have 4-5 miles of trails in place. I hope to post a trail map at some point, none currently exists.

Results of the May 9th meeting

Note: This is the one-year anniversary of this blog, and the 117th post. I have kept my campaign promise to improve communication with the citizens of Woodway.

The meeting audio recording is posted here.

Mayor Bill Weber opened the meeting promptly at 5:30 pm, and the invocation was done by myself (with about 15 seconds notice).

The first agenda item was to hear from visitors. There were two tonight.

First came Bonnie Finstead to remind the Council of the unsightly trash problem at the apartments on Shadow Wood. She felt strongly that the trash cans should be kept behind a fence. I went by after the meeting and took a photo (below).













City Manager Yost Zakhary said that discussions had taken place, and that the owner was going to get a dumpster and erect a fence around it. No further details were available. This was Ms. Finstead's second visit to the Council on this issue.

Next came William Jackson, a neighbor of mine on Cherry Creek Dr. He came to present a hardship caused by the recent change in parking rules for campers, RVs and boats. His boat sits in a driveway behind the front edge of his house. However, as his home is adjacent to Estates Drive, his boat is exposed to Estates on that side. He has been asked by the City to erect a fence to screen his boat, or else move it into the backyard. This is both a financial hardship and an inconvenience, since he was wounded in the Vietnam war and has some difficulty walking. He was hoping some exception might be made. This led Mayor Weber to ask whether or not there can ever be exceptions to ordinances. Yost responded with a clear "no", then went on to explain that the granting of exceptions can easily get out of control and render ordinances useless; and that Hewitt has the same ordinance and enforces it. Council member Jane Kittner said that storage facilities were available across the Hwy 6 twin bridges at low cost (~ $25/month), as she knows from personal experience.

Item 2 was the "consent agenda", which consists of "non-controversial, routine and budgeted items which require no public hearing".

Item 2A was approval of the last meeting's minutes.

Item 2B was consideration of the single bid received for Arboretum landscaping, which was rejected so that additional bids could be solicited.

Item 2C was renewal of a Special Use Permit for Home Occupation for very limited childcare at a home on Forest Ridge.

There was a little discussion of the last two items, followed by unanimous approval of the consent agenda (the approval was itself item 3 on the agenda).

Item 4 was the City Manager's report. There were two items discussed.

The first was an update on the Hwy 84 well rehabilitation. This well has had several problems, recently failing to pass TCEQ*-mandated coliform bacterial tests. A little later it passed the required coliform bacterial tests but was found to contain other potentially harmful bacteria (for example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, arguably the most abundant microbe on Earth) , testing for which is not mandated by the TCEQ. The final disposition of all this remains to be decided, but in my estimation it promises to be problematic.

(*Texas Commission on Environmental Quality)

The second item was good news, an announcement of the completion of hike and bike trails at Woodway Park. This has been a project of the Woodway Parks & Recreation Commission, and there will be an inaugural celebration on Monday May 16th at 6:00 pm, at the park I believe. With the help of Martin Kemper (a P&R member) and Eagle Scouts Troop 308, trails have been cleaned up and a concrete bridge across Cherry Creek has been built (no easy feat). The trails total about 4.5 miles. Living right next to this park, I can tell you that these are really nice trails (but don't go very soon after a rain!).

The meeting adjourned about 6:20 or so, one of the shortest meetings in the past year.

More Woodway wildlife

Out in the Cherry Creek area (near where Estates runs into the lake) we encounter lots of animals. We have not seen any rattlesnakes or live coral snakes, but we find copperheads about once a year. Fortunately, in our experience they do not strike easily and we have never felt the need to kill any of them. The photo below is of an average-sized one (about 2' long) near our front door last October. They blend into dry leaves almost perfectly, being nearly impossible to spot.

Woodway squirrels...

...really love sunflower seeds.

Agenda for May 9th meeting

The agenda for the upcoming meeting has been posted at the City's website here. Interesting items include discussion/action on a proposal for Arboretum landscaping, and discussion/action on a special use permit for childcare (beyond one's own children) in a home.

Beware the angry birds...

Fortunately, the birds in Woodway are much happier!