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.