CITY & COUNTY
News from Bee Cave & Lakeway & Travis County
HIGHLIGHTS BEE CAVE The city of Bee Cave is the rst city in the country to proclaim the bee an honored resident of its city, according to a press release from the city. Council voted unanimously during the March 28 regular council meeting to issue the proclamation. The steps the city of Bee Cave has taken as an aliate to conserve native bees include creating safe habitats, hosting community events, and planting native owers and plants to increase pollination, city sta said. BEE CAVE The city of Bee Cave canceled the city’s Nature Fest on April 15 due to a lawsuit that involves the Brown Property, according to a statement made on the city’s Facebook page. Bee Cave City Council held a special meeting April 4 to discuss the lawsuit, Citizens for the Preservation of the Brown Property v. City of Bee Cave. The city needs to evaluate the impact of the lawsuit before allowing any events to move forward, the city said in the Facebook statement. TRAVIS COUNTY On April 17, Travis County began its nal round of debris pickup for February’s ice storm in the county’s unincorporated areas. The county will not return for any brush after this sweep. As of March 30, Travis County has picked up 4,708 loads, or 239,432 cubic yards, of debris, according to a press release. NUMBER TO KNOW This is the contracted amount with Vanderlande Industries Inc. to provide third-party baggage technicians at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for up to two years. $10.98 million
County correction o cers to get salary bump amid 263 vacancies
FILLING VACANCIES Travis County is in the middle of hiring new applicants to ll over 250 correction ocer vacancies.
BY KATY MCAFEE
undecided; county sta will return to the Commissioners Court in 30 days to discuss the nancial options. The overtime incentive program— which gives employees a $500 bonus when they work an additional 24 hours in a four-week month or 30 extra hours in a ve-week month— costs the county about $18 million in 2022. Raising salaries would be a signicant expense to the county and likely be the driver behind next year’s budget, Travis County Budget Director Travis Gatlin said; however, paying a fully-staed department 40 hours a week would still be more cost eective.
TRAVIS COUNTY County commis- sioners are eyeing a second salary increase for correction ocers as the department is down about a third of its sta with 263 vacancies. Since March 2022, the correc- tions department has seen a 129% increase in vacancies, according to county documents. The county made several moves to increase stang last year, including hiring a marketing and recruiting team, approving an overtime incentive program, and adopting a minimum wage hike from $15 to $20 an hour that took eect in October. The next pay increase is still
The corrections department has seen a 129% increase, resulting in 263 vacancies.
A minimum wage hike from $15 to $20 an hour took eect in October to incentivize applicants.
Overtime for employees cost the department $18 million in 2022.
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Lakeway lift station to be built for future developments
BEE CAVE PKWY.
GALLERIA CIR.
MARKET ST.
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BY TAYLOR CRIPE
LAKEWAY A new wastewater lift station, or sewage collection system, will be built on the 22.8 acres of land to be dedicated to Lakeway by Stratus Properties’ developers. The proposed location is on the property that will be dedicated to Lakeway just northeast of the proposed Main Street bridge that spans Yaupon Creek, according to city documents. The resolution was approved by Lakeway City Council during the March 20 meeting. The Square at Lohmans, The Oaks Phase 2 and the Jovie—formerly Tuscan Village PUD 2—will all benet from the lift station, which will be a sewage collection system for the new housing units built by the three developments, the city said. In conjunction with Travis County Water Control and Improvement Dis- trict No. 17, the city is recommending a lift station be built that serves all three developments, Lakeway City Manager Joseph Molis said. Developers broke ground Nov. 9 on The Square at Lohmans.
Bee Cave on Ice will now be a permanent annual event in Bee Cave.
TAYLOR CRIPECOMMUNITY IMPACT
Holiday ice rink to become annual tradition
BY TAYLOR CRIPE
statement from the city. Because this will be an annual event, the city can create a special fund for it, Bee Cave City Manager Clint Garza said. This action sets the tone for moving forward and avoids the city having to reapprove the event each year, he said. Declaring Bee Cave on Ice an annual event will also allow the city to take advantage of dierent types of funding, the city said. “Last year we got donations, but I think the process will be more streamlined,” Garza said. The 2022 Bee Cave on Ice event brought in 25,000 skaters as well as another 75,000 people who came to the city throughout the event, according to city documents.
MEETINGS WE COVER
BEE CAVE Bee Cave on Ice will now be a permanent annual event for the city of Bee Cave after council approved a resolution for the ice rink during a March 28 meeting. Council also approved the use of up to $250,000 in hotel occupancy funds for the 2023-24 Bee Cave on Ice season, which will likely run from November to January, according to city documents. Due to the success of Bee Cave on Ice’s inaugural year, a resolu- tion was drafted to make the event an annual city event to further develop and improve the event’s notoriety and economic impact on the community, according to a
Bee Cave City Council will meet May 9 and 23 at
6 p.m. 512-767-6600. www.beecavetexas.gov Lakeway City Council will meet May 1 and 15 at 6:30 p.m. 512-314-7500. www.lakeway-tx.gov
Rollingwood City Council will meet May 17 at 7 p.m. 512-327-1838. www.cityofrollingwood.com
Travis County Commissioners Court will meet April 25, May 2, 9 and 16
at 9 a.m. 512-854-4722. www.traviscountytx.gov West Lake Hills City Council will meet May 10 and 24 at 7 p.m. 512-327-3628. www.westlakehills.org
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • APRIL 2023
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