Leander - Liberty Hill Edition | July 2023

CITY & COUNTY

News from Leander, Liberty Hill & Williamson County

COMPILED BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON

Leander City Council will meet July 20 and Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. at 201 N. Brushy St., Leander. 512-528-2700. www.leandertx.gov Liberty Hill City Council will meet July 26 and Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. at 2801 RM 1869, Liberty Hill. 512-778-5449. www.libertyhilltx.gov Travis County Commissioners Court will meet July 18 and Aug. 1 and 8 at 9 a.m. at 700 Lavaca St., Austin. 512-854-4722. www.traviscountytx.gov Williamson County Commissioners Court will meet July 18 and 25 and Aug. 1 and 8 at 9:30 a.m. at 710 S. Main St., Georgetown. 512-943-1100. www.wilco.org MEETINGS WE COVER approved a $125,000 payment to Hal’ Associates Inc. on May 24. The Žrm will prepare the city’s Downtown Strategic Plan, which will explore parking, property inventory, signage, the look and feel, and land use recommendations. The plan will be completed by late 2023. NUMBER TO KNOW The amount in grant funding that the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter received from Petco Love, a nonproŽt dedicated to lifesaving animal welfare work, for its e’orts to reduce euthanasia and euthanize animals responsibly $100,000 HIGHLIGHTS LIBERTY HILL City Council approved its third budget amendment for Žscal year 2022-23 on June 14. The change increased revenue to the general fund by $1.6 million due to fees charged to the utility funds, and includes $78,715 in water budget expenses to replace meters and add a collector for the Liberty Hill Water Department. LIBERTY HILL City Council

Schools zones in Leander will display radar signs LEANDER Public and private schools within the Leander ISD Assistant Chief of Police Billy Fletcher said.

A newly installed radar display sign will cost roughly $3,400. The city will control the signs and handle costs of maintenance. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING “If we’re going to use these, [I ask] that we have the correct signage in place because we want to be

Water rates to rise; new study in works LIBERTY HILL New water and wastewater rates for Liberty Hill customers will start Oct. 1. How we got here: Council adopted new rates from a rate study in early 2019. The study recommended other adjustments for January 2020 and provided forecasted rates. Reasons why the previous council did not adopt the January 2020 or forecasted rate adjustments are unknown. City staˆ will complete a new rate study by late 2024, but they do not think rate increases can wait. the speed of oncoming vehicles. The signs, however, will not be used for direct law enforcement by the police but will help gain speed compliance from drivers instead, boundaries will now be required to install radar display signs in all new school zones. A closer look: City Council approved the change June 1 with the aim to slow tra c and improve safety for pedestrians. All schools within the LISD boundaries will have to pay for and implement the signs in new school zones. Radar display signs are solar powered and equipped with sensors that detect and display

Council Member David McDonald raised concerns about the accuracy of the signs, pointing to an existing one at Crystal Falls Parkway near Pleasant Hill Elementary that ™ashed the wrong speed limit. That sign was one of the šrst to be implemented, and existing sign posts were used. Drivers would have to adjust their speed according to the times listed on those signs. Sgt. Ryan Doyle assured council that the newly designed signs will be accurate based on the time of day, and it will correlate with the correct speed display.

credible to our citizens. ... We should not be trying to advertise that [the speed limit] is something dierent during the hours that it’s not.” DAVID MCDONALD, LEANDER CITY

COUNCIL MEMBER

The takeaway: The ordinance applies only to new school zones.

Old EMS site to turn into city oce space LEANDER The city will renovate a pair of buildings in Old Town Leander. In a nutshell: City Council approved a $577,362 contract June 15 to transform the emergency medical services build- ing into open o ce space for the city’s inspectors and a conference room.

RAISING THE RATES New water and wastewater rates will go into e’ect Oct. 1 in Liberty Hill using forecasted rates for January 2021. The following shows the monthly minimum charge for residents in city limits. Charges vary depending on water usage.

Water rate Current rate: $35.09 New rate: $37.95 Wastewater rate Current rate: $49.67 New rate: $57.86

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SOURCE: CITY OF LIBERTY HILLž COMMUNITY IMPACT

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LEANDER  LIBERTY HILL EDITION • JULY 2023

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