Lake Travis - Westlake Edition | February 2024

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Lake Travis Westlake Edition VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1 FEB. 22MARCH 30, 2024

2024 Voter Guide

From left: a re ghter helps Waheeda Yousofzoy, emergency management coordinator for Bee Cave, Lakeway and Village of the Hills, sort emergency supplies.

APRIL KELLEYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Cities focus on emergency preparedness for local businesses

raising awareness in the community. “I hope [communities] understand that at the end of the day, their safety is No. 1 for us,” Yousofzoy said. “We’re there to provide the resources they need.”

up to hire an emergency management coordinator to serve the three cities in April 2021. Emergency management coordinator Waheeda Yousofzoy said the cities have worked tirelessly to become ecient and proactive by improving communication and

BY APRIL KELLEY

February marks three years since Winter Storm Uri devastated Texas. Since then, many local cities have ramped up their eorts for emergency preparedness. Bee Cave, Lakeway and Village of the Hills teamed

CONTINUED ON 22

Also in this issue

Impacts: The Poke Hookup coming soon to Lakeway (Page 8)

Government: Bee Cave city manager resigns (Page 10)

Community: Summer camps in the Lake Travis area (Page 26)

Business: Live music bar becomes community staple (Page 32)

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All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. Exact dimensions can be obtained by retaining the services of an architect or engineer. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. Compass is a licensed real estate broker. Equal Housing Opportunity. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. Exact dimensions can be obtained by retaining the services of an architect or engineer. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. Compass is a licensed real estate broker. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All

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Market leaders & metro team

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Grace Dickens Editor gdickens@ communityimpact.com

Correction: Volume 14, Issue 12 On Page 22, the column graphic incorrectly stated the percentages of green space. Travis Club will be 38.2% green space and 61.8% nongreen space, while Thomas Ranch will be 54% green space and 46% nongreen space. On Page 8, impact text for Austin Retina Associates incorrectly stated the business would open a second location in Lakeway. The current location of the business, 2501 RM 620, Ste. 130, Lakeway, will close once the relocation to 101 Medical Parkway., Ste. 240, Austin, is complete in spring.

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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION

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Impacts

3 Sephora Sephora sells a variety of beauty products, such as cosmetics, skin care, body care, fragrances, nail colors, beauty tools, body lotions and hair care items. • Opened Jan. 29 • The Village at Westlake, 701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., West Lake Hills • www.sephora.com 4 Thrive Therapy of Texas The speech and occupational therapy clinic owned by clinician Tanya Manriquez oers speech, language, feeding, sensory and myofunctional therapy for adults and children. • Opened Jan. 22 • 3944 S. RM 620, Bldg. 8, Ste. 206, Bee Cave • www.thrivetherapytexas.com 5 Elevated Wellness The wellness center owned by Natalie Dickey oers a team of practitioners versed in mental health therapy, massage therapy, wellness coaching and more, plus a boutique with books, crystals and other products. • Opened Feb. 2

LAKE TRAVIS

HAZY HILLS DR.

2222

CRAWFORD RD.

STEINER RANCH BLVD.

Lakeway

620

EMMA LONG PARK

16 17

COMMONS FORD RANCH

West Lake Hills

N. CAPITAL OF TEXAS HWY.

1 4 15

360

HAMILTON POOL RD.

Rollingwood

• 2951 S. RM 620, Ste. 102, Lakeway • www.livingelevatedwellness.com

Bee Cave

MAIN ST.

VISTA RIDGE

BARTON CREEK HABITAT PRESERVE

MEDICAL DR.

Coming soon

620

6 Hill Country ONE Realty Owned by Aubrey Shaw, the real estate rm specializes in residential and commercial real estate sales in the Hill Country. • Grand opening March 23 • 21818 Hwy. 71, Ste. 208, Spicewood • www.hconerealty.com 7 Innite Fitness The personal training studio owned by Jonas Acevado focuses on helping people gain strength and move better with workouts that are fun and suit to individual client needs. • Opening March 1 • 5145 N. RM 620, Ste. F-125, Austin • www.ininiteitnessaustin.com

BIRRELL ST.

9 11

S. CAPITAL OF TEXAS W HWY.

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MAP NOT TO SCALE

2 Meade Engineering The Phoenix-based rm specializes in mechanical and electrical engineering, design and commissioning. The business is responsible for creating multiple data centers in Texas, which house large computer servers that process and store data for companies. • Opened Jan. 17 • 1250 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., West Lake Hills • www.meadeengineering.com

Now open

1 Green Herbal Care The CBD and Delta-8 THC dispensary opened a Bee Cave location in November. The Austin-based store has four other locations, including in North and South Austin. • Opened Nov. 10 • 3944 S. RM 620, Bldg. 3, Ste. 120, Bee Cave • www.greenherbalcare.com

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8 Legend Tennis Center A new tennis academy by owner and coach Kapil Rajurkar will include four tennis courts and oer tennis lessons for all ages. • Opening in late summer • 4200 Crawford Road, Spicewood • The business does not yet have a website 9 Warby Parker The store will oer glasses, sunglasses, contacts, eye exams and vision tests in Barton Creek Square in its location on the lower level of the mall next to Altar’d State. • Opening in February • 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin • www.warbyparker.com 10 The Poke Hookup Owners Mark and Lili Schulte’s poke restaurant is the rst of its kind to serve up raw seafood in the Lakeway area. The restaurant will carry multiple protein options for raw seafood as well as chicken and tofu options. • Opening in mid-March • 1510 S. RM 620, Ste. 400, Lakeway • www.thepokehookup.com

Coming soon

In the news

13 Body20 The tness studio will open a Steiner Ranch location oering low-impact, muscle-stimulating workouts with the guidance of a personal trainer. • Opening March 25 • 3810 North Quinlan Park Road, Ste. 160, Austin • www.body20.com

16 Valentines The upscale women’s clothing and accessory store celebrated its 25th anniversary in February. The female- and family-owned business was founded by Teresa Windham, who works alongside her daughter, Kendle Windham. • 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., Ste. G-180, Austin • www.valentinesaustin.com

In the news

11 Journeys Kidz The store is an extension of footwear retailer Journeys, and will oer shoes, apparel, backpacks, hats and accessories for infants to tweens. According to a project led with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the store will be located on the upper level of Barton Creek Square next to American Eagle. • 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin • www.journeys.com/kidz 12 Shipp Family Dentistry The family-owned dental o¡ce that celebrated its ve year anniversary in December oers pediatric, cosmetic,

17 Copeland Jewelers The jewelry store and repair shop is closing after 40 years in business, following the retirement of owner Clay Copeland. • Closing in June • 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., Ste. D160, Austin • www.copelandjewelers.com 18 Tiny Pies The Austin-based bakery permanently closed its Westlake location. Its other locations will remain open. • Closed Jan. 18 • 3736 Bee Caves Road, Ste. 8B, Austin • www.tinypies.com

Closings

14 Bokabuku Boutique The women’s clothing store currently located at the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave will relocate to Burnet. • Closed Feb. 11 • 12820 Hill Country Blvd., Ste. E-115, Bee Cave • www.bokabuku.com 15 Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop The sandwich chain closed due to underperformance in targeted sales, owner Julian King said. • Closed Jan. 5 • 3944 RM 620 S., Ste. 130, Bee Cave • www.capriottis.com

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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION

Government

Travis County launches $23.7M diversion pilot Travis County, Integral Care and Central Health o cials are putting their heads and budgets together to launch the Crisis Care Diversion program aimed at keeping people with mental illness out of jail. The overview The Crisis Care Diversion program will depend on many of the county’s existing public health and housing services, such as Integral Care, which will expand its Psychiatric Emergency Services program to be open 24 hours and service individu- als regardless of their ability to pay. Costs are estimated to total $23.7 million over the next three years, split among the city, county, Central Health, Integral Care and possible state funds. Council is set to vote on Austin’s $2 million share of the program on Feb. 15, after press time. Ahead of their vote, o cials said they need more

West Lake Hills swears in 2 new police o cers West Lake Hills City Council swore in two new o cers for the West Lake Police Department at a Jan. 24 meeting. The background Police o cers Ethan Atencio and Joseph Stephens took the ceremonial oath of o ce to join the West Lake Hills Police Department. West Lake Hills Police Chief Scott Gerdes said Atencio is a returning o cer to the department, having left for six months to work for Texas State University. Stephens has three years of experience working for the Hays County district attorney’s o ce as an investigator and previously worked as a police o cer for 29 years in Pasadena, Texas, Gerdes said.

Updated services Integral Care will oer an array services through its Psychiatric Emergency Services program and Therapeutic Diversion Program, including:

Harm reduction surrounding drug use

Housing navigation

Nutrition counseling

Medical and psychiatric care

SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

information about the program and shared reser- vations about the proposed funding split. The program is open to adults who need behavioral health services. People can be referred to the facility from the PES program, court judges, attorneys or Integral Care’s jail liaison. County o cials said they anticipate the program to launch sometime in 2024.

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BY APRIL KELLEY, GRACE DICKENS, & KATY MCAFEE

Lakeway calls $22M parks bond election The city of Lakeway called for a $22 million parks bond election for May 4 after City Council approved the action at a Feb. 5 meeting. The gist The approved bond election projects were scaled back and prioritized from the original $28.7 million bond amount after the city spent several months gathering input and feedback via a community survey, in-person town hall event and public meetings. The outlook City Manager Joseph Molis said nalized plans and costs for the bond projects would be brought back before City Council at a future meeting prior to the election.

Bee Cave City Manager Clint Garza resigns The city of Bee Cave accepted the resignation of City Manager Clint Garza at the Jan. 23 meeting. The details Garza was appointed to the position in 2018 fol- lowing an 11-year career in various leadership roles in Hays County, according to the city’s website. Garza will be moving on to another undisclosed opportunity, according to a Facebook post from Mayor Kara King on Jan. 24. “He has accepted an exciting new opportunity that will build on the work he has done in Bee Cave and his awesome talents, to take it to the next level,” King said. In his time with Bee Cave, Garza worked with his team to spearhead several projects focused on improving infrastructure, transportation and development within the city.

“In a little over 5 years I’ve met so many wonderful people, made lifelong friends, and been a part of long-term planning eorts to ensure Bee Cave continues to

thrive while holding on to the things that make all of us [proud] to live here.” CLINT GARZA, BEE CAVE CITY MANAGER

What’s next? Garza’s last day will be Feb. 29, King’s post said. As of press time, a timeline for hiring a new city manager has not been established. At the Feb. 6 meeting, council approved Travis Askey and Lindsey Oskoui as the co-interim city managers, beginning March 1. “We’re never going to get anybody as good as Clint, but we are sure going to try,” council member Courtney Hohl said.

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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION

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Real estate

BY BEN THOMPSON

Properties ee Austin regulations

Sorting out details

SB 2038 was opposed by Austin o cials given concerns about the impact of looser standards in the ETJ on water quality, environmental features such as Barton Springs and the Colorado River, and other city issues related to development. “Large-scale developments can impact tra c, park use, future water planning. ... If the city is not involved in the development process, the city can- not be prepared for the impacts these developments might have on city services,” a spokesperson said. Development consultant Michael Linehan said he believes the new option can make properties more developable and valuable as it bypasses certain environmental regulations and Austin’s “notorious” permitting process. Generally, leaving Austin’s ETJ also won’t mean a loss of city utility service.

From the law’s eective date on Sept. 1 through the month of January, city records show Austin received more than 250 petitions for properties’ releases from the city ETJ and into unincorporated Travis County. Most requests have been approved. Records show applications for ETJ release have included individual homes, undeveloped lands, larger subdivisions and developments, and facilities like the Austin Executive Airport and Tesla’s riverfront Gigafactory.

Owners of thousands of acres of land around the edges of Austin are removing their properties from city oversight under a new state law that went into eect last year. Senate Bill 2038 allows any properties in a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ— unincorporated land near city limits in which some city regulations apply—to petition for removal from that boundary. Under SB 2038, cities cannot deny a request for release.

KEY

183A TOLL

45 TOLL

ETJ areas Properties released from the ETJ

LAKE TRAVIS

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360

What’s next

290

MOPAC

130 TOLL

Through early 2024, Austin continued to receive ETJ release applications on a near-daily basis. Nikelle Meade, a partner at Husch Blackwell law rm specializing in land-use issues, said it’s likely the city’s ETJ will continue to see many exits. “The end result could be that development around Austin becomes less expensive to complete, thus making the developments more aordable for the end-users,” Meade said.

183

COLORADO RIVER

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SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION

Election

BY GRACE DICKENS

Voter Guide

2024

To view the full list of all contested state and national candidates, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide. Only candidates in contested elections are included. Visit county election websites for information on uncontested races.

KEY

R Republican

D Democrat

*Incumbent

State Representative, District 19 R Manny Campos R Kyle Biedermann R Ellen Troxclair* D Zach Vance D Dwain Handley Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals District, Place 2 D Edward Smith* D Melissa Lorber D Maggie Ellis Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals District, Place 5 D Thomas J. Baker* D Karin Crump Travis County District Attorney D José Garza* D Jeremy Sylestine District judge, 353rd Judicial District D Susana Castillo D Madeleine Connor* D Sherine Thomas Local elections Travis County justice of the peace, Precinct 5

D Steven J. Keough D Thierry Tchenko United States Representative, District 10 R Jared B. Lovelace R Michael T. McCaul* D Keith McPhail D Theresa Boisseau United States Representative, District 37 D Christopher “Chris” McNerney D Eduardo “Lalito” Romero D Lloyd Doggett* State elections Railroad commissioner R Christie Clark R Christi Craddick* R Corey Howell R James “Jim” Matlock R Petra Reyes D Bill Burch D Katherine Culbert Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 2 D DaSean Jones D Randy Sarosdy Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 4 R John Devine* R Brian Walker Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 6 D Bonnie Lee Goldstein D Joe Pool Presiding judge, Court of Criminal Appeals R Sharon Keller* R David J. Schenck Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 7 R Barbara Parker Hervey* R Gina Parker Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 8 R Lee Finley R Michelle Slaughter*

Dates to know

Feb. 5: Last day to register to vote Feb. 20: First day of early voting March 1: Last day of early voting March 5: Election day

Where to vote

Any voter can cast a ballot in the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Travis County residents can vote at any polling location during early voting or on election day. Visit www.elections.traviscountytx.gov for more information.

Sample ballot

Federal election U.S. President R Ryan L. Binkley R Chris Christie R Ron Desantis R Nikki Haley R Asa Hutchinson

R Vivek Ramaswamy R David Stuckenberg R Donald J. Trump D Joseph R. Biden, Jr.* D Gabriel A. Cornejo D Star Locke D Frankie Lozada D Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato

D Ornela DeSeta D Tanisa Jeers D Rick “Rico” Olivo* Precinct Chair 273 R David Doman R Steven Countway* Precinct Chair 281 R Stephen Liebel* R Je Flauding

D Dean Phillips D Cenk Uygur D Marianne Williamson U.S. Senator R Ted Cruz* R Holland “Redd” Gibson R R.E. “Rufus” Lopez D A. “Robert” Hassan D Carl Oscar Sherman D Colin Allred D Heli Rodriguez Prilliman D Mark Gonzalez D Meri Gomez D Roland Gutierrez

SOURCES: TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE, TRAVIS COUNTY CLERK COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY KATY MCAFEE

*INCUMBENT

Travis County District Attorney, Democrat

What will be your top priorities if you are elected?

What uniquely quali es you for this position?

We are making progress toward xing our broken criminal justice system and will continue to do so by standing with survivors of sexual assault, treating addiction and substance abuse as a public health crisis while reducing mass incarceration, and implementing programs to prevent gun violence in our community.

Since serving as DA, we’ve improved our public safety by investing in community-based solutions, reducing reliance on incarceration, and partnering with law enforcement to address gun violence. We’ve held people who commit acts of violence accountable and moved more sexual assault cases forward to prosecution to help survivors get justice.

José Garza* Occupation: Travis County District Attorney Relevant experience: District Attorney, former Executive Director of Workers Defense Project www.joseforda.com

Restoration of trust in the DA’s Oce by victims/ survivors of domestic violence and child abuse. Emphasis on jury trials as the best form of feedback from the Travis County community. Reduce the backlog of over 7,000 unindicted felony cases.

I’ve been a lawyer for almost 20 years with over 15 as a felony prosecutor. I spent half of that time handling child abuse and domestic violence cases. I know Travis County juries and judges and bring expertise and balance to a system that isn’t functioning as it should.

Jeremy Sylestine Occupation: Criminal defense attorney

Relevant experience: Trial lawyer, public defender, adjunct professor at UT School of Law www.jeremysylestine.com

Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity. For more election coverage, go to www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

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Transportation

BY GRACE DICKENS

Barton Skyway project nears nish

What’s next?

Most of the project is completed, and nal steps are being pursued in the next two months to end the yearlong project, Director of Engineering Mike Sexton said. “We should wrap up here in spring. It’s going to be weather-dependent, so we can do some asphalt and nal striping work,” Sexton said. CTRMA ocials expect this new trac con guration to ease congestion and allow for more reliable travel times. Ocials also anticipate the project will improve travel times by up to 40% and serve an additional 770 vehicles during evening rush hours. “We’ve already gotten a lot of great feedback about not only the construction process but the much-needed congestion relief for that snarl in that spot,” Director of Communications Jori Liu said.

MoPac from the Bee Caves Road and Barton Skyway on-ramps. The project recongures the southbound Barton Skyway and Bee Caves Road ramps, with both entering onto a new through lane on MoPac, according to the CTRMA.

Work on the Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project is scheduled to wrap up this spring, according to an update from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority on Jan. 31. The project began in February 2023 to relieve trac congestion caused by cars merging onto

The project will add: 1 An auxiliary lane from Barton Skyway to Loop 360 on MoPac South 2 An additional through-trac lane at Loop 360 3 A left-lane exit-only ramp for southbound Loop 360 4 Room to accelerate for drivers entering from the southbound Barton Skyway on ramp

pavement widening ramps new trac patterns

360

MOPAC

BARTON SKYWAY

N MAP NOT TO SCALE

SOURCE: CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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Education

LISD creates police force

The approach

Building its own police department will give LISD the greatest control over how it hires and trains armed ocers, said Bryan Miller, executive director of student support. Stang more school resource ocers from local police departments—the method the district currently uses to have ocers at its high school campuses and Leander Middle School—was not an option as those agencies are short staed, he said. Representatives with Travis County Sheri’s Oce, Cedar Park Police Department and Leander Police Department conrmed they are experiencing ocer shortages. “Very quickly, [we realized] there was no way they could create that kind of capacity through our partnership, so we had to explore other avenues,” Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. The district will assign school marshals to ele- mentary campuses as they have less authority than commissioned peace ocers but still hold a license to carry, Miller said. Unlike police ocers, school marshals will be able to contribute to administrative work, such as emergency response protocols or monitoring recess, he said.

LISD parent Brad Ferguson said he is concerned about young students being disciplined by armed guards instead of educators. Neither ocers nor school marshals will be the rst to respond to school discipline concerns but may play a supportive role through talking with students or reminding them to follow campus rules, Miller said. The district’s disciplinary response will be guided by its code of conduct while police ocers will address criminal ramications, he said. Police ocers and school marshals will report to a chief of police while the chief will report to the superintendent in accordance with state law. Both school marshals and ocers will receive training on child development and interacting with students while marshals will partake in professional training and learning along with teachers, he said. The speed at which the department is developed largely depends on the district’s ability to hire and train applicants, Miller said. “You’ve got 1,200-plus districts competing for licensed police ocers to join departments and have the correct training, along with marshals,” Miller said.

Leander ISD ocials are in the initial stages of building a district police force after the board of trustees approved the department’s creation and rst round of funding Nov. 30. The district amended this scal year’s budget by $1.1 million to hire some sta and cover costs for training, insurance, and equipment. With a plan to hire 67 total ocers, the entire department is expected to take multiple years and millions of dollars to create, ocials said. With over 42,000 students across 48 campuses, LISD has struggled to comply with House Bill 3, a law passed in 2023 requiring an armed sta member or police ocer on every campus. District ocials said they anticipate funding and police stang challenges as a result of insucient state funding to implement the new rule.

Department breakdown

35 police ocers for middle and high schools

Ocer responsibilities

67 total ocers

32 school marshals for elementary and alternative schools

• Primary role to respond to an active threat School marshals • 80 hours of training and psychological exam • Arrests only to prevent imminent bodily harm • May complete administrative safety and security tasks, including developing response protocols, hosting trainings and conducting door audits

Police ocers • Primary role to address criminal activity • 1,400 hours or eight to nine months of training, including the School-Based Law Enforcement Oficer Proiciency Certiicate • Commissioned peace oficer with full arrest and investigation powers • Cannot be assigned to address administrative tasks or disciplinary issues

Around $4.8 million for recurring yearly salary costs Around $2.8 million for start-up equipment and training costs

SOURCE: LEANDER ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

SOURCES: LEANDER ISD, TEXAS COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT

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BY CHLOE YOUNG

The cost

Looking forward

District ocials are now working on an application to create the department with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. As a part of that process, the district will need to name a police chief, hire an administrative assistant and adopt a board policy outlining how the department will be structured, Miller said. Ocials are hoping to have the application submitted in the spring and receive approval in the summer. Once approved, the district can ocially hire police ocers with the goal of having some ocers and school marshals on campuses by fall. LISD will continue its school resource ocer partnerships with local police departments until those ocers are no longer needed, Miller said. “While there is a potential cheaper option out there, sometimes you get what you pay for,” Miller said. “We want to be sure that we are providing the ... best people for our campuses.” Implementation timeline The district hopes to have next steps completed by the following tentative dates, Miller said. Late winter: Name police chief and adopt board policy Spring: Submit TCOLE application Summer: Receive TCOLE decision August: Assuming TCOLE approval, assign ocers/school marshals to some campuses

cut expenses as the majority goes to sta salaries. “If the state does not kick in additional funding, then we’re going to have to make some very dicult choices about what we stop doing in order to make this mandate happen,” Gearing said. However, some members of the community have expressed concerns that the district should have chosen a less costly option to arm its cam- puses, such as arming teachers through a school guardian program.

In scal year 2023-24, the district transferred $1.1 million out of its fund balance to begin the police department, Gearing said. While HB 3 allocates districts $10 per student and $15,000 per campus to meet its requirements, the $1.1 million from the bill in state funding has already been allocated for the district’s existing school resource ocers, Miller said. School board President Gloria Gonzales-Dhola- kia said there’s nowhere in the district’s budget to

Costs versus funding under HB 3

Training: $10,000 Insurance (annually): $40,000 Administrative assistant: $54,903.50 Equipment: $84,000 Assistant chief: $126,906.22

State funding Leander ISD expenses

$1.14M School safety allotment

Police chief: $156,019.56 10 marshals: $631,307.50

Local SROs and drug dogs $1.17M

$1.1M

Phase 1 of police department

SOURCES: LEANDER ISD, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT

In their own words

“I think with smaller classrooms and more school counselors, we’d be able to do more on our campuses with

“It’s going to be our job to make sure ... the presence of those ocers is really comforting as opposed to intimidating.” BRUCE GEARING, LEANDER ISD SUPERINTENDENT

school safety, but that’s not one of our choices.” GLORIA GONZALES DHOLAKIA, LEANDER ISD SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT

SOURCE: LEANDER ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Education

BY BRITTANY ANDERSON, GRACE DICKENS & CHLOE YOUNG

Districts foresee budget shortfalls for next year Following preliminary budget discussions in January, districts in Lake Travis-Westlake are projecting up to $19.8 million in budget shortfalls for the 2024-25 scal year. The details Lake Travis ISD ocials are pointing to increased recapture payments and stagnant per student funding as causes of the district’s pro- jected $3.8 million shortfall. EISD Chief Financial Ocer Chris Scott said a shifting local real estate market and less state funding for programs are contributing to the $4.5 million shortfall projections. Leander ISD is projecting a $19.8 million short- fall for next scal year due to lower enrollment and increased operation costs. Final decisions on budgets will happen in June and August, according to the districts.

EISD report shows mixed results on STAAR tests A January report for Eanes ISD shows how stu- dents performed on the newly redesigned State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams. The report uses three levels to indicate a student’s STAAR performance: “approaches grade level” is a passing score, “meets grade level” is above average and “masters grade level” shows content mastery. The details Reading STAAR scores for students in third through eighth grades showed: • 95% of students or more approached the grade level • 83% of students or more met the grade level • Between 36%-69% of students mastered the grade level Math STAAR scores for students in third through

LTISD enrollment projected to grow

LISD adopts 202425 academic calendar Leander ISD students will head back to school Aug. 14 for the 2024-25 school year following the district calendar’s approval by board members Feb. 1. The setup The 2024-25 academic calendar includes the following features: • A short rst week of school starting Aug. 14 • A weeklong Thanksgiving break Nov. 25-29 • Two weeks for winter break Dec. 23-Jan. 3 • An early release day at the end of each semester Dec. 20 and May 23 • Spring break March 17-21, aligning with Austin Community College • The last day of school falling before Memo- rial Day weekend May 23

Budget overview

2021-22 school year stats

LISD $19.8M projected shortfall, up from $6.3M in FY 2023-24 2% salary increase, down from 4% in FY 2023-24 $0.7569 maintenance and operations tax rate per $100 valuation, down $0.0218 from FY 2023-24 LTISD $3.8M projected shortfall, down from $5M in FY 2023-24 Salary increases planned but currently not budgeted for $0.7126 maintenance and operations tax rate per $100 valuation, down $0.034 from FY 2023-24

95%

84.2%

99.7%

Lake Travis ISD is expected to experience steady growth over the next 10 years despite a recent decline in enrollment, according to the district’s 2023-24 Population and Survey Analysts demographic study. Two-minute impact As of October, the district’s enrollment of 11,276 was lower than previous projections for the 2023-24 school year due to a slowing market, smaller kindergarten class sizes and new conservation eorts targeting develop- able land. The district’s enrollment is expected to grow each year over the next decade, gaining almost 2,400 students by 2033 if the housing market stabilizes, kindergarten class sizes grow and unemployment stays low, according to the report.

attendee rate, higher than the state average of 92%

EISD’s College, Career and Military Readiness rating

of students in the class of 2022 graduated

SOURCE: 202324 TEXAS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE REPORT, EANES ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

eighth grades showed: • 93% of students or more approached the grade level • 72% of students or more met the grade level • Between 20%-63% of students mastered the grade level Third graders were in kindergarten when the pandemic began, and district ocials said scores indicate those students will need more help.

EISD $4.5M projected shortfall, up from $1.3M in FY 2023-24

3% salary increase, down from 5% in FY 2023-24 $0.7637 maintenance and operations tax rate per $100 valuation, down $0.0043 from FY 2023-24

SOURCE: EANES ISD, LAKE TRAVIS ISD, LEANDER ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT

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Cities focus on emergency preparedness for local businesses From the cover

The backstory

Two-minute impact

The city of Bee Cave hosted their quarterly Business Roundtable meeting in January, where they discussed emergency preparedness with approximately 50 business owners, Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said. Austin Energy, Lake Travis Fire Rescue and You- sofzoy answered questions, provided resources and tips at the meeting, Yousofzoy said. King said she felt it was important for Bee Cave to up the level of engagement with local business owners. She said the meeting helped business owners to understand the utility aspect as it pertains to emergency situations. “We want them to feel supported in case they did have to shut their businesses down for a few days [due to an emergency situation],” King said. The most important thing business owners can do for themselves is to sign up on the Voyent Alert system, Yousofzoy said. “We’re trying to do our due diligence by making sure they’re able to be in the system and get those important messages,” she said.

role, Abbott said. The biggest challenge for LTFR during Winter Storm Uri was ensuring the re stations remained functional and online with the number of utility challenges, Abbott said. “The entire team rose to the needs and adapted to the challenges,” he said. “During the peak of the event, we had anywhere from 40-50 reghters on duty at any time, around the clock.” Winter Storm Mara hit in January 2023, just a couple of months after Yousofzoy began serving in the position, she said. Yousofzoy said communication is key when it comes to emergency management in a disaster situation. “I don’t think anybody was expecting Storm Mara to occur,” she said. “We utilized Voyent— the cities’ alert system—a lot to prepare the community.”

The three cities decided to create one position to oversee emergency management after Lake Travis Fire Rescue approached them with the idea of hiring an emergency management coordinator in late 2019, LTFR Fire Chief Robert Abbott said. Abbott said since LTFR oversees the three cities, it would make sense for the emergency management coordinator to all serve the same area. Lakeway City Council approved the creation of the position in June 2020, according to prior reporting by Community Impact . The rst emergency management coordinator, Paul Harvey, was hired in April 2021. “Winter Storm Uri absolutely highlighted the need for a full-time, professionally trained and accomplished EMC,” Abbott said. Prior to the hiring of the emergency management coordinator, LTFR served in the

Four factors of emergency management

Response using available resources to meet needs in a disaster situation

Recovery long-range support of restoring the community to predisaster conditions

Mitigation/prevention actions taken to prevent an incident from occurring

Preparedness planning, training, outreach and public education to create awareness of potential dangers

Around 50 business owners gathered in January to discuss emergency preparedness.

SOURCE: CITY OF LAKEWAYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

COURTESY CITY OF BEE CAVE

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

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