Font Size: A A A

 

 

 

ð  Report Water Leaks

Customers of the Liberty Hill Water Supply Corp. are asked to inspect their property for outdoor water leaks. Customers who suspect a leak should contact General Manager Wendell McLeod at 778.5977.

ð  Liberty Hill City Council

Regular meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month in the City Council Chamber.

ð  Liberty Hill Planning & Zoning Commission    

Regular meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the City Council Chamber. 

ð  Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors

Regular meetings are at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month in the City Council Chamber.

ð  Parks & Recreation Board

Regular meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month in the City Council Chamber.

ð  Building Standards Commission         

Meets once annually on the first Thursday in October in the City Council Chamber.

 

 

(Posted: 9:15 a.m. July 14, 2010)

An air conditioner malfunction that caused the temperature in the City Council Chamber Monday to climb to 87 degrees did not cut short the Council's discussion of a number of hot issues, but in the end, few decisions were made.

 

As the hot air circulated, Council members fanned themselves with pages from their meeting notebooks and between disagreements, voted to pay a sewer change order, purchase a $130 hand dryer for a restroom at City Hall, and appoint a new member to the Parks & Recreation Board.

 

Over the objection of its engineering contractor, the Council voted unanimously Monday to pay a $14,000 change order in Phase I of the sewer system.    

 

Aaron Laughlin of Steger Bizzell recommended the Council not authorize the payment to Royal Vista because it was presented June 24 -- after the City had officially accepted the completion of the Phase I portion of the wastewater system. He said he advised Royal Vista to include the amount in the final change order before the contract was closed, but it did not. Instead, the work extended the contract by one month.

 

Mayor Pro Tem Charles Canady made a motion to pay the bill because he said the work had been completed. Council member Wendell McLeod agreed, and the expenditure was unanimously approved.

 

Because members of the Sewer Committee disagreed with the engineering firm on the issue, Canady said the city's attorney recommended the Council decide how to handle future situations where there is disagreement on whether to authorize payment for change orders.

 

Currently, change orders are presented to the Committee, which is comprised of Canady, Councilman Jack Harkrider, Attorney Kerry Russell and Laughlin. The Committee then decides whether or not to authorize payment. Most of the time, there is no disagreement. But if there is, it is left to the attorney to make the final decision..

 

The Council unanimously approved a motion by Harkrider that if there is disagreement, the matter should be brought to the City Council for consideration. 

 

Also Monday, the Council voted to authorize a meeting between Liberty Hill Police Chief Randy Williams, a representative of Stonewall Ranch Master Community and a member of the Council to develop an agreement between the City and the subdivision for Liberty Hill police to provide preventive patrols there.  

 

Stonewall Ranch, which is a Municipal Utility District (MUD) is not inside the city limits of Liberty Hill. Williamson County Sheriff's deputies respond to emergency calls there, but do not provide preventive patrols, Williams told Radio Free Liberty Hill. He said the neighborhood's management company approached the police department about patrolling the area because of a spike in vandalism at the swimming pool area.

 

He said preventive patrol would consist of officers randomly driving through the community, but would not require any additional officers or overtime by existing officers. The City would be compensated at an amount that would be determined during the meeting. Williams said he planned to bring a proposal to the Council at its next regular meeting.      

 

During the public comments portion of the meeting, elected officials heard from Fred and Elisa Fiero, owners of Liberty Hill Barber Shop, who were dissatisfied with the Council's actions on spending issues. Mr. and Mrs. Fiero said the Council should "take responsibility for their actions," and suggested it might be time for some to "step down."

 

"It's time to come clean with the citizens," Mrs. Fiero said. She reminded the Council that residents packed the Council Chamber years ago and said they were opposed to the low-income housing project, yet the Council voted to approve it over their objections.

 

In recent meetings, the Council has been discussing a decision to waive $42,000 in building permit fees for the developer of the San Gabriel Crossing apartment complex. Building Inspector Pete McKinney told the Council on June 28 that he was directed by Canady to waive the fees. Although Canady disagrees that he gave such a directive, records show the developer did not pay fees in the current fiscal year to renew building plans as required by city ordinance. (Read the Story)

 

Despite a broken air conditioner that raised temperatures in the Council Chamber to 87 degrees Monday, the Council spent most of the meeting discussing the permit fee issue. Although questions remain as to how the decision was made to waive the fees, the Council voted unanimously to convene a meeting  in the coming days between some Council members, McKinney, City Planner Mel Yantis, and the contractor for the project in hopes of resolving the fee issue. (See Related Story)      

 

In other business, the Council:

 

* Appointed Michael Wilson to the City's Parks & Recreation Board. Wilson is President of Liberty Hill Football & Cheer.

* Postponed consideration of a resolution from the Economic Development Corp. to change its Bylaws so that more Board members are required to sign checks. Council member Liz Rundzieher, who also serves on the EDC Board as Secretary, said the resolution that was enclosed in Council packets was different from what she remembered was authorized during the EDC Board's last meeting July 5.  

* Accepted a $10,000 franchise fee check from Pedernales Electric Co.

* Voted unanimously to purchase an electric hand dryer for the public restroom at City Hall at a cost of $130.

* Agreed to schedule a second budget workshop before July 30, with a tentative date of July 27.