Recap of City Council Meeting - 11/9/2022 by Councilmember HInes and Approved by Mayor Rasco
Below is a recap of the City Council meeting of 11/9/2022 by Councilmember Hines and approved by Mayor Rasco.
Recap - November 9th, 2022 Regular City Council Meeting
Submitted by Councilmember Debra Hines and approved by Mayor Jeff Rasco
Consent Agenda:
Item 1: Approval of Public Hearing for the Comprehensive Plan Meeting Minutes passed unanimously.
Items 2-4 were moved to the regular agenda for discussion.
Regular Agenda:
Item 2: Corrections to the October 12th meeting minutes were made and approval of the minutes with those edits unanimously passed
Item 3 & 4: Councilmember Hines asked for clarification on the jump in elected body expenses. City Attorney Bud Wymore explained charges for the month and it was established there was a coding error in the accounting. The year ended with approximately $100,000 in funds unspent. Council unanimously approved of and accepted the financial reports for August and September of 2022.
Item 5: The new regional manager for Aqua Texas introduced himself and gave a brief introduction. Craig Blanchett has worked in the industry for 25 years and prides himself on his ratings in operational excellence, customer satisfaction and environmental quality. These are areas for his focus for improvements in Aqua’s service to the Wimberley Valley. A list of projected improvements including line upgrades and updates to reduce line loss of water, repair of sewer lines, a new wastewater treatment plant (moving to level 1 effluent) and moving the wells out of the Jacob’s Well Management Zone were all mentioned as future projects. These improvements are not specific to the City of Woodcreek and address the greater service area in the Wimberley Valley. However, some of the changes will directly impact Woodcreek once implemented. Councilmembers stressed the importance of customer service and asked about a call center or improvements in that area.
Item 6: The new City Manager Kevin Rule introduced himself. His start date was December 1st 2022. He has extensive experience in the field with a special focus on financial management. His most recent employment was in Leon Valley here in Texas. A “meet and greet” is scheduled for Friday, December 16th from 2-4PM.
Item 7: Presenting Cynthia Jones with the Spirit of Woodcreek award was postponed as she could not be present to receive.
Item 8: Creation of an Ad-Hoc Workgroup to review applications for engineering services for a NEW American Rescue Plan Grant was passed unanimously. It will feature many of the same members as the last application review committee. These groups are a requirement as part of the grant process. This grant is in addition to a previous American Rescue Act grant the City already received.
Item 9: Authorizing Mayor Rasco to contact the owner of the Double J Ranch Golf Club in order to discuss a partnership and plan to address Oak Wilt on the golf course located throughout Woodcreek passed unanimously. The spread of Oak Wilt throughout Woodcreek is a threat to the whole community and action to address it must be a collective effort. This partnership with the Double J Ranch Golf Club is an extension of the Oak Wilt Assistance program that is open to all private landowners and residents of the City of Woodcreek. A report on the progress of these negotiations with the golf club owner is anticipated in January.
Item 10: A City of Woodcreek Social Media Policy passed unanimously with the correction of minor typos. The new City Manager Kevin Rule will begin creating official City of Woodcreek social media pages/accounts on Facebook and Nextdoor. These pages will be a source of official City information only. They will not be open for comments and direct message options will not be considered official city inquiries. Citizens should contact City Hall directly with questions and concerns.
Item 11: K. Friese was authorized unanimously to begin engineering studies of Westwood and Brookhollow to create an estimate for work to address drainage issues there. If additional funds are available, K. Friese has been directed to assess the Jack Miller Drive area as well.
Item 12: Council unanimously directed staff to create an application for the Hotel Occupancy Tax Committee and to post an ad in the newspaper calling for applicants to apply. Mayor Rasco was nominated as liaison for the committee who has been directed to discuss the possibility of an increase in the Hotel Occupancy Tax from 0 and to provide a report to Council on the consideration. If you are interested in participating, please contact City Hall or fill out an application which can be found here: https://www.woodcreektx.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/administration/page/2451/application_for_appt_to_city_council.pdf
Item 13: Council voted 4 to 1 to increase the budget for the Par View beautification project to $5000 based on the level of work needed to address parking issues.
Item 14: Council unanimously approved phase 1 of a large-scale program to begin addressing Oak Wilt on Stonehouse Circle and the surrounding homes. This phase will include bringing out an Oak Wilt professional to visually assess and take samples of trees located in the front yards of all homes on Stonehouse Circle. Neighbors in this area will be contacted by a representative of the City to alert them to this plan and to ask if they would like their backyards inspected and tested as well.
Item 15: An Oak Wilt Assistance application has been drafted. Council approved sending it to the Tree Board for review and consideration. One question presented in the meeting was the listing of the Tree Board for review and approval of the application. The concern being the Tree Board by ordinance is designated to oversee trees on public land owned by the City of Woodcreek, while this application addresses trees on privately owned land.
Item 16: The update to the Garage Sale Ordinance passed unanimously and an update to the right-of-way sign applications will be made by staff to lower the fees associated with only garage sale signs as a result of the passage of this ordinance.
Item 17: Council unanimously authorized directing Grant Works to seek grant options for Oak Wilt Assistance programs.
Item 18: Councilmember Pulley provided a report on the work of the off-duty officers who patrol the City as part of the effort to address traffic safety and speeding issues in Woodcreek. A full written report can be found in the packet. Council approved asking Councilmember Pulley to inquire about increasing the frequency and/or duration of patrols.
Report:
Councilmember Kotarba gave a report on the work of the Planning and Zoning Commission. He reviewed recent items such as addressing minimum lot lines in the zoning code which was sent to Council for review, a draft ordinance to regulate Short-term rentals was created and sent to legal and the Ordinance Review Committee for review, and the Comprehensive Plan was passed.
Woodcreek City Hall
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