The Blanco City Council meeting was called to order at 6:01 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem Martin Sauceda with Council members: Keith McClellan (arrived at 6:07 p.m.), Mike Smith, Matt Lewis, and Deda Divine present. New Blanco Police Chief Scott Rubin was sworn into office by city secretary Laurie Cassidy.
Mayor Pro Tem Sauceda encouraged citizens to fill out the 2020 Census if they have not done so already. Public comments were heard next. John Ransom, Protect Our Blanco (POB) board member, took the floor first and urged the council to help keep the water crystal clear. He would like to help find a long-term solution for the water waste discharge and forming partnerships with other organizations. Lauren Ice, POB attorney, spoke remotely and requested the council to consider having a public meeting at which POB can bring up the issues regarding the wastewater discharge. POB is opposed to the discharge permit and would like to propose more amendments for the permit application.
Next, Will Daves, interim city administrator, provided updates on the budget reports, budget calendar and city hall. He explained that the city is still working on a payment kiosk. A new email system for city officials and board members is in the works. There is currently a $25 per load charge for brush disposal. The first budget workshop to be held on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 5:30 p.m. Most likely more budget workshops will follow in September. The minutes of the July meeting were approved.
Roxanne Sorrell was approved as the new BHPC Chairman after the previous chair, Jo Nell Haas, stepped down. Sorrell said she is honored and excited to serve.
The council discussed abandoning a 15th Street property easement for the Sta-Built subdivision access. Part of 15th Street has already been abandoned. All four property owners must send a petition to the city. Smith moved to have Daves move forward and Divine seconded. The motion carried. The Graham petition for the city to abandon the unused portion of 15th Street between Hackberry and Cherry Streets was tabled. The abandonment of an easement in the Pittsburgh subdivision was also tabled.
The council members discussed installing a speed bump at Main and Fulcher Street. Instead of a speed bump, there was a suggestion of a reduced speed limit and more signage. A speed bump can create a lot of unwanted noise. Rubin also suggested more patrolling of the area to discourage speeders. An ordinance will be prepared regarding this.
The proposed tax rates were discussed next. This year’s adjusted no-new-revenue tax rate is $0.33780 per $100 valuation and this year’s total voter-approval tax rate is $0.3503 per $100 valuation. A public hearing will be held on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. and citizens are encouraged to participate.
Next, a discussion regarding Ordinance 2020-O-008 on Disannexation of Mincemoyer. This is a sparsely populated area comprising 13.83 acres with no businesses or residents. “An ordinance of the city council of the city of Blanco, Texas disannexing a sparsely populated area….and altering the boundaries of the city to exclude said area; providing for repeal of ordinances or portions thereof in conflict; providing for severability; and providing for an effective date,” states the ordinance. Smith moved to approve the ordinance and authorize the mayor to sign it. McClellan seconded the motion and it carried.
The water treatment plant project was discussed. Originally, Archer was the lowest bid on the project, but now time has passed and the bid amount has increased. The council and Tom Turk, project manager, are now working on an agreement with the company who had the second lowest bid. However, the window to award a bid has closed and must be extended. The council moved to initiate and authorize the bidding process in compliance with applicable procurement laws.
The council members adjourned into executive session to discuss several matters at 7:15 p.m. When returning to the regular session, action was only taken on one item and that was to remove interim from Daves’ title; he is now the city administrator. Smith moved and McClellan seconded the motion and it carried.
