General Elections for the City of Llano are held in May each year.  Mayor and two Council Member seats are elected in odd years, and three Council Member seats are elected in even years. This year, a special election will be held for a one-year term Council seat.

Early voting will take place April 22-30 of 2019, with election day on May 4 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Voting will take place at the Llano County Library. A sample ballot is provided at www.co.llano.tx.us/page/llano.Elections.

The current Mayor of Llano, Gail Lang and write-in candidate, Greg Powell were asked 20 questions pertaining to the City of Llano. Their answers were recorded below.

If re-elected, what steps would you take to put our city on a firmer financial footing?

Gail Lang: I would continue to use the same steps, which is to have a bond in place, ensure that money is there to repair our infrastructure, and to continue to be careful about restricting citizens any more than necessary. There should be no reason to ask more financially from our citizens. Financially we will remain stable.

Greg Powell: I feel that the street work that is being done right now outside of the square will have to be re-done, specifically the project that is on a bond. It’s an almost $5 million bond. I feel that paving over the sub-grade that we’re working with is going to fail. I suggest that we go in and cut out part of the bad street and use white-base, roll and pack it in, and let it cure, then put chipseal on top of that. I also firmly support the crawfish festival. We need to keep that going. It brings a lot of revenue and people to this town through hotels and restaurants. It is a good source of revenue.

What is the city's biggest financial challenge and how will it be addressed?

GL: I think we have several big challenges. The internet is an extremely huge challenge. Internet prices are unreasonable and is spotty our unavailable throughout Llano County. It seems impossible to find a provider that reaches us. I spend a certain portion each day looking at options that are available to help. Another challenge is housing. We desperately need more housing. To fix that we need our planning and zoning guidelines finished so we can move forward.

GP: We just need to stay on top of what we’ve got and it will continue to grow. If we could get a few more bed and breakfasts and hotels in the town, we could increase our gains with hotel tax.

Do you think our main street is healthy and successful? If not, what would you do to change that?

GL: I believe our Main Street businesses are healthy. Our new director, Tony Guidorz, is going to work diligently to help them and our northern businesses as well.

GP: Our Main Street has room to grow. We have a lot of vacant spaces on Ford Street that could flourish. It’s getting there, but there is always room for more businesses.

What is the city's biggest economic development opportunity?

GL: I believe, aside from continuing to grow our events, it would be a hotel in our city to help with short-term housing. If we could get another hotel in Llano it would work wonders. Also, we are in need of a place downtown for public parking.

GP: A big economic opportunity would more businesses opening up in Llano.

Some people in our community say that we have traffic problems. What do you think? How would you mitigate those concerns or change the situation?

GL: I believe it could be addressed with revisions in parking spaces around the city square. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the intersections on Highway 16 because those are TxDOT based. We have no control over what the state does. One way that traffic could be mitigated would be by adding a second river crossing. We have explored that. The council has begun research on having that done.

GP: Highway 16 is continuously flowing. I think it would be hard to change that because it will affect companies and small stores.

What is one way you could help the people of Llano, regarding residences or zoning?

GL: I would like for zoning to become more user friendly so that people have the right and ability to deal with their properties the way they want without infringing on their neighbors.

GP: I think residential and commercial residences should have the same lower rate for sewage. I think that it should be a lower rate across the board for both.

How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?

GL: I invite people to come to Council. People are welcome to call me or any of the aldermen to have their issue placed on the agenda and we will discuss it fairly. If a citizen has an idea or a project they would like to pursue, please come and talk to us about it and we will help you in the best way we can.

GP: We need transparency. We need to communicate with the tax payers and the city, as council, and as mayor. That will be my number one priority if elected mayor.

If you received a large grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?

GL: I would use it for more infrastructure repair and to be put into fiberoptics, (referring to internet). I think that in the long run, the people of Llano would get the most benefit from that. I would also like to see City Hall improved, as well as street lighting, sewer lines, and street repairs.

GP: I would use it on street work instead of using it as a bond. A paving project done correctly would last a long time

What is your plan to repair and maintain streets, and how would you pay for it?

GL: We have a good system in place. Our city’s street department has had continuing education on the correct way to repair in case of broken water and sewer lines, so we can maintain our streets. Once our streets are completed, we should be in good standing by doing regular maintenance for the next 10-15 years. Our street department is starting that process and hoping to begin completion of streets in April. When that happens, the street department will attend to maintenance on assigned quadrants of the city.

GP: We would need a grant from the state. It’s very difficult to repair streets with a limited financial budget. Materials are costly. We already have the pre-existing bond, but if we could get a grant, we could get more money to take care of this problem. You don’t have to pay back grants, unlike bonds, which come out of the taxpayer’s pocket.

What are we spending too much on? Not enough?

GL: We aren’t really overspending in any areas. As far as not spending enough, at this time, I am not interested in putting any more burden on the citizens because we are maintaining the budget well. I don’t want to increase the budget.

GP: I feel we may be spending more money on the golf course than we are getting back in return. We might be losing money there. I do want a golf course, but they are a money bucket for the budget. We are not spending enough money on streets.

How can the city address poverty?

GL: As a caring community, the city is now working on kinder and more gentle utility policies to help those in need. We don’t want to be so quick to shut off services. We give a grace period and we are looking to extend it. If a citizen will come in and talk with us, we’ll try to work with them as best we can and create a payment plan.

GP: Those in poverty can be helped by not being over-charging for utilities. Our sewer rates are out of proportion for residential and commercial properties. We have a set rate for water. I believe that needs to be changed to be fair. Some people can’t afford that, and by the time the electricity hits, it’s tough to survive.

Do you believe funding should be increased for school arts programs?

GL: A decrease in the school’s arts programs has not been brought to the council’s attention. I would like to see any of the arts programs be able to continue. We could consider doing a fund-drive or a special fundraiser through City Council if they are in need of funding.

GP: If there’s anything extra after we focus on our streets and getting the town into shape, then we should definitely help the arts programs in our schools.

What basic services needs improvement?

GL: Our sewer system needs the most improvements. I would like to see every citizen within city limits be on City sewer. TCQ can give us a grant to do that. They’ve done it before and might do it again as we grow, and as people are building closer to draws and creeks.

GP: We need high speed internet. Also, utility costs are out of proportion.

What can we do to improve the city's environment and parks?

GL: We have the best parks advisory board I think of any community around. They work hand in hand with the city and get the funding. They’re doing a comprehensive park study right now. They need us to adopt it when they are finished designing and paying for it. They are continually making parks improvements.

GP: I have no problem beautifying our parks. I think we can spend money there if we have room to.

What style of leadership does the city need right now?

GL: My continued style, which is sort of laid back. I try not to be pushy. I try to listen to everyone and be as respectful as I possibly can. I see possibilities and very few negatives. I think that it has worked wonders to draw our community together to solve common goals.

GP: The qualities I have, which is experience in street work. Also, serving in the U.S. Air Force active duty gave me a good foundation for leadership with fairness and integrity.

Where do you want to implement change in Llano?

GL: The change I would like to see is citizens not assuming the worst, thinking that we are an administration out to get them. We want them to understand that we are an administration that likes to help. We have no ulterior motives or goals. We are just like them, trying to do the best and move our city forward.

GP: I want council and mayor to make good decisions for the people.

What is the most common concern from the community that you handle?

GL: The biggest concern is what we do with the money. We pay for the city services such as infrastructure, code enforcement, and our municipal court. It all goes back into the city. We have not enacted a single ordinance that asks money, funds, or fees from the citizens. I detest budget amendments. We have done very few. I am very frugal as the Chief Financial Officer of the City of Llano. I like to pinch pennies. We have money that is sitting in our sinking fund and reserve fund so that we can draw from that, rather than go to the citizens as a bank.

GP: A big concern is the lack of water when we have a drought. Since our water comes from the river. A backup plan for storage needs to be made to carry us through the drought. Or we could add another storage tank.

How do you feel about the transportation options currently available in our city? Do we have enough options? If not, what will you do to increase those?

GL: We do not have enough transportation options. I think that the new sidewalk is going to be great for that and for bikers or people traveling in a wheelchair. It would be nice to get a shuttle service but creating more transportation has not been on my radar.

GP: There was a great turnout for LEAF but there was limited parking. If we could have some type of parking place that is not on the town square and we could shuttle them that could be very helpful.

Are there any big concerns that you feel need to be addressed in Llano?

GL: A big concern is safe, reliable water. It is being addressed now. People were not happy with our last drought contingency plan. We would like to be able to reserve more of our water. We’re working on creating 250 more acre-feet of water that Llano can retain.

GP: My biggest concerns are streets and the price of utilities.

Where do you live in the city, how long have you lived there, and why did you choose that location?

GL: I was adopted when I was six-years-old in 1954 and lived in Llano until 1966. I was gone for ten years and then came back. I married my husband in 1981, which is now 37 years ago. I live three blocks from City Hall. I’m happy in my place. It was a quiet street and convenient for everything I do.

GP: I have lived in downtown Llano for over three years. I like living close to the river. I’m from San Antonio. My family and I have a ranch approximately 20 miles south of Llano. When my grandfather passed away, I moved back to help out my family.

What message would you like to send to our community?

GL: When elected, I will continue to serve the citizens of Llano and provide the most good for the most citizens. I am honored to serve and am grateful for the vote.

GP: I don’t want to just be mayor. I want to be the people’s mayor, through honest communication to help get the job done.