Leander City Council will meet for its regular public meeting July 16 at 7 p.m. Here are three items affecting development, emergency services and traffic.
DarkSky Community Designation
In February, the City Council approved a preliminary application for Leander to be designated a DarkSky Community and met with DarkSky International to gain a better understanding of the process.
A key requirement to become a DarkSky Community is a Lighting Management Policy, which establishes standards to reduce light pollution by updating the city's lighting ordinances and requirements.
Pursuing the DarkSky Community designation could lead to higher costs initially as businesses and developments change their infrastructure to adhere to the new policy. However, these changes could potentially reduce long-term energy costs, according to city documents.
The city could choose to continue the application, change municipal lighting standards to align with DarkSky standards without pursuing the designation, create a subcommittee to evaluate the application process or end the application process.
Neighboring Hill Country cities such as Liberty Hill, Jonestown and Dripping Springs have received DarkSky Place designations.
Fire trucks
The city will consider purchasing two fire engines for nearly $2.2 million, replacing two older vehicles. The older engines, which are from 2016, will be moved into the reserve fleet for five years before they are fully retired. The purchase would be funded by the municipal fleet reserve fund.
By purchasing both vehicles for full at the same time, the city qualifies for a 23% discount, saving nearly $330,000. The City Council could choose to approve the purchase.
Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Palmera Ridge Boulevard traffic signal
A traffic study conducted March 2023 on Ronald Reagan Boulevard between Republic Trails-Journey Parkway and Hwy. 29 recommended installing a traffic signal at the intersection with Palmera Ridge Boulevard and Vista Heights Drive.
The city received four proposals and is moving forward with EZ Bel Construction at a cost of $586,644. The council will consider whether to authorize funding for the project.
The proposed project would be funded by traffic impact fees and certificates of obligation from 2024 and 2025.
