City and County Update

West Lake Hills Mayor Dave Claunch identified some of the key decisions West Lake Hills City Council made in 2013 and some of the issues to be examined in 2014.

Big decisions made in 2013

  • Bee Caves road widening The City Council's decision to authorize funds to acquire right of way for Bee Caves Road is by far the most significant decision of the year. It sends a clear signal to everyone that the city is committed to moving forward with this critical project, Claunch said.
  • City fire flow After more than a year of asking questions and expressing concerns about the accuracy of the fire hydrant tests conducted in 2011 by Water District 10 at the city's expense, the council decided to hire a different company to retest all of the hydrants. Those new test results showed much lower fire flows than the 2011 test results. The city is working with WD10 to reconcile the test results and determine how the new numbers may affect WD10's plans to upgrade its infrastructure.
  • Wonderfest The City Council's support for the Westlake Chamber of Commerce's Wonderfest celebration in early December reflects the city's commitment to building a strong sense of community throughout the Westbank area.

Top issues for 2014

  • Bee Caves road widening Right of way acquisition will continue to be the top priority. Many of the needed property parcels will be acquired by negotiated sale, but some will likely be acquired by the city's power of eminent domain.
  • Managing heavy rains The torrential rains in October created flooding and erosion problems across the city. The city engineer has identified more than 20 areas where damage occurred. A special subcommittee of the City Council is considering the list of proposed improvements, and the whole City Council is expected to decide which projects to fund in early 2014.

Meetings

The council meets at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

911 Westlake Drive, 512-767-6600, www.westlakehills.org

Terms and compensation

The mayor and council serve two-year terms with no term limits and without compensation.

Council members

  • Mayor Dave Claunch
  • Mayor Pro Tem Place 3 Stan Graham
  • Councilwoman Place 1 Linda Anthony
  • Councilman Place 2 Taylor Holcomb
  • Vacant position Place 4
  • Councilman Place 5 David Moore