Bastrop police chief steps down

August 31st, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–David Board, city police chief since 2002, tendered his resignation from city employment and as chief of the department on Monday.

Board, 46, had been a Bastrop policeman since 1986. He will remain on leave without official duties until Nov. 1 when he will qualify for city retirement benefits, said an announcement today from Bastrop City Manager Mike Talbot. The city manager said Board’s resignation has been accepted and is irrevocable.

Board had been on leave since Aug. 18. The previous evening he was arrested in Austin on a drunk driving charge.
Talbot said Board was “allowed to resign” as part of a negotiated arrangement for his separation from city employment.

Talbot said a search for a new chief for the 25-member department will begin immediately. In the meantime, Assistant Chief Matt Wagner will direct the department.

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Groundwater export plan draws fire

August 24th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–The Bastrop Economic Development Corp. didn’t bat an eye Monday when asked to adopt a measure opposing the annual export of some 30,000 acre feet of groundwater from Bastrop County for use by the Guadaloupe-Blanco River Authority near San Marcos.

“That’s a no-brainer” for the local economic development board, said Board Member Willie DeLaRosa. “We don’t need to be exporting water to New Braunfels.”

If approved the GBRA water deal “could have a negative impact on Bastrop County,” said Bastrop City Manager Mike Talbot. The fear is that current water export plan, if implemented, could leave too little groundwater available to support continued growth in Bastrop and Lee County over the next two or three decades.

Additional concerns by local economic development and water planners is that the export scheme has now been included in an official water plan by a neighboring regional water planning group which expects the $330 million project to be financed, at least in part, by the Texas Water Development Board, the state agency which must also approve regional water plans for the Lower Colorado River Basin as well as the Guadaloupe River Basin.

Talbot said he and other local officials will meet this week with State Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt to review concerns about the GBRA proposal and its likely impact on local cities and other water utilities including Aqua Water Supply Corp. In a press announcement last week Aqua officials voiced fears that the proposed export plan could impair its ability to fulfill a constract to supply water to the planned 7,400-home XS Ranch project north of Bastrop.

Posted in Bastrop City, Environmental Movements, business plans | 2 Comments »

Bastrop police chief ‘on leave’

August 19th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–In a statement released by City Hall today, City Manager Mike Talbot said Police Chief David Board is officially on leave from his post.

Board was charged with drunk driving in Austin Monday evening, and asked Talbot for some time off to address personal issues the next morning. Board was released from jail on $5,000 personal bond.

Wednesday afternoon Talbot said he had made no decision on Board’s request for time off.

Today’s statement, released over Talbot’s name, did not say whether the chief’s leave comes with or without pay or for how long a period. An email request for clarification did not receive an immediate response.

The chief’s duties are being handled by Assistant Chief Matt Wagner, Talbot said.

Board, 46, joined the Bastrop Police Department in 1986.

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Bastrop police chief charged, status pending

August 18th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Assistant Police Chief Matt Wagner was effectively placed in charge of the 25-member department on Tuesday, according to City Manager Michael Talbot, and the status of Police Chief David Board is under review.

Board was arrested on a drunk driving charge in Austin Monday evening, according to media reports, and released on $5,000 bail. At a meeting with Board on Tuesday morning, the chief asked for some time off to address personal issues, and Wagner was placed in charge of department operations, acccording to Talbot.

The city manager has not made a decision on Board’s request, he said i Wednesday. He declined to say when a decision might be forthcoming.

Board has been a member of the Bastrop Police Department for more than 24 years. Former Chief Ronnie Duncan promoted Board to sergeant. The late Chief Bill Anderson made Board the department’s first lieutenant.

Board assumed the chief’s role upon Anderson’s retirement.

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Convention center art sought

August 11th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Following a suggestion by Council Member Kay Garcia McAnally on Tuesday, the city council agreed to form a citizen study group to look for significant local art works to embellish the convention center and new city hall now under construction on Chestnut Street.

The new city buildings should become a showcase for the wealth of local artistic talent already living and working in Bastrop, said McAnally. So far there is no budget or plan for placing art work in the new structures.

Works for public display might be purchased, borrowed for a time or acquired by gift or long term loans, said McAnally. An acquisition strategy should be one of the arts panel’s tasks, she suggested.

Mayor Terry Orr said he will appoint such a panel, with the council’s consent, if council members will first suggest a list of suitable candidates.Orr suggested a panel of possibly four to seven members as an initial working group.

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BISD ‘acceptabe,’ says TEA

August 3rd, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–The Bastrop school district earned an “accep0table” rating for the 2009-10 academic hear, the Texas Education Agency reported this week.

Of the 11 schools which were rated in the district, seven were listed as “recognized” and four as “acceptable.”

The “recognized” schools are Cedar Creek Middle School, Cedar Creek Intermediate, Bluebonnet Elementary, Emile Elementary, Lost Pines Elementary, Mina Elementary and Red Rock Elementary.

Bastrop High School, Bastrop Middle School, Bastrop Intermediate School and Cedar Creek Elementary were rated “acceptable.”

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Bastrop fills 3 top vacancies

August 2nd, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–After a long search, City Manager Mike Talbot has filled three executive staff positions, including the first executive director of the new convention center and the city’s first information technology director.

On Friday Talbot also named a new planning director for the city, a post which has been open for months.

Katherine A. Danielson will be the first to market and manage the convention center, due to open for business next spring. Since 1999 she has been the top manager for the Foley, Alabama Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Foley is a city of some 12,000 residents near the Alabama Gulf Coast. From 1996-99 Danielson was special events director for the Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce.

A second new city position is an information technology director. Talbot has selected Kevin Unger, who recently moved to this area, for the job. For the past two years Unger has been a private consultant based in Dallas. Previously he worked both in private industry and public service positions, according to Talbot.

Unger’s resume lists both Perot Systems of Plano and Denton County, Tx as former employers.

Melissa M. McCollum also brings both private and government experience as Bastrop’s new director of planning and development. She replaces Stacy Snell who moved to a new job earlier this year.

McCollum most recently was chief planner for San Marcos. She previously also worked for a private consultancy in Round Rock and with the Georgetown planning department.

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Best use of Main St. lot debated

July 29th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–After a public hearing Tuesday the city council seems no closer to deciding what to do with a vacant lot it owns fronting 921 Main St. downtown.

As expected, the council heard competing visions of the best future use of the property which the city bought last year. The entire property extends from Main to Water Street, and the city has long planned to use most of the site for parking improvements. The 110 feet closest to Main is too narrow to use for parking, according to City Manager Mike Talbot.

The site was formerly home to the Texas Mercantile craft and antique outlet. That building burned in 2003 and was never rebuilt.

Speaking on behalf of the Bastrop Main Street Advisory Board, Steve DeWire laid out a vision for a downtown plaza and visitor comfort station on the site, including rest rooms, landscaping and shade trees. Such a public space would attract visitors to stay longer in the area and boost downtown sales, he argued.

He estimated the initial cost at $259,000 plus some $4,400 annual maintenance expense, chiefly rest room upkeep.

The Bastrop Economic Development Corp. offered a different vision. The board is ready to work with the council to redevelop the space for commercial use, returning the property to the tax roll and generating salex tax income, said BEDC President Joe Newman.

For instance BEDC could buy the site from the city for market value and then negotiate with potential developers with far more flexibility than state law permits the city to offer, said Newman.

More than one potential developer is awaiting a city decision, he said.

At the end of public testimony, Council Member Joe Beal said he still has little evidence about the likely economic impact of either choice.

Mayor Terry Orr noted that grant funding could help pay for a public use project, and the site “looks like a festival space to me.”

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Bastrop council hammers out city charter change proposals

July 28th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Tuesday the Bastrop City Council hammered out details of changes to the city charter which will go before voters in a November election, chiefly making council terms three years long instead of the current two.

The change was recommended earlier this year by a charter review committee headed by Council Member Ken Kesselus. The study panel was named by the mayor and other council members.

The council, however, declined to ask voters to consider adding two additional members to the city governing board, saying there appears to be little public support for such a measure now.

As currently proposed, the charter change would limit the mayor and council members to two consecutive three-year terms. Those officers would be forced to wait a year before seeking re-election.

The Texas Constitution will force additional changes in current city election rules if voters endorse three-year council terms, said city attorney J.C. Brown. The chief change will require that council members and the mayor be elected by majority vote instead of the plurality currently required. That could force run-off elections in some cases, said Brown.

In a related measure the council agreed to ask voters to decide if a sitting council member should be required to resign in order to run for the mayor’s seat. At the same time a mayor would be required to step aside in order to seek a council seat.

Other charter changes to go before voters include changing the title of the presiding officers of the Planning and Zoning commission from “chairman” and “vice chairman” to “chair” and “vice chair.” The mayor would also become the city’s “chief presiding officer” instead of the city’s “chief executive officer.”

Posted in Bastrop City Council | 2 Comments »

Buc-ee’s seeks Bastrop tax rebate

July 28th, 2010

Bastrop, Tx–Buc-ee’s, the convenience and travel center retail chain, wants to build a 45,000-square-foot store in Bastrop, but needs a 10-year sales tax break to do so, the city council heard Tuesday.

Buc-ee’s founder Beaver Aplin offered two arguments to justify the rebate request. First, he said, his bank needs the assurance of sales tax rebates as security for the construction loan, estimated at $6.8 million for the store at Texas 95 and Texas 71. Aplin also argued that some street and utility work required by city rules will provide benefits to adjoining property owners as well as his project.

Aplin asked for the city’s 1.5 percent sales tax on store sales to be reimbursed to Bec-ee’s for 10 years. That represents the share of the state’s 8.25 percent salex tax which currently goes to the city and the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. He is not seeking relief from local property and other taxes.

The rebate, if approved, could amount to some $150,000 a year. Aplin said his proposed store will not really compete with other local convenience stores because it’s a different class of operation.

Council Member Joe Beal asked for a formal written abatement proposal from Aplin before the council considers the request further.

Council Member Julie Hart said she encourages local retail competition as long as “it’s on a level playing fied,” suggesting that a sales tax rebate for Buc-ee’s might tilt the advantage.

Posted in Bastrop City Council, business plans | No Comments »

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