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Newly Elected City Council Members, Taline Manassian and Bill Foulds discuss the campaign and priorities for them in their term on the council. Travis Crow was invited, but did not attend. Rick King moderated the panel discussion by asking questions that we all wanted to know. Here's some of the responses. Tell us a little about how you got here - on the council: Bill Foulds: Moved to Dripping Springs in 1995 and was elected to the city council in 2000. Back then, Sonic was the largest commercial taxpayer. Bill tells us that he was excited by the large field of people wishing to serve on the council and they have elected a good city council. Taline Manassian: Moved to Dripping Springs in 2009 and started the Toastmaster's Club. She is very timid but was encouraged to run for the city council. As her friends told her, "You climbed MT. Kilimanjaro, you definitely can do this" and she did. Taline found that the campaign gave her the opportunity to really get to know the community. What types of outreach were used in this election? * 40 people showed up to the candidate forum, only 12 were eligible voters. * About 1500 eligible voters in the city, only 296 voted, about a 20% turnout * Hays County runs our balloting so we need to vote in non-primary times or buy the voting machines * There was a limited voter pool, so you needed every personal contact possible * Knocked on doors in neighborhoods * Meet people where they are - coffee shops, events * Writing letters * Important to get face to face People really talked to them at great lengths about our city. Why don't we just annex more areas to increase vote and tax base? * We cannot annex anyone unless they request to be annexed. * If an area is annexed, they most adhere to all of the city's rules and pay taxes * If annexed, they would pay ad valorem taxes, adhere to Dark Sky, have no city provided water, electricity Where are we with the water treatment plant? * Newly elected members are just getting up to speed and the council has not yet addressed it * It is a priority for the council * TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) requires permitting and has issued a draft permit. Letters have been filed in response to the permit, and the TCEQ will respond. * The City is in settlement talks with the protesting groups (City of Austin is the largest protestor) What can be done about the traffic problems? * This is a very difficult topic because lots of different organizations are required to solve it. * The city has created small loops such as Rob Shelton Parkway, and have been paid for by the developers * Trying to get RR150 to loop around Caliterra as it has a 50 foot setback How many voters do we need to create a 'Home Rule City"? * Need 5,000 people within the city limits * Would require a vote to be governed under the Home Rule * Do you view regulation as a protection or a burden? Let's talk about ETJ (Extra Territorial Jurisdiction): * The ETJ expands 1/2 mile when any area is annexed. * Goes to KC Memory lane, 1/2 way to Henly, to 1826 Why don't we have our own Police Department? * Cost would be $1Million per year for 3 officers within the city limits only. * There are 750 rooftops within the city limits paying for the $1M * Currently we have 4 Hays County Officers covering North Hays County and more DPS in our area more frequently. * Hoping to get a DPS driver's license office, and that would create more 'presence', even though they would not be patrolling. Why isn't Caliterra counted in the city limits? * They applied for and created a 'development district" * A Development District has its own governance and does not contribute to the tax base What can we do? * Come to meetings * Get involved * Once the agenda is made public, you can request documents or additional information prior to the meeting * Reach out to your council members when you have an issue.
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