Earl Foster

BY EARL FOSTER

LMUD general manager

Water Wise

The anticipation of another hot summer is upon us. We have already reached temperatures in the high 90s and it is only April.

Because of increasing temperatures, we know that everyone will be anxious to turn on their irrigation system to water their yard.

Lakeway Municipal Utility District asks that you please be mindful of the following household water-saving tips to conserve water:

•Check household faucets for leaks. A faucet with even a slow drip can waste 10 to 25 gallons of water per day. Just think, 15 drips per minute add up to almost 3 gallons of water wasted per day, 65 gallons wasted per month and 788 gallons wasted per year;

•Keep showers to 5 minutes or less in length. A 15-minute shower takes 60-150 gallons of water;

•Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. Then you won’t have to run tap water to cool it;

•Use a broom to sweep your driveway, garage or sidewalk instead of using water;

•Use a bucket of water to wash your bike or the family car and then rinse quickly with a hose;

•Use water only when you need it. Don’t leave water running; be sure to turn it off when you are finished;

•Turn off water when brushing teeth; and,

•Install water-saving showerheads, faucets and low-flow toilets.

Don’t forget about outside landscaping irrigation at home. Follow these tips to conserve water:

•Water your lawn in the evening after 7 or in the early morning before 10 to avoid water evaporation;

•Be careful to water only the lawn and not the sidewalk or street;

•Most lawns only require one inch of water per week and could actually be good for deeper root penetration;

•Most water waste is caused by extra start times and excessive run times. If you are not sure how to program your controller, find your controller manual or call a local landscape company;

•Know your landscape. All plants have different water needs, which should be considered when programming the controller;

•Properly diagnose your problem – more water is not necessarily the answer. If you have an area of turf or plants that looks unhealthy, there is a good chance you may have pests or a disease;

•If your system does not have a rain shutoff device, they are easy and inexpensive to install and the water savings will easily compensate for the initial costs;

•Perform a system evaluation periodically;

•When you lose power during a black out or brown out, remember to double check your irrigation control settings because they most likely reverted back to their original manufacturers’ settings after the outage;

•Be mindful that late summer and early fall is not the ideal time to plant anything new in your landscape. Wait for cooler temperatures in the late fall or next spring; and

•Although an automatic sprinkler system may seem easier than dragging water hoses around the yard, you should spend some time evaluating your needs and learning about your options.

Consider that hand watering offers an efficient and cost-effective use of water, an opportunity to observe any problems in the landscape early on and, for added convenience, soaker hoses and sprinklers may be placed on a timer.

Because of the increase in the combined storage of the Highland Lakes, LMUD is in Stage 2 of the first level of our Drought Management Plan.

Our watering schedules have changed to a two-day week watering schedule which is:

•Addresses ending in odd numbers are allowed to water on Wednesdays and Saturdays;

•Addresses ending in even numbers are allowed to water on Thursdays and Sundays; and

•Tuesdays and Fridays are reserved for commercial watering.

The drought is a serious matter, and we ask that you please comply with this schedule to conserve our precious resource – water!

For information on water-saving tips and more, please visit our website at lakewaymud.org.

Thank you for your understanding and support; it is greatly appreciated.

Earl Foster is general manager of Lakeway Municipal Utility District.

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By CAROLINE MURPHY

Mayor of Bee Cave

The Bee Line

Happy 25th anniversary!

The City of Bee Cave will celebrate its 25th anniversary this summer.

Originally, Bee Cave was in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of Austin.

In the 1980s, when Austin began annexing portions of its ETJ, concerned citizens in the Bee Cave area formed an organization called the Concerned Landowners and Citizens Organization with founding members Judy Figer Allen, Gilbert Wallace, Kenneth Spell, Robert Baldwin Sr. and Rodney Bohls.

The goal was to incorporate the Bee Cave area, taking it out of Austin’s ETJ, and form the village of Bee Cave.

The path to incorporation was not easy and included working through obstacles with not only the City of Austin but also Travis County, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. The eventual objective was achieved with key support from local state legislators, and the village of Bee Cave became an official Type A general law city in August 1987.

At that time, the population was approximately 200 people. Normally the ETJ of a Type A general law city extends one-half mile from the city limits; however, the state legislature allocated Bee Cave a full one-mile ETJ in order to prevent the division of several old land grants.

This additional ETJ land has proven beneficial to Bee Cave’s ability to maintain one of the lowest property tax rates in the state, as property owners of parcels that are now home to the large retails centers – Home Depot, Target, and portions of the Shops at the Galleria – negotiated with the city, resulting in agreements to annex those parcels into the city limits and bringing with them large sales tax revenues that fund Bee Cave’s operating budget.

What are the current challenges facing Bee Cave?

Fortunately, the City continues to be financially healthy because of strong sales tax revenues in 2012.

The Bee Cave Parkway road extension project connecting Ranch Road 620 to Texas Highway 71 at Hamilton Pool Road is scheduled to be completed in late summer.

Landowners along this new parkway extension are in the process of developing their properties, and city leaders are considering their requests for new uses that were not foreseen in the Comprehensive Master Plan.

Maintaining the vision and goals of the Comprehensive Master Plan while considering the compatibility of newly proposed uses and their impact on current residents, roads, traffic, water and wastewater infrastructure is key.

What role does Bee Cave play in supporting projects or services affecting the area?

The City has joined with Hays County and West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5 to form the West Travis County Public Utility Agency, the new owner of the water and waste water system previously owned by Lower Colorado River Authority.

The PUA finds itself challenged with some immediate capacity issues, especially regarding wastewater, because of commitments previously made by LCRA to projects already in the process of development.

A second wastewater treatment plant planned by LCRA for more than a decade next to Bee Cave Parkway behind the Galleria should have already been built and operating.

Bee Cave, through its representation on the PUA, is committed to fulfilling these contractual agreements; however, beyond that, there will need to be a catch up period in order to budget and fund future projects appropriately and with the least impact on current water and wastewater rate payers.

Please feel free to contact me or any of the elected officials or staff at the city of Bee Cave, or visit our website at beecavetexas.gov. The City Council meets at Bee Cave City Hall at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. The public is welcome to attend.

Caroline Murphy is mayor of Bee Cave.

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By TODD RADFORD

Serving Our Community

Lakeway police chief

Lakeway Police Department started in 1974 with two officers and a minimal budget. Thirty-eight years later, the department is made up of 30 police officers, one civilian police manager, three reserve officers, four part-time school crossing guards, eight dispatchers and two administrative assistants. It has a budget of $3.7 million.

I am asked quite frequently about the number of patrol officers that we have assigned to watch the roads of Lakeway. The answer varies, depending upon the day, but usually three to five officers are on duty at any given time.

Of the 30 officers in the agency, seven are assigned to jobs offline: the chief, captain, lieutenant, a warrant officer and three investigators.

In addition, we have four officers trained in animal protection, and recently we have assigned an officer to community projects.

The men and women of this agency often do more than one job so we can serve our public better and so they can gain some valuable experience.

For instance, in our community outreach area we conduct several community programs that are run by our personnel as an extra assignment. Examples include National Night Out, Citizens Police Academy, Citizens Alumni, Code Blue, bank training, fitness program and the newly formed Law Enforcement Explorers Program. Without the extra efforts of our staff, these programs would not be a success.

The exceptional work of the officers and dispatchers has shown significant increases in volume from year to year. Our dispatch center, which serves the cities of Lakeway and Bee Cave, answered 57,799 phone calls. including 4,702 calls for 911 service, in 2011.

Last year, Lakeway police officers participated in 16,509 calls for service. Lakeway experienced a decrease in property crimes from 197 in 2010 to 154 in 2011. Our response times are some of the best in the area at three minutes, 50 seconds for emergency calls in 2011.

Another topic that comes up rather frequently is our unique Chevy Tahoe police patrol vehicles. Several people want to know why we aren’t driving Ford Crown Victorias.

Simply put, Ford Motors stopped manufacturing the Crown Victoria police vehicle, so we were forced to find other options.

During our research, we considered overall size of the vehicle for safety and comfort. We needed one to handle well and have comparable maintenance costs.

The Chevy Tahoe police patrol vehicle was the only offering that was proven and had a reasonable initial cost.

Some of the Tahoe’s benefits are its: truck frame that is designed for the rigors associated with law enforcement driving; space for our electronic technology in a climate-controlled cab area instead of a hot and dirty trunk space; more secure space for other types of equipment; room for more adequate prisoner space; and passenger seats that are more comfortable for officers working a 12-hour shifts.

These benefits combine for a very competitive cost to the city. The new look and design, which was a collaborative effort between us, Steve Whitaker and Nancy Stokes, has produced a national award-winning police vehicle.

Our continued success will be a result of your continued support and the quality of leadership of our city.

We thank you all, and look forward to sharing more great news from the Lakeway Police Department, the 44th agency to receive recognized status for best practices by the Texas Police Chiefs Association!

Todd Radford is Lakeway chief of police.

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The Business Edge

Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce president

Every time you make a purchase, you’re exercising power of choice.

There are lots of places where you can choose to spend your money … at merchants in south Lake Travis, in the “big cities” down the road, even through mail-order catalogs or on the Internet.

But have you ever stopped to think about the real impact of dollars spent locally, compared to those spent out of the area?

The choice is yours. You have the power to strengthen and enrich your community. When you shop in Lake Travis, your money re-circulates in our local economy.

Every dollar spent in Lake Travis multiplies itself several times in impact to the local economy, as that dollar moves from person to person.

A dollar spent in a local restaurant, for example, becomes income for a restaurant employee. When that employee buys groceries, the dollar becomes income for the grocer, who in turn may spend it to buy clothing or office supplies, or even a new boat – in each case, becoming income for other area businesses and residents.

Experts say that every dollar spent locally turns over within the community an average of seven times. So every $100 spent here at home is actually worth $700 or more to the local economy – and that’s good news for all of us!

Our local businesses, both independents and chains, raise the standard of living in our community, especially when they take their profits and buy products and services from other local businesses, thus creating more and more tax revenues needed for the community to thrive.

Those sales tax dollars go back to our city government and can be used to fund local streets, parks, schools, fire and police protection and to fund economic development efforts. Our local businesses also donate to local charities including churches, softball leagues, arts, cultural and historical events and projects.

Especially important to the community are our independent local businesses.

These businesses are unique enterprises that contribute to the character of our community by offering more diverse selections of goods and services. In today’s competitive marketplace we all need to make a special effort to frequent them. They bring charm to the local community – a charm missing in newer communities with shiny strip centers and no local flavor.

Independent businesses provide meaningful service with a personal touch. It really does matter to them that you are satisfied and will come back again.

Making the decision to buy local is a personal commitment to reinvest your purchasing dollars into your own community. A mere 5 percent shift in purchases back to our local community would have the same impact as bringing a new industry to the area.

We are talking about millions of dollars of local impact. It starts with our own commitment to support our Lake Travis businesses, and chamber member businesses are often the very ones that are most supportive of the local community. When you shop online with out-of-state companies, it doesn’t contribute a dime to our local economy.

I challenge each of you to make the decision to find and patronize business locally. Shop local for services that may not have a store front, such as a CPA, website designer or landscaper. Look for the Chamber plaque and window decal where you do business. You can view a complete list of Chamber member businesses and the categories in which they are listed on our website at laketravischamber.com. Encourage your associates, family, and friends to buy locally. You have the power to make a difference!

SpringFest

The 5th Annual SpringFest will be April 28 in Bee Cave. The festival has expanded this year over to the Shops at the Galleria and capped off with a concert at The Backyard at Bee Cave with The Trishas and Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis.

Whether you have been every year, or you and your family are first-time festival goers, you will enjoy the many facets of this community, family-friendly festival. I encourage you to mark your calendars, tell your friends and family and enjoy the day. You may find SpringFest on Facebook; search Spring[space]Fest or visit laketravisspringfest.com. See you there!

New ways to invest

As the Chamber makes constant strides to provide value, we have received feedback from the membership about revising the way members invest with their annual commitment.

Beginning May 1, the structure for membership will change for any new or renewing members. We are excited to offer more benefits and features so members get more “bang for their buck.”

For information, contact Mallory Voorheis, event and membership director, at mallory@laketravischamber.com.

Laura Mitchell is Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce president.

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COURTESY PHOTO

If more rains fill up Lake Travis, recreation and the local economy could take off faster than a speedboat this summer.

Is Lake Travis half-full or half-empty? Much like the proverbial glass, how someone perceives the lake levels can tell you a little bit about the kind of person they are.

Intermittent rain accompanied our Leadership Lake Travis class during our March 8 session on tourism and gave this Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce group cause to be optimistic despite nixing our chance at cruising on a boat or taking a few swings on the golf course.

During the day, much of the conversation centered squarely on the lake and its impact on local businesses and the economy, and the overall tone of the speeches and presentations was positive while facing some hard truths.

A Lake Travis Economic Impact Study published last September reported that when lake levels remain below 660 feet, the economy suffers $23.6 million to $33.8 million reductions in visitor spending, up to 241 lost jobs and $6.1 million in wages.

As our class convened at Shades Café at Sail & Ski Yacht Club, I couldn’t help but think of Johnny Fins, a casualty of the decreased lake levels, and wonder what it would be like to operate a business that is so dependent on Mother Nature’s whims.

Sail & Ski co-owners Buzz Watkins and Rod Malone know a thing or two about bringing people out to the lake.

Their boating and skiing enterprise has been helping recreationists get out on the water or on the slopes since 1969 and was ranked as the No. 1 dealership by Boating Industry in 2009, which earned it the right to host the company’s signature AquaPalooza on-the-water concert on Lake Travis in 2010 that drew an estimated 60,000 people.

Malone told us that 5 more feet of lake water would allow them to restore boat ramp access at the yacht club, but they have incorporated new elements into their business while they wait for the water to rise.

The dealership will start a turnkey membership in April for shared watercraft options to add to its boat launch and dry storage services. Last summer, Sail & Ski started a water sports camp for kids.

“Because we have our own marina, we constantly brainstorm ways to increase the access to boating to more people,” Watkins said.

Shade Café manager Larry Muske said the heat took its toll on the restaurant, but they invested some money to install air conditioning and a playscape to cater to nonboaters.

“It should make a big difference,” Muske said. “We’re really excited about the season.”

Our next stop brought us to the World of Tennis Sports Complex where we toured its facilities that included its new fitness center space for group exercise, spinning, circuit training, yoga and Pilates.

We also watched tennis players and other fitness-minded members who sometimes include Andy Roddick and his supermodel wife, Brooklyn Decker.

It’s hard to say if much exercise gets done when that power couple is on site, unless gawking burns calories.

Jeff Muller, general manager at The Hills Country Club, introduced us to its planned renovations for the clubhouse, which is also part of the ClubCorp family that includes the tennis center and Flintrock Falls, Yaupon and Live Oak golf courses.

The four golf courses and their country clubs serve 9,000 members and sustain 90,000 rounds of golf annually.

The Hills Country Club was set to start construction Monday on a multi-million dollar expansion that will make space for special events at the clubhouse and give the 30-year-old building a facelift when completed in six months.

Eric Dusza, senior planner at Austin Public Works Department’s connectivity division, described its updates to its cycling master plan that he anticipated would be built out by 2020-25 as roads are restriped and improved.

Dusza cited a case study from North Carolina’s Outer Banks that draws 681,000 people annually to bicycle and funnel $60 million into the local economies, which is nine times the initial costs of widening shoulders, putting in bike lanes and developing off-street cycling paths.

Orange County, Fla., outside of Orlando reports 1.7 million visitors travel there specifically to bicycle and pour dollars into that economy.

The home of one of the most famous cyclists in the world should be able to tap into that interest, right?

“We are not actively promoting bicycle tourism, as the city, but we are trying to make Austin a better place to cycle and a better-known place to cycle that will draw these kinds of events to Austin,” Dusza said.

The weather wasn’t conducive for cycling to the rest of our destinations, but our trusty bus negotiated the climb up to Steiner Ranch Steakhouse where we heard from a man who would welcome more cycling events to our part of the lake.

Troy Mathews, Lakeway Resort and Spa general manager, said 55 percent of the hotel’s bookings are from group business.

“I would imagine that based on the number of rooms that we drive into the community that we have a pretty significant impact on the restaurants in the local area and all the other ancillary revenues that businesses receive from people coming to Lakeway,” Mathews said, adding that he expected to fill 42,000 guest rooms this year with a capacity of 64,000.

The role of arts in promoting tourism was brought to the fore when Chad Bockius, founder of the Bee Cave Arts Foundation, came off the bench to tell us about the organization’s program to install artist-designed benches throughout the city and vision of a sculpture park.

Robby Armitage, TexARTS producing artistic director, welcomed us to the nonprofit academy’s studio to open the scene that featured a presentation by board member Sandy Cox and dancing, singing and acting performances by students and professionals that showcased the caliber that draws audiences to the Lakeway venue.

“I am surrounded by these great board members and great staff and faculty who are here … to create great kids and to give a great home for the actors who are down here in Austin who want a place to grow and expand,” Armitage said.

Sarah Page, Lower Colorado River Authority senior economic development specialist, wowed the crowd when she stated that $31 billion in tourism revenue was spent in Travis County in 2010.

“It’s had its ups and downs. It looks like as of 2010, which is the most current data we have, that it’s kind of on the upswing again,” Page said. “Things seem to be picking up as far as tourism to this region is concerned.”

My interview earlier this year with The Oasis owner Beau Theriot brought home the message that in order to survive the lake’s frequent volatility, business owners must adapt to stay afloat.

We paddled on over to The Oasis where we heard from Theriot’s advertising and marketing guru, Liz Cook, who described how he started his restaurant in 1979 and grew it to become “The Sunset Capital of Texas” only to watch a 2005 fire gut most of the restaurant.

He quickly recovered, and now The Oasis is the largest outdoor restaurant in Texas.

Theriot recently launched Oasis, Texas, a complex that features two more restaurants, 35 retail spaces and 10,000 square feet of office space.

“Believe me, this has been an undertaking for all these years,” Cook said. “We have people coming from all over the world. You wouldn’t believe our guestbook.”

Water or no water, Lake Travis has plenty of attractions to keep ’em coming.

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By DAVE DEOME

Lakeway mayor

For my first column in the Lake Travis View, I thought I would start with the basics of Lakeway city government.

The most obvious place to begin is to ask, “Why have a city in the first place?”

The primary services supplied by Lakeway are police, court, zoning and planning for land use, parks and recreation, public works for streets and drainage and solid waste for trash.

Many cities also supply water and wastewater, as well as fire and emergency services, though the city of Lakeway does not.

Lakeway is a “home rule” city. Cities in Texas with a population of more than 5,000 people can be a home rule city with approval of the voters that reside within its boundaries.

When Lakeway became a Home Rule city, a city charter was also approved. The city charter defines how the City Council, commissions, committees and staff will run the city. The charter is reviewed every four years by a Charter Review Committee, which makes recommendations for changes to the City Council. The changes can only go into effect if council and the city’s voters approve them.

The City Council is the governing body of the city. It is made up of the mayor and six council members who are elected to two-year terms. As such, three council members are up for election every year.

The Charter requires that all councilmembers be volunteers. All councilmembers are elected “at large.” The mayor represents the city at ceremonies and press conferences. The mayor does not have a supermajority vote nor can the mayor veto council actions. The mayor does set the agenda for council meetings, and also acts as the city’s spokesperson when needed.

A significant portion of the city’s business is performed by volunteer commissions and committees. In real estate, it is “location, location, location.” In Lakeway, it is ”volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.”

These wonderful and dedicated residents are the backbone of city government. More than 180 volunteers contribute their time to the city. I calculate that, if these volunteers were paid, the city tax rate would increase by a minimum of one cent per hundred dollars in property value. Thank you, Lakeway volunteers.

The volunteer commissions and committees include: the Building Commission, Zoning and Planning Commission, Board of Ethics, Board of Adjustment, Parks and Recreation Committee, Arts and Beautification Committee, Heritage Commission, Deer Management Committee, Personnel/Administrative Advisory Committee and City Hall reception volunteers.

The City Building Commission, the Zoning and Planning Commission, the Board of Adjustment and the Board of Ethics meet on a regular basis and have legislative or administrative authorities. The other committees are advisory.

Lakeway has 89 capable, service-oriented employees. The city is organized by departments into police, municipal court, building and development, parks and recreation, public works, finance and administration. Approximately half of the city’s employees work in Lakeway Police Department.

The staff, committees, commissions and City Council are dedicated to meeting the vision for the City of Lakeway as outlined in the city’s comprehensive plan that states, “The city of Lakeway will continue to be a unique, prestigious, growth-managed community that will meet the needs of its citizens through the efforts of its local government and civic minded volunteers. We will ensure a continued high quality of life by providing safe, secure neighborhoods and cost-effective, efficient government services.”

The major challenge going forward that we all have, whether it be as mayor, council member, commissioner or staff member is to uphold our vision and protect the character and qualities of the city from being eroded by unmanaged growth.

I, like all of those serving the city, firmly believe that unmanaged growth can be harmful to our quality of life and am committed to managing our beautiful and unique city’s growth in a manner that is consistent with our comprehensive plan.

Dave DeOme is Lakeway’s mayor.

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By KAREN HUBER

Travis County Precinct 3 commissioner

I’ve learned a lot from my 90-year-old mom this past year. With her two serious hospital stays totaling about two and half months, I’ve seen first hand, the challenges that we face as we age, and the challenges of primary caregivers.

My mom is tenacious, uncomplaining and absolutely determined to regain all her abilities to live alone. She is totally committed to doing everything to achieve that.

Even our closer friends say she is their role model for aging. She is amazing. The reality is, however, that she had open-heart surgery and then a stroke, so the recovery is long and complicated, but she’s getting there. I’ve waded through a big learning curve on caregiving and wanted to share a resource with my constituents, who may also be facing similar challenges.

The Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area supports and advocates for the health, safety and well-being of older adults. It exists under the umbrella of the Capital Area Council of Governments. I represent you on CAPCOG’s executive committee, which is funded by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

Many think that government funded social service agencies are for those who cannot otherwise financially afford help, but this is not necessarily so. The Area Agency on Aging services are provided without cost to residents throughout the 10-county CAPCOG region. They offer a broad spectrum of services and help an individual or caregiver evaluate their needs and guide them to the help and resources available.

For example, while I was looking for qualified caregivers to help with my mom’s need for 24-hour assistance, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they not only had a list of prequalified agencies that provide a full complex of services, but they also offered help for caregivers, themselves.

If caregiving responsibilities are affecting your work, health, social life or family life, help is available through their Caregiver Support Program. Care coordinators evaluate the needs for assistance of both the care receivers and caregivers. One program that was of special interest to me was the Financial Counseling, which provides the tools and resources to guide an elderly person or a caregiver in how to best manage their financial resources in the process of paying for expensive and often, long-term care. Another, the Benefits Counseling service, helps individuals wade through the complexities of Social Security, the Medicare alphabet soup (Parts A & B, Part D), and helps with claims and appeals for all forms of insurance and other related matters.

The staff at the center is quite knowledgeable on many aging-related needs beyond their specific programs.

For example, I also learned that there are new products available that will detect a fall and alert emergency service responders. Fall risks increase with people who have had strokes, and the fear of falling while being alone is high. Technology is helping to narrow the gap between a fall and appropriate responses and gives us grown kids a lot more comfort to know that if a loved one does fall, it will be quickly detected.

If you are over the age of 60 or feel you need some advice for an elderly family member, or are a caregiver of an elderly person, you should check out the resources available at The Area Agency on Aging at capcog.org/divisions/area-agency-on-aging or just go to capcog.org and click on the “Area Agency on Aging” link in the left-hand column. All the contact information is listed on the website.

If you have pressing needs, I recommend you call them at 916-6062 for an appointment. My visit with them yielded even more information than is posted on the Internet. While they cannot solve all problems, they can be helpful in many ways.

And, if you have not already done so, you should sign up your cell phone for reverse 9-1-1 while you are at the CAPCOG website. That way you can be alerted – no matter where you are – should an emergency situation arise near your home.

Stay safe, yourself, and give that elderly and/or infirm relative a smile and hug. It will make their day!

Do call my office, too, if we can help you in any way at 854-9333.

Karen Huber is Travis County Precinct 3 commissioner.

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Paul Workman

State Rep. District 47

It’s that time of year again, and as we quickly approach Tax Day on April 16 this year (since April 15 falls on a weekend) I would like to share some important information with you.

In coordination with the Internal Revenue Service, The Free File Alliance will offer its online tax preparation services free of charge.

Since its inception in 2003, IRS Free File has offered low-to-moderate income taxpayers free access to leading online commercial tax preparation software.

This year, every taxpayer with a 2011 Adjusted Gross Income of $57,000 or less may visit IRS.gov to prepare, complete and electronically file his or her federal tax returns at no cost.

Taxpayers who wish to utilize this free service should visit the IRS website at IRS.gov. Users will find a list of Free File Alliance member companies and may either choose the one that fits their needs or utilize the “help me find a company” tool.

After selecting a tax software company, users will be transferred to that company’s website to prepare, complete and e-file their federal income tax returns.

Paul Workman is state representative for House District 47.
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Russell Pancoast

Bee Cave Police Chief

Bee Cave Beat

The Bee Cave Board of Aldermen passed Ordinance No. 05-07-26-C, which established the office of police chief and created the Bee Cave Police Department on July 26, 2005.

Steve Gonzalez was hired as the first police chief in August 2008.

Gonzalez came from Poth Police Department where he had been chief of an agency comprised largely of reserve officers.

Upon his arrival, he began hiring additional officers and purchasing necessary equipment to initiate police patrol services for Bee Cave, and the Bee Cave Police Department officially began 24-hour, seven-day-a-week patrol coverage on Oct. 1, 2005.

The department began with only six officers, but because of the heavy traffic conditions and high call volume, the department began to grow.

Chief Gonzalez left Bee Cave in September 2006, and Allwin Barrow became the second chief of police in January 2007.

Chief Barrow brought with him the experience he had gained through many years as a police officer and as a police chief. He had served as police chief in Kerrville and Waxahachie and served as interim police chief in White Settlement and Navasota.

During Barrow’s tenure, the department continued to grow until his departure in January 2008. At that time, the department had grown to an authorized strength of 19, including the chief, one lieutenant, one detective, two sergeants, 12 patrol officers, one administrative associate and one court clerk.

In January 2008, I became the third police chief for the city of Bee Cave after retiring as the director of public safety for the Lower Colorado River Authority. Before working in that position, I served as police chief in Teague.

The first project I undertook was to complete the remodel of City Hall to transform it into the new police station. As the department moved into the new station, an officer manager and an investigator were added to the staff.

Almost immediately, the economy began to decline, and in as much as the bulk of the city’s budget is derived from sales tax, departmental budgets shrank dramatically.

The police department staffing was reduced by attrition, layoffs and one transfer down to an authorized staff of 15.

As staffing levels were reduced, the need for effective police services continued to increase, and it was necessary for the police department to reduce costs and become as efficient as possible.

Accordingly, a number of initiatives were implemented including freezing compensation levels with only modest merit increases awarded later as the economy began to improve, entering into an agreement with Texas Fleet Fuel to reduce fuel costs, signing an interlocal agreement with Travis County for vehicle maintenance and fuel to further reduce costs, reducing the number of hand-held radios in use to reduce costs, beginning concerted efforts to identify free or low-cost training for officers and flexing schedules to reduce overtime costs.

The department also delayed the replacement of vehicles and equipment, implemented use of electronic ticket writers to reduce traffic stop times, initiated programs to improve officer productivity and created an awards program to further motivate officers to good performance.

Today, the Bee Cave Police Department is far different than it was at its inception, and I look forward to sharing more specifics about our efforts with you in the future.

Until then, Bee Safe.

Rusty Pancoast is Bee Cave police chief.
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Justice Nathan Hecht, author of the opinion dated Feb. 22, wrote that the landowners have a constitutionally protected interest in the groundwater beneath their property and that groundwater cannot be taken for public use without adequate compensation guaranteed by the Texas Constitution.

The court affirmed an appellate court ruling and remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings. The case was brought by farmer-ranchers near Von Ormy in Atascosa County, near San Antonio.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples and a coalition of private property owners’ rights advocates applauded the decision.

But the Edwards Aquifer Authority said the ruling could prove problematic for local water districts whose job it is to manage and conserve water supplies.

Report shows lag in insurance

Among working Texans age 65 or younger, 51.1 percent did not have health care coverage through their employer in 2009-10. This calculation puts Texas at 48th among the 50 states. Only New Mexico with 48.6 percent and Mississippi with 48.4 percent ranked lower.

The information was published in a Feb. 23 report by the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities using statistics from the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute. The report shows a decline in coverage by Texas employers in the period between 2000-01 and 2009-10.

Center for Public Policy Priorities policy analyst Stacey Pogue said the information indicates small employers need the support and protection of federal health care reform. State-based affordable health care exchanges mandated by the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 are scheduled to become available to employers by 2014.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and the attorneys general of 25 other states have united in the opinion that the federal health care law violates the U.S. Constitution by forcing citizens to buy health insurance.

The federal health care law, referred to by some as “Obama Care,” on Jan. 1, 2014, will impose an annual penalty of $95, or up to 1 percent of income, whichever is greater, on individuals who do not secure health insurance coverage.

Abbott, AGs, call on Google

Attorney General Abbott last week issued a statement after joining a coalition of state attorneys general who wrote to Google expressing concerns about planned changes in the Internet search engine company’s privacy settings set to take effect March 1.

To quote: “By unilaterally consolidating users’ personal data from multiple but previously distinct platforms and failing to allow users to opt-out, Google is depriving its customers of an opportunity to control how their personal information is used and shared. A bipartisan coalition of states is urging Google to reconsider and work with us to ensure that millions of consumers’ privacy is properly protected.”

The National Association of Attorneys General listed key concerns as:

• Google’s new policy appears to invade consumers’ privacy by automatically sharing personal information that users input into one Google product with all Google products – without affording users an opportunity to opt-out;

• Computer users – particularly business and government computer users – who wish to avoid Google’s information sharing would be forced to incur significant expenses associated with switching their operations to different platforms; and

• Google’s new policy is incompatible with Google’s long-standing promise to respect consumers’ privacy.

Date for primaries still up in air

Because of ongoing legal disagreements over the drawing of state House districts and U.S. congressional districts, the earliest date party primaries can be held has moved continually later over the last few months.

March 6 was the original scheduled date. The current but tentative seeming date is April 3. But an array of calculations push the date to late April, late May and even late June.