« Back to News & Notices

Mayor's Update: City Meetings, City Hall, and Water Task Force Updates

8/18/2021

By: Mayor Rachel Lumpee

 

Can you believe it is already late-July? With the rain and the “cool” summer weather, it is very hard to believe!

 

City Meetings 

I know there are a lot of new people in town, so I thought I would briefly review meeting information. City meetings take place at the Byars Building, which is 2 doors down from City Hall, 308 Pecan Street; location can be changed but typically meetings will be there. Notices for the meetings are posted on the City’s website and at City Hall at least 72 hours preceding the scheduled time of the meeting as required by the Texas Open Meeting Act. Citizens can subscribe to receive updates about meetings, agendas, notices, and announcements from the City on the City’s website, cityofblanco.com. A weekly schedule of meetings is also posted on the City’s Facebook page on Sundays. I have included the days, times, and websites for each below. It should be noted that meetings are sometimes canceled and there are sometimes special meetings or workshops. Meetings can be attended in person or be viewed on GoToMeeting with the code listed on the meeting's agenda. All 2021 City Council approved meeting minutes are available to view on the City’s website. Citizen input is so important; I encourage everyone to attend these meetings and participate.

Blanco City Council - Meetings on the 2nd Tuesday at 6 p.m.

https://www.cityofblanco.com/gov/mayor-city-council

Blanco Historic Preservation Committee - Last Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m.

https://www.cityofblanco.com/gov/blanco-historic-preservation-commission

Blanco Planning & Zoning - 1st Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.

https://www.cityofblanco.com/gov/planning-zoning-commission

 

City Hall 

Your City Council and City Staff have been working diligently these past few months correcting past issues and preparing for the future.

City Council has recently contracted with City Hall Essentials (CHE) to conduct an organizational review of the city administration; CHE consultants have met with City Staff, performed desk audits, attended City Council meetings, reviewed current policies and procedures, and made recommendations for change. City Council adopted a “Rules of Conduct and Decorum for Public Meetings and Hearings Held by City Council” ordinance during the July 13 regular meeting and the ordinance can be found on the City’s website. The updated personnel policy was approved during the July 20 special meeting/ budget workshop.

I would like to officially welcome Linda Coones and Kelly Kuenstler to City Staff; both ladies have been instrumental in helping the City. Ms. Coones has been with the City since April and serves as our interim finance director. Ms. Kuenstler began in June as our CHE consultant and was hired as our interim city administrator in July. 

A kiosk has been installed at City Hall and will be operational soon. This provides a convenient and secure way for citizens to make payments without having to enter City Hall. The kiosk will accept payments for utility bills and court payments; credit cards, cash, and checks will all be accepted. 

 

Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force

The task force was established by the Blanco City Council on Sept. 8, 2020 with a total of eight representatives, four from the City of Blanco and four from Protect Our Blanco. Current members include David Baker, Councilmember Connie Barron (replaced former Councilmember Matt Lewis), Joe Day, Councilmember Deda Divine, Gabriel Gregerman, Mayor Rachel Lumpee (replaced former City Administrator Will Daves), John Ransom, and Public Works and Utilities Director Ronnie Rodriguez. Nick Dornak, Director of Watershed Services for the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, serves as the facilitator. “The Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force will implement a collaborative stakeholder effort to provide viable solutions for water and wastewater management to the City of Blanco that both support responsible growth and ensure the health of the Blanco River” and this is the mission of this task force. During the regular July City Council meeting, Dornak presented a summary of the following recommendations to the Council:

1. Pursue a phased Texas Land Application Permit
2. Double the capacity of onsite storage ponds and maintain higher water quality
3. Market that water and obtain agreements with more landowners
4. Continue to support the Task Force with City representation and invest in Phase 2: A One Water Pathway for the City of Blanco

At this time, City Council has approved to adopt recommendations 2, 3, and 4.