News

By Phil Reynolds

The Highlander

Horseshoe Bay city council members took the near-final steps toward setting a tax rate and budget for the coming year at their Aug. 30 meeting, but neither number is yet set in stone.

The city’s proposed tax rate is 26 cents per $100 valuation, a penny higher than the current rate. But that number is merely the highest the council can set; council members can approve a lower rate but not a higher one, Finance Director Larry Anderson explained.

The city’s effective tax rate – the rate that would raise the same amount of tax revenue as last year – is 23.734 cents per $100 valuation. Asked why an estimated 80 news homes being built wouldn’t lower the tax rate, Anderson explained that the construction wouldn’t be included in the city’s tax base until next year.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
The Highlander
Depending on the value of their property, Marble Falls Independent School District taxpayers may see their individual taxes increase for the 2016-2017 school year, but they will be paying the same tax rate they have for the past several years.
MFISD trustees voted 5-0 on Monday, Aug. 29, to set a maintenance and operations tax rate of $1.0533 per $100 valuation and an interest and sinking tax rate of 22.67 cents per $100 valuation for a total tax rate of $1.28. It is the fifth year in a row the district has set its tax rate at $1.28 per $100 valuation.
School board members also approved an additional $1,123,595 in revenue and expenditures for the fiscal 2017 budget after learning that property values for the district had come in higher than expected. This now creates a total budget of $41,373,742 — up from the budget of $40,223,217 adopted by trustees earlier this year.

By Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

August was a wet month for the Highland Lakes, and State Climatologists said record-setting rainfall may not be over.

Preliminary totals indicate that August averaged about 5.69 inches of rain statewide, in a tie with 1914 for the wettest August on record, according to figures from the State Climatologist office at Texas A&M University.

John Nielsen-Gammon, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M who also serves as State Climatologist, said the wet month was due to an atmospheric wind pattern that pumped lots of deep, moist tropical air into Texas.

The wet months could continue for a while, he notes.

“September and October are historically among the wettest months of the year in Texas, so if normal conditions continue, we will see several more inches of rain,” he explained.

BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH/HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS
 

Due to new season dates adopted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, Texas hunters may enjoy the longest dove season in 80 years.

While the traditional opening dates established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remain fixed, a new 90-day season this fall means hunters will have 20 more days of opportunity compared to previous years.

“The additional days are being integrated early in the season to take advantage of birds migrating into the state, as well as at the end of the season in the Special White-winged Dove Area to offer more wingshooting opportunities,” TPWD officials said in a release.

Dove season in central Texas will begin on Thursday, Sept. 1 and will continue through Nov. 6. The late season for dove is Dec. 17 through Jan. 8.

BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH

The National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio has issued a short term forecast for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon.

In the forecast issued at 3:02 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, meteorologists said “isolated showers and thunderstorms will move toward the west… These showers will produce light to moderate rain with rainfall totals up to a half an inch.”

The forecast is active through 5 p.m. Wednesday evening. Chance of rain will remain at 20 percent until Thursday at 8 p.m. On Friday, chance of rain increases to 30 percent between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

by Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

A man and a child were taken to an Austin area hospital following a motorcycle collision in Kingsland Friday.

Texas DPS Troopers said a man and a five-year-old were both injured after the man's Harley Davidson motorcycle collided with a Ford Expedition on Ranch to Market Road 1431 near the County Road 127 intersection on Friday afternoon, Aug. 26, at about 3 p.m.

Trooper Kevin Henneke said the collision occurred when a vehicle slowed in the outside, westbound lane to make a right turn on CR 127 (Caldwell Boulevard), a second vehicle stopped behind it, leading to a chain reaction.

“The driver of the Expedition had to slam on his brakes to avoid colliding with the car ahead of him, and the motorcyclist rear-ended the expedition,” Henneke said.

by Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

Marble Falls Police said Tuesday that they are still pursuing leads in a shooting that occurred on July 21.

Marble Falls Capt. Glenn Hanson said police had “received a few tips” about the incident in which an unidentified 27-year-old man was shot in his bed at his home in the 400 block of Avenue R on Thursday night, July 21 at 11:22 p.m.

“We're still working on some of that information,” Hanson said. “We have some leads that we believe will ultimately prove fruitful.”

Currently police have two suspects, but do not yet have enough information to arrest them.

“It's hard to say that they are local – they come and go, but they are known to us,” Hanson said.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The City of Burnet sent out a fraud alert this week on a telephone scam, one that does not, as yet, seem to have reached out into the county.

Burnet businesses have reported receiving telephone calls, claiming to be from the City of Burnet, telling them that they are past due on their utility bills and that unless they immediately pay the bill in cash their utilities will be terminated. The caller is aggressive and insists that they must make a payment immediately.

The City of Burnet sends out past due notices on the 21st of each month and will not call a citizen demanding payment over the phone.

To check the status of utility accounts, citizens can either go online to www.cityofburnet.com and select “Online Services,” where they log-in using a secure password that they create, or they can call the utility department at 512-756-6093.

by Alexandria Randolph

highland Lakes Newspapers

A Buchanan Dam man and convicted felon was arrested on two violent felony charges after Llano County authorities claimed he assaulted an adult and child in two separate incidences.

William “Willie” Canchola, 30, was arrested on Saturday, Aug. 20, on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated sexual assault of a child, second-degree and first-degree felonies respectively.

Llano County Sheriff's Lt. Glen Williams said the two incidences occurred in Buchanan Dam, but would not reveal the location of the offense.

“It was separate incidences with a separate victim,” he said, adding that the victim of the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was an adult.

Authorities would not say whether the victim was a member of Canchola's family or household.

The Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) Board of Trustees have appointed Kevin Virdell to fill the vacancy in Place 7 created when Kelly Fox, PhD, resigned in July.

The appointment was made after a lengthy executive session during the board meeting on Monday night, Aug. 29.