City of Horseshoe Bay Texas

The city of Horseshoe Bay will host a Mayor's Citizens Forum at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Quail Point Community Center, 107 Twilight, Horseshoe Bay.

The forum is being held in response to a Long Range Plan Implementation goal to ensure open and transparent communication between the city and the citizens of Horseshoe Bay. The forum is geared to engage, inform, and educate citizens on topics of interest affecting the Horseshoe Bay community.

A quorum of City Council members may possibly be in attendance, but no action will be taken at this event. Citizens of Horseshoe Bay and the general public are welcome and encouraged to attend.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

The City of Horseshoe Bay will hold the first of two public hearings on a proposed 2017 tax rate this Tuesday, Aug. 29, during their regular City Council meeting in the City Council Chambers, 1 Community Drive, Horseshoe Bay.

The Horseshoe Bay City Council is proposing the same tax rate for 2017 as it had in 2016 at 26 cents per $100 valuation. This includes a maintenance and operations (M&O) rate of 22 cents per $100 valuation and an interest and sinking (I&S or debt service) rate of 4 cents per $100 valuation.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The City of Horseshoe Bay has made no official comment on events that may have led the death of Supervisor for Water Plant Operations Steve Hawley, as an investigation into his passing after scuba diving at work on May 26 continues.

Hawley died May 31 at St. David's Hospital in Austin. He had been transferred there from the Baylor Scott & White Level I Trauma Center in Lakeway.

“Steve will be sorely missed,” said Horseshoe Bay City Manager Stan Farmer. “He was more than a colleague; he was part of our family here. He had worked for the city for five years.”

Horseshoe Bay Police Chief Rocky Wardlow, echoed Farmer's sentiment.

“It is a big loss,” said Wardlow. “I considered him a friend myself and this is a big loss.”

A drill carried out Feb. 23 in the City of Horseshoe Bay simulated an "active shooter" event.

Conducted by the Horseshoe Bay Police Department (HSBPD), and Horseshoe Bay Fire Department (HSBFD), the simulation brought employees, as well as Marble Falls Area Emergency Medical Service (MFAEMS) ambulance crews into a scenario with gunmen and explosives.

“This training will allow the individual agencies to coordinate and respond with one another to a simulated active shooter situation and later evaluate their collaborative response,” said HSBPD Chief Rocky Wardlow.

“This joint training will assist our agency in reducing the risk to our firefighters by incorporating procedures, training, and protective equipment, while providing rapid stabilization, treatment, and evacuation of the wounded despite hazardous conditions that would otherwise delay treatment,” said HSBFD Chief Joe Morris.

Horseshoe Bay P&Z to meet Feb. 7

The Horseshoe Bay Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z), at its Jan. 3 meeting, voted to continue discussion and action to Feb. 7 on a recommendation to city council regarding The Parks at Horseshoe Bay Planned Development.

The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall, 1 Community Drive. A revised concept plan has been submitted to the city along with the Planned Development Ordinance and the private covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) for the project.

Copies of these documents are available for inspection at the City Development Services office at city hall during normal business hours.

Anyone wishing to comment regarding the Parks project may do so by contacting Jessica Noaker at 830-598-9959 any time prior to the Feb. 7 P&Z meeting or by signing up to speak at the beginning of the meeting.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Texas Rangers and other Texas Department of Public Safety and law enforcement officials swelled the crowd from Horseshoe Bay Saturday, Jan. 21, to memorialize Ranger Stanley Keith “Stan” Guffey.

The event marked the 30th Anniversary of the event Jan. 22, 1987, in which Ranger Guffey died in the line of duty, rescuing a two-year-old kidnap victim in Horseshoe Bay. The Texas Department of Public Safety and its Texas Ranger division, the Texas Ranger Association, retired Texas Ranger Association and the City of Horseshoe Bay and local businesses sponsored the event for the unveiling of a Texas Ranger monument from the People of the State of Texas.

“Texas Rangers are woven from a special fabric,” said Josefina Garza Guffey Jennings, Guffey's widow, when she addressed the crowd. “It is not that that Rangers are extraordinary men, it is that extraordinary men , and now women, join the Texas Rangers.”

By Phil Reynolds

THE HIGHLANDER

Horseshoe Bay City Council members got their first look on Tuesday, June 28, at the city’s draft budget for next year. It includes an expected 20.94 percent increase in revenue and a 25.03 percent increase in expenditures, but the staff expects to hold the line on property taxes at 25 cents per $100 valuation, same as this year’s tax rate.

However, the council was asked to set the proposed 2016-17 tax rate at 26 cents as a hedge. While the council can later decrease the proposed rate, it cannot increase it, according to Texas law.

By Bill Teeter

City of Horseshoe Bay water conservation specialist

The City of Horseshoe Bay invites licensed irrigators to seek certification to work with the city and residents in its landscape irrigation assessment rebate program.

Through the program Horseshoe Bay water customers can have an irrigator with a city certification visit their property to look for ways to make their landscape irrigation systems more efficient and reduce water consumption. The city rebates $50 to the customer to cover the cost.