November Special City Council Meeting Recap

POLICE OFFICER PINNING CEREMONY
Lakeway Police Chief Glen Koen introduced new Assistant Police Chief Chris Bonnet, along with new Telecommunicator Emily Meyer, Officer Christie Carter and Officer Austin Mellon during a pinning and swearing in ceremony at Monday night's City Council meeting. Sgt. Sheldon Banta was also recognized for his recent promotion.   

SPECIAL OLYMPICS TEXAS RETURNS
City Council approved (7-0) a request from Special Olympics Texas in the amount of $200,000 from the City's Hotel Occupancy Tax fund for their 2023 Special Olympics Texas Winter Games. The funding request will be used to help provide the teams, athletes and spectators lodging for the event, along with promotional support. This will be the second year for Special Olympics Texas to host the Winter Games in and around Lakeway. The three-day event will take place Feb. 17-19, 2023 at various locations throughout Lake Travis. 

BEE CREEK ROAD ANNEXATION
City Council approved (7-0) to allow the mayor to request annexation of the portion of Bee Creek Road that spans from the traffic circle at Highlands Blvd. to SH 71. That portion of Bee Creek Road is currently under control of Travis County. The annexation process initially began in 2019, but was halted due to concerns about the road condition since the City of Lakeway would be responsible for maintenance following annexation. Since then, Travis County has upgraded this section of road to nominally meet the City of Lakeway construction requirements. 

UPDATED ETHICS ORDINANCE
After a lengthy discussion, City Council voted (4-3) in favor of amending Lakeway's Ethics Ordinance as it relates to gifts or donations pertaining to city staff or officials. The updated ordinance allows donations by reputable charitable organizations, items valued at $50 or less unless it would tend to influence that individual's official conduct of business, and for those amounts exceeding $3,000 in cumulative annual donations by a reputable charitable organization, if that organization only provides donations to city staff or officials, the organization must submit an annual report each year to the City Manager. 

AV ZONING DISTRICT ENFORCEMENT
City Council approved (4-3) an amendment to the ordinance relating to Aircraft Regulations to include a section adding the prohibition on aircraft landing or taking off at night. It also includes language indicating the penalty for this violation applies to any person, firm or corporation that owns or operates a particular aircraft. The change is a result of the recent approved amendments to the ordinance relating to the Aviation Zoning District, also known as the Lakeway Airpark.  

CLICK HERE to view the full video and agenda from Monday night's City Council meeting.

New Assistant Police Chief

Please welcome our new Assistant Police Chief Chris Bonnet. Asst. Chief Bonnet served with the UT Police Department in a variety of roles since 2003, most recently serving as the Executive Officer of the Operations Bureau. His training includes the West Point Leadership Academy and Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. He also completed a four-year enlistment with the U.S. Marine Corps. Asst. Chief Bonnet also has experience and certifications in a variety of areas, including SWAT, firearms and the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Team (ALERRT). Welcome to the Lakeway Police Department team!

New Emergency Management Coordinator

"The Nutcracker" Performance

Performing as part of the Arts in the Afternoon series by the Lakeway Arts Committee, join members from Metamorphosis Dance as they bring together a performance including excerpts from "The Nutcracker." The event will take place this coming Sunday, Nov. 13 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lakeway Activity Center located at 105 Cross Creek. This holiday performance is FREE and open to the public. CLICK HERE for more details. 

Town Center Groundbreaking

Legend Communities held an official groundbreaking ceremony with city leadership Wednesday morning at the future site of Lakeway's new Town Center, known as The Square at Lohmans. Land is currently being cleared for the area across from The Hills entrance on Lohmans Crossing Road to make room for a large park area with a pavilion, mixed-use, retail, restaurant, and office space, residential units, a hotel, and a section of Main Street, with that portion of roadway expected to be completed the end of next year. Visit our Instagram page (@cityoflakeway) for more images from the ceremony. 

Besperka Family Memorial

The City of Lakeway Heritage Committee accepted a generous donation of a memorial bench from the Besperka family during a ceremony with city leadership and residents outside the Heritage Center Wednesday afternoon. Jack and Doris Besperka were proud, longtime members of the Lakeway community. Jack recently passed away and it's important to note on this Veterans Day that Jack was also a former WWII veteran. The memorial bench now sits next to the parking lot just outside of the Heritage Center. Please visit our Heritage Center Facebook page (@LakewayHeritageCenter)  for more pictures from the event.