Lakeway voters are deciding on 7 proposed amendments to the city charter Changes to Lakeway’s city charter may be on the way after early voting results show approval of six of seven charter amendments during the city’s May 3 election All propositions on the ballot show a majority of voters in favor of passage This amendment would have eliminated the city's Board of Ethics Propositions which appear to have been approved so far include: The majority of propositions put forward were suggested by the city's Charter Review Committee Discussions between the committee and council narrowed down the propositions from a total of 17 to the seven that were put before voters this May Community Impact will update this article as more election day vote totals are released All results are unofficial until canvassed Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community Texas — Lake Travis Fire Rescue and Lakeway Police responded to a house engulfed in flames Friday afternoon ALSO| Man dies in machinery accident at gravel pit near Ellinger, investigation underway Crews will remain on scene for an extended period to fully extinguish any remaining hot spots and ensure that the area is safe Firefighters encountered access challenges due to a large perimeter wall and overhead power lines one propane tank sustained damage and was venting but crews were able to quickly cool and mitigate the hazard There were no evacuations and firefighters quickly extinguished a small grass fire that started due to the structure fire Lake Travis Fire Rescue will be conducting the origin and cause fire investigation This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available Lakeway hotels will now receive extra funds to boost visitor rates in an incentive program approved Monday by the Lakeway City Council in a 6-1 vote The program sets aside $200,000 from the hotel occupancy tax fund to help hotels pay for incentives such as free transportation food discounts and lower rates for guests to help them to lure group meetings and event business from hotels outside Lakeway This can help increase commercial activity and promote local businesses “We could let the businesses try to be businesses,” Mayor Thomas Kilgore said at the meeting The money in the fund comes from the taxes the city collects from hotels The amount of money the hotels can access from the fund will depend on the amount they contributed to the prior year’s hotel occupancy taxes Hotels can use the incentives when a local event draws visitors to Central Texas when a big group of guests books the hotel together The meeting must have a minimum of 20 rooms booked for overnight stays Council Member Christopher Forton said he worries the hotels will not use the extra funds for the group meeting incentives and instead use it to offset other hotel costs The council will revisit the program in a year to review the hotels’ actions based on required reports The hotels can only use the funds toward certain categories including paying for historical restoration shuttle buses or promoting tourism and the arts through expenditures starting at the beginning of Lakeway’s fiscal year on Oct More safety sought for Highlands BoulevardThe council voted to direct staff to analyze solutions that address safety concerns on Highlands Boulevard The city held a town hall meeting in February when community members voiced their safety concerns on the street stretching from Lakeway to Bee Creek Residents were mostly concerned about speed and suggested adding stop signs and traffic signals City staff suggested reducing the number of regular lanes on the road to make space for a lane dedicated to recreational traffic That alco could allow for right-turn lanes Staff also suggested improving medians and crosswalks through various methods such as calling more attention to pedestrian crossing signs or adding a raised crosswalk which is similar to a speed bump stretched out enough to allow pedestrians to walk across it The council directed staff to review all the information and to come up with a plan by the next council meeting for the roundabout at Highlands Boulevard and Bee Creek Road and the intersection of Tavish Trail and Lakeway Boulevard which were common concerns in the town hall Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Vance reached her term limit after serving six years The council played a commemorative slideshow featuring her and staff gave her gifts Council Member Kelly Brynteson said Vance was the reason she decided to run for the council Council Member Matt Sherman held tears back as he said Vance was one of the first people he talked to in the council before he joined “She doesn’t just show up to the council meetings and I appreciate that,” Sherman said in the meeting “When I’m out trying to go to different events it's largely from how Gretchen has set that standard and example of and we need to do more than just be here behind the dais.’”  Louis Mastrangelo will take over Gretchen’s seat on the City Council and the council will vote on a new mayor pro tem on May 19 Looking to diversify your marketing mix and elevate your brand Share yours to be featured in our newsletters and on our website Texas — A water main break caused traffic disruptions and icy conditions Wednesday morning in Lakeway Emergency crews and public works officials responded to the intersection of White Magnolia Circle and Dave Drive around 9:26 a.m after reports of water flowing onto the roadway The Lakeway Police Department advised motorists to avoid the area due to hazardous conditions ALSO | BRUTALLY COLD. But YES, there is school. YES, the buses are running on time officials had stopped the water flow and applied sand to the affected roads to prevent ice formation While the immediate hazard has been contained police continue to urge drivers to exercise caution when traveling through the area The cause of the water main break was not immediately disclosed No injuries or accidents were reported during the incident The business offers routine hygiene and grooming services for dogs A new dog wellness and routine care center is coming soon to Lakeway Scenthound offers grooming services as well as basic hygiene packages which include bathing Memberships are offered on the business’ website allowing customers to schedule monthly hygiene appointments Texas — A woman was fatally struck by a vehicle in North Lakeway Thursday night Austin-Travis County EMS and Lake Travis Fire responded at around 5:17 p.m to the crash between a female pedestrian and a vehicle at 400 N FM 620 Road ALSO| Austin's subfreezing temps are expected to create more potholes on city streets The pedestrian was pronounced dead on scene after resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful Lakeway police said the driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation RM 620 was shut down between Holly Lane and Clara Van for several hours but reopened at around 10:45 p.m Recommended safety improvements were shared at an April 21 council meeting Texas — The Lakeway Police Department stated around 6:45 p.m Friday evening that they were responding to a situation near Stewart Rd The incident was reported to police Friday afternoon was also shut down due to the police activity Lakeway police encouraged residents to avoid the area and that other nearby streets may be closed due to traffic ALSO: Round Rock Police investigating false threats of explosives on trails and one male suspect was taken into custody The suspect was arrested on a charge of Deadly Conduct for discharging a firearm in the neighborhood No one was injured during the original incident The studio will offer pilates classes and memberships A new pilates studio is coming soon to the Lakeway area Instructors at Form Pilates will offer small group, semi-private and private classes designed to build strength and mobility, according to the business’ website. Memberships and class packages can be purchased online The forum will be held April 2 for Lake Travis ISD school board candidates Vikki Goodwin and Ellen Troxclair have put forward bills aiming to bolster water conservation efforts Lakeway City Council has voiced support for water conservation bills put forward by state Reps who represents a number of Lakeway residents living in Texas House District 47 said that many of her constituents have voiced concerns regarding water levels in Lake Travis and increasing development in the region Goodwin has put forward a number of bills aimed at conserving water and ensuring that existing water infrastructure is maintained At a City Council meeting held March 17 which both address the rights of homeowners to conserve water through various landscaping methods One bill put forward by Goodwin, HB 1432 aims to protect homeowners’ right to use drought-tolerant landscaping sometimes known as “xeriscaping.” This practice involves using native plants which require less irrigation in the region have required residents to remove drought-tolerant landscaping homeowners would be entitled to draw up their own landscaping plans or designs “We don’t want to take all control away from the HOA We want to simply make sure that people are able to conserve water on their lawns,” Goodwin said HOAs would no longer be allowed to charge homeowners for this The bill is currently moving forward with a Senate hearing March 18 and House hearing March 19 Although Rep. Troxclair was unable to attend the March 17 council meeting, Goodwin stated that she supported a bill Troxclair had put forward, HB 1344 which would allow the Texas Water Development Board to assist with projects in low income areas Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Vance also asked Goodwin about a new Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority, or BCRUA, project for Cedar Park Round Rock and Leander which will harvest water from Lake Travis and tunnel it to these northern municipalities Goodwin highlighted similar local entities like the Lower Colorado River Authority and stated that planning processes could be improved and actually another bill that I have is around making sure that they’re doing the best planning possible—because right now they do look at past history and not the future expectations,” Goodwin said The LCRA is currently capable of selling off water rather than conserving it in case of an unexpectedly dry period, Goodwin said. Firm water supplied by the authority can be provided to cities or industries even during the driest drought periods, according to the LCRA No other bills were formally endorsed by Lakeway at the meeting. Around 10,000 bills have now been filed in the legislature, with the filing deadline having ended March 14, according to city documents. The ordinance was passed by City Council in response to resident concerns regarding heavy traffic Lakeway has hosted the parade annually for 50 years Registration has opened for floats and performances at Lakeway’s upcoming 4th of July parade. This year will mark the 50th anniversary of Lakeway’s 4th of July Parade. The city announced on April 10 that registration had opened for the parade, and those interested can sign up through a form on the city’s website. The deadline for entry is June 23 Entries may include vehicles, marching units, trucks and trailers, floats, boats and performances, according to event rules and regulations. The parade will begin at 8:30 a.m on July 4th on Lakeway Drive running from Live Oak Golf Course to the Lakeway Activity Center a hot dog reception will take place at the activity center Parade attendees are encouraged to carpool to the event with parking spaces available at Lakeway Church at the intersection of Lakeway Boulevard and Lakeway Drive All entries wishing to be considered for awards must be present at the event staging area by 7:45 a.m on July 4th Awards will be posted on the city website following the parade All Bee Cave and Lakeway council members were elected by ordinance after facing no opposition All incumbent candidates seeking re-election to Lakeway and Bee Cave’s city councils in May have secured their seats without opposition with two incumbent council members re-elected in Lakeway One non-incumbent council candidate and city mayor were also elected in Lakeway without facing opposition.In West Lake Hills both cities opened applications for council positions council members Christopher Forton and Kent O’Brien as well as Mayor Pro Tem Gretchen Vance and Mayor Thomas Kilgore faced expiring terms as she had already served three consecutive terms and was therefore ineligible to appear on the May ballot Louis Mastrangelo, chair of Lakeway’s Zoning and Planning Commission ran unopposed and will also serve on council alongside Forton and O’Brien An ordinance declaring all of these unopposed candidates elected to council was passed Feb. 21, and can be viewed on the city’s website. a general election for three council seats was held as well as a special election for two vacated council seats left by former council members Courtney Hohl and Jon Cobb Both of these seats had a remaining term of one year and council members Blake Sbrocco and Kit Crumbley were elected by council to fill them until a formal election was held Andrea Willott and Kit Crumbley will now fill the unexpired terms with Blake Sbrocco being elected instead to a standard two-year council position Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Clark and Kevin Hight will fill the remaining two-year terms As was the case in Lakeway, all council members were elected via ordinances which cancelled the special council election and the general council election in Bee Cave three incumbent candidates filed to run for city council The only seat contested is council member Dana Harmon’s with candidate Joe Swider having filed to run against her More information, including candidate filings, can be found on the West Lake Hills city website. Though council elections were cancelled in both cities residents of Bee Cave and Lakeway will still need to decide on several ballot items seeking voter approval on May 3 In Lakeway, a proposed 0.25% sales tax collection for road improvements known as Proposition A and 6 charter amendments The amendments primarily address changes to city processes In Bee Cave, a new public safety building has been placed on the ballot following the passage of Proposition G in November Additionally, a road tax similar to Lakeway’s will appear on the Bee Cave election ballot with the city requesting to collect 0.125% of sales tax for a road maintenance fund This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Lakeway officials are investigating a small plane crash that left one person injured near the Lakeway Airport Wednesday night Texas — Lakeway officials are investigating a small plane crash that left one person injured near the Lakeway Airport Wednesday night Austin-Travis County EMS and Lake Travis Fire crews responded at around 6:37 p.m to the airport located in the 100 block of Triton Court ALSO| Witness in APD officer's trial testified a man was "holding a large knife to his throat" EMS says there were two passengers onboard but one refused to be taken to a hospital while the other has serious but non-life-threatening injuries According to the Lakeway Police Department the crash happened as the single-engine piston plane was landing at the nearby airport The Cirrus SR22 aircraft hit trees during landing and came to rest in a residential backyard the Federal Aviation Administration said in its preliminary report TheNational Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation to determine what exactly caused the crash A part of Lakeway Drive will be closed from March 3-May 5 as electricians install an overhead electrical line for a future city water plant Lakeway City Council approved preliminary plans for Tuscan Village Section 2 at a meeting Oct Homes within Lakeside Estates are estimated to cost between $975,000 and $1.5 million RM 620 may eventually get less congested and safer under a project the Lakeway City Council discussed on Monday The project includes widening the outside of the road to make U-turns easier and adding traffic signals at some intersections Lakeway is working with the Texas Department of Transportation to expand 620 from four lanes to six lanes that project would take about a decade to complete so Council Member Ken O’Brien proposed starting this breakout project in the meantime to give cars more road space to U-turn O’Brien said residents should not have to wait a decade “and (the city) should be looking for opportunities to make improvements that could enhance safety as well as enhance operation of the roadway.” O’Brien said he discussed the breakout project with TxDOT but the city still needs to submit a formal proposal and the state agency then has to approve it The council has not taken action on the breakout project yet He said he expects the city will pay a maximum of $250,000 but the breakout project might cost at least $3.5 million and there's literally almost never a day where I’m not on 620,” O’Brien said “Everybody in the region is impacted by congestion on 620 everybody is impacted by safety aspects on 620.”  Police Chief Glen Koen said he noticed drivers have shown confusion over who has the right of way when making a U-turn on Dave Drive the city allows U-turns at those intersections it is one that we hear about frequently,” Koen said in the meeting The council also discussed how to spend almost $1.4 million received last week from the Federal Emergency Management Agency The funds reimburse 75% of the amount of money the city spent after a devastating ice storm in 2023 The city spent over $1.8 million to fund debris cleanup Council members debated leaving the money in their general fund which is where the money spent on the disaster came from They also debated using the money for a capital improvement program a dedicated emergency fund or to improve the city’s emergency response such as by purchasing more vehicles and software but members will continue the discussion in future meetings Lakeway residents will vote on six city charter amendments in the May 3 election after the council approved them to go on the ballot in a 5-2 vote Proposition A would eliminate the office of the city treasurer and the council would give the treasurer’s duties to the city’s finance director and other employees in the department The treasurer receives and keeps money belonging to the city and oversees financial transactions Proposition B would eliminate the city Building Commission and the council would assign the commission’s duties to the Zoning and Planning Commission The Building Commission is responsible for determining whether to grant variances and waivers Proposition C would eliminate the Board of Ethics but the city would still be required to adopt a city ethics ordinance E and F would change the process for removing members of boards and commissions the approval process for Police Department policies and procedures and residency requirements for the city manager Lakeway City Council held two special meetings Feb Texas — Lakeway police are investigating a virtual kidnapping scam after a man told police his daughter had been kidnapped while on the phone with the alleged captor at the time he was speaking to police The father says the captors were attempting to get him to meet at a Walmart or Target in the area Police say he also suggested the caller had obtained some amount of information about him and his family ALSO| Central Texas gears up for potential winter storm with road pre-treatment efforts underway Officers quickly determined that his father and family were safe and unaware of the kidnapping claim Lakeway police say this falls in line with what's commonly called a virtual kidnapping scam which is a fraud scheme designed to exploit a parent's fear for their child's safety Texas — Firefighters rescued three cats from a burning home in Lakeway Monday morning The fire broke out in the 600 block of Peterson Lane ALSO | Austin man sentenced to 41 months for running $1.5 million Ponzi scheme Firefighters prevented flames from spreading beyond the garage to the main structure Crews from Pedernales Fire Department provided mutual aid during the operation The cause of the fire remains under investigation Texas — Two men were arrested after allegedly stealing an iPhone from a front porch in Lakeway were taken into custody following a traffic stop where officers discovered evidence linking them to package thefts including a stolen iPhone valued at $1,200 25 when a resident reported the theft of an iPhone from their porch Ring doorbell footage captured a suspect taking the package and fleeing in a white sedan which police later identified through their Flock camera system as a white Mazda 3 ALSO |New Braunfels man pleads guilty to planning mass shootings and firearms charges officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and found an empty iPhone box with an AT&T order confirmation Police said Mendoza-Ruiz matched the description of the suspect from the earlier theft including distinctive shoes visible in the security footage Investigators believe the suspects may have had insider information about electronics deliveries the men were reportedly heading toward another residence where police found an unopened package containing an Apple Watch Frost Bank will soon open a new location in Lakeway A groundbreaking ceremony was held March 28 for the new financial center, with a grand opening expected to take place in late 2025, a Frost Bank marketing representative said.Frost Bank offers banking, investment and insurance services to its customers, currently operating in over 200 financial centers throughout Texas, according to the business’ website. Changes were made to the Tuscan Village development at a March 17 council meeting A new apartment complex in Lakeway’s upcoming City Center development has updated its age requirements as final completion of construction draws closer The Jovie Lakeway apartment complex is located in Tuscan Village a section of Lakeway’s upcoming City Center development Currently, age restrictions prevent many lenders from working with the development, said Taylor Wilson, owner of The Jovie developers Wilson Capital By amending the age restriction of the complex a wider range of financial tools and multifamily loans will be made available to the developers Currently the project’s framework is complete with developers hoping to see new residents moving in by October The complex can is described as “amentity-rich” and geared towards active adults with residents of The Jovie granted access to offerings like weekly yoga classes with one and two-bedroom options available Rental prices at the complex will be higher than standard apartments with a typical 1,100 square-foot residence estimated to cost around $2,700-$3,000 per month Wilson Capital currently operates two similar projects under the same name—Jovie Pflugerville and Jovie Belterra Both of these projects offer similar programming but do not have any restrictive age covenant Other changes made to Tuscan Village following the amendment include redefining a section of cottages and condos in the development as for-sale only This change would make The Jovie the only rentable property in Tuscan Village said Erin Carr Director of Building & Development Services A subsection of the amendment requesting permission for a drive-through restaurant was postponed to council's April regular meeting LAKEWAY Texas — Lakeway Police officers are searching for a suspect that burglarized four vehicles Sunday officers dispatched to a call at Bella Toscana Avenue in Lakeway Officers discovered that a total of four vehicles had been burglarized by an unknown male subject ALSO | Man arrested in connection to fatal SE Austin hit-and-run The subject allegedly climbed a gate to a locked parking garage and rifled through the vehicles taking two sets of keys from two of the vehicles Anyone who has information on identifying the suspect can contact the Lakeway Police Department at 512-261-2800 A view of the park's site from Tomichi Trail With plans underway for a new park in Rough Hollow Lakeway city leaders and engineers from Dunaway & Associates hosted a meeting Oct 28 to share artistic renderings and provide updates on the status of the park The 9.5-acre park is part of the recent voter-approved Lakeway Parks Bond, and will contain a multisports complex The playscape at the park is intended to blend in with the environment while providing a space for children to play and explore Director of Parks and Recreation for Lakeway Civil engineering and architecture firm Dunaway & Associates will provide its services to Lakeway for the project In terms of time frame for development of the park the city is hoping to have the project go out for bid over the summer and be presented to City Council as early as September construction would begin between October and November and last about a year In May, the Lakeway Parks Bond was approved in an effort to revamp the city’s public park system. Five projects are included in the bond; apart from Butler Park, projects include improvements to the activity center, city park, swim center, and tennis court. The Parks Bond Budget totals about $22 million, with about $2 million set aside specifically for Butler Park, according to previous reporting by Community Impact presented information on the park and solicited questions from residents Resident questions pertained to a wide variety of concerns Residents at the meeting questioned why there were over 70 parking spaces included in plans presented for the park and whether this much space was needed for visitors “The idea is that the parents park in the parking lot and wait for their kids to come rather than queuing on the streets,” City Manager Joseph Molis said referring to the long lines that occur near the park for pickup at Rough Hollow Elementary Lindberg mentioned during her presentation that the city had considered incorporating parts of Butler Park into the nearby Rough Hollow Elementary School for children to use during recess several residents cited safety concerns and the idea was not pursued further Residents also voiced a need for play spaces for children with disabilities Lindberg said all of these issues were addressed in planning discussions Lakeway continues to take resident input on proposed plans for the park Those interested can take a look at Lakeway’s website to view concept plans and imagery for Butler Park as well as other parks approved in the May parks bond The site plan consists of three buildings with over 80 truck loading doors The Lakeway City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new artificial intelligence policy that allows staff to use various AI tools to supplement their work created the policy to adapt to new technologies and changes in AI The policy focuses on using the new technologies while staying transparent The council will review the policy in six months “We’ve been meeting about once a month since about August to try to come up with a policy but our other directive is also to test and try out other AI products that we can potentially use for government use that would be safe but effective,” Wise said staff must add a disclaimer to the document if they used AI to create it Staff members must also take certain steps to save their work on the AI tool since it is subject to open records requests They also must use AI ethically and avoid misleading The policy also prohibits staff members from entering confidential information into AI tools because the information can then be shared outside the network Confidential information includes residents' personal data most internal city documents and confidential information submitted to the city and draft a news release or policy and then fill in the holes themselves “I’ve been to many AI conferences the last several months and most of them pretty much are unanimous in saying It’s here to supplement your work,’” Wise said “It’s here to add and be more efficient in the way we do things with the city government.” Council Member Matt Sherman asked how they would approach a sensitive situation since readers might not want to see the city use AI to address it Wise said he would only use AI to write very general news releases and still have human oversight staff have to review the content created by AI before releasing it The city's IT department and the committee will regularly monitor the use of AI tools a generator that answers questions or writes content based on a prompt; NotebookLM a free software that creates materials such as podcasts presentation outlines and summary notes using the documents submitted by staff; Sora a video generator that creates videos out of a user prompt; and Claude.ai The council also discussed plan to use hotel occupancy tax funds to attract more visitors from nearby cities to Lakeway $200,000 would be set aside from the funds to reimburse hotels that host group meetings or events if they provide room discounts The city would have to review the transactions and approve the reimbursement the city's hotel occupancy tax fund coordinator said that could encourage people from nearby cities to host meetings or events in Lakeway hotels “This program basically is targeted at allowing our hotels to compete better against hotels from any other markets by competing harder by being able to provide incentives,” Wille said in the meeting The money not used at the end of the year will be returned to the fund but will revisit the plan in next month’s meeting The council also discussed the use of almost $1.4 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds received in January The funds reimbursed 75% of the amount of money the city spent after a devastating ice storm in 2023 including returning all or most of it to the city’s general fund which is where the money the city spent on the storm came from it seems like we’re just going to leave the money in the general fund for the next couple of months,” Mayor Tom Kilgore said in the meeting “We’re not going to start buying anything with it.” Texas — The Lakeway Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying two suspects accused of shoplifting at Fion Liquors at 1200 Lakeway Dr Lakeway Police was dispatched to the liquor store for a theft call The complainant stated that two women had entered the store the previous Saturday between 8:10 p.m and took three bottles of liquor without the owner's consent The vehicle parked in front of the store was described as a black ALSO:Fans celebrate first home playoff game for UT Longhorns The first suspect was described as a black female in her early 20s wearing a black miniskirt and white zip-up jacket The second suspect was described as a white female in her early 20s Jeannique Moore is the owner of Empower Kidz Drop-In Childcare was rezoned from commercial to residential to accomodate a planned unit development with 42 single family homes Lakeway voters will decide on three City Council seats and the mayor this May Customers stand in line at Vivel Crepes & Coffee Both cities generally follow state law when it comes to regulating political signage but they also have specific rules regarding permitting