The April 8 Blanco City Council meeting revisited a number of items which have been on prior agendas, including an AI policy, the extension of the city sewer line, composition of the Streetscape committee, and took votes on variances and a special use permit.
Early voting for the municipal election runs April 22-25 with additional days April 28-29. Election day is Saturday, May 3. The city’s bond election will also be on the ballot. There will be a town hall about the $16.6 million bond election at the Old Blanco County Courthouse at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 17.
Police Officer Charles Green was sworn in by Mayor Mike Arnold. Police Chief Jerry Thornhill’s monthly report informed the assembled that service calls were down from the prior month, while traffic citations and warnings were up.
Inframark’s Damon Berryman gave a presentation on the progress made in the public works system including improved record keeping, better data on which industrial users are impacting the system with phosphorus discharge and how to address that, and more during his tenure at Inframark in Blanco. Berryman will soon relocate to Houston to be closer to family, but spoke with feeling about the responsibility to the community and care for the work that has been done during his time in Blanco.
City Secretary Laurie Cassidy presented an update on the city’s AI system, walking council members and the public through the steps which have already been taken to use AI for certain city processes and information requests. The council voted to proceed with the “beta testing” process. Council member Candy Cargill suggested a workshop on how the city would use AI in service to residents. A proposal was put forth to invest $2,500 in the setup charge with a $300 per month or less fee to fund the AI system and the vote ultimately scaled back to “a not exceed $300” beta phase while the policy continues to be fully fleshed out. The motion passed 3-0-1 with Cargill abstaining. Councilor Dennis Moore Jr. was not present due to a family emergency.
The city was awarded a $300,000 GLO grant, which will be used for various planning projects including updating the Uniform Development Code (UDC), the Comprehensive Master Plan, “visioning work” and other projects, including Streetscape. The grant will provide funding for a professional planner, grant administration, an architectural firm, and other professional services.
Variances were approved for the Garagista located at 713 Chandler Street, and for multiple properties at 1105 Elm Street to be zoned as commercial as most of the block is zoned C-1 already, an existing home is allowed to remain residential as a “non conforming use”.
An amendment to the scope and cost of the sewer line project which was approved by the 2024A Certificate of Obligation was approved. The project is $115,000 more than the original cost estimates.
A vote regarding if and how the city might install a water shut off valve at the Hotel Henry, which supplies the sprinkler (fire suppression) system, was tabled. This gives Inframark time to price various possibilities for shut off valves in the area, which could help the city protect against additional possible breaks or failures of the current equipment along the line.
An agenda item relating to committee appointments and the development and approval of committee and commission agendas was tabled. Among other criteria, the motion stated that the Streetscape Committee would be composed of two members of the Blanco Historic Preservation Commission with the BHPC chairperson being one of those appointed, one business owner in the city of Blanco, one member of Keep Blanco Beautiful, one member of the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society and one member at large.
