By West Lake Hills Mayor Dave Claunch

Contributing Writer

I am relieved to report that we have finally enacted the revised tree ordinance after more than six months of work and sixteen draft revisions. I’m proud to say that the final version is a significant improvement in both content and effectiveness. Although it is a lengthy ordinance, it is much easier to understand and follow than its predecessor was.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working with the city staff and Council to create a one-page document that briefly explains the top-level rules and processes for removing and replacing trees and other vegetation in the city. We’ll post this document on our Web site and provide it to contractors and residents alike so that everyone has a clear understanding of the rules. We’ll also include it in the next issue of our city newsletter, which is due out around the end of March. And just as we’ve done for years, we’ll continue to offer free training classes for all of the tree contractors that do work in this area to make sure that they are aware of the new rules as well.

In other news, you may have read in last week’s Picayune that the funding for the Bee Cave Road improvements is up in the air. The $6.3 million in funds allocated to our project last January by CAMPO are no longer available because TxDOT is running low on cash. Unlike most of us – who set aside our money when we write a check to pay a bill – TxDOT doesn’t set aside funding (in our case, the $6.3 million) when they commit to doing a project. Instead, they wait until it’s time to go out to bid for the project, then they look in their bank account and see if they have the money.

In the past, this approach has always worked because they’ve had plenty of cash on hand. But as TxDOT’s revenues have plummeted over the past few years, their cash has dwindled. Now there’s not enough to do many of the projects that had been approved by the various Metropolitan Planning Organizations like CAMPO. To add insult to injury, TxDOT only recently informed CAMPO that many of its projects will be left high and dry. CAMPO is in the difficult spot of having to explain this mess to all the municipalities (like West Lake Hills) who have been waiting for their projects to begin.

In a recent meeting I attended with TxDOT, they indicated that they may be willing to use some internal funds to construct the center turn lane on Bee Cave Road at Redbud Trail. The design process for that section of the road should be completed by this fall. In the coming months, I may call upon the public at large to help us encourage TxDOT to use those other funds for improving this vital intersection.

As for the installation of a center turn lane along the rest of Bee Cave Road, there is both bad news and good. The bad news is that TxDOT’s timeline for designing the project stretches out to late 2012, at which time the project will theoretically be ready to bid. The good news is that TxDOT’s funding shortage is expected to be remedied by that time, with sufficient cash flows available to fund more projects throughout the state. So there’s a chance that the larger Bee Cave Road project will proceed as planned – assuming that TxDOT’s financial projections are accurate. And that’s a big assumption.

When I was elected two years ago, I wasn’t sure if I would want to serve a second term in office. I was hopeful that I could work hard for two years, accomplish all of my goals for service during that time, and then maybe move on down the road. But with the Bee Cave Road project still up in the air – and lots of work remaining on other major projects – I have decided to run for re-election this May. If the voters will have me, then I will proudly serve as your mayor for another two-year term.