Editor’s note: Below are questions we asked of the candidates running in the Rollingwood City Council at-large election on May 8 when the top two candidates receiving votes will win two vacated seats.

Age and occupation:

Barry Bone: 52, Real estate management and development for a NYSE Company.

Kelli Carlton: 43, attorney.

Sara A. Hutson: 49, principal engineer of Waid Environmental, an environmental engineering firm. I am one of three working majority owners who manage the company with a staff of 24 employees.

Shanthi Jayakumar: Young 60! My current occupation is solely serving on City Council, and I am the Council liaison for streets.

Family:

Carlton: My husband, John, and our boys, JD (fourth grade at Eanes Elementary) and Michael (second grade at Eanes Elementary).

Hutson: Married nearly 25 years to husband, Alex Hutson, currently a stay-at-home dad and volunteer coach (previously a secondary teacher and coach); daughter Maggie attends the University of Texas; sons Sandy and Rusty are a junior and a freshman, respectively, at Westlake High School.

Jayakumar: Husband Jay is a chip design engineer. Daughters: Pratibha is an administrative law judge for the state of Texas and lives in South Austin; Sidhya works in strategy and business development in Houston. Her husband, Maneesh, is finishing his residency in anesthesiology.

Bone: Spouse, Tami Bone, fine art photographer; son Bryan, a sophomore at St Edward’s University; son Michael, a junior at Griffin School; and daughter Brea, a sophomore at Westlake High School.

Years a resident of the city:

Hutson: We have lived in Rollingwood for almost 18 years.

Jayakumar: 25 memorable years.

Bone: Eight years.

Carlton: Nine years.

Education:

Jayakumar: Degree in English from The University of Texas, with highest honors.

Bone: I studied business and finance at the University of Texas.

Carlton: Bachelor of arts degree and juris doctor degree from the University of Texas.

Hutson: Bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with highest honors from the University of Texas, registered professional engineer in Texas and five other states; coursework toward masters of business administration, Corpus Christi State University.

Why do you feel you are qualified to serve on the City Council?

Bone: Over the past two years I have proven my sincere dedication to the Rollingwood community. By attending most of the Council meetings as well as researching public records, I understand the challenges and issues facing our community. I have served on the Rollingwood Citizens’ Water System Committee, which determined that the $2,500,000 bond issue was unnecessary, subsequently recommending $941,000 in water system upgrades, most of which were approved by Council and have been completed. I am currently serving as chair of the Utility Commission.

Carlton: I have been serving the City as Park Commission Chair for just over a year, and was a Park Commission member before that. As Park Chair, I attend and participate in the City Council meetings, so I am familiar with how the Council works and the issues facing this wonderful city. Additionally, I have served on the board of the Rollingwood Women’s Club for almost four years. Given the opportunity, I believe I will make a positive difference.

Hutson: I have served for over three years as a member of our Public Utility Commission and served as an appointed member of the Rollingwood City Council for eight months. My community service work, civil engineering degree, business management experience, and ability to work well with diverse groups of people provide me with a wealth of experience and skills that are essential to helping the city deal with the many issues facing us in the immediate future and beyond.

Jayakumar: Our city faces many challenges. Being familiar with the past, current and imminent future issues facing the city, and after having served one term successfully and happily, I feel confident and qualified to serve again. To serve effectively on the council requires a large time commitment, and I continue to have the time, energy and passion to serve this community.

What was the main reason that you decided to run for a seat on the City Council?

Carlton: I want to serve, and I would be a good alderperson.

Hutson: The key issues facing the city – water and wastewater, streets and drainage issues – all require engineering solutions. In serving the city over the last several years I’ve seen how useful my civil engineering background has been in dealing with these issues. I believe my education and experience have provided me with skills that can be put to good use to ensure that our city remains a wonderful place to live and raise a family, and I’d like the opportunity to keep using those skills as a city council member.

Jayakumar: My resolve to give back to the community was the reason I sought the council position in 2008. It is my conviction that public service is a calling and an honor. I feel that I can effect positive change in my neighborhood through research, open communication, honesty, perseverance and goal setting. I have the support and active participation of my immediate family and innumerable friends who have encouraged me in my efforts both times.

Bone: The city government functions as a business, protecting our families and providing essential services that greatly affect the value of our homes. I want to use my experience to maximize the value of our tax dollars to improve our infrastructure and city services. Spending our money wisely will result in a better Rollingwood.

What do you feel are key issues facing the city, and which of these do you feel should be the number-one priority?

Hutson: Our infrastructure is aging and requires maintenance and upgrade. Our most urgent priority is our water system. Action on additional prioritized projects is needed while we can plan for them in an efficient, cost effective way, before they become emergencies. We also need to address drainage concerns in the city while they can be managed most effectively. Streets need to be repaved as needed once associated water projects have been completed. We need city leadership that will help get our citizens working together to maintain and improve our city.

Jayakumar: Personally, I feel that streets and water are priority items. Maintenance and enhancement of our beautiful park needs constant attention. We also need to balance the needs of our residential and commercial sectors. The current Council has implemented a Capital Improvements Plan to prioritize all city projects based on criteria including necessity and availability of funding sources in a fiscal year. The key is to get community buy-in on all major projects, especially when they involve large expenditures of public funds.

Bone: Our number one priority continues to be the planning and prioritizing of our spending. This should be implemented using experts in engineering, finance and public safety. The plan should determine the priority of street paving, taking into account the location of planned water improvements. We also need to reduce our water and sewer rates. I believe this can be accomplished using existing revenue.

Carlton: Everyone wants to turn on their faucets and get good, clean water with adequate pressure; flush their toilets and know the wastewater system is working; drive on nice streets; and enjoy a beautiful and safe neighborhood with a lovely park. I am no different. All of these City services cost money; having the appropriate funds to adequately pay for all of these services is important. My number one priority is water and funding the remaining much-needed upgrades to a system that is, in part, older than I am.

Do you think the city should consider purchasing the wastewater system from the Lower Colorado River Authority and why?

Jayakumar: A dependable litmus test would be to ask: (1) do we need it? If yes, how soon? (2) Can we afford it? If yes, what would be the cost? (3) What are the unintended consequences? The possible cost reduction of the annual maintenance fee to LCRA should be weighed against the danger of an accidental environmental spill that could cost millions in clean-up and possible litigation. The city will still need to outsource maintenance and upkeep of the system. Reason dictates more study is warranted before reaching a decision.

Bone: We are currently leasing the wastewater system from the LCRA under a 40-year agreement for a fixed capital charge of $775,160 per year. We also pay the LCRA to operate the system. We should consider purchasing the system if our total costs can be reduced. The key to determining the viability of ownership will be the purchase price required by the LCRA and the financing alternatives. Since interest rates are low, it is a good time to investigate the purchase.

Carlton: The city should seriously research purchasing its wastewater system from LCRA. The city must learn, rather than simply opine, whether ownership would benefit our citizens. If owning the system could lower utility bills, that would be an amazing monthly benefit. I understand that approximately $65 of each citizen’s monthly wastewater bill goes toward paying LCRA for the system. If Rollingwood could operate the system for less than it pays LCRA, then it makes sense to attempt to purchase the system.

Hutson: The high cost of our wastewater service is one of the most frequently heard complaints about Rollingwood. We should certainly evaluate the possibility of purchasing our wastewater system to see if it would reduce our operation and mantenance and capital costs, but we also need to be sure we thoroughly examine the potential liabilities associated with purchase and operation before we proceed.

Do you think the city should bring its water distribution lines up to standards in segments, or with one contract and why?

Bone: The latest Drinking Water Quality Report shows our water meets or exceeds all federal (EPA) requirements. We have installed additional fire hydrants and completed the Edgegrove water line and pressure reducing valves. I believe our current system provides safe drinking water and adequate fire protection. After the results of the recent improvements have been determined, we should continue improvements as required to provide our citizens with adequate pressure in their homes. This can be accomplished in segments using available cash, saving our city loan fees and interest charges.

Carlton: As we recently learned by completing small water system improvements, construction costs are extremely low now. It will not likely get any cheaper to improve the whole system. Rollingwood must explore real costs for a single-contract project. Upgrading in segments should be the fall-back position. The upside to one contract is the ability to then consider repaving all the streets at once, and not just a select few, because it does not make sense to repave a street and then tear it up for water system improvements.

Hutson: With the state of the economy now, we have been able to complete the first few water projects at a much lower cost than anticipated, so I would like to see us initiate additional projects, as prioritized. We need to address the funding mechanism for these projects before we can undertake additional work. The system has had little maintenance for years, though, so the process will not be completed quickly. For this reason I am not sure one contract would be feasible.

Jayakumar: The city has almost completed a major rehabilitation of the water system based on recommendations from the Public Utility Commission. The commission will assess the impact of these improvements. They are simultaneously in the process of inventorying the system and, after consultation with engineers, will recommend the second phase of upgrades. Paying as we go has been a tried and true formula for Rollingwood over the years. However, the council will have to adopt appropriate action based on the commissions’ findings, funding options and the current/changeable economic factors.

What would you like to say to Rollingwood voters in the form of an appeal for their support at the polls?

Carlton: Vote for Kelli! This is truly an election where every vote counts – don’t put it off. I’m a hard-worker, a logical thinker, and I truly want to serve. Rollingwood is a great city with smart, involved citizens. As neighbors, debating important issues with mutual respect will make Rollingwood an even better place to live. I cannot promise that we will agree on every issue. However, I will afford you the respect you deserve as my neighbor, and I will work hard for Rollingwood.

Hutson: Rollingwood is a wonderful place to live and I want to be sure it stays that way. We have many infrastructure issues that need to be addressed, and those issues all require engineering solutions. I believe that my engineering and management education and experience and my demonstrated ability to find solutions that satisfy diverse concerns make me ideally qualified to help with these challenges. I hope the Rollingwood citizens agree that I can represent them well and vote to let me serve them as a member of their city council.

Jayakumar: I take my position on the City Council seriously. If re-elected, I pledge to serve this community once again with honesty, passion and dedication. As an elected official, my duty is to safeguard the interests of the people of Rollingwood, and I will work tirelessly to represent you and make council decisions based on the greater good of our community. I have the time and the interest to listen to your concerns and will continue to do my best to bring consensus on the Council and in the community.

Bone: While my business expertise and solid understanding of issues facing our city make me a good choice for city Council, our decisions should be made based upon the will of the people, i.e., a democracy. Before we make large investments in our community, we should require a vote from our citizens. In a city, as in business, management is best carried out by people with varying skill sets. My 27 years of business experience will be a good addition to our City Council. Please vote for Barry Bone!