The Rollingwood City Council heard presentations last week on a new deer-feeding ordinance and proposed renovations to City Hall.

The proposed deer ordinance, which would make feeding deer inside the city limits a misdemeanor crime, was discussed, but no action was taken.

The city of Austin passed a similar ordinance in February banning the feeding of deer. The proposed Rollingwood ordinance would have a maximum $500 fine for those convicted.

Alderwoman Sarah Hutson immediately challenged the ordinance, saying that residents, herself included, would likely violate the ordinance unintentionally.

“When I feed the birds, I’m violating this [ordinance] because bird seed is listed as prohibited,” Hutson said.

She also pointed out that livestock feed was also prohibited and some residents have chickens.

Under the proposed ordinance, residents could file complaints with the police department’s compliance officer against neighbors who feed deer.

Several residents told the council that they did not feel it was appropriate for neighbors to be informing on each other.

Hutson urged the council to more closely examine the ordinance if it is to move forward.

In other action, the council heard a presentation on proposed renovations to City Hall to incorporate bathrooms that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Currently, six floor plans, prepared by volunteer architect Duke Darwood, are being considered. The floor plans range from installing a single, ADA-compliant restroom in the area currently occupied by the garage to renovating the existing bathrooms to installing two large multi-stall restrooms in the garage area.

The Rollingwood Community Development Corporation has offered to fund the estimated $55,000 in construction costs, but the bathrooms must be available to lower park visitors to qualify for funding by the group, Parks Commission Chair Kelli Carlton told the council.

Residents expressed concern over potential misuse of the bathrooms

“I just don’t feel like the city should provide restrooms for the Westbank,” one woman told the City Council. “I can guarantee, if you have restrooms open to the public, you’re going to have a mess.”

Alderwoman Roxanne McKee pointed out that the city has been discussing this issue for 10 years, and some residents have threatened to sue the city for not complying with federal law.

Mayor Bill Hamilton said that formal public hearings on the renovations would be held at the council’s meeting in September.

The City Council also heard a presentation by Lower Colorado River Authority officials of the proposed budget for Rollingwood’s wastewater service as provided by the agency.

The proposed budget totals $870,485 for the 2011 fiscal year, a decrease of over $61,000 from the previous year’s budget. The agency has proposed $115,325 for operations and maintenance and $755,160 for capital repayment.

On the recommendation of Jack Pous, a rate specialist hired by the city, Rollingwood plans to appeal $4,200 in costs allocated to Rollingwood for the amount of wastewater service used.

Pous said that he thought the allocation figures were off and that the city should appeal that portion of the budget for this year and previous years. The city has until the end of July to appeal to the LCRA board.

Dennis Daniel, an LCRA representative at the meeting, told council members that LCRA would be willing to negotiate the allocation costs.

“We will recommend to our board that we reduce this budget by $4,200,” Daniel said.

With a unanimous vote, the council gave Mayor Bill Hamilton the authority to protest the budget before July 30, unless a revised budget is received from the LCRA.

In other action, the city officials announced that Rollingwood received a federal grant for $23,000 to replace the 10-year-old heating and air conditioning unit at City Hall and to install solar screens on the building. The money was made available through federal stimulus funds. Hamilton said that the new system and screens will hopefully save the city money on utility bills in the future.

The council also approved the appointments of Bob Moore and Steve Soward to the Board of Adjustment and Jared Neas and Clark Wilson to the Utility Commission.