Hello Bastrop!
At the City Council meeting, we enjoyed a full house of residents and visitors this week.
Student Council representatives for Cedar Creek Intermediate School led the pledges this week. Gabriela Mora Macedo and Rebecca Bleibtreu are both 6th graders who enjoy math. Miss Macedo shared she is interested in becoming a neurosurgeon, and Miss Bleibtreu is interested in being a nurse practitioner. Toni Malone, a teacher at Cedar Creek Intermediate and Student Council sponsor, attended the meeting with her students. I had the honor of speaking to the Student Council on December 1, 2022, and it was great to see them all again.
Pastor Dustin Bartee led the invocation. Pastor Bartee serves at Bastrop Christian Church, and many of you have enjoyed his performance on the Bastrop Opera House stage. He encouraged folks to get tickets for "Music Man," opening May 19.
Bastrop is always busy, and the last two weeks have been no different. Events included groundbreaking at the Water Treatment Plant, National Day of Prayer, Farm Street Opry, Main Street Town Hall, and Springfest. There is something for everyone.
May includes special recognition for May 14-20 as National Police Week and May 21-27 as Public Works Week. We recognized May 13 as World Migratory Bird Day as part of our Bird City designation.
City Manager Carrillo shared the new Transparency Center on the City's website, which includes a Quarterly Budget report dashboard. The Transparency Center represents another milestone in sharing information with citizens, helping staff work more efficiently, and incorporating digital data.
It is a hectic time in Austin as the 88th Legislative Session rapidly moves bills through the process. HB 5012 will allow the City of Bastrop to reclaim the State portion of the Hotel Occupancy Tax collected and direct those funds toward a new hotel to be constructed and connected to the existing convention center. The House has approved the bill, and it has moved to the Senate - special thanks to Representative Gerdes and his staff.
City Council unanimously approved the second amendment to the Development and Annexation Agreement with Bastrop Colorado Bend, LLC. The initially submitted project will now be completed in phases. Rather than incentivizing the developer, infrastructure to benefit the entire region will be funded directly by a combination of BEDC and the City.
The election held on May 9 will be canvassed on May 16. Councilmember Plunkett will be sworn in for his first full term, and Cynthia Sanders Meyer will be sworn in for the unexpired term created due to Mayor Pro-Tem Rogers' resignation. The runoff election for Mayor will be held on June 10 and canvassed on June 20. Mayor Pro-Tem Rogers was recognized with flowers, a plaque, and a reception to thank her for years of service to City Council and decades of service to the community. She and Cliff will be missed, and we wish them the best of luck in Arkansas.
See you around town,
Mayor Schroeder