Johnson City
Politics
Dripping Springs' Own Jeffrey Houston Joins State Risk Management Board
The State Office of Risk Management (SORM) has appointed Jeffrey Houston to its Board of Directors, as announced by the Governor's Office on February 22, 2024. Houston, from Dripping Springs, will serve on the board until February 1, 2025. He replaces Gerald Ladner, Sr., who is now the Chairman of the Board.
Horseshoe Bay clarifies water restrictions; talks deer control
Horseshoe Bay clarifies water restrictions; talks deer control Tracy Goggans Contributing Writer Fri, 04/26/2024 - 02:46 Image Body The Horseshoe Bay City Council recently discussed deer trapping for road safety as well as addressed citizen concerns over a stricter irrigation policy.The council met April 16...
Dripping Springs building and planning departments move to new building May 1
Building department officials handle building permits while planning and development department officials oversee permits as well as manage growth and development in the city. (Elle Bent/Community Impact) The Dripping Springs Building Department as well as the Planning and Development Department will leave city hall to operate out of a new...
Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees visits Rooster Springs Elementary
The DSISD Board of Trustees spent the morning of Thursday, April 18, at Rooster Springs Elementary meeting with members of the Student Lighthouse Team, learning about the campus’s reading intervention program, participating in a science experiment with second grade students and catching up with kindergarten, first grade, fifth grade, art and physical education classes.
Dripping Springs wastewater customers to see rate changes in May
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp. wastewater customers will see rate changes on their water bill in May. Wastewater rates are based on water consumption through the months of December, January and February. This is the winter averaging period and is conducted annually. Customers who believe that their new wastewater rate is incorrect due to errors in usage reporting, leaks or other causes, can apply for a wastewater billing rate adjustment. To receive a wastewater billing rate adjustment, customers must do the following: • Customers must fill out a Wastewater Adjustment Form ( bit.ly/3UmP3eq ). • Along with submitting the form, customers must also submit proof via email: usage reports from DSWSC or plumbing invoice/receipts due to breaks/leaks, property owner’s receipts of materials, supplies, etc. • If approved, rates will be adjusted, and the customer will receive notice from the city. The rate adjustment will be reflected on the next month’s bill. There is a 90-day limit to request adjustments. This must be due to an error in usage reporting, leaks or natural disasters that occurred. This does not include excessive water use due to irrigation. For more information about the wastewater billing rate adjustment, call 512-858-4725.
Dripping Springs City Council talks downtown restroom facilities
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Installing restroom facilities in the Mercer Street Historic District was a hot topic during the April 16 Dripping Springs City Council meeting. The city council and Tax Increment Investment Zone (TIRZ) have budgeted up to $300,000 to construct downtown restrooms this year. This comes on the heels of some residents requesting that these facilities be installed. In her presentation to the council, city attorney Laura Mueller said that the city has obtained the property for permanent restrooms. The city is also drafting a Request for Proposal (either site-built or pre-fabricated/modular) for construction, but also needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historical Preservation Commission, site plan from the planning department and wastewater coordination. “This will take some time, we are thinking about six months,” Mueller said. “While we are waiting, it has been encouraged for us to do temporary downtown bathrooms. We have looked at different types, where we would put these bathrooms, the cost and when we would actually try to get the temporary ones.” There are already more than 60 portable restrooms planned for the upcoming Founders Day weekend, held on April 26-28. Therefore, Mueller said that if the city council decided to move forward with implementing temporary restrooms, they would not be installed until after Founders Day. The options for temporary restroom facilities, as presented by Mueller, are listed below. • Portable Restrooms: $110 per month (weekly services) per restroom; $150 per month (weekly service) per ADA restroom. Purchasing a handwashing station would be recommended for $800 (could be reused for special events); renting is $125 per month • Trailer: $2,500-$4,000 per month, which typically includes two restrooms and handwashing stations • Air conditioned (electric hookup) • Sewer hookup • Water hookup • Buy a trailer for $100,000 • Staff maintains multiple times per day Potential locations for the temporary restrooms include property next to Vintage Soul — 302 Mercer Street — that the city obtained from Hays County and the Stephenson Building. “The only issue is when we are actually ready to construct or place the restrooms, we would have to move them,” Mueller said. “We looked at other places to put them, but we really want them to be somewhat visible from Mercer Street and not to be too far away, like if we put them at the city hall parking lot or something like that.” City staff recommended renting four portable restrooms — instead of going with the trailer option — for downtown and purchasing one handwashing station, while procuring and constructing the permanent option. “City staff’s recommendation is actually getting the portable restrooms instead of the trailer because of the intense amount of staff time and it doesn’t really meet the benefit to the point of how expensive those trailers are,” Mueller said. “The cost would be about $5,500 over six months. We already have in the budget for downtown restrooms and this would just be a small portion of that.” Though it was a presentation only, the agenda item was not left without discussion by the city council. Mayor Bill Foulds started off the discussion by stating that if they rented a handwashing station and it got damaged, it would get replaced. However, if the city decided to purchase one, he foresees a second handwashing station would need to be purchased following the first summer of use. On another point, council member Geoffrey Tahuahua questioned if the six-month timeline is accurate. “It’s aspirational. I think it’s possible. I don’t think it’s going to be before six months, but we have the property, we have renderings, we are getting that site surveyed right now [and] we are already working on the RFP to get both of those things. We are also looking to see if any of our cooperative purchasing programs actually will let us just buy the prefabricated modular [restrooms],” Mueller responded. “At that point, the only thing we would need to build would be the foundations, as well as making sure where the hookups would be for the electrical, water and sewer.” Council member Travis Crow said that he is “not sold on this yet” and he asked, as a business owner, if the city of Dripping Springs has enough foot traffic where residents and visitors can not use the restroom at the places where they are shopping. Mueller said that, along with Tom Crawford who has spoken during public comments on behalf of Vintage Soul, the visitors bureau has also received requests for installing restroom facilities downtown. Another council member, Sherrie Parks said that there are several business owners who just do not allow patrons to use their restrooms. Along the same lines, Tahuahua said that a lot of the businesses along Mercer Street are in older buildings that can not be retrofitted for ADA compliance: “If they did have a public restroom, they would be required to come up to that code.” Crow also added his concerns of maintenance for the temporary restrooms. “I’m worried about maintenance on it, what time they are closing and kids are going to get in there and do what kids do,” he said. “It’s sort of a burden on the city to have to be cleaning for [whatever] the time frame is. But if it’s what is needed, then so be it. I am one person up here out of five.” Echoing Tahuahua’s earlier sentiments, Foulds said that he is also concerned about the six-month timeline. “I don’t see how we can get this done in six months only because I have sat here for way too many years and nothing happens in six months,” he said. “These bathrooms have been asked for by me for four years and here we are, now we are suddenly getting them done in six months. I will be impressed, but I am concerned about that timeline.” The mayor also added, “Why spend the money on renting them? Let’s just go ahead, pull the trigger and get these things done?” Mueller said that the only reason why city staff brought the temporary solution to the council is because the continuous requests and the cost of those was low to the point that it wouldn’t affect the rest of the budget that has been set for downtown restrooms. No action was taken on having temporary restrooms following Founders Day weekend. However, the council will discuss the item again at a future meeting. To listen to the full discussion from the April 16 meeting, visit bit.ly/3QdAtDj .
Students capture titles at Texas History Day contest
Dripping Springs ISD students Grant Gillum and Nora Gillum each captured state titles at the Texas History Day State Contest on Saturday, April 20, to advance to the National History Day Contest. Sophomore Grant Gillum claimed a fourth consecutive state championship with his website, “Fueling Victory: How the Inch Pipelines Became a Turning Point in World War II,” to take top honors in the Senior Division Individual Website category. In addition to winning four state titles, Gillum placed second at the national contest in 2023 and was a third-place finisher in 2021. Nora Gillum, a Drip [iddle School, captured her first state...
Brooke Thompson receives Special Forces Association Excellence Award
Dripping Springs High School Senior Brooke Thompson poses with John Lopez after being named the recipient of the Special Forces Association Excellence Award. This award is given to students around the nation for scholastic excellence and military proficiency, in keeping with the traditions and ideals of the US Army Special Forces. Thompson is considered to be an exceptional student-athlete and leader who earned this award because of her outstanding leadership and commitment to service; she has contributed 21 hours of community service to local veterans and military organizations this year. She has also served as a co-captain of the DSHS swim team and president of the DSHS JROTC. Thompson plans to attend West Point after graduation.
City departments outgrow space, move to new location
On May 1, the city of Dripping Springs Planning and Building Departments will be relocating to a new building, the former Pedernales Electric Cooperative building, located at 661 West Highway 290, in Dripping Springs. The city of Dripping Springs is witnessing significant growth. The decision to relocate comes as a result of the departments outgrowing their current space at city Hall. The new location represents an exciting opportunity for the city to better serve its residents and businesses. Deputy City Administrator Ginger Faught expressed optimism about the move, stating, 'As our city continues to grow and evolve, it is crucial that...
Dripping Springs announces new public art project
The city of Dripping Springs is set to twinkle with creativity as it launches Stars of Dripping Springs, a city-wide art initiative featuring captivating star sculptures. Organized by the city of Dripping Springs, Destination Dripping Springs, the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Dripping Springs Art League, this project will be a vibrant public art project that invites local artists to share their talent while also highlighting the city’s Dark Sky community. “We are excited to invite artists to participate in this exciting project that will turn our downtown into an outdoor art gallery and bring awareness to the beautiful...
Check out unofficial results for the Dripping Springs ISD board race
Five candidates are running for an at-large seat on the Dripping Springs ISD board of trustees. The three candidates with the most votes will win seats. (Brittany Anderson/Community Impact) Posted 7:46 p.m. May 4. Mary Jane Hetrick, Stefani Reinold and Shanda DeLeon are leading the race to become at-large trustees...
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.