Politics

The annual Founders Day Festival will take over the streets of downtown Dripping Springs this weekend, celebrating the city’s heritage and pioneer spirit. The three-day celebration will officially kick off on Friday, April 26, with the Founders Day 35 th Anniversary Parade at 6:30 p.m. The parade will run through the middle of Dripping Springs, along Mercer Street. The event will continue on Friday with a carnival and free, live music until 11:30 p.m. The main portion of the festival will run on Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food and drinks will...

Election season is back in swing for the May 2024 elections with early voting now underway for local candidates. The early voting period, which began on April 22, will continue until April 30. On the ballot in Dripping Springs are five Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees candidates: incumbent Stefani Reinold, incumbent Mary Jane Hetrick, Shanda De-Leon, Terri Purdy and John Adams. Election Day is Saturday, May 4. The DSISD Board of Trustees consists of seven unsalaried district patrons elected to three-year terms to represent all residents in the school district boundary. Dripping Springs ISD trustees do not represent “places.” The top two votegetters on May 4 will be elected. In Dripping Springs, early voting is available at one location: Headwaters Hub, 708 Headwaters Blvd. The early voting hours are as follows: • April 22-26: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. • April 27: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. • April 29-30: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about votin candidates and pol ing locations for the May 4 election, visit hayscountytx.com/departments/ elections. More information about the DSISD board election is also available at dsisdtx.us/ elections.

DRIPPING SPRINGS — The city of Dripping Springs Planning and Building Departments will be relocating to the former Pedernales Electric Cooperative building, located at 661 West Highway 290, on May 1. The city of Dripping Springs is witnessing significant growth, therefore, the decision to relocate comes as a result of the departments outgrowing their current space at City Hall, according to the city. The new location represents an exciting opportunity for the city to better serve its residents and businesses. "As our city continues to grow and evolve, it is crucial that our Planning and Building Departments have the space and resources needed to support this development. The move to our new building will enable us to provide even better service to our community,” said Deputy City Administrator Ginger Faught. By moving the departments to the new location, it will enable the city to serve the community with increased efficiency for processing permits, inspections, and planning approvals, according to a news release. The new location will be called the Development Services Division of the City and it will be equipped to handle inquiries and permit applications efficiently. Additionally, the location offers meeting space for consultations with city planners, architects, and builders. The departments will continue their mission to promote responsible development that includes maintaining the city's unique historic character while fostering growth. Stakeholders can expect uninterrupted service during the transition period. Contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, will remain the same, ensuring a seamless experience for those utilizing the city's planning and building services. For more information on the move, email communications@cityofdrippingsprings.com or call 512-858-4725.

Co-op to meet with members, provide information, and giveaways. (DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas) April 23, 2024 — Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is proud to sponsor the 35th Annual Founders Day Festival in Dripping Springs, taking place Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28. Founded and rooted in community, PEC has provided safe and reliable power to its members and communities in the Texas Hill Country for more than 86 years. Today, PEC continues to invest in programs that help keep its communities strong and bright.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — The State Bar of Texas has further disciplined a Dripping Springs attorney who was previously accused of hiring an unlicensed attorney. An investigatory panel issued a public reprimand for Dorothy Lawrence in late March after a hearing in February. The most recent sanction for the...

Early voting in the May 4 election runs from April 22-30. (Courtesy Adobe Stock) Early voting for the May 4 election begins April 22 and ends April 30. Voters within the boundaries of Dripping Springs ISD will elect three at-large school district trustees this spring to the board of seven trustees.

Fed up with local lawmakers, Blanco, Texas residents united around a feathery symbol of change.

City of MeadowlakesAt the April 16 city council meeting, the city authorized the city manager to solicit bids that will be used to hire a “Construction Manager At Risk” (or CMAR) to manage and construct the city’s community center and the related infrastructure improvements.“Design-bid-build” is the traditional model that cities, industries and individuals use for a construction project, whether…

Early voting in cities, schools starts April 22 From Staff Reports Fri, 04/19/2024 - 02:41 Image Body Several important school district and municipal elections are scheduled for May 4 with early voting starting Monday.Granite Shoals, Marble Falls and Meadowlakes as well as a water district...

TxDOT has several options for the bypass and has yet to announce a plan forward.

The State Bar of Texas has handed a Dripping Springs attorney more discipline.

Dr. Stefani Reinold Shanda DeLeon Terri Purdy John Adams

The city of Meadowlakes has three contested races on the May 4 ballot, one for mayor and two for seats on the council. Early voting is from April 22-30. Mayor Mark Bentley is being challenged in his re-election bid by Aaron Codispoti. Place 1 is an open seat sought by Don Wheeler and Mike Barry. In Place 3, incumbent Jerry Drummond faces challenger Carolyn Richmond.

City elections are Saturday, May 4. Early voting runs from April 22-30. Listen to what the candidates in the city of Meadowlakes election have to say. Read more on the DailyTrib.com Local Elections 2024 guide.

TxDOT has several options for the bypass and has yet to announce a plan forward. Two of the options would put the road through Ernst’s property.

The City of Blanco has completed its new lift station, a key infrastructure project. This station manages and transfers all the city's wastewater to the treatment facility. The city officials thanked the council, staff, and residents for their support during the project.

Community members hold up signs for Fitzhugh Neighbors, a grassroots organization against the development, at a public hearing Jan. 30. (Elle Bent/Community Impact) Community members opposed to a concert venue with plans to build off Fitzhugh Road in Dripping Springs have begun to fundraise for their cause. Fitzhugh Neighbors and...

DRIPPING SPRINGS — At its April 2 meeting, Dripping Springs City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to protect the city’s logo and seal, alongside updating the Non-Profit Event Triangle Banner Program. The purpose of the ordinance is so that the city council may properly protect its logo and seal from unauthorized use to avoid confusion among residents and consumers alike, according to agenda documents. “We’ve been talking about protecting our logo for quite some time. Some of them have already been service marked, we are working on service marking newer ones so they are protected by state law,” said Dripping Springs City Attorney Laura Mueller. “One of the things that we’ve been discussing is protecting it through ordinance, so this would protect the logo and the seal. It defines what those logos are; we have a lot of logos here for our different entities.” The city logo and additional city logos — including Dripping Springs Night Sky, Dripping Springs Fair & Rodeo, Dripping Springs Farmers Market and more — may be used by city employees and elected and appointed city officials in connection with the performance of official city business or city-sanctioned events, as stated in the ordinance. The city secretary, the city secretary’s designee or the interim city secretary is authorized to use the city seal on any ordinance, resolution, proclamation, commendation, certificate or other instrument approved by the city council or executed by the mayor, or other city officials, and to use the city seal to authenticate official documents in the conducting of official city business. Other approved uses include: • Any organization or person wishing to use the city seal, city logo or additional city logos shall make an application for a license for such use to the city council. The use may only be authorized for events in which the city is an active participant, including but not limited to, staffing, event planning, funding or compensation for which the event’s organizing entity has an executed agreement. Rental of city facilities alone is insufficient for logo and seal use. • All political or artistic expression, or non-commercial editorial expression for purposes of education or history, whatever the medium, that does not have the tendency to confuse reasonable members of the public as to the city’s endorsement of said expression. In her presentation, Mueller explained that third parties that are wanting to use the city logo need to apply to the city council. “We’ll look at the type of organization, whether the city is an active participant in the event and it has to be by written agreement,” she said. The following unauthorized uses of the city seal, city logo and additional city logos were also approved as a component of the ordinance. • No person, including any elected officer of the city, may use the seal, logo or any additional logos in any correspondence or other printed materials distributed in favor of or against any ballot measure or in favor of or against any candidate for public office if such use has the tendency to cause public confusion on the city’s position in favor of or against any ballot measure or candidate. • No person, corporation or other similar entity shall use the seal, logo or additional logo for commercial purposes without obtaining express consent. • No person, corporation or other similar entity in active litigation against the city may use the seal, logo or additional logos. Mueller said that the city has been working on drafting and adopting this ordinance for “quite some time” and that it’s very common for other entities, like cities, to protect their logos. Banners at the Triangle Also during the meeting, council approved the updated Non-Profit Event Triangle Banner Program. This comes after the council considered repealing the Co-Sponsorship Policy on May 2, 2023, and then readdressed it on Aug. 1, 2023, but ultimately did not take any action. “This came about because we have a Co-Sponsorship Policy, but it really wasn’t a co-sponsorship as much as [it was] a way for people to get banners on the Triangle,” Mueller said. “We came up with something that was more simplified for staff, but would also have some additional benefits.” In the current Co-Sponsorship Policy, nonprofits and 501(c)(3) organizations would be allowed to place banners on the Triangle, the city would be recognized as a sponsor, city ordinance compliance would be required and the city would not discriminate against who could put a banner on the Triangle and who could not, as the organization would just need to complete an application. Some of the alternatives to the Co-Sponsorship Policy include: having a Dripping Springs Ranch Park banner for events held at the facility; use agreements related to the use of city facilities that could include signage; placing one banner for $25 per sign on non-commercial property with permission from the property owner; a Parks & Community Services sponsorship gives an entity or individual the ability to advertise on a city banner/city event; and the ability to apply for nonprofit discounts for the use of city facilities. “One of the reasons why we are trying to simplify this is because there are so many other options for people to get signs, if that’s really all they are looking for,” Mueller said. The practical effects of changing the co-sponsorship agreements to Triangle banner agreements are the following, according to Mueller. • Fewer banners on the Triangle — they will mostly be for city events • Discounts are still available • City logo use restricted and protected by separate ordinance • Banners at DSRP are still available for events at DSRP • Banners on any non-residential property with agreement of property owner • City council and staff do not have to make content-based decisions on what banners to put on the Triangle, other than city events For an applicant to participate in the Non-Profit Event Triangle Banner Program, the applicant needs to agree to provide all information requested, including the rental agreement with the city in order to ensure eligibility. Other requirements include: the event must use a city facility; the applicant can not be in active litigation against the city; only nonprofits can apply; and the use of the city logo requires a separate application, Mueller said. “If they meet all of that criteria, if there’s room, the city will display a banner for an event for up to 30 days on the Triangle,” Mueller said. “City banners will have priority. If someone comes and moves a banner, we will remove it.” To watch the full meeting, visit bit.ly/43Ny9Zq . Dripping Springs City Council will consider repealing the Co-Sponsorship Policy at its next meeting on April 16.

Dripping Springs Hometown Missions, in collaboration with members of the Dripping Springs community, is gearing up for what they’re referring to as “Demolition Day” for Nora Salazar, her daughter Victoria and her two grandchildren. Scheduled for Saturday, April 13, at 8 a.m., this event marks the beginning of the transformative 'Home in a Month' project for the Salazars. Before the work starts, attendees will gather for a blessing of the start of the project at approximately 7:45 am. The 'Home in a Month' initiative, organized by the nonprofit organization Dripping Springs Hometown Missions, embodies the spirit of community and compassion, aiming to...