Council eyes library rules

By LPR Staff

Editor/POST-REGISTER

During an extremely brief meeting of the Lockhart City Council on Tuesday, City Manager Vance Rodgers asked the council to consider the possible uses and charges for community rentals of the third-floor meeting space in the Dr. Eugene Clark Library’s Masonic Annex.

The space, which has been upgra

ded and renovated as part of a sweeping library project, is currently being used as the primary meeting space for the Lockhart City Council and other city committees. However, Rodgers suggested, in a draft proposal of the use regulations, that the area could be used by community non-profits, other governmental organizations, and even rented as a space for events such as weddings.

However, Rodgers noted, as the council moves forward in considering the use plan for the space, it is important to keep in mind that the flooring is more than 100 years old, and specific types of furniture will be required, and that city staff will be required to oversee arrangement of that furniture. Additionally, he said, the city is not going to consider a use plan in which alcoholic beverages are allowed on the premises.

Although his original plans call for free use of the facility by governmental entities and non-profit organizations, he suggested a deposit of $200, with a $100 per day use fee for film production companies, and said that events such as weddings would be subject to the same sort of fee schedule.

Mayor Lew White was absent from the meeting, and the Council is expected to take up additional discussion of the use plan next month.

In a related item, as the renovation and expansion project nears completion, Rodgers proudly reported that more than 71 percent of the $2 million allocated for the project were spent locally, with the use of local general contractors, electricians, carpenters and more.

In other business, the council heard brief reports regarding the audits of the Asset Forfeiture Funds from the Lockhart Fire Department and Lockhart Police Department.

According to Chief Jerry Doyle, the Fire Department does not collect asset forfeitures, and therefore reflects no spending of the same.

Chief Mike Lummus of the Lockhart Police Department, on the other hand, noted the Lockhart Police Department’s asset forfeiture fund currently stands at $1,195 and is expected to remain there, as no asset seizures are expected in the near future, nor is any spending currently planned.

In brief news:

The Council approved the property tax appraisal roll for 2014.

They awarded a contract to Techline, Inc., in the amount of $38,661 for the construction of a heavy-duty utility pole at the new utility substation at Maple Street and SH 130.

They approved a change order in the amount of $293,105 for water and sewer line work associated with the Highway 183 Expansion and Improvement Project. The change brings the total for the contract to $1,771,082, which is still within the TxDOT allocated budget, according to Rodgers.

The Lockhart City Council routinely meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the third-floor council chambers at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library Masonic Annex. The meetings are open to the public and are televised on Time Warner Digital Cable Channel 10.