City gives public look at downtown project

From staff reports

The City of Lockhart is hosting its first open house for the Downtown Revitalization Project from 7-9 p.m. Monday at the First Lockhart Baptist Church-Connection Center, 200 S. Blanco St.
The open house is being held to provide information on the Downtown Revitalization Project, which involves proposed upgrades in utilities, drainage, streetscape, parking, hardscape, pedestrian access, and landscaping in the nine-block area around the Caldwell County Courthouse. The project is currently in the design phase.
The open house was first announced during City Manager Steve Lewis’s report at the Nov. 2 Lockhart City Council meeting.
The event will begin with a short presentation from the City’s consulting engineer and landscape architects at 7 p.m., then the public may walk around and closely examine conceptual design displays set up throughout the location. This approach gives the community the opportunity to speak to project personnel and City Staff about the project, one-on-one.
The community’s input is encouraged and those in attendance may come and go as they please. Anyone interested are invited to attend and present relevant comments and questions. Comments and information received during the open house will be taken into consideration as work on the project develops.
If you have any general questions prior to the event, contact the City of Lockhart’s Public Information Officer, Victoria Maranan, at vmaranan@lockhart-tx.org.
For more technical questions or comments, contact the City of Lockhart’s Public Works Director, Sean Kelley, at skelley@lockhart-tx.org.
The time, date, and location for the second open house is to be determined.

Animal ownership law updates
At that Nov. 2 council meeting, council members approved the amendments to the Impounded Animal Ownership Ordinance. The amended ordinance also added a definition for “Business Day:” a day when the animal shelter is regularly scheduled to be open to the public. With that definition in mind, the ordinance now states:
“Unowned” animals—or strays—shall be impounded no less than three business days
“Owned” animals—where the animal’s owner has been identified through licenses, microchips, tags, tattoos, and known owner addresses—shall be impounded no less than five business days.
Time of impoundment begins and calculated from when the animal is brought in
Once the applicable number of business days expires for the animal, the ownership of the animal passes on to the City.
Council tabled consideration of a proposed ordinance that would define limits to animal ownership, directing staff to re-examine the ordinance. Additional areas to consider address exceeding the proposed pet limit due to an existing pet giving birth to a litter, animal fosters, and a potential requirement for pet owners to spay or neuter their animals upon application for a multi-pet permit.