City may soon allow ‘electric cars’

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

During a brief regular meeting on Tuesday, the Lockhart City Council considered an “outside-the-box” solution to the citizens’ growing concerns about energy costs.
A discussion initiated by District 3 Councilmember Lew White led the council to consider whether allowing the electrical vehicles, similar to golf carts

, would assist Lockhart citizens in keeping their gasoline costs down.
White said the vehicles he had researched were similar to golf carts, but did require such safety items as windshields, headlights, rear lamps and automotive brakes.
“They would be restricted from going on the highway, but can go up to 30 miles on one charge,” White said. “For people that live and do most of their business in town, this might be an attractive alternative.”
After some discussion regarding the hurdles such an initiative might present, including lowered visibility for the small, low-speed vehicles, the council unanimously agreed to move forward in considering a traffic ordinance that would allow for use of electric cars.
In other brief business, City Manager Vance Rodgers discussed the city’s drought contingency plan with the council, after outdoor watering restrictions were enacted on Monday.
Under a previous ordinance, Rodgers said, outdoor watering restrictions were confusing and difficult for citizens to understand, leading to complications in enforcement in previous years when watering restrictions were necessary.
This year, to avoid those complications, Rodgers asked the council to follow suit with several other municipalities in the area in designating two days a week for each odd-numbered, even-numbered and commercial and multi-family customers. In that way, he said, it would be clear to all customers when they could and could not water.
Rodgers reiterated to the council that the current restrictions, though mandatory, are preventive in nature.
“We have plenty of water right now,” he said. “Our usage in May did trigger our drought contingency plan, and we went ahead and enacted the restrictions to make sure that we continue to have plenty of water.”
Until further notice, City of Lockhart water customers are urged to remember that outdoor watering by sprinkler or other irrigation system is only allowed at certain times on certain days. Hand or bucket-watering is allowed at any time.
In brief news:
Mayor James “Jimmy” Bertram announced a civil service hearing would be held Friday, June 20 at 10 a.m. in the Glosserman Room at Lockhart City Hall. The hearing is in regard to a firefighter put on indefinite suspension in December after information surfaced that he was required to register as a sex offender after an offense that occurred before he came to work at the Lockhart Fire Department. He was suspended when city officials learned of his “sex offender status.”
They considered changes in trash pickup rates as suggested by Texas Disposal Systems.
They approved a budget calendar and will begin the process of holding budget workshops on July 1.
The Lockhart City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Glosserman Room at Lockhart City Hall. The meetings are open to the public, and are televised on Time Warner Cable Channel 10.