Media Release

Contact: Jackie Dana at jad@webberville.org

3 March 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Commission of the newly-incorporated Village of Webberville held its first public meeting on February 27th, 2003.

At this meeting the Commission set up much of the new Village's administrative structure and passed four ordinances pertaining to development in the Village. The Village Commission consists of Mayor Hector Gonzales, Commissioner Ken Moon, Place 1 and Commissioner Tom Trantham, Place 2. About forty residents of Webberville attended the first meeting.

The Commission held public hearings on proposed moratoria on development within the community. After allowing for public input and questions, by unanimous vote the Commission enacted a series of ordinances adopting the moratoria. Effective immediately, for 120 days, there are moratoria on new subdivision of property, new construction or excavation, new industrial or commercial development, and modification or destruction of historic places within the municipal boundaries. These actions were taken so that the Commission can hold public meetings to receive feedback on the types of development that the community as a whole feels is appropriate and desirable for Webberville. Individuals with questions pertaining to these moratoria should contact the Village Commission.

In other matters, the Village Commission declared February as Black History Month for the Village of Webberville. The Commission appointed Carol Goodrich as the Village Clerk and Alan J. Bojorquez of Bovey, Akers & Bojorquez, LLP as the Village Attorney, and established October 1-September 30 as the Village's fiscal year.

The Village Commission approved membership in the Texas Municipal League, with free first year dues, and the TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool, with payment for the first quarter donated by a member of the community.

Mayor Gonzales announced that on April 19th the Village will host an Easter Egg Hunt for local residents, to be held at the big Webberville Park. Anyone interested in assisting with the planning of this event should contact the committee chair, Carolyn Choate, at cpchoate@msn.com, or the Village Clerk for more information.

Commissioner Moon made motions to contact the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality concerning the dumping of human waste sludge by the City of Austin near the new municipal borders, and to contact Travis County and the City of Austin about water and air quality issues for Webberville. All motions passed by unanimous vote.

Commissioner Trantham made motions to enter into agreements with Travis County Sheriff's Department, the Austin/Travis County EMS and Travis County Emergency Services District #12 (fire protection). He indicated that these services will continue to be provided to Webberville residents at no additional cost to the Village or its residents. The motions carried by unanimous vote.

Mayor Gonzales announced an opportunity for members of the community to submit applications for consideration to serve on Village Standing Committees, including Finance/Budget, Fund Raising/Donations, Economic Development, Leisure and Cultural Events, Social Service Programs, Transportation, Natural Resources, and Historic Preservation. These applications will also be available at the next meeting and will be available to download from the web at http://www.webberville.org/village_commission/.

During the citizen comment period, several individuals offered their congratulations to the newly-incorporated Village. One resident also indicated his interest in bringing high-speed internet to Webberville and will look into options.

The Village Commission has designated the second Tuesday of each month as the official monthly meeting date. The next public meeting will take place at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 11th, 2003, at the Travis County Satellite 1 Office, 9301 Johnny Morris Road. The agenda will be posted no later than 72 hours prior to the meeting at the at the Travis County Satellite 1 Office, the Webberville Grocery and the temporary Webberville Village Hall, 1701 Webberwood Dr. (Irma's Mini Storage office).

Citizens wishing to speak to any issue at this public meeting should sign up by 6:45 pm on the day of the meeting. Citizens who have requests for agenda items should contact the Village Clerk as soon as possible before the next meeting.

The Village Commission and Village Clerk may be contacted by mail or email (phone/fax TBA). The mailing address for the Village Commission is Village of Webberville, P.O. Box 367, Webberville, Texas 78653.

They may also be reached by email at the following addresses:

Mayor Hector Gonzales: themayor@webberville.org
Commissioner Place 1 Ken Moon: commish1@webberville.org
Commissioner Place 2 Tom Trantham: commish2@webberville.org