LH Independent 8-6-20

OT RED-H ER SUMM

ALL VARIETIES BAGGED MULCH

4 FOR $10

MULCH

Present or mention coupon at time of purchase. Liberty Hill location only.

Delivery not included. 2 cu. ft. bags Offer expires 9.6.20.

Family Owned & Operated Since 1975

(512) 515-1336 • 989ROCK.com •14775 W. SH-29, Liberty Hill • Mon-Sat 7am-5pm

2020

Volume 33, Issue 37

COVID-19 positivity test rate remains high

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor A week into August the daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Texas and Williamson County are down from July numbers, but health officials are keeping a watchful eye on the positivity rate.

Across Texas, there have been just over 56,000 new cases since Aug. 1, down about 10,000 cases per week from July numbers. But the rate of positive tests remains high, currently at 13.88 percent for the state, which is nearly three times the number the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) identifies as a hotspot for the virus.

The positivity rate in the county is even higher than the state average, at 17.58 percent.

“While there are encouraging signs that community-based viral transmission may be starting to plateau or even decline, COVID-19 is still rampant across Central Texas, including here in Williamson County. Our current rate of new cases is averaging around 12

See COVID, Page 3

www.LHIndependent.com

News@LHIndependent.com

August 6, 2020 | 50 Cents

Council to consider ditching current City drainage plan

By MIKE EDDLEMAN rent engineers and other engineers and Managing Editor (Halff Associates) actually looked at our Prior to July, there was no sign Liberty current drainage plan and their comment Hill had issue with its extensive drainage was that ‘we wish every city we’ve done master plan, though very little action had a drainage mitigation plan for was set up been taken to implement the plan since it as Liberty Hill being that the center of the was adopted midway through 2018. town is at the highest point with a river to But in early July Mayor Rick Hall an- the north and a river to the south.’” nounced to the Council that he was in disIn the Council packet on July 27, the cussions with Halff Associates to revisit Council was given the new proposal the City’s drainage improvement needs, which emphasized five steps, including and believed he would be able to come flood risk refinement, conceptual drainage back with a more affordable plan to ad- capital improvement project refinement, dress the issue. drainage maintenance, a drainage utility The plan approved in 2018 was devel- rate study and drainage criteria recomoped by K. Friese and “Their proposal to get the flooding down Associates and was presented in phases. and maintain it is to open up our natural The issue was raised at canals that we have here, and our channels both July meetings, with Hall sharing a one-page in the city, and to get that water to the river synopsis of the refined instead of holding it back and creating plan with the Council. more problems down the road for us. This The Phase 2 report was estimate came back at about $265,000 72 pages with methodology, funding recommenfor their proposed plan for us.” dations, maps, and a de~ Mayor Rick Hall tailed list of 17 identified problem areas. The City invested $22,471 mendations. The estimated budget for the into the study. five areas to be addressed is $265,000.

“The company that came back and did “Their proposal to get the flooding down that drainage study for us, their proposal and maintain it is to open up our natural was somewhere in the neighborhood of canals that we have here, and our chanabout $7 million,” Hall said. “If that’s nels in the city, and to get that water to what we need to spend that’s what we the river instead of holding it back and need to spend, but the proposal was buy- creating more problems down the road for ing a lot of property around town and us,” Hall said. “This estimate came back turning that into retention ponds to slow See DRAINAGE, Page 5 the water down. I’ve spoken with our cur-

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: Without the use of retention ponds, how will the drainage flow be controlled?

What prompted the decision to seek out a new drainage plan solution?

Should Council approval be sought before requesting that engineers redo a Council-adopted master plan?

What will be the ultimate cost of the work being done by Halff Associates?

Was K. Friese and Associates approached about the cost concerns regarding the adopted plan?

Does the proposed $265,000 cost of the new plan include all work required to mitigate drainage issues?

Because of the City of Liberty Hill’s lack of communication with The Independent, these are questions that can’t be answered through documents or attendance at City meetings.

DeYoung talks of refocused effort on Council

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Taking a moment to speak personally to the community, City Council TONY member DEYOUNG T o n y DeYoung LH City Council stepped away from the dais at the July 27 meeting.

In the public comments portion of the meeting, DeYoung used his three minutes to defend his independence on the Council, pledge more oversight and encourage residents to get more involved, especially at the ballot box.

As he wrapped up his comments, he posed a pair of questions.

“What kind of city do you want? What reputation do you want our city to have? I ask that you ponder these questions and head to the polls to cast your

See DEYOUNG, Page 5

Pacesetter K9 donates narcotics detector dog to LHISD Police Department

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As the start of school approaches, the LHISD Police Department is preparing to keep students in the district safe. Part of that plan for safety includes the introduction of Nosek the K9 onto the force.

Pacesetter K9, a veteran-owned and operated K9 training corporation in Liberty Hill, is donating Nosek and helping train officer Jason Wolf to work with the newest member of the force.

“Since we’ve been here, we’ve always been big on community involvement,” said owner Brad Langham. “Two years

ago, we volunteered to bring our dogs to the schools and weren’t charging the district for one. Providing the dog will help the school district save a little money in the long run, and instead of paying other people money, they’ll have a dog any time they need it.”

Officer Wolf’s training with Nosek will last two weeks.

For Wolf, the most impressive thing is the power of the dog’s nose and its ability to accurately detect scents. Langham and Wolf use the example of soup, saying that while a human smells just soup, the dog can smell each ingredient.

“The most interesting thing

is how the whole scent detection works,” said Wolf. “He’s going to be a scent dog only, and it’s amazing how accurate their sense is.”

When training started, Wolf was thrown into the fire. With Nosek already being trained, it’s up to Wolf to learn to work alongside him.

“From day one, it’s you get your dog and start,” he said.

“The dogs have been introduced to various scents, so they know what to do. It’s us trying to learn how to read the dog and help guide the dog. A lot of what we’ve been doing is just working through different scenarios.”

Ross hired as manager of new River Ranch County Park

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Williamson County Parks and Recreation is welcoming Robert Moss as the new manager to lead the development of the River Ranch County Park near Liberty Hill.

Moss has spent his life in the parks business, working in the field in different places over a career spanning 30-plus years.

“I’ve been in the parks business my entire professional career; I started as an hourly and seasonal employee with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department quite a number of years ago,” he said. “I worked in the state park system for 24 years.”

Before joining the Williamson County Parks and Recreation department, Moss started and cultivated a parks department for Marble Falls. After serving ©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent

for over a decade, the parks veteran decided to retire.

“I moved to the city of Marble Falls and started up the parks department there,” he said. “Before 2007, they did not have a parks department. I went in there and set things up and was there for 12 years. I retired from both the state and the city administratively.”

Retired life for many is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the land of milk and honey, the reward for a career filled with hard work. For Moss, it was short lived before the itch to return to his true passion kicked in.

“I was retired for about two months and realized I was not ready to stop working,” he said.

“I was bored and had been in the business for so long and knew I could continue doing what I loved to do. I started looking for parks work again and found out about this job, applied for it, and now here I am. It’s a passion. It’s what gives me purpose.”

ROBERT MOSS Manager, River Ranch County Park With his vast experience developing parks projects, Williamson County believes he’s the right person to see the new County Park reach its completion.

The park, located along the San Gabriel River, is scheduled to open later this year.

Despite the current pandemic, things are moving forward as planned.

“We’re shooting to open this calendar year, it’s well along, and most of the

See PARK, Page 6

Training areas are designed in several different ways. The training itself allows Wolf to learn Nosek’s behavior and changes in behavior.

“So, they hide things. At first, they would tell us, so when the dog alerted or did a behavior change, we knew that it was associated with them picking up the scent of the item,” said Wolf. “Once we learn that they don’t tell us where the item is anymore, so now, we have to search and pick up the behavior changes so I can start presenting him a more detailed search to pinpoint

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

Nosek is the new four-legged member of the LHISD Police Department. The trained K9 will specialize in sniffing out narcotSee NOSEK, Page 6 ics with other scents to be introduced in the future.

In Mayor’s race, Hall outraises Branigan - nets nearly $10,000 In the first sign of what the money race looks like in the 2020 Liberty Hill Mayor’s race, incumbent Rick Hall leads the way by a wide margin, behind large donations from developers.

In semi-annual required campaign finance reports, Hall showed $9,750 raised and $4,253.43 spent, compared to Liz Branigan’s $1,190 raised and $443.50 spent.

Twelve contributions were made to Hall’s campaign between Feb. 15 and mid-July. Among them were business contributions, including $1,500 from Larkspur, which is a Milestone development, $1,000 from Coffin Investment, and $500 from 1941 LTD. The Coffin Investment company profile provides an address on Ronald Reagan Boulevard, and identifies Philip Coffin as a principal. A group of siblings from the Kauffman family are identified as

the partners in 1941 LTD, and is tied to 285 acres located between Liberty Hill and Georgetown at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Blvd and Highway 29.

Four other donors – Wyatt Henderson, David Howell, John Marlin and Robert Wunsch – donated $500 each and are all affiliated with MA Partners and the MorningStar subdivision, also near the Ronald Reagan and SH 29 intersection.

Steve Bamsch, a Realtor with Keller Williams in Georgetown, contributed $1,000 and Amy Renee Andrews contributed $500. A pair of attorneys – Joshua Kahn and Julianne Bremer Kugle – affiliated with SKLaw contributed $375 each. The top donor for Hall was James Jacobs at $2,500.

Hall listed expenditures at Digitex ($704.41 and $156.96), Home Depot ($32), Best Buy ($215.41), Alpha Print Services ($303.10), Min-

ute Man Press ($664.66 and $926.89) and Fidelis Publishing – Liberty Hill Digest Magazine – for $1,250.

Branigan’s contributions include $200 she contributed to her own campaign, and $200 from her son, Jon Branigan.

Other donors include $40 from Marianne Laughlin, $200 from former Liberty Hill Planning Director Jim Bechtol, and $100 from former City Council member Ron Rhea and his wife, Donna.

Branigan’s top donor is former Liberty Hill City Administrator Greg Boatright and his wife, Debbie, for $500.

Branigan’s listed expense of $443.50 was at Digitex Printing.

Neither candidate reported the purpose of the listed expenditures or items purchased.

The candidates’ next finance report will be due 30 days prior to the Nov. 3 election.

Page 2

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Sheriff meets with Santa Rita residents

We Love Giving Back And Caring For Our Community!

Georgetown • Round Rock • Cedar Park • Pflugerville • Liberty Hill

FirstTexasBank.bank

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS BUDGET AND PROPOSED TAX RATE

The Liberty Hill ISD will hold a public meeting at 6:00 PM 08/17/2020 at Liberty Hill ISD Administration Building, 301 Forrest Street, Liberty Hill, Texas. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the school district’s budget that will determine the tax rate that will be adopted. Public participation in the discussion is invited.

The tax rate that is ultimately adopted at this meeting or at a separate meeting at a later date may not exceed the proposed rate shown below unless the district publishes a revised notice containing the same information and comparisons set out below and holds another public meeting to discuss the revised notice. $0.864700 /$100 (Proposed rate for maintenance and operations) $0.500000 /$100 (Proposed rate to pay bonded indebtedness)

Comparison of Proposed Budget with Last Year’s Budget

The applicable percentage increase or decrease (or difference) in the amount budgeted in the preceding fiscal year and the amount budgeted for the fiscal year that begins during the current tax year is indicated for each of the following expenditure categories: Maintenance and operations 16.120000% (increase) or % (decrease) Debt service 7.350000% (increase) or % (decrease) Total expenditures 13.850000% (increase) or % (decrease)

Total Appraised Value and Total Taxable Value (as calculated under Section 26.04, Tax Code) Preceding Tax Year $3,158,514,221 $529,365,356 $2,521,861,585 $266,423,760

Total appraised value* of all property Total appraised value* of new property** Total taxable value*** of all property Total taxable value*** of new property**

Current Tax Year $3,683,978,865 $707,001,028 $3,005,153,985 $360,462,121

* “Appraised value” is the amount shown on the appraisal roll and defined by Section 1.04(8), Tax Code. ** “New property” is defined by Section 26.012(17), Tax Code. *** “Taxable value” is defined by Section 1.04(10), Tax Code.

* Outstanding principal

Last Year’s Rate Rate to Maintain Same Level of Maintenance & Operations Revenue & Pay Debt Service Proposed Rate

Interest & Sinking Fund* $0.500000*

$1.011420 $0.864700

$0.483270* $0.500000*

Total $1.470000

$1.494690 $1.364700

Local Revenue Per Student $8,830

State Revenue Per Student $2,426

$8,341 $9,000

$2,662 $2,578

* The Interest & Sinking Fund tax revenue is used to pay for bonded indebtedness on construction, equipment, or both.

The bonds, and the tax rate necessary to pay those bonds, were approved by the voters of this district.

Comparison of Proposed Levy with Last Year’s Levy on Average Residence Average Market Value of Residences Average Taxable Value of Residences Last Year’s Rate Versus Proposed Rate per $100 Value Taxes Due on Average Residence Increase (Decrease) in Taxes

Last Year $383,661 $332,027 $1.470000 $4,880.79 $0.00

This Year $387,105 $332,544 $1.364700 $4,538.22 - $342.57

Under state law, the dollar amount of school taxes imposed on the residence homestead of a person 65 years of age or older or of the surviving spouse of such a person, if the surviving spouse was 55 years of age or older when the person died, may not be increased above the amount paid in the first year after the person turned 65, regardless of changes in tax rate or property value.

Notice of Voter Approval Rate: The highest tax rate the district can adopt before requiring voter approval at an election is 1.364700. This election will be automatically held if the district adopts a rate in excess of the voter-approval rate of 1.364700.

Fund Balances

difficulty he’s had with the Commissioners Court and the budget he wants and says he needs to improve the sheriff’s department.

“The problem I have is that I have to go to the court for my positions. I have to have four commissioners and judge approve my budget,” he said. “I even had one commissioner complain because it was the highest budget that we’ve ever requested, and I make no apologies for that. If something happens, I will say that I asked, and you didn’t give this to us.

I’m telling you what I need.”

Pressed on the issue of misuse of force by law enforcement, with the recent George Floyd incident mentioned, Chody first made the point that what happened to Floyd was wrong.

The sheriff discussed some of the ways he says his department tries to avoid misuse of force and hold any misconduct accountable.

“I just hate to see that a whole profession is labeled off of one incident so far away, it’s not representative of APD, and it’s not representative of Williamson County,” said

See CHODY, Page 3

Prepared by Liberty Hill Police Department

Week of July 27-August 2 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 454 incidents resulting in seven cases, 34 citations, 91 warnings and no arrests.

Weekly Highlights: - On July 27 at approximately 12:08 PM, officers responded the intersection of US 183 and CR 259 for a road rage incident.

- On July 27 at approximately 6:18 PM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 for a suspicious incident.

- On July 27 at approximately 8:49 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a disturbance.

- On July 28 at approximately 12:40 AM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a disturbance.

- On July 28 at approximately 8:10 AM, officers responded to the 100 block of US 183 for a suspicious incident.

- On July 28 at approximately 12:17 PM, officers responded to La Dera Drive to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s

Office.

- On July 29 at approximately 4:19 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a suspicious incident.

- On July 29 at approximately 8:07 AM, officers responded to Hillcrest Lane for suspicious activity.

- On July 29 at approximately 3:46PM, officers responded to Syrah Ct for a family issue.

- On July 29 at approximately 10:39PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for an accident.

- On July 30 at approximately 1:41AM, officers responded to Fieldstone Drive to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On July 30 at approximately 2:41 AM, officers responded to the 10000 block of W. SH 29, for suspicious activity.

- On July 30 at approximately 6:11PM, officers responded to Spotted Tail Ridge to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On July 31 at approximately 4:19AM, officers respond to the 800 block of Loop 332 for loose livestock.

- On July 31 at approximately

10:36 AM, officers responded to the 3000 block of RM 1869 for loose livestock.

- On July 31 at approximately 10:04 PM, officers responded to Trellis Blvd for a disturbance.

- On August 1 at approximately 12:27 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a disturbance.

- On August 1 at approximately 1:45 PM, officers responded to the 12000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident.

- On August 1 at approximately 7:09PM, officers responded to 13000 block of W SH 29 for a fraud complaint.

- On August 2 at approximately 3:05 AM, officers responded to La Dera Drive to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

- On August 2 at approximately 6:10 PM, officers responded to Old Glory Drive for a harassment complaint.

- On August 3 at approximately 2:18 AM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for a suspicious incident.

The Liberty Hill Independent ~~ A Publication of Texas Independent News Corp. ~~

$223,827,642

Comparison of Proposed Rates with Last Year’s Rates Maintenance & Operations $0.970000

like you’re seeing something suspicious and can articulate why it’s suspicious, we’ll check it out,” Chody said. “A suspicious call is a priority call. Somebody lurking around at night is a priority call. It’s a 9-1-1 call.”

Chody also discussed the benefits of following county social media and how it can help community members stay up to date with issues happening at the moment.

“We have an app called the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office App (WCSO),” he said.

“If you put your alerts on, we try not to overwhelm with alerts; we want them to mean something. If it affects a large portion of the county, I want you to know about it.”

He also took some time to share some of the things he claims have changed for the better since he was elected sheriff, including an improved 9-1-1 response time, improved CIT (Crisis Resolution Teams) response, progress made on cold cases, technological improvements like drones, and involvement with various task forces.

When asked about increased staffing, Chody discussed the

YOUR AWARD-WINNING HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

Bonded Indebtedness

Total amount of outstanding and unpaid bonded indebtedness:

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

Sheriff Robert Chody met with members of the Santa Rita Ranch Neighborhood Watch last week, discussing a wide variety of topics.

Liberty Hill Police Blotter

Thanks Operation Liberty Hill!

Maintenance Tax School Debt Service Tax Approved by Local Voters

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody visited with members of the new Santa Rita Ranch Neighborhood Watch to discuss a variety of safety and security issues.

Chody, up for reelection in November, spoke with several parents July 28 about safety and what they can do to be an effective neighborhood watch.

The sheriff spoke on the issues that their data shows are the most common reasons for 9-11 calls.

“9-1-1 hang-up calls are our number one call for service.

When people accidentally call 9-1-1 or a child accidentally calls 9-1-1, the problem with that is we have to send an officer to respond. So it ties up our resources,” Chody said. “Our second biggest call is burglary of vehicles. That seems to be a common thing all across the county.”

Chody said the simplest way to prevent theft is by locking doors. He stressed that it’s rare that criminals will go out of their way to bring attention to themselves by breaking a window.

“What helps as a neighborhood watch program is educating the community on locking doors. That is probably the biggest thing we see, people not locking their doors,” he said.

“One thing we try to do is put a reminder up at 9 o’clock on our social media. That tells you when you see it that it’s time to go lock your car doors, garage door, and front and back doors.”

When one parent voiced their hesitation to call 9-1-1, Chody stressed that if they feel something suspicious, follow that instinct and call.

“I will tell you that here in Williamson County if you feel

The following estimated balances will remain at the end of the current fiscal year and are not encumbered with or by a corresponding debt obligation, less estimated funds necessary for operating the district before receipt of the first state aid payment: Maintenance and Operations Fund Balance(s) $7,084,846 Interest & Sinking Fund Balance(s) $6,554,462 A school district may not increase the district’s maintenance and operations tax rate to create a surplus in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the purpose of paying the district’s debt service.

(512) 778-5577

Send Email: news@lhindependent.com www.LHIndependent.com www.LibertyHillLiving.com PO Box 1235 921 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642

The Liberty Hill Independent is published every Thursday at 921 Loop 332, Liberty Hill, TX 78642.

Periodical Postage Paid at Liberty Hill, Texas.

Publication #018932 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Liberty Hill Independent, PO Box 1235, Liberty Hill, TX 78642 Shelly Wilkison - Publisher Mike Eddleman - Managing Editor Stacy Coale - Media Specialist Scott Akanewich - Sports Editor Anthony Flores - Staff Writer Rachel Madison - Staff Writer

DEADLINE Noon Monday prior to Thursday publication 2020

SUBSCRIPTIONS

$25 per year in Williamson County, $29 per year in Texas outside of Williamson County, and $32 per year outside Texas.

ADVERTISING

DISPLAY RATES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Liberty Hill Independent welcomes letters to the editor, but requests that letters be limited to 300 words or less and address issues rather than personalities. Unsigned letters or those deemed unacceptable by the publisher will not be published. Children under the age of 17 must have signed parental permission. Phone numbers and addresses must be included for verification purposes.

Opinions expressed in the articles, letters and columns do not reflect the views of The Liberty Hill Independent or its owners.

COPYRIGHT

The entire contents of each issue of The Liberty Hill Independent, including editorial and advertising copy, is protected under the Federal Copyright Act. Reproduction of any portion of any issue will not be permitted without the express written permission of The Liberty Hill Independent.

Follow The Independent on Social Media!

Facebook.com/LibertyHillIndependent

@LHIndependent

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Shop tax-free for back to school Aug. 7-9

Families looking to save on back to school related purchases may shop tax-free in Texas this weekend, Aug. 7-9.

The state’s sales tax holiday exempts sales tax on qualified items, such as clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced below $100. The weekend shopping saves customers about $8 on every $100 spent on the exempted items.

Items purchased online are also covered by the exemp-

tion.

Texas’ sales tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999, allowing Texans to save millions of dollars in state and local sales taxes each year. Last year’s holiday generated an estimated $102.2 million in savings for Texas taxpayers.

For a complete list of items exempt from sales tax this weekend, visit https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-490/.

Inaugural Williamson County Fair & Rodeo rescheduled to 2021

GEORGETOWN – The Williamson County Fair Association has announced the rescheduling of the Inaugural Williamson County Fair and Rodeo. Previously scheduled for Oct. 22-24, the fair and rodeo will debut Oct. 21-23, 2021.

“The Williamson County Fair and Rodeo is an event designed to bring together the entire Williamson County community to celebrate our agricultural heritage,” said Scott Heselmeyer, President of the Williamson County Fair Association. “As much as we want to make that happen this fall, the board of directors has determined that the most responsible course of action for the community,

our volunteers, and our sponsors is to reschedule the Inaugural Williamson County Fair and Rodeo for October 2021.

For now, we want to focus on promoting the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community. Next year, we will look forward to putting on a first-class event that all of Williamson County can enjoy together.”

The association will continue efforts this fall toward programs that benefit youth in Williamson County. This will include continued planning of a youth livestock show and moving forward with a scholarship program. More details on these efforts will be released at a future date.

per 100,000 people, per day – nearly 17 times higher than the CDC’s threshold for ‘low incidence,’” the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) said in a release last week.

July was an especially challenging month across the state, accounting for 62 percent of all confirmed cases to date and 63 percent of all fatalities in Texas so far. There were 4,145 fatalities in July, with 7,261 total through Aug. 4. Confirmed cases in the month totaled 290,960 out of a total 451,181 since March.

With students returning to school soon, the WCCHD warns that residents should be extra vigilant when it comes to precautionary measures.

“At current levels of viral activity in our communities, increased social contact through on-campus classes

and extracurricular activities still has the potential to result in more infections and additional spread of the coronavirus, including the possibility of hospitalizations and deaths amongst those in close contact. While prevalence of acute illness tends to be higher in other age groups, schoolchildren comprise around 8 percent of all known cases, and may transmit the virus to others, including atrisk teachers, staff, friends, and family,” the statement said.

The total number of cases in Williamson County has surpassed 5,900 and while local numbers for Liberty Hill have not been made available by the City, the County shows the 78642 zip code as having a total between 50 and 200 confirmed cases. That number does not account for recovered or active cases.

COVID Continued from Page 1

Clawson Disposal, inC. Residential * Commercial * Roll off

(512) 746-2000 301 County Road 307 PO Box 416 Jarrell, Texas 76537 CALL US FOR ALL YOUR HAULING NEEDS STARTING AT $450/LOAD* 17 CUBIC YARD ROLL-OFF DUMPSTER • 7 Day Rental • No hazardous materials accepted • Max load weight 3 tons

BurnTX Services, LLC Call or Text

512-619-6790 *Plus tax

Jarrell (512) 746-2000 Leander (512) 259-1709 FAX (512) 746-5807

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 3

Throwback Thursday

Recently organized PAC not first to scrutinize local government

By JAMES WEAR Columnist News of the “Better To g e t h e r Project” organized by a former City of Liberty Hill employee took me back 20 years ago, when a group of Liberty Hill citizens established “Citizens for Open and Honest Government.”

The steering committee of COHG included Nathan Wetzel and his wife Margot, Randy O’Dell, and Janet Oliver and Felton West, both of whom would later be elected to serve terms on the city council. Nathan Wetzel had stepped down and not sought re-election after serving as Liberty Hill’s first mayor while his wife would later, after Nathan’s death, serve on the city council.

The COHG group, in a press release, noted concerns about what they termed as lack of proper procedures in the city government since the new city council and mayor took office earlier in the year, and were particularly concerned about what they characterized as “the apparent undue influence by the unelected city attorney over actions of the elected officials.” That attorney was Les

CHODY

Romo of Georgetown, who had served as the Liberty Hill Water Supply Corporation’s attorney. As the weeks passed, Romo would find himself the target of bumper stickers and yard signs that proclaimed “No mo’ Romo.”

According to the press release, a “total of 23 persons attended the first meeting” and “one action taken was to establish a legal defense fund to help defray the legal expenses of current council member Gary Spivey who is facing misdemeanor charges and a civil suit as the result of an alleged altercation between Spivey and two local men outside council chambers at the June 26 meeting of the city council.”

Not all members of the group lived inside the city limits, but the group defended their membership in the organization, which came to be known as the “Watchdogs,” by noting “many residing outside the city limits are among the town’s leading citizens and most active civic workers.”

At that time, many council meetings were being held in the community room at the Liberty Hill Fire Station on Loop 332. Romo attracted a bit of unwanted attention one night when he parked his car in front of one of the bay doors.

Midway through the meeting, several members of the

Margot and Nathan Wetzel, whom both served on the Liberty Hill City Council, were also members of the “Committee for Open and Honest Government” that was formed after a new slate of city council members were elected in the city’s early years. (Courtesy Photo) fire department, arriving back The two factions would conat the station from an earlier tinue to debate over the comcall, interrupted the council ing year regarding various city meeting with Fire Chief James matters, including the renovaPogue announcing, “Who ever tion of the “first” city hall (the has their car blocking the bay downtown building now occudoor needs to move it now.” I pied by the Liberty Hill Police recall Romo held up a finger as Department) and the purchase to indicate “just a minute” and of a “second” city hall (the curChief Pogue repeating his or- rent home of the Liberty Hill der, “Now.” Municipal Court). West was On another night, after a par- the most vocal of the group ticularly tense council meeting and drafted most, if not all, of that was attended by several its press releases.

Eventually, tensions faded members of the COHG, one gentleman whose wife served between the groups and some on the council mocked the even became political allies. group as it left as he mimicked the barking of a dog.

Continued from Page 2

Chody. “When that happened, I reached out to Nelson Linder (chapter president of the Austin NAACP) and asked him how we can sit down and discuss some of the issues that we can do better.”

Chody discussed becoming accredited by Commission for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which is comprised of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

The CALEA accreditation process focuses on improving policies and procedures. There

are four programs: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy, and Campus Security.

“It’s called the best practices.

In other words, what agencies do the best practices with policies,” said Chody. “You want to make sure you’re doing the best use of force policy. You want to make sure you’re doing the best pursuit policy. In order to be CALEA recognized, you have to prove what you’re doing. We’ve already gone through the whole process, and we’re just waiting to get the stamp of approval.”

After the meeting, Chody was asked for his response to calls for his resignation by the Williamson County Commission-

ers Court after the Javier Ambler incident, which occurred over a year ago.

“It’s a difficult situation for the family,” Chody said. “I don’t like that part at all. I know that many people jumped the gun on what occurred and how it occurred. It’s a shame that people decided to do that based on what’s going on in our world today. We have two deputies in a situation where politics took over versus what truly happened. I think you’ll see at the end of all of this that they’ll be vindicated. For anybody to make a comment on just what a news outlet says is just irresponsible.”

Chody denied the accusation that facts about the incident

were hidden, discussing the measure taken to make sure the facts were known.

“There was a comment made that this was a secret, and I went back and contacted the CEO of the county -- the County Judge -- and called him five times; there are phone records to prove that,” he said.

“I put out a Tweet that morning when that occurred as well as Austin Police. At least two different news agencies reported an in-custody death. The commissioners court’s attorney put out an email to the County Attorney. It wasn’t a secret, that’s how we do everything.”

Promote your business weekly! Special Discount Packages Available.

For rates, call 512.778.5577 or email news@LHIndependent.com DOMESTIC • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL R.V. Fuel | Bottle Filling | Gas Piping in Home Propane Tanks | Grills & Replacement Parts | Gas Logs

ACTION PROPANE, INC. We Provide Keepfull Routing Service

512-259-1196

Murray Hoggarth • Wanda Hoggarth 2601 S. Hwy 183 | Leander, TX 78641

Page 4

Program helps people in need due to pandemic

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Opportunities for Williamson and Burnet Counties is an organization whose primary goal is to help people in need.

The challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are certainly no exception to that mission.

Director of Community Services Kori Ince said once OWBC had conducted an assessment of the current needs of the community, a COVID-19 relief program was set up with government funding.

“Our Community Services Block Grant provides financial assistance to the community and this has been supplemented with funding from the CARES Act,” she said. “We performed a community needs assessment and found due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic being so overwhelming, the immediate need was shown to be financial assistance for basic living expenses such as rental assistance, utility assistance and child care.”

In addition to COVID-19 emergency assistance, OWBC also offers a comprehensive energy assistance program and a self-sufficiency/case management program.

“Our programs are available through an application process, which can be found online,” said Ince. “The applicant can then ask to be evaluated for each of the programs available.”

Each program is designed to provide assistance for specific amounts of time, depending on the needs of the individual, she said.

“Benefits for rental assistance are up to two times and energy assistance benefits can be anywhere from a few months to the remainder of the physical year,” said Ince. “One application will serve for multiple assistance for the calendar

year. Applications can be submitted again starting January to qualify for assistance again in 2021.”

OWBC also accepts donations from private parties and due to the unknown factor of how long the pandemic will continue, having enough funds in the coffers will go a long way to being able to continue helping those who will keep being affected, she said.

“There’s no way to predict the challenges that lay ahead or how long the effects of COVID will last,” said Ince. “We anticipate the funding for rental assistance to be available through mid-2021, but this is dependent on funding dollars being available. Our energy assistance program is ongoing and will continue after this COVID crisis.”

After all, that’s what OWBC is in business for, she said.

“As a community action agency, it’s always part of our mission to serve our communities’ needs and address the needs of our vulnerable population, said Ince.

More information on OWBC’s assistance programs can be found at www.owbc-tx.org, along with online applications.

Since 1965, OWBC has been the area’s Community Action Agency, a non-profit group that is governed by elected officials, as well as community leaders, with an annual operating budget of $14 million and a staff of more than 200.

According to Ince, the organization is all about empowering the underprivileged and those who have fallen on difficult times.

“Our mission is helping people in need,” said Ince. “Particularly those living in poverty, we want them to achieve and maintain independence by partnering with area organizations to provide education, nutrition, housing, social and community support.”

Your Business Card can be seen every week IN COLOR for only $32!

512.778.5577

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Workforce Solutions continues to combat COVID-19 challenges

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor As officials continue to battle against COVID-19 on the medical and scientific fronts, there is a need to also wage war on an economic level, as the global pandemic has triggered serious consequences and repercussions affecting the bottom line for both businesses and households.

Workforce Solutions is a nonprofit community partnership led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, that provides no-cost recruitment, employment services and child care assistance to businesses and job seekers specific to the nine-county Rural Capital Area of central Texas.

According to Communications Director Brian Hernanadez, the organization has quickly adjusted to offering online services in the wake of the outbreak, which has allowed them to continue to provide its wide variety of services.

“We quickly transitioned from in-person services to virtual services in March,” said Hernandez. “There was an initial strain on IT staff and resources, which shifted to the staff who are very used to working with customers face-to-face, so that was a big change for them.”

However, as a result of technology’s intervention, WSRCA has been able to streamline many of its services, therefore quickening the pace at which people can access assets, although there is one drawback, which they’ve also addressed, he said.

“This pandemic has offered us an opportunity to bring the virtual aspect to many of our services at a much faster pace than we had planned to do,” said Hernandez. “While this offers greater convenience and access to many of our customers, it’s a struggle for our constituents that do not have internet access or computing devices at home. We’re making our wi-fi access available in our parking lots and

providing curbside service by appointment to help serve those customers. We’re also working on a map of free wi-fi service that is available throughout our nine-county area and that will soon be available on our website.”

One of WSRCA’s top priorities is providing a conduit between employers and job-seekers and with a diverse leadership from many different areas of society, they’re able to bridge the gap.

“We have 27 recognized community leaders serving on our board, from across many areas of expertise including business, community-based organizations, economic development, education, government, literacy, labor and vocational rehabilitation,” said Hernandez. “Our Board of Directors contributes significant amounts of time, talent and energy to further our organizational mission of empowering the workforce of the Rural Capital Area.”

WSRCA is geared to helping employers build and maintain businesses by always being on point for what is required to keep pace with an ever-changing economic landscape, he said.

“Our integrated, employer-driven workforce system actively involves employers in workforce decisions that allow them to identify labor and economic trends, define skills and training standards and hire high-skilled workers,” he said. “While simultaneously providing job-seekers with information, advice, job search assistance, supportive services and training in the employer-identified industries and occupations, so they will attain cutting edge skills that will lead to local self-sufficient employment.”

Despite Texas having one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in America, the current rate of job-seekers has already dropped – but that doesn’t mean vigilance isn’t still required in order to maintain the upper hand.

“The unemployment rate in the Rural Capital Area of central Texas continues to trend down towards pre-COVID-19 levels, sliding to 7.1 percent in June 2020, down from 10.6 percent in May,” said Hernandez. “But, we still have about 38,305 residents seeking employment. Although that’s a decline of more than 31 percent from the month prior, we still have a lot of work to do to continue to upskill our workforce and empower businesses amid COVID-19. But we’re proud of our mission – we believe in our partnerships and teams and we’re grateful for the opportunity to serve our wonderful communities.”

Hernandez also highlighted WSRCA’s Child Care Services program, which promotes long term self-sufficiency by enabling parents to work and attend skills training or education courses by offering affordable, accessible child care options.

“We support families, providers and the communities by assisting eligible parents with tuition assistance for children 12 years old and younger and for children with disabilities 18 years old and younger,” he said. “We’re also providing child care technical assistance and training to local child care providers. We encourage families to review the CCS program and to see if they are eligible by applying through the ‘For Child Care’ portal on our website.”

While COVID-19 has brought about an entirely new and different spectrum of challenges to both employers and job-seekers, economic crises that cause problems are certainly nothing new, said Hernandez.

“While this health scare is unprecedented, recessions are not,” he said. “The strongest companies use this time to evaluate their business model and retool to serve a customer base with new needs.

Successful job-seekers are also making strong pivots to upskill and maximize their

opportunities in evolving industries with open positions in high demand.”

WSRCA offers a wide array of services for job-seekers including Career and Benefits Exploration, Computer and Internet Access, Education and Skills Training, Online/ Onsite Hiring Fairs, How-To Workshops, Interview Counseling, Job Search Support, Labor Market Information, Resume Support, Self-Assessment Tools, Unemployment Benefits Information, Veterans Services, Vocational Rehabilitation Services for People with Disabilities, Wage Claim and Child Labor Information and Youth Services for Out of School Individuals (ages 16-24).

But, the pandemic has caused as much or more consternation among business owners and employers as it has to employees and job-seekers – something WSRCA also has the pulse of, said Hernandez.

“We know this has been a very difficult time for local businesses of all sizes,” he said. “For employers, it’s important to talk about your company’s outlook for workforce with our Business Solutions Consultants. They’re available to identify resources that are specific to the needs of each company.”

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 allowed WSRCA the chance to refine its services in order to gain maximum results through better coordination, which resulted in an acrossthe-board synergy between local employers and the job force, said Hernandez.

“Over the years, the changes we’ve seen have been to encourage greater coordination of resources by these programs to focus these job training opportunities to the ones that are most in need by local businesses,” he said.

“We work every day to ensure we’re hearing directly from businesses, job seekers,

See SOLUTIONS, Page 8

“Christa & David displayed a high level of professionalism and expertise. Willing to work to tailor the policies to cover my insurance needs. Always responded promptly to requests and questions. A very positive experience that was based on excellent customer service.”

– DENNIS A.

Shop our

section in store or online

McCoy Agency

Honest, Local & Trusted David & Christa McCoy Wendy Neill & April Cameron

www.SimplyHomeTX.com 15280 W Hwy 29 | Liberty Hill, TX

www.FarmersAgent.com/CMcCoy 512 900-4422 • 12780 W Hwy 29, Liberty Hill

Beautiful homes for lease!

STAY COOL! Call ACA Appliance for AC Repair Service you can Trust.

Free service call with repair

325 E State Hwy 29 | Bertram Located between PEC and the Train Depot

512-219-0900

TwoBrandIt.com • 10-6 Mon-Fri • 10-3 Sat

Thursday, August 6, 2020

DRAINAGE

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 1

at about $265,000 for their proposed plan for us.”

The Council didn’t vote because the item was not on the agenda as an action item, but Hall encouraged the Council to approve moving forward with the new plan.

“I would like to entertain taking this estimate and moving forward with them to help them to start working on getting contracted crews out here to start working on it,” Hall said. “This is a much better cost to the city as far as mitigating our drainage and our flooding potential. Will this handle 100 percent of it? No, but it will handle about 95 percent of it.”

Hall said the intent was to have the item on the Aug. 10 agenda for a vote.

The sudden change in direction on how to best address drainage issues left some who had worked on the previous plan scratching their heads.

“Council just has to make the hard decisions like how are we going to move forward with this plan and how are we going to pay for it,” said former Liberty Hill Director of Planning Sally McFeron. “To start all

DEYOUNG

vote along with me.”

In a later interview, he explained his call for residents to vote in the upcoming election, but he did not comment on which mayoral candidate – incumbent Rick Hall or challenger Liz Branigan – people should support.

“That was a real call out to our citizens,” he said. “I think the last election maybe a tenth of our registered voters actually went out and voted. It was a call out to them to get out and come vote with me. I hope it is a bigger turnout because it’s a national election and there’s more on the ballot this time. This is an important (election) for our town, too.”

Accountability is something he said will get renewed focus.

“I will ask better, more-informed questions of the Mayor and staff while in open or closed sessions,” DeYoung said. “My goal is to hold the Mayor and staff accountable for the function and perception of our city. This is my job and I’d like to admit I can do it better than I have in the past.”

Referencing a number of times The Independent has criticized the Council for not acting independently of Mayor Rick Hall’s agenda, DeYoung said he wanted to clear the air on the issue.

“Some things have come across in the paper and on Facebook as far as the perception of City Council and I think a lot of people who have made those statements don’t know anything about me,” he said. “I wanted to make some public comments to clear the air and address what I think is important, and where I stand on my position in regard to the Mayor.”

He added that he is an independent voice on the Council “During my time on City Council, I have never been or will I ever be a rubber stamp for the Mayor, part of a kangaroo court or am I in someone’s pocket as has been

over again, with a new drainage plan will set the city back another three or four years in trying to come up with something that’s comprehensive.”

She added that like the transportation plan, creating and adopting a drainage plan takes many steps.

“Those plans were adopted through a process,” she said.

“There was a public process, there was Parks Board and Planning and Zoning involvement, we hired professional outside engineers. This was done with data and with research. They are valid plans.

And for the Mayor to come through and say ‘we’re going to get rid of this plan’, there was no public input with that.

There was no process.”

Former City Administrator Greg Boatright echoed those thoughts, but admitted the Council let the plan sit.

“There was a lot of time and effort and a lot of interaction with the Council and they can put their own spin on it, but the truth is there was a good study that was done, there was a good plan in place to make it happen, but there was a lack of commitment from the Council

The original plan Detention and retention were key factors in the original plan.

K. Friese and Associates identified the different drainage basins in the city, which also helps predict where strategic detention locations can be placed to make the most impact on drainage issues.

The first presentation was on the city’s drainage basins, demonstrating where stormwater tends to naturally go as it runs into tributaries.

“It is a really unique geography, from a drainage perspective, that the city has,” said Chad Cormack an engineer

Continued from Page 1 suggested,” he said. “I am an independent thinker and I weigh each agenda item and vote as I think is best for our town. I take into consideration the impact of my vote and I welcome feedback and input from the community on matters that are important to them.”

Citing the swim center project and planned work on the Loop 332 and CR 279 intersection downtown as his top priorities going forward, he said he believes the community supports his role on the Council.

“I feel like the citizens are okay with me in this position so I want to do what’s right by them and that’s really my focus,” DeYoung said. “It was a humbling experience for me, saying that I can do my job better. I can ask better questions and be more informed when I walk into a meeting with beforehand research and talking to staff members.”

One issue DeYoung said he has not been able to bring forward in public discussion is Hall’s supervisory authority over city staff.

“We as City Council have given the Mayor supervisory authority over city staff and we are the check against it,” he said. “This check system is one of the most important functions we serve in government. I have tried twice to get an agenda item on record to discuss and review the Mayor’s authority over city staff and twice, once by my own oversight by not meeting the submission deadline, and once for lack of a cosponsor, which is required for placing an item on the agenda, it did not make it into open session for discussion. I will continue to strive to get this item on for open discussion.”

With many changes in staffing since that decision was made last fall – with a vote to temporarily give the Mayor supervisory authority – DeYoung believes it should be addressed publicly.

to follow through.”

The desire to change the plan was not a big surprise to Boatright.

“I think the plan Friese came up with was a good plan, and it was phased to where we could take it in small bites,” said Boatright. “It’s the same old story. Anything the old regime did, the old council or staff did, is all wrong and so we need to go back and fix it and put our stamp on it. That’s where we’re at and that’s a continual pattern we see.”

“It’s been a few months since we agreed to give him the authority and we really haven’t talked about how it’s going,” he said. “I know we’ve let go of some staff and I wanted to review it and see how things are going from his perspective. It is my job to question the Mayor. It is a check system. I intend to do that better than I have in the past.”

Speaking for himself, DeYoung wishes the lines of communication between the City and The Independent would remain open in order to get complete information out to the public.

“My perspective is I’ll answer as many questions as you have for me that I can answer,” he said. “I think if there are things in the paper that I think are incorrect or not true then I don’t think the solution is to completely not speak to the paper or address the things that I think are inaccurate. I think the correct way is to engage with the paper if somethings wrong, or I think is wrong, that I can talk to, and say it is wrong and if it comes to a retraction then it is a retraction.”

It doesn’t serve the City well to not respond with the other side of a story.

“I see that if you have one side of the argument, and the other side doesn’t want to answer anything then you only have one side of the story,” he said. “I think if I can speak to something and it is another side of the story then that gives both sides and I think two sides is a good thing.”

Adding the full council agenda packets to the website prior to meetings – a decision announced by the City last week – is a good step, according to DeYoung.

“I saw that we’re going to post full agenda packets on the website, which I think is a great idea, so that anybody can pull those down and see the budget numbers and see the CIP project numbers.”

Page 5

with K. Friese & Associates at the time the plan was presented. “You don’t have any other cities that drain to you, which is a common problem, so we really have full control over our drainage basins and how we are going to regulate stormwater.”

By identifying the different basins, the city can zero in on the particular issues with each.

“It will aid future regulation,” Cormack said. “Each one of these basins has different characteristics. Some of the basins have a lot of problem areas already, some of them lend themselves well to regional detention, and some of them are undeveloped.”

Once the drainage basins were identified, planning for potential regional detention areas was next.

“As the city develops, there is going to be a need to detain the stormwater so we don’t increase the flooding that already exists, and so that we don’t create flooding that is

not there,” Cormack said.

The models developed showed 15 locations across the city suited for detention ponds.

“These are just recommended locations,we are not advising you go out and acquire easements yet, and these are really flexible on where they can be located,” Cormack said. “It’s really just kind of a conversation starter with developers.”

Examples of where detention ponds may be in the future include a pair of locations near downtown and Liberty Hill Elementary north of Main Street and south of the railroad tracks; on the north side SH 29 near CR 214; in front of the high school; on the western edge of City Park; along the west side of RM 1869 north of SH 29; and on the north side of SH 29 between US 183 and Sunset Ridge Drive.

The hope is that through this plan, site-based detention will not be the focus, as many developments won’t justify it on their own, but that the focus

can be on a larger area and address the impact of numerous sites on an area overall.

In phase 1 of the city’s drainage master plan, K. Friese & Associates identified 17 problem areas in the city, which have been ranked based on criteria to include the impact on property, streets, overlap with other projects, funding sources and the need for outside entity coordination.

“We came up with 17 problem areas,” Cormack said.

“We ranked them to determine how we would tackle these drainage issues throughout the city. Phase 2 is developing solutions on how we will address these issues throughout the city.”

The top five problem areas according to the rankings include Jenks Branch, downtown flooding, East Carson Avenue, Liberty Trails Apartments, and the City Park and County Road 200.

CLASSIFIED ADS

$10/week for Minimum 30 Words Additional Words $0.20 Deadline 12 Noon Tuesdays NEWS@LHINDEPENDENT.COM EMPLOYMENT HIRING DIRECT CARE for special needs population in Liberty Hill. 12-8pm and weekend FT spots. Starts $13/ hr. with benefits. Training provided. Call Cho (512) 9630773. HopeHouseAustin.org (8/6c) DAVIS TIRE & AUTOMOTIVE is looking for full-time tire technician. No experience necessary. Please call JD Davis at (512) 778-6810 if interested.

(8/6c)

SERVICES SELL YOUR UNIQUE home made or grown items locally!

The Market At Indian Mound Ranch is currently accepting Vendors for the 2020 Season.

Saturday’s 9-3 weather permitting. $20 space fee. 12805 SH 29 W. Send email to imr1873@ gmail.com for details.

LEGAL NOTICES SECURITY STATE BANK & TRUST, Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas has applied to the Banking Commissioner of Texas on August 1, 2020, as specified by the Texas Administrative Code, Title 7, Rule 15.5 for authorization to establish a branch at 15050 Texas 29, Liberty Hill, Texas 78642. Any person wishing to comment on this application, either for or against, may file written comments with the Texas Department of Banking, 2601 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78705-4294 on or before the 14th day after the date of this publication. Such comments will be made a part of the record before and considered by the banking commissioner.

Any person wishing to formally protest and oppose this branch application and partici-

An Independent Insurance Company

pate in the application process may do so by filing a written notice of protest with the Texas Department of Banking on or before the 14th calendar day after the date of this publication accompanied by a protest filing fee of $2,500. The protest fee may be reduced or waived by the banking commissioner upon a showing of substantial hardship.

(8/6p)

gooyer, Julien.

The object of this suit is to: Develop plans for foster care purposes for juvenile child currently in custody.

It is ordered that Degooyer, Julien appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his or her interests on or before 09/17/2020 at 9:30 a.m.

Date: 07/08/2020 Clerk: L. Pritchard, dep.

(8/6p)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Pursuant to section 59 of the Texas Property Code, Easy Stop Storage, 10640 W STATE HWY 29, LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS 78642 will hold a public auction in order to satisfy a landlord’s lien of personal property.

THE AUCTION WILL BE HELD ONLINE: AT WWW. S TO R A G E T R E A S U R E S .

COM Bids will Start on August 23, 2020 at 10:00 AM CST and End on August 31, 2020 at 1:00 PM CST. Storage units are believed to be contain general household items.

Units to be auctioned include: Kelly Hemphill & Melissa Hatfield Cleanup deposit is required.

Seller reserves the right to withdraw the property at anytime before the sale date. Unit items are sold as-is to highest bidder. The sale is open to cash buyers only. The facility has a right to place a minimum bid on each unit. All sales are final.

All questions can be directed to The Property Manager: 512515-5310.

(8/13p) ORDER OF PUBLICATION Commonwealth of Virginia VA. CODE 8.01-316 Case No. JJ008818-06-00 BRISTOL JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT - JUVENILE DIVISION Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Degooyer, Raven Nevaeh Kyler. Bristol VA DSS /v. De-

PUBLIC NOTICES BID PROPOSAL: Manhole located at the intersection of County Road 213 and HWY 29, on the Texas Materials property, needs to be fully replaced while it is in service.

Manhole measurements are approximately 36’’ wide X 30’ deep. Another manhole that is located north of work being performed on County Road 213 needs to be replaced while in service as well. Will need to meet 2- 3 days prior to the bid start date, to look at the project. To set up a time and date please call Brian Paul Wastewater Superintendent at the City of Liberty Hill (254) 226-0094.

(8/13) MISSING PROPERTY If you believe the police department may have a found item that belongs to you, you can call the Property Division directly at 512-548-5530 or email at ekrause@libertyhilltx.gov. When contacting the Property Division, describe the item(s) you are looking for, in detail, and we will let you know if we have it. If we do, we will make arrangements to get it back to you.

(8/27)

SUBSCRIBE 512.778.5577

FARMERS, CRAFTERS & SMALL BUSINESS

PASTURE-RAISED

EGGS

LOCAL

HONEY

PICKLES HOA APPROVED

SHEDS starting at

1920

$

Includes custom color to match your home!

WE’RE OPEN!

Visit us online, in person or by phone!

FRESH SEASONAL

PRODUCE

LOCAL

BEEF

(956) 312-9263

FREE BOOTH SPACE FOR ALL FUNDRAISERS • FOOD TRUCKS WELCOME STAY TUNED FOR NEWS OF SUMMER MARKET EVENTS ALWAYS ACCEPTING NEW VENDORS • BOOTH SPACE $20/WEEK

SHOP LOCAL!

EVERY SATURDAY 9AM - 1PM (WEATHER PERMITTING)

WE’RE COMMITTED TO SOCIAL DISTANCING & SAFE SHOPPING. We support Community Blessing Outreach and their work with Meals on Wheels! Follow us on Facebook for fundraising events to support this local organization.

IMRMARKET 12805 HWY 29 W • LIBERTY HILL • INDIANMOUNDRANCHTX.COM • (956) 312-9263

Page 6

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, August 6, 2020

HOMETOWN FLAVORS

Carne guisada is deliciously simple

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer I was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, a little over five hours away from Liberty Hill, and just a few miles north of the Mexican border. The area is predominantly Hispanic, and almost every night in our house there were delicious homemade meals.

At least twice a month, a staple of my childhood was mom’s homemade carne guisada – tender cubed steak in a thick and hearty gravy. After leaving home and forging my own path, I realized it was one of the things I missed most about home. After a few phone calls with mom and a lot of trial and error, I eventually perfected my version of my mom’s classic.

The recipe is straightforward; the difficulty comes down to figuring out how to get the right consistency for the gravy and not over-spicing things.

The first step for the recipe is to take the two pounds of sirloin steak and cube it. The cubes’ size is up to personal preference; I usually go for a medium size on the cubes. Once cubed, season the steak with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Chop the bell pepper, onion and tomato into large chunks. Chop the cilantro and Serrano pepper and place all veggies aside for now.

Heat up a large enough pan – I prefer a cast-iron skillet if available – and coat it evenly with olive oil. Add the steak to the heated pan and brown the steak on all sides. When the steak is evenly browned, drain the excess juices from the steak into a container or bowl and save it for later.

Add the bell pepper, onion, tomato, cilantro, and Serrano into the skillet or pan with the steak and then add the cumin. For the Serrano pepper, the amount can vary depending on the level of spice you prefer.

Lower the heat, so the steak doesn’t burn and let the steak and vegetables continue to cook. At the same time, mix the juices you saved from the beef with the six ounces of tomato sauce, the one tablespoon of caldo de tomate (tomato bullion) powder and one cup of water. Make sure to mix the combination well and put aside.

Raise the heat of the still cooking steak and vegetables slightly and then sprinkle in the flour. Depending on how thick you want the gravy to turn out, feel free to add a little more flour, but be careful because once the flour is added, there is no going back.

The flour will coat the meat and vegetables and eventually begin to toast. Once that happens, add the mixture of water, tomato sauce, and steak juices into the pan and begin to stir. As you mix everything together, the liquid will start to thicken. If things look too thick, you can add more water, add a little at a time, or you risk watering down the gravy too much.

Now you’re almost at the finish line. Lower the heat and get things down to a simmer. Cover the pan and let the carne guisada simmer for 15-20 minutes. The longer you let the dish simmer, the more tender the meat will become.

Once your carne guisada is done, warm up some tortillas, pair it with some charro style beans and enjoy.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. cubed sirloin steak One bell pepper One medium onion

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

Donated to the school district by Pacesetter K9 of Liberty Hill, Nosek is the newest addition to the LHISD Police Department.

NOSEK

ANTHONY FLORES PHOTOS

A staple of Tex-Mex restaurants all over Texas, carne guisada is a straightforward and delicious dish anyone can tackle in the kitchen.

One whole tomato 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro 1 tsp. garlic powder One tbs. olive oil 1 tbsp. Knorr Caldo De Tomate (Tomato Bullion) 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 ½ tbsp. flour 1 6 oz. of tomato sauce

Continued from Page 1

exactly where it’s at. Right now, it’s just practicing learning the dog, and the behavior changes.”

For Wolf, working with Nosek comes naturally, as he is an avid lover of dogs, owning a few himself.

“I’ve been around dogs my whole life. When I was with Austin Police Department, I helped their K9 unit quite a bit for a few years,” he said.

“Working with dogs has always been an interest of mine.

I volunteered and got on staff for Texas Humane Heroes, a rescue group out of Cedar Park. I have several of my own here at the house that I’ve worked with and trained.”

The combination of his love of dogs, his experience with APD, and the fact that he has the open land to keep Nosek made Wolf the ideal member of the force to work with the K9.

“I kind of volunteered to do it, and because of my experience, I was kind of chosen as well,” Wolf said. “Part of having the dog, too, is not only being able to work with it, but it’s also having a place for him to stay. I live on five and a half acres, so

PARK

I have plenty of room for him.”

The most important aspect of bringing on the K9 to the force isn’t to use the dog in a threatening way or to have him as a visual deterrent to help keep students safe.

“The whole purpose is to help the schools be safer,” said Wolf. “We know there are drugs in the area, there are vaping and tobacco products among teenagers and alcohol.

This dog is going to be certified on narcotics, but eventually, we’re going to introduce it to nicotine and alcohol.”

By slowing the use of drugs and alcohol, Wolf hopes this can keep kids from walking down the wrong paths, that it can save them from the downward spiral that comes with drug addiction.

“This is mainly to help deter bringing this stuff into the schools,” he said. “One thing leads to another as far as gateway drugs and very few kids go straight to hard drugs, they start out smaller. They graduate to something else. So, if we can help keep the school safer, that’s what we want. It’s going to be good community relations.”

Continued from Page 1

buildings and structure in the park are close to complete,” Moss said. “The Williamson County Park staff has done a lot of work on the trails and getting the signage up. It’s moved along very well. I don’t think the pandemic has affected what’s going on out there.

If we keep moving at the pace we are, I fully expect to be online by the end of the calendar year.”

The park will be just under 1,400 acres with 20 miles of trails within the park. There will be 25 sites for recreational

vehicle camping and several walk-in camping sites as well.

Trails will be multipurpose trails that allow for hikers and horses. All motorized vehicles and mountain bikes will be prohibited.

“What gives me satisfaction is helping create a place where people can come out and enjoy themselves. This is going to be a pristine location,” said Moss. “Eventually, it will be surrounded by the city and development. It’ll remain a natural and quiet place to escape the city life.”

Our caring, professional staff is focused on keeping your family healthy. And like you, we live in Liberty Hill and are working to make a difference in our hometown. From coaching youth sports teams, sponsoring community events and contributing to local causes, your hometown pediatric clinic is investing in Liberty Hill.

512-990-3353 COME CHECK OUT OUR INVENTORY AND MEET OUR SALES TEAM!

ROCK COOK Sales Manager

LISA COOK Sales Professional

BBenny enny Boyd Booyd Bo yd w wo would ould like like to to thank thank our our Frontline Frontline Essential Essential Ess W ork rkeers, Fi FFirst irsstt Responders Responders & Veterans!

Veterraans!

Workers, We’d like to give back by offering you $500 toward the purchase of your new or used vehicle.

We’d

• no ppa payments aayymenttss ffor or 90 da ddays aayyyss • ppa aayymenttss aass llow ow aass $199/ month payments $199/month • HHome omee of om of tthe he Lif Li fetime En EEngine ngin inee W Wa arrraanty!

Lifetime Warranty!

10620 W SH-29, Liberty Hill (512) 778-6111 BennyBoydLibertyHill.com

CHECK OUT OUR REVIEWS

SPORTS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, August 6, 2020 Page 7

Instilling the excitement

Lady Panthers volleyball camp integrates young players into the program

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor When the Lady Panthers’ lineup is announced before a volleyball match, what one sees is the finished product.

A Purple-and-Gold production, which began many years earlier, manifests itself in the form of a varsity squad whose roots lie deep beneath the surface of what spectators see from the stands – roots that have been carefully cultivated before finally coming to fruition in full bloom for head coach Gretchen Peterson’s club.

However, only after passing through a rigid system as a young player climbs up the ranks – beginning as early as fourth grade – can an aspiring hitter or blocker play for the Lady Panthers at the highest level of prep competition.

One of the biggest and most important building blocks in this foundation is the annual Lady Panther Volleyball Camp, which is not only a way to introduce young players to the program, but also give them a glimpse of what the future holds, said Peterson.

“First and foremost, we want to get kids excited and interested in playing volleyball and we want them to want to be a part of Liberty Hill athletics,” she said. “We really try to have

fun, but we also want all campers to leave having learned a ton.”

With this in mind, Peterson and her coaching staff, which includes varsity assistants Kristen Brewer and Wayne Munger, who also direct the freshman and junior varsity teams, respectively, provide players with a plethora of what they can expect more and more of as the years go by.

“We use the same terminology we use in the high school and the fact we start it with as young as our fourth-graders – is a big plus in building a program,” said Peterson.

“Not to mention, we have our junior high coaches there to start building relationships with our incoming seventh and eighth-graders and getting them going with the same drills and skills we will work on with them in their season.

We’ve been really blessed to have a community that supports our program by getting their daughters involved in camp and our program at young ages.”

Peterson added a goal of the camp is to simulate as closely as possible what the players can expect at the various age groups so nothing takes them by surprise later on as far as what’s expected of them.

“We actually try to not water

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Liberty Hill head coach Gretchen Peterson uses the program’s annual camp to help integrate younger players into the system with the goal to eventually make them varsity players. anything down, we teach the same skills the same way, we want them to get more and more comfortable with the standards and expectations we hold all of our players to,” she said. “It’s challenging and a little rough at the beginning, but they always seem to embrace the challenges and rise to meet them. It’s really cool to see the same campers who were just starting out as fourth-graders come back as eighth or ninth-graders and in a way seem like seasoned camp veterans – it’s a great experience to watch them evolve.”

Of course, the players learn how to properly execute all

of the tangible, physical skills needed to play winning volleyball, but what goes on in the young minds of players is just as, if not more important, said Peterson.

“We focus on hustling from spot to spot, being coachable, saying ‘yes and no ma’am’ and being an encouraging teammate and team player,” she said. “We want them to be the leaders when they go back to their schools and their seasons.”

With the right instruction, some of them will even be inspired to step up in showing their teammates how it’s done, said Peterson.

“We would like them to understand by putting in the extra work they can be leaders to their peers and that’s something to be proud of and confident in,” she said. “Also, it should be fun and something they enjoy and although it goes without saying, we want them to know what it means to be a Panther – there’s a pride and tradition they’re now a part of and we’re so happy they’re here.”

Finally, Peterson hopes each and every player begins to understand what their respective roles are in the big picture of the program, but perhaps above all else to enjoy the ex-

perience.

“We’re so happy they’re part of the Panther family, but it’s about more than being the star player – it’s about representing themselves and something bigger than themselves and feeling good about what they’re doing,” she said. “We want them to know it’s okay to make mistakes, that learning is a process, but they can and will get there – we believe in them and we want them leaving camp feeling good about the effort they put forth and confident they’re on the right path to being the player they want to be – and it’s supposed to be fun.”

Building quickly from the ground up

LHHS soccer program has been successful from the outset

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series on the Liberty Hill High School soccer programs.

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Building something from the ground up isn’t easy.

Many unknowns exist that challenge the resolve of those who would lay down a foundation before constructing something which will be meaningful and have a lasting impact.

When Liberty Hill High School decided to add girls’ and boys’ soccer to its athletic program seven years ago, such an unknown was present.

According to girls’ head coach Darren Bauer, the standards needed to be high from the beginning in order to plant the seeds of excellence – and it needed to happen from the outset.

“Starting and building a program is about setting expectations quickly – especially with the traditions already in place at Liberty Hill,” said Bauer.

“The challenge with starting a program is there is no precedence for what you expect in the outcome of your season. We knew we needed to get the players into a championship mindset at a rapid pace.

We implemented mental training along with weights and practice. The important key was getting the players to understand they could achieve more and be better if they challenged themselves and believed in our goal.”

The goal was quite straightforward and simple – not just to be competitive as the program looked to gain a foothold – but to win trophies.

However, initially both teams set their respective sights on simply qualifying for the state championships, rather than be too focused on the ultimate prize at the end of the road, said Bauer.

“Our initial goals for either team were to be regional champions – it was never to

be state champions,” he said.

“Win our region, then we have a shot at state.”

The mentality behind such a strategy was to aim high, but to also keep expectations at a practical level, he said.

“This narrowed our focus down to competing with teams in our region and not necessarily looking at the entire state – which was a much more attainable feat from the start,” said Bauer. “We have consistently met those expectations even in years we weren’t regional champions. With the exception of one or maybe two times between the boys and girls, when we weren’t regional champs, we lost to the eventual regional champs and in close games – that is still success.”

Panthers boys’ head coach Wayne Munger, who has been with the program from the beginning along with Bauer, agreed with his comrade and co-founder a certain level of prudence was definitely required as the program was in its infancy.

“Getting a program started has been a challenge and a huge reward. I would say a good deal of patience paired with high expectations made us successful,” said Munger, who took over the boys’ squad this past season after Bauer had coached both teams in all but the program’s first year of existence. “The challenge at the start was getting soccer to be known as a high school sport. Competing for our athletes with established programs was our initial obstacle, but as true soccer players started coming up, we quickly made a name for ourselves.

With the coaching staff we’ve had, dedication and time commitment hasn’t been an issue.

It has been work to start up, but Liberty Hill was ready for soccer and the support from the school and the community has made it really smooth.”

Parental point of view

Another individual who has been there from the early days of the program is Shannon Hofmann, who has had a child playing in the Panthers’ system in all seven years of its existence – first, daughter Emma, followed by son Rhett, who will be a senior next season.

As not only a mother, but the team’s unofficial photographer, she’s been closer than most in witnessing the rise of the program from her customary spot on the sidelines and fully appreciates the leaps and bounds both Panthers teams have made in well under a decade and said not much time passed before all parties involved realized what they had in one another.

“Our first year as a program was simply a scrimmage year – that was a season full of excitement and anticipation,” she said. “Just as the coaches didn’t really know what they had in terms of talent and game knowledge in their players and parents, we parents and our players didn’t really know what kind of coaches we had either.”

The biggest question marks were Bauer and Munger themselves, said Hofmann.

“Some of the kids were familiar with our first girls’ coach, Kelsey Quinn, because she taught at Liberty Hill Junior High first, but these other guys were unknowns,” she said. “It didn’t take long to realize we had the ingredients for a high-quality program, but looking back at those first years compared to now, there was anxiety in that intangible unknown because we wanted to succeed badly from the start as high school soccer was fairly new in general and we knew if we failed in the beginning, it would be difficult to convince our school and community we were worth investing in for the long haul. Fast-forward to the present and we’re still full of excitement and anticipation, but our teams and coaches now

SHANNON HOFMANN FILE PHOTOS

(ABOVE) Either Rhett Hofmann (#3) or older sister Emma, have been part of the Liberty Hill soccer program since its inception. (BELOW) Emma Stephens (#8) is only one in a long line of talented players who have continued to fuel excellence on both the girls’ and boys’ teams.

have a relationship and a reputation – that gives us momentum and energy to continue strengthening the program.”

Indeed, the results came quickly, as the girls went 16-62 under Quinn, with a district mark of 6-2, while the boys went 22-6 and 6-0 in district play in their first full varsity campaigns in 2014-15, with the Lady Panthers advancing to the regional quarterfinals and their counterparts getting all the way to the Class 4A state championship game before losing to San Elizario.

Certainly impressive results from a fledgling program, but not necessarily surprising considering the assets both sides had at their disposals, said Hofmann.

“In my opinion, there were several ingredients that made our program successful from the start,” she said. “First of all, we had a number of kids who already knew each other and had a desire to play together. Many of them had played together for years whether it be community league, select teams, summer camps, or Sunday afternoon pick-up games. They liked each other and were inclusive of new players who moved into the district. Plus, they knew they were playing a sport not many kids carried over into highschool age competition in our community, so they had something to prove for the sport itself.”

But, above all, it was the sol-

id coaching staff that was in place from the get-go, which truly made all the difference in getting the maximum results from the very start, said Hofmann.

“Our district hired soccer coaches from the beginning – not coaches of other sports who took soccer on as a secondary sport,” she said. “Quinn, Bauer and Munger played soccer and understood the game – these coaches eat, breathe and sleep soccer, so there was no doubt these players were going to receive proper instruction. The players and the coaches were self-motivated, enthusiastic and had work ethic. You really can’t fail under those conditions.”

“If you cruise by the downtown fields (next to Liberty Hill Elementary School), you can see we have sunk a lot of funds into field maintenance,” said Thomas. “Sprinkler systems were installed on both fields in the last year and our volunteers are doing a great job of keeping up with them.

Even if LHYL is unable to get a complex soon, we will continue to improve our fields the best we can to provide a great surface to play on.”

Currently, baseball and soft-

ball aren’t played locally at the junior high level – unlike other sports such as football, volleyball and basketball – so, it’s imperative to have a strong youth program in both sports to provide a supply line of talented players to the high school teams.

Thomas said despite the presence of travel teams, which offer high-level competition for elite players, a good youth program can still go a long way in getting players ready for prep competition with the

Panthers.

“I grew up playing baseball and was fortunate to play for a while and select programs did not come into play until I was in high school,” he said.

“Nowadays, everyone thinks the only way to get better or to have a quality experience is to play for a select program.

I don’t believe this to be true.

LHYL has a ton of support from their parent coaches and a lot of knowledge of the game

Youth baseball returns to field after canceling spring season

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor After missing out on the spring season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Liberty Hill Youth League will return to the field in the fall, with baseball and softball squads across all age groups.

According to league president Jake Thomas, the league continues to mirror the growth of Liberty Hill itself.

“As our community grows, so does our league,” said Thomas. “It’s incredibly important

for LHYL to have a quality recreational program of both softball and baseball that can be offered locally.”

However, as the league grows, more fields will be needed in order to play all the additional games that will accompany expansion, establishing the need for a sports complex in the future, he said.

“LHYL currently has six fields (two softball and four baseball) under lease and this past spring we had 550 total players,” said Thomas.

“Our No. 1 goal in the coming years is to find a way to provide more field space. Our community league’s resources are limited, but we’re hopeful through the City we can find a way to bring a complex to Liberty Hill. Liberty Hill is growing at a rapid rate and for LHYL to keep up, it’s imperative we develop more field space.”

For now, the league will continue to do its best to maintain the fields they already have, he said.

See YOUTH, Page 8

Page 8

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

SOLUTIONS Continued from Page 4 YOUTH educators, child care providers, parents and other stakeholders in the workforce arena to make sure the focus of our efforts are on those things that will have the greatest impact on our local communities.”

WSRCA CEO Paul Fletcher made it clear the organization’s goal is simply to help.

“We know this is a difficult time for local families and businesses and our team at Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area is here to help,” said Fletcher. “As the Workforce Board for Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell,

Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano and Williamson counties, we’re grateful for the opportunity to provide workforce solutions for job-seekers and employers, as well as child care assistance for working families. We are Rural Capital Area and with your help, we’ll get through this challenging time for our community – together.”

More information on WSRCA and the services available to employers and job-seekers is available on their website at www.workforcesolutionsrca.com.

Continued from Page 7

within its volunteers.”

With that being said, the objective is for players to be able to enter the system at a very young age and progress up the local ladder until they reach high school, said Thomas.

“A goal of LHYL is to have a player come into our 4-and-under instructional division, play all the way up to high school and have a chance to play in high school,” he said. “LHYL is committed to having offerings for all players regardless of skill level.

We’re planning on expanding

our softball portfolio in the coming years and we’ve partnered with The University of Baseball on the baseball side, which provides a high level of play for some of the older players seeking that advanced play.”

A potential hurdle for the plan is the fact some players may be limited in their opportunities due to the amount of equipment needed to play both sports, but Thomas and the league already has that covered.

“Baseball and softball are

Thursday, August 6, 2020

expensive sports to play and LHYL has scholarships available for children to play for parents who may not be financially capable of providing the registration costs,” said Thomas. “LHYL has also started to ask for donated equipment that will allow a back stock of needed items for players that are in need.”

Fall leagues will consist of schedules that feature two games and one practice per week.

Baseball will be divided into 4-and-under (instruction-

al), 6-and-under (tee-ball), 8-and-under (coach-pitch), 10-and-under (player-pitch), 12-and-under and 14-and-under.

Softball will consist of 8-and-under, 10-and-under, 12-and-under and 14-and-under.

More information can be found on the league’s website at www.lhyl.org.

HOMES AROUND THE HILL Houses For Sale 5B/3BA 4B/4BA 5B/2.5BA + guesthouse 3B/2.5BA/1 office 3B/2BA 5B/3BA/3 car garage 3B/3BA 3B/3.5BA Lots For Sale

Woods of Brushy Creek Georgetown - 15 acres - CONTINGENT Sundance Estates Berry Creek - Georgetown San Gabriel River Ranch Rio Ancho MH Survey - 15.0 acres Rolling Hills Unit 2

8409 Caledonia 3040 CR 255 108 Stallion Way 31404 Kingsway Rd 151 River Rd 128 Quiet Oak Cove 1616 CR 204 103 Rolling Hills Rd

Georgetown Greystone Ranch - Bertram Whitewater Springs Greystone Ranch - Bertram

2462 CR 255 Greystone Ranch Rd South Creek Circle Greystone Ranch

Peter Kerr - Burnet Luciano Cabasas - 2.38 acres

127 E Jackson St 502 Willow St

Santa Rita Ranch Bertram - 2.6 acres Lake Forest - Round Rock Sonterra - Jarrell The Ranch at Brushy Creek Lake Georgetown - 1.5 acres Stonewall Ranch

212 Magdalene Way 491 Lakeshore Rd 1900 Forest Meadow Cv 444 Druse Lane 3613 Turkey Path Bend 1755 CR 262 149 Granite Path

John J Sinnickson Bear Creek - 10.517 acres Greatwood Estates - Leander Durham Park - Liberty Hill - 2 acres Sundance Estates City of Florence Sundance Estates Stonewall Ranch Bent Tree Rock - Round Rock Sundance Ranch Woods of Fountainwood - Georgetown Bear Creek - 2.3 acres

10451 CR 200 1021 CR 203 2601 Greatwood Trl 400 Shin Oak Lane 316 Polo Pony 102 Ledger St 216 Speed Horse 109 Quarry Rock Loop 2116 Red Oak Cir 261 N Showhorse Dr 126 Robert’s Circle 125 W Bear Creek

Fully fenced/wet weather creek Lot 10-A Lot 150B Lot 14-B Commercial For Sale

1 Bldg - 2 stories 3 Bldgs - 14 units Under Contract / Pending

3B/2BA 4B/3BA/2 car garage 4B/2.5BA/3 car garage 3B/2BA 5B/3BA 3B/2BA 3B/2BA Sold!

3B/2BA 3B/3BA 4B/3BA/3 car garage + pool 3B/2BA 3B/2BA 4B/2BA 4B/2BA 4B/2BA 3B/2BA 3B/2.5BA 3B/3BA 4B/2BA

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

440,000 899,000 515,000 379,000 249,000 579,000 650,000 358,000

3225 sq ft 3100 sq ft 3516 sq ft 2,933 sq ft 1650 sq ft 3100 sq ft 2608 sq ft 2560 sq ft

Shane T. White Dax Oglesby Shane T. White Adrienne Hughes Shane T. White Amy Gandy Shane T. White Shane T. White

$ 499,900 10 acres Dax Oglesby $ 119,000 10.75 acres Shane T. White $ 26,000 1.610 acres Shane T. White $ 119,900 10.03 acres Shane T. White $ 350,000 3852 sq ft Shane T. White $1,092,000 +/-10,736 sq ftShane T. White $ $ $ $ $ $ $

300,000 299,000 450,000 205,000 500,000 445,000 218,000

1806 sq ft 1850 sq ft 3346 sq ft 1625 sq ft 3863 sq ft 2103 sq ft 1379 sq ft

Shane T. White Dax Oglesby Amy Gandy Cheryl Stephens Shane T. White Cheryl Stephens Shane T. White

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

145,000 825,000 599,000 380,000 469,000 195,000 369,000 272,000 285,000 475,000 475,000 305,000

1458 sq ft 3364 sq ft 3060 sq ft 2400 sq ft 3088 sq ft 1522 sq ft 2244 sq ft 2245 sq ft 1806 sq ft 2620 sq ft 3473 sq ft 2130 sq ft

Shane T. White Dax Oglesby Amy Gandy Amy Gandy Shane T. White Shane T. White Dax Oglesby Amy Whitmeyer Oglesby Cheryl Stephens Cheryl Stephens Adrienne Hughes Cheryl Stephens

All donations (supplies or monetary) are appreciated and may be dropped at our office.

Did you know teachers spend an average of $500 dollars (often more) out of their own pockets to purchase school supplies for their classrooms?

Join us in supporting our local teachers through our Supplies for Teachers program.

daxoglesbysgrhomes@gmail.com