2020
Volume 33, Issue 10
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January 30, 2020 | 50 Cents
City, Chamber strike deal on downtown office space
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The Stubblefield Building downtown, which was refurbished by the City and opened to the public last May, is going to be home to the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce, and a new place for visitors to learn more about the area. The Liberty Hill City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a proposed agreement with the Chamber allowing the organization to office in the building. In exchange for the space, the Chamber agrees to staff the office with an employee or volunteer to keep it open for visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and four consecutive hours each day Saturday and Sunday. The Chamber will pay the building’s electricity and $10 per phone line, while the City will cover other utility costs. The Council supported the agreement, but Council member Kathy Canady said it was not clear the Chamber would also support it. “This vote is to approve the contract and what we will send to the Chamber,” she said. “They may not like it. We may not have any agreement. This is what we want if they’re agreeable to it.” Just before noon Tuesday, Chamber Board President Jared King issued a press release to The Independent applauding the proposal, with the release implying the Chamber Board was in favor of the agreement. “The Fowler/Stubblefield Building has been a cornerstone of our community since 1871,” the release states. “Over its history, the lower level was used as a home for many businesses. It is with love of it and what it represents to the arts, culture and business community that the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce hopes to partner with the City to establish its new office there.” It was not clear whether the press release was an official endorsement of the proposed agreement, but the implied support raised questions of whether members of the Chamber had seen or been involved in outlining the agreement prior to Monday’s meeting. King declined an interview on the issue. He did say through an exchange of emails with The Independent that the City brought the idea of the partnership to the Chamber. He confirmed the Chamber Board had not met officially to vote on the agreement and anticipated voting soon.
Mayor Rick Hall refused to answer questions Tuesday on who first suggested the partnership, saying Mayor pro tem Liz Rundzieher was the contact for the issue and that he had “been totally out of the whole conversation.” Rundzieher could not be reached for comment before this week’s deadline. Conflict of interest? Two weeks after the City Council’s initial closed-session discussion of the potential agreement, Hall declared Monday he was recusing himself from further consideration of the agreement. “I have executed a conflict of interest affidavit and filed it with the City Secretary,” Hall said prior to the Council taking up the item Monday. “I am recusing myself from this discussion, participation and or voting because my spouse has a substantial economic interest in one of the parties of the agreement being considered.” But two weeks prior, Hall did participate in the closed-session discussion, which led to the Council emerging and voting to move ahead with specifics in drafting the agreement. Rundzieher made the motion Jan. 13 to move forward. “I would like to ask the attorney to draw up an agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Liberty Hill as we discussed in the executive session and have the contract at the next meeting this month,” she motioned. The Council approved the motion without discussion or explanation of what that agreement was for. In a telephone interview Jan. 15, Hall declined to provide more details of the agreement the Council intended to present. “That’s when we’re going to discuss it in open (session),” Hall said. “We are discussing with our legal counsel on how we want the agreement structured. Then we are going to have to vote on it that we want to send this agreement to the Chamber. Then they will have to vote to accept it so this is not a one and done process.” When asked Tuesday, Hall defended the choice to not recuse himself from earlier discussions on the agreement. “I recused myself last night
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Uplifting finish
The Liberty Hill powerlifting team competed Jan. 23 at the Burnet Invitational. Braeden Hewlett (pictured) lifted in the Class 4A, 275-pound division, scoring 1,065 points. James Eckford finished fifth in the 148-pound class with 900 points and John Delacruz was also fifth in the 165-pound class with 1,030 points. On the girls’ side, Jena Pina won the Class 4A, 114-pound division with 550 points, while Katy Gibson was second in the 105-pound class with 560 points and Taylor Sims was third in the 181-pound division with 765 points. See more Panther Sports in Section B.
Kline excited to be part of something new
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Diving into something new is not a foreign concept to Kristy Kline. That’s how the one-time accountant got into teaching in the first place. “I didn’t start out as an education major, I started out as an accounting major and I worked in the accounting field for a while,” Kline said. “Then when I had children I stayed home with my youngest son and I went to work part time at a preschool.” That education career that has now spanned two decades has led Kline to where she is today, embarking on a new journey as the first principal of Santa Rita Elementary School, set to open next fall. But looking back on those first days in a teaching environment, it is still vivid in her mind how it all clicked.
“I came home that first day, I was working with three-year olds as an assistant, and I said ‘I want to be a teacher, this is what I’m meant to do’,” she said. “It was just so clear and within two months I was enrolled at UT and pursuing a teaching degree.” It didn’t take long to change her whole perspective on careers as she remembers what she calls an “Aha moment.” “It was reading with children in my lap,” Kline said. “I’ve always heard people say go back to what you wanted to do when you were little. Sometimes we miss our true calling and I remember as a child always playing school and always loving to learn. It was just one of those moments being around children and realizing what I wanted to do.” In those nearly 20 years in teaching, Kline has taught
preschool, second and fourth grades, and has been a principal for 14 years, the last four-plus years leading Laura Welch Bush Elementary in Leander ISD. “I just knew very clearly I was very interested in administration,” she said. “I just felt like that really fit my skill set and so my principal at the time gave me some good opportunities to shadow and to work on some special projects. Probably after my second year of teaching I knew I wanted to pursue administration. I’ve always felt that my calling was to support teachers and coach teachers so they can do what they need to do in the classroom for students to succeed and grow.” Building relationships and helping teachers quickly rose to the top of Kline’s list of priorities, and that opportu-
See OFFICE, Page A4
©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent
is currently held by Board President Clay Cole who has yet to announce his intention. Candidates interested in seeking one of the five positions must file by 5 p.m., Feb. 14. The three positions on the Council will be the first to receive compensation as discussed and voted on by the Council. The Council members will each receive $12,000 annually, while the Mayor will receive a $40,000 annual salary. The City election will also include a measure allowing voters to determine the length of Council terms, either extending them to three years or keeping them at the current two years. All candidates for city and school district races will be invited to participate in The Independent’s Candidate Forum in April.
See KLINE, Page A4
The Liberty Hill Council saw a revised version Monday of the new monument signs being planned for the east and west entrances to the City on SH 29. The projected cost of the two signs combined is $76,000 not including any site work or installation costs.
One new name joins election filers
One new name has joined four incumbents on the list of those who have filed for a place on the May 2 ballot in the Liberty Hill City Council and Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees elections. All three incumbents – Mayor Rick Hall, Place 2 Council member Kathy Canady and Place 4 Council member Tony DeYoung – have filed in the Council race. Canady and DeYoung were both appointed in 2019 to finish unexpired terms. Antonio Canas, who resides in Lively Ranch, has filed for Place 2 in the Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees race, joining Place 1 incumbent Clint Stephenson on the ballot. Place 2
nity presented itself best in an administrative role where she could help teachers succeed. “I find a lot of value in coaching teachers,” Kline said. “I love curriculum, I love instruction, I love doing observations and giving feedback. I really want to help every teacher
COURTESY GRAPHIC
Council set to improve city entries
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Liberty Hill will seek bids for the new monument signs planned for the east and west entries into the City following a unanimous vote of the Council Monday. The Council got its first look at proposed new monument signs to welcome visitors to Liberty Hill. The proposal discussed included three sign options with a combination of various stone and metal that measures approximately 20 feet wide by
just over eight feet tall at its tallest point. The sign will be LED lit and solar to avoid having to provide electricity to the site. It will also include a water storage tank inside the column on the left end that can be used for drip irrigation for the landscaping. The Council approved the modified design presented by Halff & Associates following an initial look at design options on Jan. 13. Brian Binkowski with Halff & Associates presented the new
design along with a cost estimate, which totaled $76,000 for the two signs combined, not including any site preparation or installation costs. Do to the projected costs the City is required to solicit bids for the project. The Council plans on considering the bids received at the first meeting in March. Mayor Rick Hall said the City already has a commitment from a developer on the east end of town to dedicate property for the sign. The new sign on the west end
of town is expected to replace the sign at Liberty Hill Cemetery. The City plans to move the existing monument signs to other entries to the City on RM 1869. Honoring former leader The Council also approved the signage design to identify “Charles Canady Memorial Loop 332”. The larger two of the four signs will be about 9.5-feet tall
See COUNCIL, Page A4