Lakeway City Council: Tax Hikes and Lawsuits Ahoy!

Buckle up, folks! Lakeway City Council has been busy—and by busy, we mean slapping on a max tax rate and jumping into a lawsuit like it's the latest Netflix binge. On Monday, they approved a maximum tax rate of 0.1625 for the 2025 fiscal year. Oh, and they unanimously decided to meddle in Bee Cave’s legal battle against West Austin Business Park. Because why not?

Don't worry, they'll finalize the 2025 tax rate and budget at their Sep. 16 meeting. You'll have public hearings on Sep. 3 and Sep. 16 to voice your concerns. But hey, at least they won't jack up the tax rate beyond that magical number of 0.1625 per $100 home valuation.

Meanwhile, in NIMBY-land, Bee Cave filed an injunction to halt construction at West Austin Business Park, a logistics and distribution facility. The land's not even in Bee Cave's city limits, but they signed a 2015 agreement giving them some regulatory control. You can check it out here.

The 2015 agreement said the land was for commercial and office use. But when new owners bought the land in 2023, they started building an industrial park with warehouses and truck docks. Bee Cave claims it’s unsuitable for the Sweetwater neighborhood, citing pollution, traffic, and noise. Classic suburban drama.

At the Lakeway meeting, 35 residents backed intervention in the lawsuit. Gotta love those community gatherings!

In other mind-blowing news, Lakeway waived the $1,050 pool inspection for owners affected by alkali-silica reaction (ASR). If you rebuild your same pool, no inspection fee. If you demolish it, no demolition fee. Isn't that lovely? Out of 844 pools built between 2017 and 2023, 85 have felt the wrath of ASR.

In a land use shakeup, the council approved an updated future land use map for 5 acres at 300 Birrell Street. The Drenner Group wanted a zoning change from office/retail to a planned unit development (PUD). The PUD passed 3-2, and the development includes duplexes and townhomes to diversify Lakeway’s housing—because diversity is more than just a nice buzzword.

Kelly Brynteson, who voted against the PUD, voiced concerns about density saying, “People are getting worried that we’re adding so much density that we’re not going to be able to traverse these new roads.” Well, Kelly, welcome to the club.

The original plan of 30 single-family homes and 18 townhomes was nixed by the council, leading to 42 single-family patio homes. So much for progressive housing policies.

Stay woke, folks.