Woodcreek Mayoral Interview
(Editor’s note: For the upcoming November 4 Woodcreek election in which voters will select a mayor and two city council members, the Wimberley View asked candidates the following questions. Here are mayoral candidate Linnea Bailey’s responses. Next week look for the responses from the three city council candidates.)
Question: As you see it, what are Woodcreek’s top priorities?
Answer: A top priority would be to listen to taxpayers and try to avoid making changes to their property that they believe will lower property values and take away the quiet country atmosphere of their streets. We should not use an old survey as a basis for decisions when a new survey is ready to be distributed to residents. Another priority would be to soften the impact of higher property taxes due to increased property valuation by increasing homeowner exemptions. A priority for the greatest number of residents would be to utilize a portion of the remaining General Obligation Road bond funds to apply a seal coat to new roads constructed in 2023 thereby increasing the useful life of the roads. An obvious priority would be the use of consistent monthly financial reporting as was done prior to changing accounting software. An audit will cover the last fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, but auditors do not monitor day to day accounting. The current fiscal has concluded and should accurately reflect last year’s spending without waiting another year for a new audit.
Q: Politics in Woodcreek have been divisive for many years. What do you think of that situation and what can you do that will allow residents to find a more unified vision of the city’s direction?
A: I believe much of the political disfunction comes from the comments on social media. Civility of a person-to-person conversation disappears when it is hidden behind electronic gates. I don’t think this is a good place for political campaigning where city council members are involved. Social media can risk the formation of a quorum that constitutes an illegal secret meeting. If social media is used by council members, it should follow the same notification rules as other public meetings. One solution may be to discourage all council members from using social media for political purposes. Active involvement in your government is to be desired, especially when give and take of ideas results in healthy compromise.
Q: Over the last several years, Woodcreek had added new pocket parks and other similar projects. In terms of long-term development, would you support those kinds of initiatives, and if not, why? What would you support?
A: I believe pocket parks would be a great addition, especially for residents who do not live near the three central parks. In many areas the city owns a parcel of land that, for one reason or another, cannot be built upon. Residents have volunteered to contribute park benches to these areas so walkers could have a place to enjoy the Woodcreek’s quiet peace and green serenity. Clearing pocket parks to make room for seating would reduce the fire danger in these overlooked parcels of land. Resources have been focused primarily the existing parks, but more of the community could be serve for a fraction of the cost by developing the many pocket parks.
Q: The method of enforcing code violations in Woodcreek has changed multiple times over the years. What do you think is the appropriate way to handle this issue?
A: Code enforcement had a low priority for the city until residents began to bring complaints to the city council. The city responded by utilizing the abilities of one of its most experienced employees to expand his duties to include code enforcement. Sean Rawlings has fully embraced the responsibility of code enforcement. With tactful respect for citizens, along with firm professionalism, Sean has achieved a nearly 95% record of code compliance. There will be a few instances where code compliance is not voluntary and will require the employment of a municipal judge. In those cases, the city will need to be willing to enlist the appropriate professional services. Money has been set aside in the current budget for those situations.
