City Council Updates - July 2008

City Council Updates - July 2008

Written by Beth Wade Friday, 11 July 2008

Rod Hortenstine becomes Taylor’s new mayor.

On May 27, Taylor’s city council elected Council member Rod Hortenstine as its new mayor.

Q. How did you first get into politics?

A. I retired after 27 years on the planning and zoning commission. About two weeks after I did that, I had people coming to my office wanting me to run for the council. The pressure got pretty big, so I said I would. It ended up that the incumbent didn’t run and nobody else did, so I got the election cancelled and was sworn in unopposed. That is how I got on the council three years ago. I ran again this time unopposed.

Q. What is your favorite thing about Taylor?

A. I am proud to be a Taylorite. The school system says, ‘once a duck, always a duck.’ The volunteerism and the positive, can-do attitude are just great. That is best illustrated by the city, along with Hutto, adopting a unit at Fort Hood to support. The unit we are adopting has been deployed. We are going to try to help them [and their families].

Q. Is there anything you would change about Taylor?

A. Our council, the Taylor Economic Development Corporation, the chamber, Taylor ISD, Johns Community Hospital, various churches and businesses are all working together for one thing: to make the quality of life in Taylor better. You have a lot of people who have volunteered to help on commissions or in one of these areas. Whatever it is, there is a lot of volunteerism. A lot of it is for one thing and that is to pay back the community for being so good to us. We have a wonderful community, and the only thing that I would change is to better the quality of life. That is why I am serving on the council — to pay back the community for what it has done for my family and myself for the last 40 years.

Q. What are the biggest issues that Taylor faces?

A. The biggest issue is the IRS giving ERCOT a 501(c)(4) designation, which exempts them from sales tax. That may be a very devastating thing for the community. That just depends on the comptroller ruling as to whether they can recoup all of the taxes they’ve paid back to 2004. I don’t know how big that impact is going to be, but it is going to be a huge thing to do, and we don’t know all of the details yet. The second thing that comes to mind is Hwy. 79. We have been waiting on that for a long time and finally TxDOT says it doesn’t have any money. In conjunction with the county and the City of Taylor, I think we are finally going to get that accomplished. The third thing that comes to mind is hopefully the county will help us fund the East Williamson County Regional Park. That is going to be a wonderful thing for the community and all of East Williamson County.

Q. What is something people don’t know about Taylor?

A. I think there are some people who don’t know what an outstanding city manager we have and the professional, experienced, hardworking staff we have that makes the council’s work so much easier. I’ve been here more than 35 years, and I have worked with a lot of city managers over that period of time and I can honestly say that Frank Salvato is the best we have ever had. When he came here nine years ago, we were operating by the seat of our pants. Since then we have a very experienced, knowledgeable staff that is doing a wonderful job. As a result, the council’s work is easier than it could be otherwise.

Q. Where would we find you on the weekends?

A. You would find me at the ranch, at the lake or with my kids and grandkids. Those are the three things that take most of what spare time I have. It is a stress reliever. Number one it makes me do my job much better. I like being outdoors. I like my cattle, my garden and I like taking care of my property at the lake. They are things I enjoy doing with my family.

• Background: Five years in the U.S. Navy, Balderson-Berger Equipment Company, 27 years in Taylor’s planning and zoning commission, Taylor Economic Development Corporation board, Johns Community Hospital Board of Trustees
• Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Texas
• Grew up in: Amarillo
• In Taylor since: 1969
• Contact: 352-2702, rod.hortenstine@ci.taylor.tx.us

Hutto names new mayor pro tem

Councilwoman Debbie Holland was elected by a 6-0 vote May 15 to her second term as mayor pro tem; however, Councilwoman Tina Slayton moved to have the vote rescinded and reconsidered on June 5. At that time Councilman David Begier was elected by a 4-2 vote to replace Debbie Holland as mayor pro tem.

“It has strained things right now for me because I am unclear exactly what that effort was about,” Holland said. “If they had said, ‘Debbie, we don’t think you are a strong leader to do this,’ that would have been a lot easier than to never to have talked about the job I have been doing and voting me out.”

The council discussed the roles of the mayor pro tem and decided that the council needed a strong leader, Begier said.

“I don’t believe there was any kind of a sinister movement,” Begier said. “Debbie Holland has been mayor pro tem for a little more than two years. The city council is looking forward to the day when Mayor Love comes back and sits in his chair among the rest of us.”

After complaining of chest pains at work, Hutto Mayor Ken Love had a minor heart attack while in an ambulance en route to the hospital. Doctors performed a quadruple bypass on Love May 23. Family members said he was awake five hours after surgery. On May 25, the mayor had a stroke and experienced loss of movement on the left side of his body.

“For all practical purposes, I am the mayor until he returns,” Begier said.

Love recently entered an intense rehabilitation program, Begier said.

“I realize how awesome this responsibility is. It is just not a responsibility to my fellow council members, it is a responsibility to the city,” he said.

Each city elects a mayor, and the city council elects mayor pro tem to help the mayor lead. When the mayor is unavailable or out due to illness, it is the duty of the mayor pro tem to step in and lead in his or her place.

“Essentially the very words ‘pro tem’ mean temporary period of time. You are in charge when the mayor is ill or out of town,” Hutto Mayor Pro Tem David Begier said.

The mayor is involved in the day-to-day activities of the city and is often in meetings with city staff leaders, while other council members learn what is going on from city staff prior to council meetings, Begier said.

“The council members are the ones that meet citizens as part of their daily lives and report back to the council what they have heard out on the street,” Begier said. “We hear the input from city staff and citizens and take action on those items. We are the deciding vote, if you will.”