Information the key to sound decision-making

Information the key to sound decision-making

Written by Claire Love Wednesday, 07 June 2006

Earlier this month, the Leander City Council was presented with the first request to rezone a residence in Old Town Leander into the Transit-Oriented Development. After hearing an elaborate presentation on the TOD and the benefits it would bring to the area, followed by opinions voiced during the public hearing, the request was ultimately denied by a 5-2 vote against the zoning request.

In most cases, a 5-2 vote would have meant an approval. In this case, however, a supermajority was required due to the fact that a petition had been presented to the council in opposition to the zoning. Because of the petition, a 6-1 vote was required.

This was a heated and emotional city council meeting. Citizens on both sides of the issue spoke with passion and commitment.

With the growth of both Leander and Cedar Park, such dramas will be repeated in council meetings and cafes in the months and years ahead as change challenges current conditions.

Our purpose at Community Impact is to provide the tools for intelligent decision-making.

It was reassuring at that same council meeting to notice that as a woman stepped to the podium to speak, one of our past issues was included in her folder of information.

We provide our readers with the information they need to become better informed about their community and to formulate their positions on the issues. One of my favorite quotes is, “Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch.” We will do what we can to provide you with the knowledge. Pulling the switch is up to you.

In this issue, you’ll find that we have added three new features. The Real Estate Development Update provides information on local subdivisions under development including their respective locations, the builders and the approximate home prices.

On the Finance page, we ask local experts to provide information on various financial topics we hope our readers will find useful. And finally, we have added a Regional Impacts page providing regional information about Round Rock and Pflugerville from our sister publication.

I encourage you to continue to contact me with your thoughts and comments. Whether it is with a story idea or simply to express your “two cents” on an issue, I look forward to your input.

Claire M. Love, General Manager