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By John Hallowell

The Llano City Council held an abbreviated special meeting Monday night, discussing only two agenda items after a public hearing for an annexation request by Lee and Virginia Duncan. Although there have been no objections raised to the proposed annexation of the Duncan property (on RR 152, next to the Legend Oaks apartments), the rigid timetable mandated by state law required the city to hold two public hearings before the next regularly scheduled meeting September 7. No one appeared to speak at the public hearing, so the council went directly to its special meeting.

The first agenda item was the "Safe Routes to School" contract with the Texas Department of Transportation. This contract would have required the city to move numerous utility hookups (at a cost of around $49,000) to allow the construction of sidewalks. Council decided to cancel the contract and to use city crews to build sidewalks near the elementary school, at a much lower cost.

The second item was an available Community Development Block Grant for $275,000, which the city hopes to use to replace old water lines and install about a dozen new fire hydrants. After some discussion, the council members voted to hire J. Gandolf Burrus, of Grant Development Services, to write and administer the grant, at an 11.5 percent fee.