BOG Survey

• February 17, 2025
• Call To Action, Explanations

Please take a few minutes to take our 2025 BastropBOG Survey. Focused on transparency in local government, the goal is to see what people know about what’s happening in their local governments.

Understanding (or not) Public Hearings

• February 17, 2025
• Explanations, Meetings

The meeting started at 5PM. By 6:15, almost half the people in the room at the start of the meeting were gone. And yet, the public hearings on the various development code modifications had not even happened. Why? People don’t know how this all works. Nor was there any explanation for this large turnout about…

Shocking Revelations

• February 17, 2025
• Explanations

An Open Records Request revealed documents previously held outside the public eye proving that there were no financial improprieties at Visit Bastrop. And, City Manager Sylvia Carrillo knew it! On Monday, January 29, 2024 prior to the first Ethics Commission hearing, Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo admitted in writing that it was “hard to show…

A Fix Without a Problem

• February 5, 2025
• Explanations

Reprinted with permission from the author, Carol Spencer. The City of Bastrop held numerous public hearings before it adopted the current zoning ordinance. The public had many opportunities to provide input. Modifications were made based on that input. The Council held public hearings on the ordinance to obtain more public input, and then it was…

Effecting Charter Changes

• January 31, 2025
• Explanations

Reprinted with permission from the author, Carol Spencer. If you live in the City of Bastrop, you may remember quite a few charter amendments on your ballot last November. Two failed. All the rest passed. November? That’s almost 3 months ago. Are the changes in effect yet? Good question. So, let’s figure that out. State…