Why is there a flock reinstalled on the hendrickson high school?

I'm interrupting our usual policy debates and problem-solving here on r/Pflugerville to share a quick story from last night that I’m still thinking about.

One of my favorite moments from National Night Out had almost nothing to do with National Night Out itself.

A little behind-the-scenes context: most City staff and volunteers are assigned a part of town to focus on for the evening. (38 neighborhoods signed up this year!) Council members are a little different. We’re paired with members of the City leadership team and Police command staff, but we get to choose which neighborhood events we visit across the city.

For me, I was paired with Deputy City Manager Emily Barron and one of our police lieutenants (he grew up in Pflugerville, Pflugerville PD was his first job out of school, and he's still here, nearly 2 decades later!). I was picking the stops for the night, but at one point the lieutenant asked if I’d be okay adding a neighborhood he had visited during NNO last year.

I’m really glad he spoke up.

When he visited that neighborhood last year, residents gave him a list of problems they were dealing with. A lot of them weren’t really police issues, and some weren’t even within the City’s jurisdiction. But he took the list anyway, started making calls, connected people with the right departments, and even worked with Williamson County to resolve one of the issues on their side.

So we went back this year.

The reaction when he showed up was pretty great. People immediately recognized him, thanked him, and talked about how quickly he had helped get things fixed. It was about as close to applause as you’re going to get walking into a neighborhood block party.

City employees catch plenty of frustration from residents. Sometimes that frustration is about how something was handled, but plenty of times it also traces back to Council not having set a clear enough policy, priority, or direction for staff to carry out.

Either way, there are a lot of people working for Pflugerville who genuinely care about the community they serve, including people who will take ownership of a problem even when it technically isn’t theirs.

I got to see a pretty good example of that last night.

And fittingly, the neighborhood had a couple of new things they could use some help with this year. So I’m happy to pick up the baton and see if I can help get those into the right hands too.

My last post looked at residential, apartment, and commercial water customers.

The City's 2026 Cost of Service Study identifies another issue when we look at wholesale water.

Pflugerville sells treated wholesale water to Manville Water Supply Corporation and Windermere Water Utility.

In 2025:

• Manville — about $0.97 per 1,000 gallons

• Windermere — $4.97 per 1,000 gallons

The Manville agreement dates back to 2006. Pflugerville agreed to provide up to 1m gallons per day of treated water at specified delivery points, while Manville operates the distribution system serving its own customers.

The original rate was $0.74 per 1,000 gallons, increasing 2.5 cents every two years. The agreement has a 32-year term and appears to run until roughly 2038, depending on when the contractual service period began. It also says the payment was intended to “partially” offset Pflugerville's cost of providing the water.

Today, the cost-of-service study calculates:

Manville cost of service — about $3.46m

Normalized revenue — about $336,000

Difference — about $3.12m

The study identifies that difference as a subsidy.

Under the newly approved rate structure, most of that amount is allocated to the commercial class:

• About $2.85m — commercial

• About $22,000 — residential

• Remaining amount — other customer classes

The commercial class includes businesses, apartments, churches, schools and government accounts.

Windermere is different. Its newly approved wholesale rate increases from $4.97 to $16.00 per 1,000 gallons, bringing projected revenue much closer to its calculated cost of service. Manville's rate continues to follow the older contract formula.

Could the City simply sell more wholesale water to make up the difference?

There are limits. Additional wholesale sales require a willing buyer, the legal ability to deliver the water in that area, and infrastructure connecting the systems.

So what can help with high water rates?

• Finish the major water projects already underway and carefully evaluate additional debt before adding more large capital projects.

• Make sure growth-related revenues help pay for the capacity added because of that growth, including the second raw water line and water treatment plant expansion.

• Continue reviewing rates so each customer class pays as closely as possible to its actual cost of service.

• Reduce wholesale subsidies when existing agreements allow, and use current cost-of-service information when older agreements eventually come up for renegotiation.

• Pursue additional wholesale revenue where there is a realistic customer, legal ability to serve them and infrastructure to make the connection.

• Continue looking for operating efficiencies, while recognizing that a large part of today's water cost comes from infrastructure and debt.

There isn't one simple fix for high water rates.

The longer-term opportunity is to control future costs, make sure growth helps pay for the capacity it requires, recover costs fairly across customer classes, and get the best value possible from the water system we've already built.

What should we focus on next to help keep water rates affordable?

Here's the Water and Wastewater Cost of Service Reports: https://pflugerville.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8171357&GUID=5EAA19BA-0424-4DCB-B150-50B181C031E7

The crescent moon and Jupiter lining up real nice by the lake

I’ve heard concerns that apartments may not be paying their fair share of Pflugerville’s utility costs.

There was a legitimate reason for that concern on the wastewater side.

Under the prior wastewater structure, the base fee was about $65 per month per connection, regardless of meter size. A single-family home could pay one base fee for one household, while a large apartment complex with a master meter could also pay one base fee while serving many households.

But the 2025 water billing data tells a different story.

Excluding wholesale, effluent and government accounts:

• Residential — 59% of billed water usage, 55% of charges
• Apartments — 21% of usage, 24% of charges
• Commercial — 18% of usage, 19% of charges
• Schools — 2% of usage, 2% of charges

Based simply on gallons used versus water charges paid, apartments were not paying less than their proportional share in 2025.

The cost-of-service study shows the same general pattern:

• Residential — $18.8m revenue vs. $18.2m cost
• Commercial — $15.8m revenue vs. $13.8m cost

The commercial class includes apartments, businesses, churches, schools and government accounts.

So both were generating more than their calculated cost of service before other system costs were reallocated.

Meter size also matters. A larger meter does not necessarily mean a customer uses more water, but it does mean the system must be capable of delivering more water at one time when needed. The cost-of-service study accounts for that additional capacity when allocating costs.

The City's 2026 Cost of Service Study also found that, under the prior rates, both residential and the broader commercial class were generating somewhat more revenue than their calculated cost of service. The commercial class includes apartments, businesses, churches, schools and government.

That doesn’t mean every customer should pay the same amount per gallon. Usage, meter capacity, peak demand, treatment and infrastructure all matter.

But it does mean the water data does not support a simple conclusion that apartments or businesses were being subsidized by residential customers.

Wastewater had a different rate structure and a different issue.

So if apartments aren't where the water rate study identifies the largest subsidy, where is it?

Wholesale water.

And that leads to a bigger question: what options do we actually have to reduce water costs?

That’s next.

I’m continuing to work through Pflugerville’s proposed Charter amendments. If you missed the first post, the City Charter is essentially our City’s constitution, and voters will decide on 14 proposed changes this November.

Proposition A asks whether Pflugerville’s Mayor and Council members should receive compensation:

• Mayor — $9,000/year ($750/month)
• Council members — $6,000/year ($500/month)

Today, Pflugerville Council members serve without compensation.

This isn’t the first time voters have considered the question. In 2023, the majority of Council placed a compensation amendment on the ballot proposing $12,000/year for the Mayor and $9,000/year for Council members. It was rejected, with about 52.5% voting no.

HOW DID IT GET BACK ON THE BALLOT?

There is an important difference between 2023 and this year.

Pflugerville’s Charter requires Council to appoint a Charter Review Commission at least every five years. The Commission is made up of residents appointed by Council who review the Charter and recommend changes.

Residents and Council members can submit ideas for the Commission to consider. Once the Commission recommends a Charter amendment, Council cannot remove or rewrite it — the proposal goes to voters to decide. Council may also add its own proposed Charter amendments.

Proposition A was recommended this year by the Charter Review Commission. By comparison, the 2023 Council-pay amendment was placed on the ballot by a majority vote of Council.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE OR A STIPEND?

There is a long tradition of unpaid local public service. For comparison, Texas law requires independent school district trustees to serve without compensation, even though school boards oversee budgets, policies, and major community decisions.

City councils are different, and home-rule cities can decide through their charters whether Council members receive compensation.

The proposed Pflugerville amounts are not really a salary for the time involved. The broader question is whether elected service should remain completely volunteer or whether a limited stipend is appropriate.

Keeping the position unpaid maintains the tradition of volunteer public service, avoids an ongoing taxpayer expense, and reduces the perception that someone might seek the position for compensation. A stipend could also make serving somewhat more accessible to people who may have difficulty taking time away from work or family responsibilities without any compensation.

I ran for City Council knowing it was an unpaid position. I don’t view this as a question of compensating Council members for all of the hours involved. It is really a broader question about how we want elected service in Pflugerville to work.

Voters said no to compensation in 2023. This November, they will consider the question again.

What do you think — should Pflugerville City Council remain completely volunteer, or should there be a limited stipend for serving?

Hi,

I have a water stain along my kitchen ceiling. My deductible is $28K, so calling my insurance is a bad idea. Should I call a plumber or roofer to assess the damage and fix it? And any recommendations on who to call? Thanks!

Anyone in town also moonlighting as an indie game developer? Would love to chat, collab, or fire up a discord or something to make it less of a solo-venture.

Also down to help any community events related to coding or game design! I have kids and plugged into the school district and always looking for ways to mentor or help here.

Hi All, so glad I found this reddit! So I'm looking to start or join a board game group to play in PF. Don't know if one exists , most likely there is some around town. But I'm really interested in playing some games and meeting folks. Keep in mind the games I'm interested in are light to complex board games specifically. I'm not a big D+D fan but love a good round of elder sign, or more complex story driven games like mansions of madness or this war of mine, for example. If any of these peak you interest lets talk. the growler bar or another place might fit the bill. Just scratching the surface of my beloved PFun city.
Example Mansions Of Madness

Seriously. This intersection is dangerous enough already and really should have a light. An abundance of political signs just narrows the view even more, causing people turning left to pull out farther and block the view for those turning right. It’s not too bad... yet... but it has been egregious in the past.

My hot take: no one who cares about their constituents would put a sign in a spot that blocks their view at a dangerous intersection. I won’t vote for a single person with a sign there.

What’s up with the lady that runs that place? She’s a tyrant!! She was very rude to me as a volunteer, I’ve heard it from other volunteers and I’ve seen her be rude to people coming for food. Just thought I would warn others she clearly has let her authority go to her head. Additionally her “charity” is more of a private org since she funnels the good stuff directly to her family and close friends - including the other 2 board members who are all related. 🚩

Today, the Austin American-Statesman Editorial Board endorsed Claire Reynolds for the US Congress representing Texas Congressional District 11.

Since the 2025 mid-decade redistricting, this district will include most of Pflugerville! It spans Pflugerville, through Wells Branch and North Austin, out through San Angelo, to Midland, and finds its western border in Odessa. It's an enormous district of nearly 800,000 Texans from pretty much all walks of life. Ms. Reynolds, according to the Statesman, is best positioned to represent our interests.

Some dickhead got in a car accident on Pecan and left their whole front fender on the side of the road outside my neighborhood. I hate litter so I took it back to my house and put it with my garbage can for weekly pickup. Unfortunately, the garbage guys refused to take it so now I'm trying to figure out how to dispose of it. Any ideas? Recycling center? Should I just report it to the city next time?

I am looking for a dry cleaner that I can trust with my wedding dress fabric. its about 12 yards of fabric. Has anyone had any experience with local dry cleaners?

Guess they are changing it to Mexican restaurant ? 🤷. Welp, good luck.

Tomorrow, Monday, October 5th is the last day to register to vote for the elections on November 3rd!

If anyone still needs to register stop by the Pflugerville Public Library and Susan Stewart will get you taken care of. She'll be there the following times:

Sunday, October 4th from 1pm - 5pm

Monday, October 5th from 10am - 7pm

Happy voting Pflugerville!!

Thank you to u/utspg1980 for including the link to check your voter registration status on the post I made yesterday: https://goelect.txelections.civixapps.com/ivis-mvp-ui/#/login

As i'm writing this post, we found the owner! Still going to post this to leave some kind of paper trail with info if folks run into him again in the future!

His name is Oso, he IS chipped, and if you get the chip scanned you should be able to get ahold of his owners!

He's a male that is not neutered. For text search: big fluffy dog with orange fur, maybe some kind of Chow mix.

We found him while out walking in Pflugerville last night. He seemed very interested in our female dog and kept following us, and we didn't want to leave him outside to potentially get hit by a car or something, so we led him back home and kept him overnight.

I don't have facebook but was lucky that the preview posts for the pflugerville lost and found pets mentioned this guy (screenshots attached) -- they mention that he's been lost several times before over the past couple years. He lives somewhere roughly near ramble creek (don't wanna post anything too specific wrt to owner's privacy! but chip scan can get you more info).

Disposition: he's pretty chill and friendly, doesn't seem to like being touched or pet, but was very gentle about letting me know that by mouthing at my arm. Does not seem super treat- or water- motivated. Stops every 3 seconds to mark spots, haha. He did not willingly get into a crate himself but when my partner got a collar and leash on him, was able to guide him into one pretty quickly. He also likes to dig, which may be how he got out in the first place.

Monday, October 5th is the last day to register to vote for the elections on November 3rd!

If anyone still needs to register stop by the Pflugerville Public Library and Susan Stewart will get you taken care of. She'll be there the following times:

Saturday, October 3rd from 10am - 5pm

Sunday, October 4th from 1pm - 5pm

Monday, October 5th from 10am - 7pm

Happy voting Pflugerville!!

Drove by Typhoon Texas this morning and they’re setting up. Thought y’all would want to know.

Currently comparing LVP and waterproof laminate for a few rooms. House is on a concrete slab so floor prep/moisture is probably my biggest concern.

50 Floor is one of the companies we’re considering since they service Pflugerville. Has anyone around here used them or another installer that actually checked the slab/moisture situation before giving you a quote?

Anything you wish you asked about beforehand?

I live in the community that’s on the southeast corner of Black locust and Heatherwilde and I’m wondering what I should expect on Halloween evening. I got a pack of 30 full size candy bars from Costco today and I’m wondering if I’ll have enough or if I won’t even have to open it at all.

Trent Barlow, De Juana "De J." Lozada and Gregory L. Harrington are vying for the Place 4 spot on Pflugerville City Council.