County: Burnet County
School District: Marble Falls Independent School District serves Granite Shoals. Highland Lakes Elementary School is located in Granite Shoals at the intersection of H.A. Barnett Road/Phillips Ranch Road and R.M. 1431.
Inhabitants: 5,025
Area: 4.56 square miles
Elevation: Varies from approximately 825 to 860 feet above MSL
Streets: 78 miles
Drinking Water: Provided by City of Granite Shoals Public Works, and recognized as a ” Superior Public Water System” by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The city completed construction in 2007 on a new state of the art water plant, under budget and on time, which will allow the city to serve clean, abundant water to its residents for decades.
Wastewater Services: Primarily on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic), with some areas served by a private company, Aqua Texas. Residents will vote on May 14, 2011 on whether to fund the first phase of the city’s proposed plan to provide sewer service to the entire community.
Parks and Public Facilities: Granite Shoals has 18 parks, 16 of which are lakeside.
Traffic Count: A 2005 study for the Texas Department of Transportation for the proposed Wirtz Dam Bridge project indicated that there were up to about 15,000 cars per day on the stretch of road on R.M. 1431 between Wirtz Dam Road and our city limits.
Lake Lyndon B. Johnson: Granite Shoals sits on the north side of Lake LBJ, benefiting from the prevailing southern breezes during the summertime. The lake has approximately 149 miles of shoreline and 6,534 acres of water. The lake is near constant level, with a normal pool elevation of 825 feet above msl. The lake is 21.5 miles long and 10,800 feet wide at its widest point. The lake and dam were completed in 1950, and were originally both named Granite Shoals. The dam was renamed Wirtz Dam after Alvin Wirtz, former state senator and general counsel to Lower Colorado River Authority, and the lake was renamed in 1965 after former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who as a Congressman and Senator was responsible for passage of the Rural Electrification Act which created the dams along the Highland Lakes to provide inexpensive electricity to rural residents. Johnson owned a large ranch on the lake known as the Haywood Ranch, which was located along the Llano River arm of LakeLBJ. He frequently entertained guests at the lake, and had his boat equipped with the latest communications equipment to keep him in touch with the White House.
City Management: In November, 2005, GS residents voted over 2 to 1 for a self-governing home rule form of city government. The city is managed by a full-time professional city manager, Judy Miller, who has decades of city management experience, and who is a former city manager of nearby Marble Falls. The mayor and city council serve 2-year terms, and the city charter provides that they will be term limited after 3 consecutive terms. They all serve as volunteers for the city. The current mayor is Frank Reilly, a lawyer who was first elected in 2005, and who is not seeking re-election in 2011. Currently on the city council are:
- Dennis Maier, who serves as Mayor Pro Tem, who was first elected to the city council in 2005. Maier is an engineer who has a background in the U.S. Air Force and in private practice. He serves as chair of the city’s street and water advisory group, and has been an active volunteer with the city’s beautification efforts.
- Bessie Jackson, a retired pharmacy technician, who served several terms as a trustee of the Marble Falls Independent School District.
- David Dittmar, a retired engineer, who formerly managed the aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Texas’ McDonald Space Observatory.
- Carl Brugger, CPA, who has a strong background in business management, having been in charge of several large petrochemical operations on the Gulf Coast, and who is a practicing Certified Public Accountant.
- Shirley King, who has served as manager of King Portable Structures for over 25 years, and who has given thousands of hours of service on the city’s parks committee, street and waterline advisory group, and as the city council liaison to the comprehensive steering committee.
- Slayton Marks, a former member of the city’s board of adjustment, and a student at Texas State University.
Public Safety: Granite Shoals has a fully staffed professional police force. The police department also patrols the shores of Granite Shoals via police boat. The city has hired a professional fire chief and the well trained and dedicated fire department operates primarily on a volunteer basis. EMS services are provided by the MarbleFalls Area EMS , which has paramedics stationed at our fire hall.
Public Safety: Granite Shoals has a fully staffed professional police force. The police department also patrols the shores of Granite Shoals via police boat. The city has hired a professional fire chief and the well trained and dedicated fire department operates primarily on a volunteer basis. EMS services are provided by the MarbleFalls Area EMS , which has paramedics stationed at our fire hall.