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City
Attorney
Biography
Patty Akers practices in the areas of municipal law and public
law. She has over twenty-four years of legal experience representing
cities and local governments. Her current practice focus is
upon representing cities as city attorney and in land use
development and environmental issues. In addition, she routinely
handles zoning, subdivision regulation, annexation, utility
development, and the review, evaluation and revision of municipal
ordinances that are related to such issues.
Representative Experience
Patty currently serves as City Attorney for Wimberley, Bee
Cave, Marble Falls, and Presidio and has represented El Paso,
Dayton, Gilmer, Van, Junction and several other cities in
the last year on land development and annexation issues. She
has advised her municipal clients in all areas of public law
from municipal ordinance drafting and compliance with the
open meetings/open records laws to special issues related
to water and wastewater utilities, ethics, real estate acquisition
and development, and economic development.
In addition to her experience as city attorney, Patty has
represented many clients before the TCEQ, and its predecessor
agencies, on matters relating to municipal solid waste permitting,
and solid and hazardous waste disposal and remediation, and
air quality permitting. Prior to joining Bickerstaff, Heath
in 2000, Patty served as senior environmental counsel for
the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and prior to that
position she served as environmental counsel for the Dallas
Fort Worth International Airport. Her experience with LCRA
included solid waste permitting, remediation, and on-site
disposal issues at all of LCRA's power plants, service centers,
and industrial facilitites. She was also the lead attorney
in a significant landfill case before the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission that was ongoing for several years
and included numerous parties and many complex environmental
issues.
Career Highlights, Honors and Appointments
Former Senior Environmental Counsel, Lower Colorado River
Authority
Former Assistant General Counsel, Texas Department of Water
Resources (Predecessor agency to Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality);
Former Assistant City Attorney, City of Dallas
Publications, Papers, and Presentations
Environmental Regulations and Land Use and Development , Co-Author / Speaker, William "King" Cole Effective
Local Government Series - Sesison II (Advanced) (April 2005).
Land Use and Economic Development Challenges Affecting
City Government , Co-Author / Speaker, Texas Leadership
Institute Conference on Issues Affecting City Governments
(November 2004).
Coal Combustion By-Products (CCPs) , Author / Speaker,
EPA Listening Meeting on behalf of Texas Coal Ash Utilitzation
Group (April 2004).
Regulating Land Use Through Contracts , Author /
Speaker, TMCA City Managers' Problem Solving Clinic (February
2004).
Managing Environmental Risk Through Environmental Assessments,
Environmental Audits, Environmental Management System ,
Author / Speaker 16th Annual Local Government Seminar (September
2003).
Combating NIMBY, BANANA and Other Barriers to Energy Development , Author / Speaker, Powering the Nation America's Need
for Coal Generation (October 2002).
Mold and Sick Buildings , Author, 14th Annual Local
Government Seminar (April 2001).
Interlocal Cooperation Contracts: Some Practical Tips
for Counties ; Author / Speaker, Texas County Judges
and Commissioners Association Continuing Education Conference
(February 2001).
Educational and Professional Background
St. Mary's University School of Law (J.D.); University of
Texas at Austin (B.S.)
Admitted to Practice: The Supreme Court of Texas, 1980; United
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; United States
District Court for the Northern and Western Districts of Texas
Texas City Attorney's Association; International Municipal
Lawyers Association; State Bar of Texas (Environmental and
Natural Resources Section); Central Texas Chapter Air and
Waste Management Association
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