News

by Alexandria Randolph

Newcomer Rachel Austin-Cook seized a seat on Marble Falls council according to cumulative voting totals issued Saturday night.

Austin-Cook competed with two other candidates for Place 4 on council and garnered 63 votes; 58 percent of early votes cast. Coming in second is Sharon Pittard at 38 percent, with 41 votes. Fellow candidate Jennifer McKague received 4 votes, or 4 percent.

Incumbent Place 2 council member Jane Marie Hurst ran unopposed and received 63 votes. Incumbent Place 6 council member Ryan Nash also ran unopposed, and garnered 76 votes.

Mayoral candidate John Packer ran unopposed and also received 76 votes.

by Alexandria Randolph

Carl Brugger won the Granite Shoals mayoral seat with 76 percent, according to unofficial election totals Saturday night.

Brugger has 124 votes total, or 76 percent to Dennis McCoy’s 29 votes, or 24 percent.

In the race for city council, Anita Hisey is running unopposed for Place 1 and received 129 total votes. In the race for Place 3 on council, Eric Tanner came out on top with 116 total votes, or 71 percent, against Michael Lee Steenbergen, who has received 48 votes, or 29 percent.

Todd Holland won Place 5 on council with 70 percent, or 115 votes. Bill Cummings, also running for Place 5, has 49 votes, or 30 percent.

Voters approved Granite Shoals Proposition 1 by 58, with 42 percent against; 96 votes to 69.

by Alexandria Randolph

The Emergency Service District (ESD) 6 sales and use tax was passed by a strong majority Saturday according to unofficial election results.

According to early voting and Election Day totals, the proposition to adopt a two percent sales and use tax for business and service sales in the ESD 6 garnered a strong citizen support; 70 percent of early voters were for the proposition compared to just 30 percent against. Early votes totaled 49 to 21.

Currently, the ESD is working with a budget of $218,160, which is supported by a property tax of .0835 cents per $100 valuation for the 2014-2015 year. ESD commissioners expect the sales tax revenue would provide an additional estimated $54,000 for the ESD each year.

by Alexandria Randolph

Unofficial totals Saturday show citizens in favor of sales and use tax for Emergency Service District (ESD) 6.

According to early voting totals, the proposition to adopt a two percent sales and use tax for business and service sales in the ESD 6 garnered a strong citizen support; 69 percent of early voters were for the proposition compared to just 31 percent against. Early votes totaled 22 to 10.

Currently, the ESD is working with a budget of $218,160, which is supported by a property tax of .0835 cents per $100 valuation for the 2014-2015 year. If passed, ESD commissioners expect the added sales tax revenue would provide an estimated $54,000 for the ESD each year.

by Alexandria Randolph

Unofficial early voting totals Saturday show Rachel Austin-Cook in a narrow lead for the contested Marble Falls council seat.

Austin-Cook garnered 38 votes; 58 percent of early votes cast. Coming in second is Sharon Pittard at 39 percent, with 26 votes. Fellow candidate Jennifer McKague received 2 votes, or 3 percent.

The three are vying for Place 4 on council.

Incumbent Place 2 council member Jane Marie Hurst is running unopposed and received 40 votes. Incumbent Place 6 council member Ryan Nash is also running unopposed, and garnered 46 votes.

Mayoral candidate John Packer is running unopposed and also received 46 votes.

by Alexandria Randolph

Unofficial totals on Saturday night show Carl Brugger in the led for Granite Shoals mayor in early votes.

Brugger has 47 early votes, or 76 percent to Dennis McCoy’s 15 votes, or 24 percent.

In the race for city council, Anita Hisey is running unopposed for Place 1 and received 49 early votes. In the race for Place 3 on council, Eric Tanner is in the lead with 43 early votes, or 69 percent against Michael Lee Steenbergen, who has received 19 votes, or 31 percent.

In the race for Place 5, Todd Holland is in the lead with 71 percent, or 44 votes. Bill Cummings, also running for Place 5, has 19 votes, or 29 percent.

Early voting totals for Granite Shoals Proposition 1 show an even competition, with 57 percent for the proposition, and 43 percent against; 36 votes to 27.

Burnet County polls are open today, May 9 for local elections. Polling places are listed below by precinct. To find out in which precinct you reside, see your voter registration card or the Burnet County website. The listing for precinct 3 was improperly reported in Friday's Highlander and appears correct here.

1, 2, 8, 9, 17,

9 and 20 IN (BCISD)  - Burnet County Courthouse 2

5 - Silver Creek Community Center 5

7 – Cassie Community Center

6, 10, 12, 13 – Bertram Library

15, 16 and Williamson County 207 and 310 (for BCISD) – Briggs Schoolhouse/Fire Station

11 and 14 – Lake Victor Community Center

6 – Smithwick Community Center

9 – Highland Haven Community Center

3 and 18 – Granite Shoals Fire Department

4, 19, 20 – Marble Falls South Annex

Llano County 203, 204, 205 (for BCISD) – Lakeshore Library

by Alexandria Randolph

A structure fire in Burnet in the 1000 block of CR 340 Wednesday afternoon is still under investigation due to structure safety concerns, authorities said. 

The blaze reported at 3:10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 decimated a mobile home and travel trailer, leaving two occupants homeless. Burnet Fire and EMS officials said the structure had to be bulldozed to ensure firefighter safety in fully extinguishing the blaze. 

Authorities said the two occupants, an unidentified man and woman, were both treated on the scene for smoke inhalation but were otherwise unharmed. 

"When the call came in it was fully engulfed," said Lealand Raiford, Burnet EMS Coordinator. "We made it to the scene about 5 minutes after the call came in. When we got here, 75 percent of the house was gone."

By 4:15 p.m., the blaze was under control, but the roof was beginning to collapse. 

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander. 

by Alexandria Randolph

A Burnet County man was arrested on two felony charges Saturday after he allegedly a woman to a chair in his home.

Scott Perrin Reynolds, 48, was arrested Saturday, May 2 on charges of aggravated kidnaping and unlawful restraint.

According to a Burnet County Sheriff's Office release, on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., dispatch received a call from a woman in the 100 block of Southland Drive west of Burnet. She was hysterical and screaming, “Please don't hurt me anymore,” the release stated.

by Alexandria Randolph

An Austin man was charged with burglary of a habitation after a woman woke to find a stranger in her Burnet County home Saturday morning.

Burnet County Sheriff's Deputies arrested Michael Brandon Berry, a 35-year-old from Austin, on charge of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit other felony.