News

Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Marble Falls Area VFD firefighters have battled back a number of wildland brush and roadside grass fires in recent weeks, which have taken a toll on equipment and resources, as the fire danger continues to mount during the height of the summer months.

Triple-digit temperatures, lack of rain, low humidity and dry “overgrown fuels” prompted bans on outdoor burning in Burnet, Llano and Blanco counties.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Two veteran Horseshoe Bay City Council members will face off against each other to become the next mayor during the Nov. 5 election.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A boat launch area upgrade is underway at Inks Lake State Park which will include a new dock and a resurfaced boat ramp, officials said.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Burnet County authorities have arrested a suspect in an illegal dumping investigation tied to several properties in a Prairie Creek Drive neighborhood, including one on Elm Creek Drive, where a blaze threatened homes three days after the man was taken into custody in the Brazos Valley.

Levi Dakota Baay, 19, of Bernard will face a state jail felony charge of illegal dumping (less than 1,000 pounds and/or 200 cubic feet). He was booked into the Robertson County Jail on Aug. 18. Baay was released on Aug. 20 after posting a $10,000 bond, according to jail records.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

After a contentious year of negotiations, the City of Meadowlakes and the Meadowlakes Property Owners Association (MPOA) finally reached an agreement on a three-year service contract which will call for the MPOA to pay the city nearly $320,000.

Meadowlakes provides contractual customer service, accounting, payroll, recordkeeping and maintenance operations to the MPOA. The city's last contract with MPOA had called for the city to receive $96,913 per year ($8,076 per month) for three years, from October 2016 to September 2019.

Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

The city of Double Horn has approved a second election which, depending on the vote, could overturn the municipality's incorporation status which first passed in December 2018.

Petition co-coordinator Glen Zoerner made the announcement in a written statement, following an Aug. 19 response deadline for the city for an election “to call the question of abolishing the city's corporate existence.” The incorporation vote is scheduled for Nov. 5.

From staff reports

Horseshoe Bay City Council will hold two public hearings on a proposed not to exceed tax rate of 29 cents per $100 valuation, which exceeds both the effective and rollback tax rate for 2019.

The first public hearing will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, while the second will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. Both will be held at City Hall, 1 Community Drive, Horseshoe Bay.

Special to The Highlander

Members of the Burnet County Republican Club, Burnet County Republican Women and Burnet County Republican Party met at Bill’s Burgers discuss arrangements for their upcoming fundraiser featuring Lt. Col. Allen West, Senator Dawn Buckingham and State Representative Terry Wilson.

The Burnet County Republican Picnic will be held at Bill’s Burgers in Burnet on Sunday, September 8 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by The Skylarks.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

The City of Granite Shoals will ask voters to approve a $7 million bond package for water system improvements on Tuesday, Nov. 5, after City Council members adopted an ordinance calling for an election at their Aug. 13 meeting at City Hall.

By Nathan Hendrix
Staff Writer

While the students were out for summer vacation, Marble Falls Independent School District was putting some of the money from last year's $55 million bond to work.

MFISD Superintendent Chris Allen said although there is plenty of work left to be done across the district, the administration is happy with the progress made prior to the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 21.