Double Horn residents vote to incorporate; now the real business begins
STAFF WRITER JARED FIELDS
After a 75-65 vote Dec. 6, the Double Horn subdivision near Spicewood will now incorporate as a new Type B city in Burnet County.
The votes will be canvassed Dec. 11 during the regular Burnet County Commissioners Court meeting before Double Horn officially becomes a city.
The timeline for the new city’s next steps, however, is less certain.
A mayor and five-member city council must be put in place. The day after the election, it remains unclear when those positions will be filled.
Glenn Leisey, co-chairman of Spicewood Equity Protection Alliance Texas (SEPATX), is one of the organizers of the incorporation effort. The group formed in opposition to Spicewood Crushed Stone LLC earlier this year.
Leisey said people in the community have been in contact with an incorporation attorney to determine what is needed moving forward.
“They’re sending a flow chart of what to do next,” Leisey said. “We haven’t received it.”
In the meantime, the homeowners association will continue providing for water and streets.
“The city would basically be more concerned with protecting our air and quality of life against outside nuisances,” Leisey said.
One official city position could be city secretary, which would deal with government items not handled by the homeowners association.
“One additional chore a city secretary would do is look for grants to enhance the quality of life out here,” Leisey added.
The incorporation vote came about as a means for residents to gain some control over proposed rock quarries in the area. While many residents were in opposition to the quarry, the close vote showed that issue was not the only one considered in the election.
“People don’t like having additional taxes to pay,” Leisey said.
Taxes, Leisey added, aren’t expected to be high, but a rate can’t be set until a council is in place.
“One of the reasons for incorporation was to have some control over what is in our community and exert some control over what surrounds our community,” Leisey said.
Burnet County officials aren’t part of the process other than canvassing votes. City representatives will have to follow the attorney’s recommendations on how to fill the elected positions and potentially set an election.
2 thoughts on “Double Horn residents vote to incorporate; now the real business begins”
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I’ll give them 3 months till they hire 6 cops and set up a 24/7/365 speed trap to “pay for” the city “services”.
So the map shows the area of dbl horn and the included area where the quarry is going in (assuming they get the tceq permit) but the article doesn’t mention whether or not they can actually stop the quarry. It just says they want to exert control over it. Also the close vote shows a divided community seeing that the early votes went against this and it passed by a margin of 10. The deciding votes probably were do to certain households having multiple eligible voters. It’s a shame these type elections don’t require a minimum of 2/3rd majority to pass.