Reagor building demolished; property to be auctioned for back taxes
Crews work to clear debris from 300 N. Water St. (U.S. 281) in Burnet after the Reagor building was torn down the week of Feb. 19, 2024. Built in 1939 of free scrap granite from Granite Mountain in Marble Falls, the building was gutted by fire in December 2022. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
The city of Burnet tore down the fire-gutted and condemned Reagor building on U.S. 281 the week of Feb. 19, and the property is set to be sold at a public auction for back taxes on March 5.
“We are devastated by this,” said Rhonda Martin, fiancée to property owner Kenneth Reagor. Martin has been acting as Reagor’s spokesperson in the battle to save the building, which came to a head at a City Council meeting in January with a final vote to condemn it.
The city first condemned the building after a December 2022 fire destroyed all but the granite walls. At the time of the blaze, the building was home to Reagor Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing, and Electric.
The council approved a demolition order in June 2023 and again in October when the owners did not clear the property as ordered. The owners are listed on the Burnet Central Appraisal District website as Kenneth R. Reagor and Verlon D. Reagor Jr., although Verlon Jr. died in 2016.
In November, Kenneth Reagor and Martin hired an attorney and filed for a temporary restraining order against demolition. Judge Evan Stubbs of the 424th Judicial District issued the order on Dec. 1, 2023, stopping demolition set for Dec. 4.
At a Dec. 14 hearing on the matter, both sides told Judge Stubbs they agreed to meet one last time in Burnet City Council chambers to discuss saving the building.
Reagor and Martin also agreed to abide by whatever the council decided, which ultimately was to tear down the building.
The property is being sold at auction for back taxes. Bidding starts at $36,250, according to a listing on Burnet County’s website. The property is appraised at $190,512 by the Burnet Central Appraisal District. About $48,000 is owed in taxes dating to 2016, according to the CAD database. 
“Our attorney has offered to have the insurance company pay the property taxes (to the county) directly from our settlement, which is due in March, but it won’t be paid until after the auction deadline,” Martin said.
The city of Burnet will have a lien on the property for the cost of demolishing the building. DailyTrib.com has submitted a public information request for the amount. The city has 14 days to comply with the request, which was submitted Monday, Feb. 26.
Martin said she and Reagor were trying to work with the insurance company to pay up.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “The county wants a firm settlement amount and date set, which, of course, we don’t have yet.”