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Burnet County speeds up judge selection process

The Burnet County Commissioners Court held a special meeting Feb. 4 to modify the county judge selection process, reducing the number of public forums to one due to the limited number of applicants. The forum will take place Feb. 6 in Burnet. Staff photo by Elizabeth De Los Santos

Burnet County commissioners could vote on a new county judge by Feb. 11 after changing the appointment process during a special meeting Tuesday, Feb. 4. Due to the small number of applicants, the county reduced the number of public forums from two to one.

The single forum is Thursday in the Burnet County AgriLife auditorium, 607 N. Vandeveer St. in Burnet. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a meet-and-greet; the main event starts at 6 p.m. District judges Evan Stubbs and Allan Garrett will moderate and hold a random drawing to determine the three applicants’ speaking order. 

Each applicant will have:

  • three minutes for introductions;
  • two minutes per question to respond to 10 prepared questions; 
  • and three minutes for a conclusion, presented in reverse order of introductions.

Questions were curated by First Assistant County Attorney Colleen Davis, who said she sifted through hundreds of emailed responses from residents about what they wanted in a county judge.

“I looked for common themes, repeated topics, and the most frequently asked questions from the public,” Davis said during the Tuesday meeting. “I didn’t use any specific question as written but instead created a set of 10 questions that best reflect what the community wants to know about the applicants and their vision for the role.”

The county judge is the presiding officer of the Burnet County Commissioners Court, overseeing county operations, budgets, and legal matters.

The Commissioners Court will hold formal interviews during its Feb. 11 meeting, which will be open to the public. An appointment discussion and possible vote to select the next county judge will also take place that day.

The decision to hold just one forum was made due to the small applicant pool. Retired Judge Gil Jones, Burnet County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Alan Trevino, and resident Bryan Wilson were the only people to apply by the Jan. 31 deadline.

“With only three candidates, one forum is sufficient,” said Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle. “The public will still have multiple ways to engage in the process.”

Residents may continue submitting questions for interview consideration via email to any county commissioner before the Feb. 11 meeting. 

The appointed county judge will serve through Dec. 31, 2026, filling the elected seat vacated by former County Judge James Oakley, who resigned in December 2024. Voters will have their say during the November 2026 general election. 

For updates on the judge selection process, visit the Burnet County government website.

elizabeth@thepicayune.com

2 thoughts on “Burnet County speeds up judge selection process

  1. Commissioner Beierle is doing a great job of leading the commissioners court through this process: thank you for adjusting the appointment process to move the process along. The extra transparency and ethical leadership are very much appreciated.

  2. Nice timely reporting from the Trib, the same afternoon.

    Only one of these three candidates has experience in administrating a large organization with a multi-million dollar budget, such as a county.

    A County Judge is not a judge at all. It’s just one of those quaint Texas thangs to call him Judge. He’s more accurately a County administrator, manager.

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