Recap: 2026 DailyTrib Burnet County Republican Primary Candidates Forum

The 2026 DailyTrib Burnet County Republican Primary Candidates Forum was held on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Burnet Community Center. DailyTrib has assembled a basic guide for navigating the event’s online recording to better share what candidates had to say on the record about some of the biggest issues facing the county.

The forum was held for a live audience, but it was also livestreamed and is still available for viewing on the DailyTrib website.

At the event, Burnet County judge candidates Bryan Wilson and Alan Trevino, along with Precinct 2 commissioner candidates Damon Beierle and Leonard Guenter, introduced themselves, answered pointed questions, and provided closing remarks.

Learn more about the candidates and the offices they are running for in the Jan. 30 DailyTrib story “Burnet County candidate profiles; DailyTrib forum Feb. 3.”

Important election dates

It is important to note that the Republican nominees in the Burnet County judge and Precinct 2 commissioner races will almost certainly take office in 2027 due to the complete lack of Democratic challengers for the November general elections.

• The last day to register to vote was Feb. 2. Check your registration status here. 
• Early voting runs Feb. 17-27
• Election Day is March 3

See a list of Burnet County polling locations on the Burnet County Elections website here and a breakdown of the election schedule here. 

Forum guide

Use the hyperlinks attached to each timestamp to see excerpts from the video featuring each candidate and their corresponding introductions, responses, and closing remarks. Here is a direct link to the entire show, which is 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 36 seconds in length: 2026 Burnet County Republican Primary Candidate Forum

The forum featured two-minute introductions from each candidate, followed by a series of two-minute responses to five questions from each candidate, and it ended with two-minute closing remarks from each candidate.

Four of the questions were asked to all four candidates. The fifth question was unique to the office the candidates were running for. All questions were developed by DailyTrib staff and they were not shown to the candidates prior to the forum.

The candidates initial response order was chosen at random, then the order was shifted to the right following each prompt to allow each candidate an opportunity to respond first and last.

The initial response order was: Guenter, Beierle, Trevino, and Wilson.

Introductions

Each candidate was given two minutes to introduce themselves to the audience prior to the question and answer portion of the event.

• Precinct 2 candidate Leonard Guenter- 6:14
• Precinct 2 candidate Damon Beierle- 8:05
• Judge candidate Alan Trevino- 10:00
• Judge candidate Bryan Wilson- 12:11

Question 1- Transparency

Question: What are your specific plans for ensuring open communication with your constituents and transparency as you conduct the business of the county?

• Beierle- 14:14
• Trevino- 16:31
• Wilson- 18:52
• Guenter- 21:29 

Question 2- Pivotal projects

Preface: Burnet County is currently facing a proposed 715-acre rock quarry near a children’s summer camp and two state parks, a massive state transmission line project that could impact thousands of acres of private property, and a temporarily-delayed aggregate railroad project that would send locomotives through the backyards of property owners between Burnet and Lampasas. 

Question: This is a two-part question. What are your stances on the aforementioned  projects? And, how do you plan to effectively walk the line between government overreach and protecting the people and property of Burnet County?

• Trevino- 23:19
• Wilson- 25:48
• Guenter- 28:20
• Beierle- 29:53

Question 3- Growth management

Preface: Burnet County has seen significant growth in recent years and more is on the horizon. According to Burnet County Development Services, there are 19 pending subdivisions on the books as of January 2025, encompassing 1,062 total lots across a combined 2,036 acres. There were 2,019 new wells drilled between 2020 and 2025. The U.S. Census Bureau shows the county’s population rose by over 13 percent between 2020 and 2024. The Burnet Central Appraisal District shows that the appraised taxable value of property in Burnet County went up by 73 percent from 2021 to 2025.

Question: What is your strategy for navigating Burnet County’s rapid growth and development? 

• Wilson- 33:22
• Guenter- 35:35
• Beierle- 37:10
• Trevino- 39:24

Question 4- Conflict management

Preface: Burnet County government has seen a variety of internal conflicts in recent years, including: the resignation of a county judge amid sexual harassment findings, a county commissioner charged with cruelty to livestock, the resignation of an HR director due to nepotism allegations, and prolonged public feuding between elected officials and county employees. 

Question: If elected, how do you plan on effectively collaborating with other county officials while still holding them accountable on behalf of your constituents? 

• Guenter- 42:33
• Beierle- 44:07
• Trevino- 45:48
•  Wilson- 47:34

Precinct 2 commissioner question- Unique challenges

Preface: Precinct 2 has multiple unique aspects that set it aside from the rest of Burnet County. Most of the precinct is now within a special groundwater management zone due to the delicate nature of its primary aquifer. There is a 200-acre Firefly Aerospace facility and an 80-acre tungsten carbide recycling campus in the precinct. Growth spreading west from Williamson and Travis counties has led to multiple proposed large subdivisions in the area. Without any incorporated cities, residents of Precinct 2 rely almost exclusively on their county commissioner for representation. 

Question: What is your specific plan and platform for addressing the unique challenges Precinct 2 poses and ensuring that your constituents will be properly represented?

• Beierle- 51:18
• Guenter- 53:43

Burnet County judge question- Budget management

Preface: The Burnet County tax rate has dropped by over 16 percent since 2021, but expenditures have risen dramatically. According to publicly published county budgets, between 2021 and 2026, overall budgeted expenditures have risen 108 percent, property tax revenues have risen 44.5 percent, the general fund budget has risen 92 percent, the Sheriff’s Office budget has risen 72 percent, and the salaries of Commissioners Court members have risen 24 percent.

Note to the reader:

The numbers from the above preface were sourced from the publicly-published Burnet County budgets for Fiscal Year 2025-26 and Fiscal Year 2021-22. 

Here are the actual numbers pulled from each budget for comparison:

2025-26 fiscal year

• Tax rate- 33.23 cents per $100 property valuation: a 16.8 percent decrease

• Budgeted expenditures- $86,416,838:  a 108 percent increase

• General fund budgeted expenditures- $40,404,882: a 92 percent increase
• Expected property tax collections- $34,998,453: a 44.5 percent increase

• Sheriff’s Office budget- $10,176,014: a 72 percent increase

• County Judge salary- $113,337: a 24 percent increase

• County commissioner salary- $95,742: a 24 percent increase

2021-22 fiscal year

• Tax rate- 39.97 cents per $100 valuation

• Budgeted expenditures- $41,495,116

• General fund budgeted expenditures- $20,942,281

• Expected property tax collections- $24,207,378

• Sheriff’s Office budget- $5,901,351

• County Judge salary- $91,104

• County commissioner salary- $76,960

Question: The Burnet County judge is responsible for developing the budget that is put forth for approval for the entire Commissioners Court. If elected, what is your plan for balancing the needs of the county, government spending, and the tax burden on property owners?

• Trevino- 56:07
• Wilson- 58:25

Closing remarks

Each candidate was given two minutes to make their closing remarks at the end of the forum.

Trevino- 1:01:14

Wilson- 1:03:14

Guenter- 1:05:26

Beierle- 1:06:25

dakota@thepicayune.com