ROAD TO RECOVERY: Burnet flood buyouts near
One of the condemned homes located on Oak Street, a heavily impacted road in the floods, in Burnet, as pictured on the day the buyout program was approved on April 6. Staff photo by Caden Senn
Several Burnet residents could soon receive long-awaited flood buyout offers on their properties nearly a year after rushing floodwaters ripped through Central Texas in the July 2025 floods.
As part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program approved by Burnet City Council in April, the city could soon purchase 13 affected properties using an estimated $5.75 million in funding.
During a June 9 City Council meeting, Assistant City Manager Keith McBurnett said that preliminary environmental surveys had been completed at most of the affected properties as part of the program’s requirements, and that appraisals could begin shortly.
McBurnett noted that appraisals can take roughly one month to be completed, but once the process is finished, property owners would begin to receive bids from the city on their homes.
“The appraisal process is expected to take about four weeks,” he said. “Based on our current timeline, we’re looking at late July, early August for property owners to begin to receive offers through the buyout program.”
McBurnett confirmed with DailyTrib on Wednesday, June 17, that letters scheduling the appraisals were sent out on Monday, June 15, to property owners, and that nine appraisals were already set for Friday, June 19.
So long as residents accept the city’s offers on their properties, the homes will be demolished and permanently converted into open spaces, according to the city, due to their high risk for future flood damage.
More on the NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program
The NRCS’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program will assist the city of Burnet in purchasing properties that were heavily damaged in the July 2025 floods. These properties are considered too prone to flood damage, and structures on them will be demolished, leaving permanent open spaces.
The EWP Program funding was estimated not to exceed $5.75 million for the 13 affected properties combined, with the NRCS funding around $4.4 million (75 percent), and the city funding around $1.35 million (25 percent) of the project. The NRCS will additionally provide $325,500 in technical assistance funding for the project.
As part of the eligibility for the EWP Program, an affected property must contain a structure threatened by additional flooding or erosion. In the case of the properties in Burnet, like those located along the southern portion of Oak Street, many lie on one of the city’s several floodways.
Of course, a flood-prone property will continue to be one so long as the waterway nearby it continues to flow, which is why the program seeks to completely raze any structures on the affected properties rather than rebuild them.
The city reached out to the NRCS about relief in August 2025 and reached an agreement on the buyout program on March 31. Due to governmental procedures and practices, as well as multiple government shutdowns, the entire flood recovery process has taken significant time.
Previous flood recovery reporting
- “Burnet considers buyouts for high-flood-risk properties,” Aug. 29, 2025
- “FEMA aid available for remaining flood debris cleanup,” Oct. 21, 2025
- “Burnet removes local state of disaster following July floods; reconstruction efforts continue,” Jan. 28, 2026
- “Burnet County to get flood warning sirens,” Feb. 19, 2026
- “Hamilton Creek playscape reopens as flood recovery progresses,” March 2, 2026
- “Burnet leaders talk flood recovery, bond package at state of the community,” March 5 2026
- “Burnet approves major flood buyout program with NRCS,” April 8, 2026
- “Burnet to participate in flood study, contribute to state flood plan,” April 23, 2026
- “Galloway-Hammond ballfields get post-flood repairs, upgrades,” May 21, 2026