Significant flood relief is finally headed to 13 Burnet property owners after more than one year of uncertainty following the catastrophic July 2025 flood that rippled across Central Texas.

Since April, the city has been in the process of purchasing 13 properties that were heavily damaged during the flood, using more than $5.7 million in funding as part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

This program involved several months of engineering, inspection, and appraisal work, and will effectively allow the city to buy the damaged properties, demolish them, and turn them into permanent open spaces that cannot be constructed upon again.

Nearly six months later, the buyouts are imminent according to the city.

Assistant City Manager Keith McBurnett told DailyTrib on Tuesday, Sept. 15, that all 13 property buyout offers were expected to be mailed out by the end of this week.

“One buyout offer was sent last Friday, five additional offers will be sent tomorrow, and seven more are scheduled to go out on Thursday,” he said. “City staff is meeting with property owners both in person and virtually to review the offers and answer any questions they may have.”

Once residents receive the offers, they can choose to accept or decline them, leaving only a few final steps before the program can wrap up.

McBurnett added that the city is beyond grateful to be nearing the point of completion of the buyout process.

“The city is pleased to have reached the point where we are able to present buyout offers to the affected property owners,” he said. “While the overall program is not yet complete, this represents a significant milestone in wrapping up the buyout portion of the project.”

More on the NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program

The NRCS’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program has assisted the city in purchasing properties that were heavily damaged in the July 2025 flood. Each of these properties are located along one of the city’s several floodplains, and are considered prone to future flood damage.

So long as residents accept the city’s offers on their properties, all structures will be demolished and permanently converted into open spaces that cannot be rebuilt upon.

The program’s funding was estimated not to exceed $5.75 million total, with the NRCS funding around $4.4 million (75 percent), and the city funding around $1.35 million (25 percent).

The city initially reached out to the NRCS about the program in August 2025 and landed on a funding agreement on March 31, 2026.

City staff noted on several occasions that Burnet was the first municipality in the entire state to initiate a flood buyout with the NRCS, meaning that multiple forms, procedures, and records had to be created from scratch by both parties.

McBurnett emphasized the process at a previous council meeting, stating that the city would likely serve as a case study for future Texas cities seeking relief.

Coupled with governmental red tape and multiple shutdowns, the entire flood recovery process has taken a significant amount of time.

The city is still well in the process of recovery as well, with several park rehab projects, street reconstructions, and flood mitigation upgrades underway for the foreseeable future.

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
• “ROAD TO RECOVERY: Burnet flood buyouts near,” June 17, 2026
• “Burnet County remembers flood victims, volunteer response,” July 14, 2026
• “Burnet moving forward with paving projects for flood-damaged road and trail,” July 30, 2026
• “Burnet eyes funding for concessions hub at Galloway-Hammond Park,” Aug. 4, 2026

caden@thepicayune.com