A land survey filed in Burnet County shows plans for a large solar project right outside of Burnet. Local officials are assessing the current status of the development and what, if any, regulatory authority they have over it.
According to the survey filed with Burnet County Development Services, the solar project is about 376 acres and lies along the north side of Shady Grove Road, about half a mile outside of Burnet city limits. The document indicates that the survey work was completed and signed by Stantec Consulting Services on May 11, 2026 for developers Gransolar Twenty Two LLC and Red Sun Solar.
Records filed with the Burnet County Clerk’s Office show a “Memorandum of Solar Energy and Energy Storage Lease and Easement Agreement” made in October 2023 between a Burnet County landowner and developer Gransolar Texas Twenty Two. That lease agreement was updated on May 7, 2026, clarifying the dimensions of the leased land to 376 acres.
Being outside of Burnet city limits, the potential development would be under the primary jurisdiction of the Burnet County government.
This map shows the general location of a proposed 376-acre solar project right outside of the city of Burnet. Google maps
Burnet County Director of Development Services Herb Darling told DailyTrib that the survey was filed with the county in mid May, but little else is known about the scope and details of the project at the county level.
“(Filing the survey was) more of a courtesy than anything,” Darling said. “We have no regulatory authority over this.”
He explained that Texas has few regulations over “solar farms” and that the county may have no tools to oversee a project like the one proposed on Shady Grove Road.
While the project is outside of Burnet city limits, it is within the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of the city, leaving some possible routes for regulation from the city’s perspective. A city’s ETJ is an area of land surrounding a municipality that the city has a small amount of sway over when it comes to planning, annexation, and emergency services in some cases.
Burnet City Manager David Vaughn told DailyTrib that he was aware of the solar project, but still had more research to do regarding any sort of regulation.
“(The developers) have reached out to us and asked questions about platting,” he said. “I told them very clearly that we will make life as difficult for them as we can. We don’t want to see it around here.”
This is a portion of the survey document filed with Burnet County Development Services for developer Gransolar Twenty Two LLC. Courtesy of Burnet County Development Services
Burnet County Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle, who represents the area the 376-acre solar project would lie within, said he too was researching what could be done regarding the development.
“We’re aware of the project and we are researching who to coordinate with on the state and local level,” he told DailyTrib.
Both Vaughn and Beierle stated that they planned on bringing the matter up with the freshly-formed Highland Lakes Sub-Regional Planning Commission, which was created in early 2026 to help unite local governments against a proposed state transmission project looming over the region.
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Residents living inside the city limits of all Highland Lakes area cities cannot legally set off fireworks this Fourth of July holiday, but those in the unincorporated areas of Burnet and Llano counties can celebrate at home as long as no burn ban is in effect.
Neither Burnet County nor Llano County has an active burn ban, allowing residents in unincorporated areas to use fireworks on private property for the holiday weekend.
Previously, Granite Shoals was the only Highland Lakes area city that allowed fireworks within its limits during the Fourth of July and New Year holidays, but the city changed its ordinance in August 2025 to prohibit all unofficial fireworks displays.
Caution is advised, as fireworks can cause serious injuries and ignite grass and brush fires. Residents should keep a water source nearby, follow safety guidelines, and be mindful of neighbors, pets, and livestock that can be startled by loud explosions.
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For the first time, the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District was recognized as a runner-up for a prestigious state athletics award, commending high-level sportsmanship and service throughout this past academic year.
“Burnet CISD was recognized, for the first time, as a District of Distinction Honorable Mention for the ‘25-’26 school year,” he said during a June 22 Board of Trustees meeting. “It’s a prestigious recognition… that measures programs or districts that demonstrate exceptional sportsmanship, character development, and community service.”
Freeman added that BCISD was selected as an honorable mention amongst more than 1,200 districts in the state that compete in the University Interscholastic League. Only 30 districts were selected as a District of Distinction and 20 were selected as honorable mentions.
“That’s a testament to our kids and our coaches, but we want to be in that first 30 next year,” Freeman told trustees. “It’s a goal for us to shoot for. The standard is now set, and now we reach for the goals.”
The district was already riding high on a monumental year of on- and-off-field success that resulted in nearly 90 students being recognized for achieving Academic All-State honors and qualifying for state competitions, which Freeman said will be fuel for the start of next season.
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Banks, offices, government buildings and more will be closed leading up to America’s 250th birthday. With Independence Day falling on a Saturday in 2026, Highland Lakes residents can expect a mix of closures and adjusted hours across the area.
All local and county government offices, including the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of the holiday.
Post offices and most banks will be open on Friday but will be closed on Saturday, July 4.
Major retailers such as H-E-B and Walmart are keeping normal hours, though some local businesses may adjust schedules or close for the holiday.
Fourth of July Fun Facts
The current American flag design was created in 1958 by 17-year-old Robert G. Heft as a school project that initially received a B-.
The Liberty Bell is older than the American Revolution, having been made in 1751 to mark the 50-year anniversary of William Penn’s influential work, the Charter of Privileges.
Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks in New York City is one of the largest annual shows in the country featuring tens of thousands of shells in a roughly 25–30 minute display watched by millions.
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A $2.8 million upgrade to the regional radio system used by first responders in the Highland Lakes is moving forward to improve reliability during emergencies.
The Marble Falls City Council approved the city’s share of the project in their June 29 special meeting, which will repair and upgrade the microwave network connecting radio towers in Burnet, Blanco, Llano, and Lampasas counties. The Western Regional Radio System allows law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, and other public safety agencies to communicate across jurisdictional lines during emergencies and daily operations.
Burnet County will finance the project over five years under the WRRS’s operating agreement. The annual cost will be divided among the four counties and the City of Marble Falls based on the number of radios each agency uses. Marble Falls’ share of 18.07 percent is about $101,000 a year for five years.
The city will pay its portion using existing subscriber fees collected from agencies that use the system. The fees generate about $134,000 a year according to the city. The fund can only be used to maintain, repair, and upgrade the radio network.
The Western Regional Radio System Executive Committee includes representatives from Burnet, Blanco, Llano, and Lampasas counties, the mayor of Marble Falls, and the Texas Department of Transportation, and is responsible for major spending decisions involving the regional radio system.
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High school students from around the country are gearing up for the 30th annual Solar Car Challenge, which will see them race across Texas and through the hills of the Highland Lakes.
The young drivers will be racing solar-powered vehicles of their own creation, speeding across the state in the name of science, and passing through Burnet County along the way.
Racers and their rubber-burning machines will travel along Texas 29 through Bertram and Burnet on the morning of Tuesday, July 21, taking a brief respite from the 631.7-mile race at the Highland Lakes Squadron Commemorative Air Force Museum, at 2402 S. Water Street, in Burnet.
According to the challenge map and itinerary, students will begin racing at 9 a.m. on July 21 in Georgetown on Texas 29 near I-35, then make their way through Liberty Hill, Bertram, and Burnet, and travel roughly 37 miles before stopping at the CAF museum.
The Burnet County stretch is just one leg of the five-day race, which begins on July 15 in Fort Worth and is planned to end in Fort Stockton on July 23.
Pilot cars will accompany the Solar Car Challenge participants to ensure a safe trip and safe driving.
A map of the Solar Car Challenge’s route through the Highland Lakes. Students will race along the green route from Georgetown to Burnet, and trailer their cars along the grey route from Burnet to Johnson City.
What is the Solar Car Challenge?
The Solar Car Challenge was created in 1993 by Dr. Lehman Marks to give students a way to pursue unique opportunities in science, engineering, and energy.
Through years of ideating, fabricating, and trial and error, students build solar cars from scratch to be “scrutineered” by judges. The scrutineering process, which takes place at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in July, serves as a checkpoint for teams to see if their cars are ready to race or not.
Once they get the green light, teams prep to begin a long-distance race to see whose car can go the furthest.
Teams will face mechanical breakdowns, uncertain weather conditions, and rough terrain along the way to accumulating the most points possible. At the end of the checkered flag, the team that drove the most miles will be declared the winner.
Along with potential races through Bertram and Burnet, the solar cars will be trailered and transported along U.S. 281 in Marble Falls and Round Mountain, landing in Johnson City to begin the next stretch of the race.
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The Llano County Sheriff’s Office recently carried out Operation Red Light, resulting in the arrests of five individuals on charges of soliciting prostitution. In addition to the solicitation arrests, five sex offenders who had failed to comply with registration requirements were taken in as a result of evidence gathered during the operation.
One of the suspects was also charged with solicitation of prostitution of a child. All five of the arrested sex offenders had been previously convicted of crimes involving children between the ages of six and 15 years old.
The law enforcement action, carried out in late June, was described by Sheriff Marquis Cantu as a “proactive operation focused on protecting our community from sexual exploitation.”
“In Llano County we will continue to pursue those who exploit others,” Cantu said in a filmed statement shared on Monday, June 29. “Those who come here looking to victimize the vulnerable can expect to leave in handcuffs. Predators beware, we are watching, we are investigating, and we will find you.”
The operation targeted individuals seeking commercial sex in Llano County. The charge of solicitation of prostitution is a state jail felony, punishable by up to two years in prison and $10,000 in fines. Solicitation of prostitution of a child is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Solicitation of prostitution arrests
Jack Lawson, of Liberty Hill, arrested on June 25, 2026 (also charged with solicitation of prostitution of a child)
Dennis Robinson, of Lampasas, arrested on June 25, 2026
James Eck Rippie Jr., of Taylor, arrested on June 25, 2026
Tobas Augustin, of Plano, arrested on June 25, 2026
Samlee Garner, of Burnet, arrested on June 26, 2026
The LCSO also released the following statement on the impacts of prostitution:
“Commercial sex crimes are one of the largest contributors to human trafficking and are often associated with assaults, narcotics offenses, and other criminal activity.
“While these arrests represent individual criminal offenses, they also address a broader public safety issue. Human trafficking exists because there are individuals willing to pay for the exploitation of others.
“By targeting those who create the demand for commercial sex, law enforcement disrupts the market that allows traffickers to profit from vulnerable adults and children.”
Those arrested for violating their sex offender registration requirements had all already been convicted of child sex crimes.
Failure to comply with Texas sex offender registration requirements arrests
Logan Pruitt, original charge: indecency with a 15-year-old child
Richard Mosely, original charge: indecency with a 7-year-old child
Trinity Chambers, original charge: sexual assault of a 14-year-old child
Roy Blalock, original charge: indecency with a 12-year-old child
Cody Sample, original charge: indecency with a 6-year-old child
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According to the LCRA, an alert siren warning of the floodgate’s opening will sound for approximately 15 minutes on Tuesday morning leading up to the test. Downstream flows from the dam in Lake Marble Falls are expected to be higher and faster than typical during and shortly after the test. Wirtz Dam separates Lake LBJ from Lake Marble Falls.
Once the test is completed, the LCRA will update its online notice found here.
The test is part of a broader initiative to modernize the Wirtz Dam to ensure it will operate safely in the future. The initiative, projected to cost a total of $76 million, will replace each of the dam’s 10 floodgates with new, modern ones. The first of those replacements was completed in March 2024.
The LCRA also plans to upgrade the dam’s hoists and hoist bridge, which help to lift the floodgates.
The project is currently estimated to be completed in 2026. For more information, visit the Wirtz Dam Project website.
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The communities of Burnet County are invited to an early morning patriotic ceremony on the grounds of the County Courthouse on Thursday, July 2.
Local officials from the Burnet County Commissioners Court will host a prayer and reading of the Declaration of Independence at 7 a.m. on Thursday near the flagpoles of the Burnet County Courthouse, 220 S. Pierce Street.
The Commissioners Court officially passed, on June 23, a resolution of Thanksgiving for Community, History, and the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America.
“We express our gratitude for the people, history, traditions, and communities that have shaped Burnet County and contributed to its success,” reads the resolution. “We recognize and celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America and encourage all citizens to reflect upon the enduring principles of liberty, civic responsibility, and service.”
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