The city of Burnet set its priorities for the 89th Texas Legislature, including the passage or repeal of laws to give more power back to local governments. The City Council on Jan. 14 adopted a resolution that will guide its advocacy efforts in Austin.
The legislative session began Tuesday in the Texas State Capitol and will run through June 2. Elected Texas senators and representatives will approve a two-year budget for the state and discuss and pass laws during the 140-day session. Burnet County is represented by Rep. Ellen Troxclair and Sen. Pete Flores.
City staff will share Burnet’s legislative platform with the offices of Troxclair and Pete Flores along with the Texas Municipal League.
Burnet’s legislative platform supports:
local control with the passage of legislation that upholds municipal autonomy, including tools for managing growth, drought response, and infrastructure improvements;
compensation for public rights-of-way, increased funding for water conservation, and enhanced collaboration with the Texas Department of Transportation;
and repealing restrictive laws such as House Bill 2439 and HB 2127, which limit municipal authority over construction standards and local ordinances.
The platform opposes pre-emption, a legal principle that enables a higher government to restrict or override the authority of a lower government, as well as any legislation that diminishes municipal resources.
Key opposition points include:
reduction to municipal revenue sources without alternatives, including property taxes;
weakening environmental protections, including stormwater controls and tree preservation;
regulating extraterritorial jurisdiction and limiting a city’s ability to manage growth and enforce development standards in its ETJ.
and limiting regulation of land use, zoning, or short-term rentals.
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Llano County is moving forward with negotiations to separate from Mid Coast Health System as manager of the financially unstable Llano Hospital. At the same time, county officials hope to acquire a new federal designation so the facility can keep its doors open.
The Llano County Commissioners Court on Jan. 13 unanimously voted to approve allowing County Judge Ron Cunningham negotiate a separation terms sheet with Mid Coast as well as proceed with any necessary legal actions to ensure the hospital remains in operation.
“We still have to determine how we are going to separate from Mid Coast,” Cunningham said during the Commissioners Court meeting Monday. “With that separation, there are still terms and conditions. Once we get (those) defined, we will be able to set the course of action.”
According to Llano Hospital Authority Board member Pat McDowell, the board and the county are in the process of seeking a Rural Emergency Hospital designation for Llano Hospital, which would open up $3.4 million in federal funding a year and allow the hospital to remain open with a different management firm.
“We really have to go to the (Rural Emergency Hospital designation),” McDowell told the court. “It’s got a more favorable financial structure, it’s got enhanced medicare payments. And the most attractive thing about it is it’s got a facilities payment on a monthly basis of $285,625.90 (about $3.4 million annually).”
McDowell explained that the Llano County Hospital Authority Board is using an accounting firm to get federal recognition for the REH designation and that Mid Coast is cooperating in helping the hospital acquire the required state designation before a full separation takes place.
Under the REH designation, Llano Hospital would still provide 24-hour care and observation services, but it could no longer have inpatient beds without being licensed as a “skilled nursing facility.”
The Rural Emergency Hospital designation is a federal program that came online in January 2023 to provide federal and state relief to hospitals in rural parts of the country that offer essential services. According to a 2023 study from the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program, 148 rural hospitals across the country closed or converted operations between 2010 and 2023. Of the rural hospitals that closed nationwide in that timeframe, 24 of the 148, or 16 percent, of them were in Texas.
Llano County has been processing a potential separation from Mid Coast since at least November 2024, when the Commissioners Court took emergency action to potentially fund operations of the hospital in the event of Mid Coast’s sudden departure. The county owns the hospital and has contracted with Mid Coast for its management since 2021.
Mid Coast and the county have gone back and forth about the infeasibility of managing the hospital since at least June 2024, when the health care provider told the county the hospital could not continue as is without county or other government contributions.
Mid Coast reportedly subsidized Llano Hospital with $3 million in 2024 and saw a 50 percent drop in patients between 2023 and 2024, according to CEO Brett Kirkham.
Kirkham furloughed 12 hospital employees in December 2024 to curb losses and cut back on payroll.
According to Judge Cunningham, more work has to be done before the hospital can acquire a new funding source and manager.
“In a perfect world, we would come in and say we’re going to (a Rural Emergency Hospital designation) and this is the plan, but we still can’t do that,” he said.
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A large group of Burnet pickleball players filled City Council chambers Tuesday, Jan. 14, to advocate for more courts in Burnet.
City Manager David Vaughn told the gathered enthusiasts that $300,000 has been earmarked in the city’s budget for potential pickleball-related projects, but more discussions are needed to determine location and design.
Representing the pickleball community was Matt Kelley, president and CEO of First State Bank of Burnet, who addressed the council with a case for new courts.
“Pickleball brings people of all ages together and strengthens community bonds,” he said. “It’s a low-maintenance investment that could draw retirees and families alike, just as the Delaware Springs Golf Course has done.”
Ann Langley, another Burnet pickleballer, told DailyTrib.com about the limited options for the sport in the Burnet area. While Burnet’s YMCA at Galloway-Hammond has courts, demand often exceeds availability. Players also hit the courts at Hidden Falls in Meadowlakes as well as Putter and Gutters in Lampasas, but the Lampasas location will be closing in March.
“Lampasas is losing one of its main places to play, so we’ll likely see more players coming to Burnet,” Langley said. “That increases the need for more courts here, and it’s good for local businesses.”
Pickleball is often recognized as the “fastest-growing sport in America,” including by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which bestowed the title on the tennis-like sport for a third consecutive year in 2024.
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The candidate filing period opens Jan. 15 for the Burnet city election on May 3. Interested candidates may pick up a packet from the City Secretary’s Office, 1001 Buchanan Drive, starting Wednesday. Filing ends at 5 p.m. Feb. 14.
Seats up for election are:
mayor, currently held by Gary Wideman;
and three City Council at-large seats currently held by Ricky Langley, Tres Clinton, and Joyce Laudenschlager.
Candidate qualifications include:
being a U.S. citizen;
being a registered voter;
having been a city of Burnet resident for at least 12 months;
and being free of felony convictions.
The Burnet City Council consists of a mayor and six at-large council members who each serve two-year terms. It is the city’s legislative and governing body. The mayor is the official head of city government, overseeing meetings and signing official documents. In their absence, the mayor pro-tem, who is appointed from within the council by fellow members, assumes these duties.
The council is responsible for strategic planning, financial oversight, land-use management, and advocating for the city’s interests.
Learn more about the Burnet city government on its website.
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Granite Shoals Municipal Court Judge Frank Reilly will take on the role of justice of the peace for Burnet County’s Precinct 4. The Commissioners Court approved the unanimous recommendation by the JP Precinct 4 Advisory Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Reilly’s appointment fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Debbie Bindseil, who is stepping down mid-term after nearly 30 years of public service.
The advisory committee reviewed seven qualified applicants to fill the role starting Feb. 8, 2025, and ending in November 2026 for the next general election, when Reilly may run for the office or voters pick a new JP.
The committee consisted of two civilian members and five officials, including all four Burnet County justices of the peace and Precinct 4 Constable Missy Bindseil.
“Frank Reilly brings over 30 years of legal experience and a commitment to public service that makes him the ideal candidate for this role,” said committee Chair Glenna Hodge during Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting. “His background in governmental law, community involvement, and judicial service ensures he is ready to serve effectively from day one.”
Reilly, a licensed attorney in Texas, has more than three decades of experience in constitutional, administrative, and legislative law as well as small business, real estate, and nonprofit legal matters. He will continue serving as municipal court judge in the city of Granite Shoals while justice of the peace. Reilly was also the mayor of Granite Shoals from 2005-11, during which the city adopted its first charter.
“I’m looking forward to serving the public in this new capacity. Judge Bindseil has left large shoes to fill, but I am eager to step into the role,” Reilly said.
In addition to his legal work, Reilly is a faculty member at Texas Tech University, teaching law-related political science courses at the university’s Highland Lakes campus in Marble Falls.
“This spring, I’ll be teaching a course on the United States Supreme Court,” he said.
Hodge emphasized the committee’s thorough evaluation process, which included reviewing statutory qualifications, professional experience, and community engagement.
“We began by confirming each candidate’s residency and statutory qualifications, then assessed their professional experience,” she said.
Retiring Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Debbie Bindseil delivered farewell remarks during the Burnet County Commissioners Court meeting Jan. 14. Bindseil, who served nearly 30 years in local government, received a standing ovation for her dedication and service to the community. Staff photo by Elizabeth De Los Santos
Retiring JP Bindseil, who served the community for nearly 30 years, delivered farewell remarks during the Commissioners Court meeting. She expressed confidence in Reilly as her successor and received a standing ovation from those in attendance.
“It has been an honor to serve, and I know Frank Reilly will do a fantastic job,” Bindseil said.
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JAN. 15 UPDATE: Blue Ghost, the lunar lander from Central Texas space firm Firefly Aerospace, is on its way to the moon after a successful NASA launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center just after midnight Wednesday. The lander is now on a 45-day journey to the moon’s surface and should arrive by March 2.
Firefly is headquartered in Cedar Park but has a 200-acre testing and manufacturing site in northeast Burnet County in the community of Briggs.
Blue Ghost was launched using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which will carry it to its destination during Firefly’s first lunar mission for NASA titled ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky.’ The image shown here, courtesy of SpaceX, is a screenshot of the livestreamed mission from early Wednesday morning.
PREVIOUS STORYBlue Ghost, a lunar lander produced by Central Texas space firm Firefly Aerospace, prepares to be encapsulated in a rocket fairing before being launched to the moon’s surface. Photo courtesy of Firefly Aerospace
Central Texas commercial space firm Firefly Aerospace launches its first lunar lander in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 15. The mission is years in the making and could be one of many for the firm, which has a large manufacturing and testing site in rural Burnet County.
The launch is set for 1:11 a.m. EST (12:11 CST) Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Firefly’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, will be transported to the moon’s surface by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of a series of commercial payload delivery missions for NASA.
The entire trip will take about 45 days. The lander will spend a full lunar day (about 14 Earth days) on the moon’s surface to collect data with a suite of scientific instruments provided by NASA, several universities, and other technology firms.
The launch and pre-launch coverage will be livestreamed on Firefly’s Youtube channel starting at 11:30 p.m. local time Tuesday.
The “Ghost Riders in the Sky” mission is the first one that Firefly will carry out for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which seeks to develop and streamline consistent travel and transportation between Earth and the moon.
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A recently-surfaced 2023 Burnet County Sheriff’s Office investigation revealed another layer to an ongoing conflict between two county officials. The probe began after a third official reported serious concerns over life-threatening statements made by Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Lisa Whitehead against former Burnet County Judge James Oakley.
On Oct. 11, 2023, Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Roxanne Nelson told Burnet County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Amy Willeke that, on numerous occasions, Whitehead said she was going to “shoot County Judge James Oakley.” At the time, Nelson said that she was worried about Whitehead’s mental health.
But, Nelson walked back the remarks when questioned by BCSO in a follow-up investigation.
Willeke’s incident report was part of the timeline of conflict between Whitehead and the former county judge that culminated in Oakley’s resignation on Dec. 18, 2024, in the aftermath of a public reprimand from the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct for courthouse security violations and numerous instances of sexual harassment against Whitehead and other women in Burnet County government spanning multiple years.
Following the report from Nelson to the BCSO, an investigation was carried out by Investigator Chris King but no charges were filed. It was not until after the commission’s reprimand that Willeke’s report and King’s investigation were shared with DailyTrib as well as on social media by Oakley.
Read the full public reprimand and investigative report from the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct here.
Read the full Oct. 11, 2023, incident report from Sgt. Willeke and King’s investigative report here.
The opening statement of Willeke’s report reads: “On October 11, 2023, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge Roxanne Nelson advised me that she has been told by Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Judge Lisa Whitehead on numerous occasions that Judge Whitehead is going to shoot County Judge James Oakley.”
“Judge Nelson is worried about Judge Whitehead’s mental health since … Judge Whitehead has become extremely easy to anger over small things, and she has become so fixated upon injuring or killing Judge Oakley which has gone beyond just politics, continued Willeke’s report.
Investigator King interviewed Nelson, Oakley, and Whitehead in his proceeding investigation, finding some level of historical animosity between Whitehead and the former judge, but nothing came of it.
“Nelson advised me when Whitehead made the remarks (about shooting Oakley), they were always conditional,” reads a Nov. 2, 2023, excerpt from King’s report. “She advised me that she never said it directly as to kill Oakley, it was if Oakley did something to her or something then she would take action.”
King’s interview with Whitehead hinted at the specifics of her concerns.
“I made contact with Lisa Whitehead (her) office and spoke with her about the accusations that were made,” reads a Nov. 8, 2023, excerpt from King’s report. “She advised me that she has been scared of what Oakley has done to her in the past like sitting in the courtroom in the dark and other things.”
Whitehead was referring to a contentious incident from Jan. 6, 2023, where she was in her office and discovered Oakley sitting in her courtroom alone without announcing his presence to her. The incident was included in the judicial conduct commission’s December 2024 reprimand of Oakley.
“It was unclear how long Judge Oakley sat in that manner,” reads a line from the reprimand. “Judge Oakley’s presence startled and frightened Judge Whitehead.”
Oakley has publicly rejected Whitehead’s perception of the day’s events, posting on his personal Facebook page on Jan. 10 that he was just waiting in the courtroom for an appointment with a real estate appraiser.
“The allegation that I was hiding in a darkened courtroom to scare Whitehead is ridiculous,” reads an excerpt from the Oakley’s post.
Whitehead sent DailyTrib a statement regarding the recent circulation of the 2023 Willeke and King reports.
“At no point was I a threat to James Oakley,” she said. “I felt threatened every day I went to my office. The Commission found that his behavior was unacceptable and he was publicly reprimanded. I am grateful for the hard work done by the Commission and their staff, and look forward to working with other elected officials and (county employees) to continue to serve the people of Burnet County.
Documented conflict between Whitehead and Oakley goes back to at least November 2022, when Oakley removed the locks from Whitehead’s courtroom doors and had another lock installed in the floor to keep them perpetually open. This violated courthouse security standards and was part of Oakley’s public reprimand from the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Whitehead also reported several instances of bullying and sexual harassment against herself and other women in county government by Oakley over the span of several years. The commission found merit in these allegations and included them in their reprimand.
“(This reprimand is for Oakley’s) failure to perform his judicial duties without bias or prejudice and/or manifested bias or prejudice towards Judge Whitehead through his words and conduct and his pattern of sexual harassment towards other women in Burnet County,” reads the conclusion of the commission’s reprimand. “Judge Oakley’s failure in these respects constituted willful or persistent conduct that is clearly inconsistent with the proper performance of his duties and cast public discredit upon the judiciary or the administration of justices. …”
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Three Highland Lakes firefighters arrived in Southern California on Sunday, Jan. 12, to help battle the devastating wildfires that have been burning through the Los Angeles area since Jan. 7. The first responders volunteered for service and could be deployed from seven to 21 days.
The group drove to California in a Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department engine, leaving the Highland Lakes on Saturday. As of Monday morning, they are actively participating in firefighting operations in the Malibu area, just north of the city of Los Angeles.
The coalition consists of Marble Falls Area VFD Chief Engineer Thomas Jacobs, Horseshoe Bay Fire Department Lt. Jason Blackmon, Horseshoe Bay Engineer Jonathan Morrison, and Alex Golding of the Pflugerville Fire Department.
“My biggest hope is that the people of Burnet County are proud of their firefighters for stepping up and doing this,” Marble Falls VFD Chief Michael Phillips told DailyTrib.com. “I hope they feel pride that we’re able to send help from our little town.”
The catastrophic California wildfires have killed at least 24 people, burned over 12,000 structures, and scorched more than 600 square-miles of terrain in and around the city of Los Angeles. Over 92,000 people in the area had been given evacuation orders as of Monday.
According to Chief Phillips, the volunteer group appealed to their station leaders to deploy and lend mutual aid, citing occasions in the past when out-of-area firefighters came to Central Texas to help battle wildfires.
“‘If people can come help us, then why can’t we help people?’” said Phillips, quoting the general sentiment of the group.
Fire departments in Burnet and Llano counties have benefited and contributed to the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, which mobilizes departments from across Texas to respond to fires and other emergencies in and out of the state.
“These strikeforce teams come into our areas to help with these large fires, so we thought we should reciprocate,” Phillips said.
Jacobs, Blackmon, Morrison, and Golding all answered the call to action in California.
“I’m incredibly proud of them,” Horseshoe Bay Fire Chief Doug Fowler told DailyTrib.com, noting he once lived in the Malibu and has friends and family displaced by the fires.
The local volunteers are among a wave of firefighting support from Texas to California.
“Our hearts grieve with the entire Los Angeles community as they continue to respond to these destructive wildfires,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in a Jan. 11 media release. “Texans know all too well the devastation wildfires can cause to our communities, and our country is stronger when we come together in times of crisis.
The Texas Department of Emergency Management, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, and Texas Emergency Medical Task Force will reportedly deploy over 135 firefighters and emergency management/medical personnel, as well as more than 45 fire engines and emergency services vehicles and equipment, to California to help fight the wildfires.
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Here is the meeting schedule for government entities in the Highland Lakes. Agendas are posted 72 hours before a meeting so are not always ready by the time this story is published. Check the links for more information.
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