Former Mayor Richard Westerman is officially back on the Marble Falls City Council after being sworn in as the Place 5 councilor on May 14. Incumbents Griff Morris and Lauren Haltom, who ran unopposed for their seats, also took oaths of offices during the Tuesday special meeting of the council.
“I want to sincerely thank Mr. Haddock for his service, not only on (City) Council, but on many (city) commissions,” Mayor Dave Rhodes said during the meeting. “His wisdom has always been appreciated.”
Former Mayor Richard Westerman (right) rejoined the Marble Falls City Council as the Place 5 councilor after receiving a certificate of election from Mayor Dave Rhodes. Rhodes and Westerman went head-to-head in a close race for the mayor’s gavel in 2023. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
Although he ran uncontested, Morris was troubled by the lack of voter participation in the May 4 city election, which saw roughly 8 percent turnout. Only 374 ballots were cast out of 4,681 registered voters in Marble Falls.
“As a citizen, I find it sad, personally,” he said. “It’s pathetic.”
Rhodes agreed.
“It’s more than disappointing,” he said.
City Secretary Christina McDonald administered the oaths of office.
The Marble Falls City Council’s first regular meeting with its newest councilor is 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at City Hall, 800 Third St.
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The city of Bertram wants to bump up its allowable annual groundwater use by 13 percent after more than doubling it in 2023. The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is holding a public hearing on the matter on May 23.
Bertram is 100 percent dependent upon groundwater drawn from the Ellenburger-San Saba Aquifer by two wells on a ranch located on County Road 340 just outside of Burnet. The small city seeks to amend its permit with the groundwater district to add 103.07 acre-feet of annual allowable groundwater use to its existing 792.58 acre-feet.
A public hearing on the potential amendment is at 9 a.m. May 23 at the Groundwater Conservation District office, 225 S. Pierce St. in Burnet. The meeting is open to the public, and attendees will have the opportunity to comment.
In January 2023, Bertram’s groundwater permit with the district increased by 116 percent from 366.5 acre-feet to 792.58 acre-feet. The change was made after the city acquired the groundwater rights to 426 acres bordering the ranchland where its wells are located.
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District General Manager Mitchell Sodek is recommending to the district’s Board of Directors that Bertram be required to conduct a hydrogeologic investigation before additional water use is approved. No thorough testing of the city’s wells has been recorded, he said, making it difficult to measure the potential ramifications of granting an increase in groundwater use.
“We don’t have conclusive evidence that their wells are, one, capable of (producing) that much (groundwater), and two, what the wells’ impacts on surrounding wells may be,” Sodek told DailyTrib.com. “There is a time that (testing) has to be done, and because they keep going up and up and up, we need to understand what the impacts of those wells might be.”
DailyTrib.com reached out to Bertram city officials with questions about the reason behind the request for more groundwater but received no response as of this story’s publication on Monday, May 13.
The decision of whether or not to approve the permit amendment falls to the district’s board members, who could take action on May 23. It is also at the board’s discretion whether or not to require Bertram to conduct a hydrogeologic investigation before any decision is made on the permit amendment.
Despite recent rainfall and rising levels in Highland Lakes reservoirs, Burnet County is still under the Stage 4 critical drought level regarding groundwater. The county has been in Stage 4 since June 2022. The Groundwater Conservation District imposed mandatory a 15 percent water reduction for large groundwater users in 2022, which is still in effect.
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The Marble Falls City Council voted 4-1 to approve changes to the site plan for Hillside Marble Falls, a proposed development with a chapel/events center, microbrewery, taproom, and cabins. The development is planned for the corner of FM 2147 West and Rocky Road near the Channel Oaks subdivision.
During its May 7 meeting, the council approved several changes, including moving the site’s proposed chapel, removing retail spaces, altering restaurant offerings, and relocating the proposed cabins.
“The goal of the Hillside development remains the same,” said developers Laura and Seth Martin in their applicant statement to the city. “Our intention has always been, and still is, to preserve the scenic views both looking down over (Lake Marble Falls), as well as looking up from the lake.”
Councilor Bryan Walker cast the only vote against the changes. Councilors Griff Morris and Karlee Cauble were absent from the May 7 meeting.
Walker, along with Morris, also opposed the original site plan presented in June 2022.
“I had some issues with the site two years ago, and I have issues with it today,” Walker told DailyTrib.com after the recent meeting.
Developers opted to move the chapel in the latest site plan to protect views of Lake Marble Falls.
“Under the original masterplan, the chapel and events center was to be located on the lower part of the property,” the Martins said in their statement. “After reviewing the plan with civil engineers, it was concluded that we would have had to build a parking lot as big as a football field, thereby disrupting the views from above and below. To preserve the goal of the project being scenic and view-oriented, we need to amend the plan, moving the chapel and events center to the top of the property.”
The Martins, who own Perissos Vineyard and Winery in Burnet, also eliminated proposed retail space in the new, council-approved plan.
“Since we’ve removed the number of retail uses, it has reduced the number of parking spaces that are required,” Scarlet Moreno, the city’s assistant director of Development Services, told the council on May 7.
The number of required parking spaces dropped from 300 to 233.
A food hall site originally in the June 2022 site plan was also altered. Proposed uses now include a microbrewery and taproom.
“We have amended the plan to include several restaurants existing in separate buildings instead of one large hall,” the Martins’ statement reads.
Developers also opted to move and condense cabins on the site after feedback from Channel Oaks residents.
“This move would actually move the casitas even further away from the neighboring homes,” the Martins said.
The new site plan will allow for smoother access for Marble Falls Fire Rescue, Chief Tommy Crane said at the meeting.
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The Horseshoe Bay Fire Department on May 9 accepted a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Pedernales Electric Cooperative for new extraction equipment.
Awarded through the LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, the money will help pay to replace the department’s outdated hydraulic-powered rescue tools with a battery-operated rig.
The Horseshoe Bay department will supplement the grant with $7,530 in matching funds.
“This generous grant will help us update our extraction equipment to help save lives where mere seconds count towards a life-or-death situation; seconds are critical,” said Horseshoe Bay Fire Chief Doug Fowler in a media release.
All primary fire engines will be equipped with the new machinery.
The Horseshoe Bay Fire Department covers an area of roughly 14 square-miles and offers services to neighboring towns via automatic aid pacts and mutual support agreements. The department employs about 24 firefighters.
“This generous grant will help us update our extraction equipment to keep up with the rapid growth of the Highland Lakes,” said Horseshoe Bay City Manager Jeff Koska in the media release.
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Better Now Physical Therapy is the newest option for Highland Lakes residents needing to manage pain and improve mobility. Dr. Ben Menke held a grand opening on May 3 for his clinic at 608 Buchanan Drive in Burnet.
“It’s been the perfect place to start,” Menke told DailyTrib.com, referring to opening the clinic in Burnet. “I’ve been very thankful for how easy it’s been to start a physical therapy business out here. Everybody has been very welcoming and very warm.”
Better Now Physical Therapy offers outpatient services to people with movement problems, which Menke said are usually related to pain, balance, stiffness, or dizziness. He uses rehabilitative exercises and manual manipulation to treat these issues.
The clinic is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
“A big emphasis we have is on customer service,” Menke said. “We treat people with kindness and try to help their visits be enjoyable, even though they are hurting.”
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Burnet County history books are on sale. The Burnet County Historical Commission cut the prices in half for “Burnet County History Vol. I” and “Burnet County History Vol II.”
“We are lowering the price of volumes one and two to $30 each,” said commission Chairman Rachel Bryson.
And for $75, buyers get both volumes and the commission’s two cemetery books: “Burnet County Cemetery Records 1852-1982” and “Burnet County Cemetery Records 1983-1992.”
“We have paid for the first and second publications, so we have no debt on them and a large surplus,” Bryson said. “And even though they are online now, they make great coffee table books. Some people like to look stuff up in a book.”
The books were published in 1979 after 10 years of work by the commission and the late historian Darrell Debo.
Dedicated to the area’s pioneer families, Volume I tells the story of how the county was settled in the 1840s and includes historical information about its schools, churches, businesses, industries, farms, ranches, and communities.
Volume II focuses on the histories of 340 Burnet County families that settled in the area before 1900.
Individual prices for the books are $30 each for volumes I and II, $10 for the first cemetery records book, and $5 for the supplement that includes cemetery records through 1992. Again, all four books can be purchased together for $75.
Books are available at the following locations:
Herman Brown Free Library, 100 E. Washington St. in Burnet. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.
Bertram Library, 170 N. Gabriel St. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday
The Burnet County Historical Commission will be selling the books at a booth at the Burnet County Area Fair, which is June 7-8 in the AgriLife building, 607 N. Vandeveer in Burnet.
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Along with a matching $36,000 from the chamber, the money will be used to improve the kitchen, bathroom, flooring, and lighting and add a new patio, roof, and windows to the hall. The chamber maintains the public park and hall in the unincorporated community of Kingsland.
“This is really the final piece to upgrading our community park,” said chamber President Melody Yanniell in a media release from the LCRA. “Our community and residents are always in search of a smaller venue that is fairly priced for smaller gatherings, and we think this will offer them a great spot for that.”
The chamber received one of the 44 grants awarded by the LCRA through its Community Development Partnership program, which helps fund capital improvement projects by local organizations in the authority’s service area.
According to the media release, the chamber has been making steady upgrades to the hall and Kingsland Community Park after the flood of October 2018 caused extensive damage to the public space.
The hall is one of Kingsland’s few community meeting spaces. It has been used for weddings, family reunions, candidate forums, haunted houses at Halloween, and more. According to Yanniell, it will be available to rent once upgrades are completed.
“It’s our goal to have the space rented most weekends, and as many weekdays as possible, at rates affordable to the working-class residents of Kingsland,” she said.
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discussion and action to approve $6,998 for equipment that will be used to streamline the work of the permitting office, including two iPads, a drone, and training
authorize Riley Mountain Engineering to re-engage efforts to construct the Llano County Criminal Justice Center
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Voters favored two incumbents in the May 4 election for the Llano Independent School District Board of Trustees. Place 1 Trustee Rob Wilson and Place 5 Trustee Dean Campbell said the outcome was a reflection of voter confidence.
Wilson beat challenger Pamela Houston 1,081 to 752 votes, or 58.97 percent to 41.03 percent of total votes cast.
Campbell won his seat with 853 votes, or 47.21 percent of total votes cast, against Penny Wimberly’s 717 votes, or 39.86 percent, and Reed Norman’s 237 votes, or 13.12 percent.
Of the 16,137 registered voters eligible to participate in the LISD election, 1,833 voters (11.35 percent) cast a ballot for the Place 1 race and 1,807 voters (11.19 percent) for the Place 5 race.
“This election confirmed my belief that most stakeholders in Llano ISD recognize the work we are doing as a school district and are pleased with the results,” Wilson wrote in a post-election statement to DailyTrib.com. “I am glad to see that the voters of Llano County chose to focus on the future of our students.”
This will be Wilson’s fourth term on the board. Trustees serve three-year terms.
His opponent, Huston, did not provide comment by press time on Thursday, May 9.
Campbell had similar sentiments on the election’s results. This will be his third term on the board.
“The fact that I was re-elected, I think it means the majority of the people in our school district feel like the board was doing a good job,” he wrote in his post-election statement. “I think the people in our community have a lot of trust in our board and respect for our leadership.”
Campbell’s opponents did provide statements.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Dean Campbell on his victory,” Wimberly wrote. “I’m excited about new opportunities to improve Llano County schools. Thank you for your support as I continue this journey to make positive change and a lasting impact for our Llano County students.”
Norman said he ran for the board when he saw what he perceived to be a lack of “empathy” and “transparency” during a meeting, but he also said he supports the election’s results.
“Despite being defeated in the election, I am grateful for those who supported me, and I respect the majority’s confidence in the current board,” he wrote. “As an alumnus, I am proud to support my alma mater.”
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