Granite Shoals residents are voting on 19 proposed changes to the city charter in the May 4 election. Early voting is currently underway and ends on April 30.
The city’s charter is its governing document, similar to the U.S. Constitution. A vote is required to make any changes to it.
The Granite Shoals Charter Review Committee made amendment recommendations to the City Council in March 2023, but those came too late to qualify for last year’s city election.
The Granite Shoals Charter Education Committee, another group, put together an educational pamphlet for voters in English and Spanish to spread the word about the proposed changes for the 2024 election.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day, Saturday, May 4, at the Granite Shoals Community Center, 1208 N. Phillips Ranch Road. Early voting at the community center differs depending on the day:
Monday-Wednesday, April 22-24 — 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, April 25 — 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday, April 26 — 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday, April 29 — 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 30 — 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
AMENDMENTS
The proposed changes to the charter will be on the ballot in the form of a question to voters.
Proposition A
Shall Article III, Section 3.01 of the City Charter (Composition) be amended to remove language from the initial adoption of the Charter in 2005 regarding the appointment of City Council Place 5 because that position is now elected?
REASON: The council’s Place 5 is an elected position. Outdated language from the original charter states that Place 5 shall be appointed. This amendment would remove that language.
Proposition B
Shall Article III, Section 3.05 of the City Charter (Vacancies, Forfeiture and Filling of Vacancies) be amended to clarify the process used by City Council to elect a Mayor Pro Tem following the appointment to fill the vacancy of the Mayor Pro Tem position?
REASON: This amendment would clarify that a new mayor pro tem be elected by the council if that position is left vacant. Under the current rules, a new mayor pro tem must be voted on whenever there is a change of personnel of any kind on the council.
Proposition C
Shall Article III, Section 3.06 of the City Charter (Powers of the City Council) be amended to modify the powers of City Council to conform with Section 4.02 of the Charter, which grants the City Manager authority to appoint or remove the City Secretary subject to approval of City Council, and to amend Section 3.06 of the Charter to grant the City Council the authority to eliminate administrative departments and to perform annual reviews of the City Manager, Municipal Judge(s), and City Attorney?
REASON: This amendment would take the power to hire and fire the city secretary from the City Council and give it to the city manager subject to the council’s approval. It also gives the council the clear authority to eliminate administrative departments and perform annual performance reviews of positions hired by the council, including the city manager, municipal judges, and city attorney.
Proposition D
Shall Article III, Section 3.07 (Prohibitions) be amended to clarify that Council may not dictate the appointment or removal of contractors whom the City Manager is authorized to appoint, and to prohibit the mayor or any council member from holding a contractor position with the City for one year after the expiration of their term of office?
REASON: The city manager is the only authorized person to hire/remove contractors, and council members cannot be contracted with by the city within one year of leaving office.
Proposition E
Shall Article III, Section 3.10 of the City Charter (Conflicts of Interest) be amended to require the City Attorney to make recommendations to City Council members with a potential conflict of interest regarding an agenda item?
REASON: This amendment would make it a professional and municipal obligation for the city attorney to inform the City Council if it is dealing with potential conflicts of interest on its agenda.
Proposition F
Shall Article IV, Section 4.01 of the City Charter (City Manager) be amended to modify the City Manager’s qualifications and remove the statement that a City Manager is preferred but not required to be a resident of the City?
REASON: This updates the qualifications of the city manager position and removes language that cites a preference for the city manager to live within the city. Current interim City Manager Sarah Novo lives in Leander, and former City Manager Peggy Smith lived in Meadowlakes.
Proposition G
Shall Article IV, Section 4.01 of the City Charter (City Manager) be amended to require the City Manager to provide monthly financial updates to the City Council?
REASON: This would require that the city manager provide monthly financial updates rather than quarterly updates. The city ran into trouble with poorly presented financials throughout the tenure of a former city manager.
Proposition H
Shall Article IV, Section 4.02 of the City Charter (City Secretary) be amended to remove language describing the job functions of the City Secretary, because the City Manager determines these functions pursuant to Section 4.01(5) of the Charter?
REASON: The city manager establishes the job function of the city secretary.
Proposition I
Shall Article IV, Section 4.03 of the City Charter (Municipal Court) be amended to conform the City’s municipal court of record with state law by providing for a presiding municipal judge and one or more associate municipal judges serving four-year terms?
REASON: This would adjust the language of the city charter concerning the city’s municipal court to more precisely reflect the language in Texas Local Government Code. The current language is outdated, and this would align it with state law.
Proposition J
Shall Article IV, Section 4.04 of the City Charter (City Attorney) be amended to require the City Attorney to make recommendations to the City Council regarding potential conflicts of interest?
REASON: To line up with Proposition E.
Proposition K
Shall Article IV, Section 4.06 of the City Charter (Personnel System) be amended to remove the City Secretary from the requirement that the City’s personnel rules must include a plan for an annual evaluation of the City Secretary by the City Council?
REASON: The city secretary is reviewed by the city manager.
Proposition L
Shall Article V, Section 5.02 of the City Charter (Filing for Office) be amended to add a qualification for candidates for elected City offices that they be a qualified voter within the corporate limits of the City prior to the filing date to run for that office?
REASON: A candidate must live within the city limits and be a registered voter.
Proposition M
Shall Article V, Section 5.02 of the City Charter (Filing for Office) be amended to add a qualification for candidates for elected City offices that they remain a qualified voter within the corporate limits of the City while in office?
REASON: This change would add a qualification to candidates filing for office in the city. The amendment would make it clear that a candidate must continue to be a qualified voter while in office. This is currently not made explicitly clear in the charter.
Proposition N
Shall Article V, Section 5.02 of the City Charter (Filing for Office) be amended to add a qualification for candidates for elected City offices that a City employee must resign from employment with the City after being sworn into a City elected office?
REASON: An elected city official can’t be an employee of the city.
Proposition O
Shall Article V, Section 5.04 of the City Charter (Official Results) be amended to clean up language addressing tie votes in council elections and the canvass of council elections? REASON: A Typo in original charter (recall vs. runoff).
Proposition P
Shall Article IX, Section 9.02 of the City Charter (Duties and Powers) be amended to require the Planning and Zoning Commission to provide reports or presentations to City Council on potential costs or financial impacts regarding matters brought before the Commission?
REASON: Zoning changes must have a financial report presented to the City Council.
Proposition Q
Shall Article XI, Section 11.07 of the City Charter (Charter Review Commission) be amended to require an appointed Charter Review Commission to begin its functions by June 1st of the year in which it is formed?
REASON: Under the charter’s current rules, the Charter Review Commission can only be active for six months. With a mandatory June 1 start date, this would prevent the commission from starting later in the year, which would potentially prevent the commission’s proposed changes from making it onto the spring ballot.
Proposition R
Shall Article XI, Section 11.08 of the City Charter (Submission of Charter to Electors) be amended to comply with state law, which requires that voters be allowed to vote to approve or disapprove any one or more proposed Charter amendments without having to approve all of the amendments in a single vote?
REASON: Under the current rules, voters technically have to vote “all” or “none” on charter amendments. This conflicts with state law, which requires that voters have a choice on each amendment. State law supersedes municipal law, regardless of what is written in the charter.
Proposition S
Shall Article XIV, Section 14.01 of the City Charter (Nepotism) be amended to align the Charter with state law regarding the hiring of employees or contractors who are related to the Mayor, City Manager, or any City Council member?
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Burnet County is currently ranked No. 2 in Texas and No. 6 in the nation for incoming investments in 2024, according to a new study from SmartAsset, an online consumer finance information service. A combination of business growth, GDP growth, and an enormous number of new building permits launched the county to the top.
Burnet County has seen a 33.88 percent rise in the number of new businesses started over the past three years, an increase of $2,114 to its per-capita gross domestic product (GDP), and a reported 63.57 new building permits issued per 1,000 homes.
“This study identifies the places across the U.S. which are receiving the most incoming investment,” reads the report from SmartAsset. “The study measures investment in counties across three metrics: business establishment growth, gross domestic product (GDP) growth and new building permits.”
Burnet County ranks second behind Hidalgo County in South Texas for the most incoming investment in the state in 2024. Across the nation, the county is sixth behind (in order) Hidalgo County, Los Angeles County in California, Jasper County in South Carolina, Jackson County in Georgia, and Brunswick County in North Carolina.
Burnet County’s strongest statistic is the number of new building permits issued per 1,000 homes. According to SmartAsset, this number is a measure of the investment and development of the local real estate market. The county’s 63.57 new building permits dwarfed every other county in Texas. That number is 20.67 for Hidalgo County and 53.4 for Caldwell County, the next highest in the state.
The surging investments are fairly recent. SmartAsset also has a published 2019 ranking in which Burnet County is No. 15 in the state with a 9.3 percent increase in businesses, $217 in per-capita GDP, and 26.1 building permits issued per 1,000 homes. It was ranked No. 64 in the nation at the time.
In 2015, Burnet County was only ranked No. 39 in the state and No. 346 in the nation. At the time, its new business growth was at 1.7 percent, its per-capita GDP growth was at $380, and it was at 8.9 new building permits issued.
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Early voting for Highland Lakes city and school board elections started Monday, April 22. Voters have until Tuesday, April 30, to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, which is May 4.
Voters in Marble Falls, Granite Shoals, Meadowlakes, Burnet, and Sunrise Beach Village all have contested races to decide. Some ballots will also include contested school board races in the Burnet and Llano districts.
Visit the DailyTrib.com local elections guide for a closer look at candidates’ views on key issues in their communities.
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS
BURNET COUNTY
All polls are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., except on April 25 and April 29, when polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
AgriLife Extension auditorium, 607 N. Vandeveer St. in Burnet
Texas Tech University at Highland Lakes, 806 Steve Hawkins Parkway in Marble Falls
Granite Shoals Community Center, 1208 N. Phillips Ranch Road
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approve Hall Services to replace the roof on the Road and Bridge building and the Kingsland Library
approve Llano County elections to join a consortium led by Grimes County for grant funding from the Department of Defense to secure ballot delivery for Texas military and overseas voters
In executive session:
discuss the Llano County Sheriff’s Office, including the jail, audit, and current inmate census
discuss Llano County School Lands
discuss several federal civil lawsuits filed against Llano County
appointment of members to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
authorize the purchase of a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer for the Burnet Police Department
In executive session:
discuss and potentially confirm City Manager David Vaughn’s appointment of an acting city manager who may serve in times of absence or disability of the city manager
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The Marble Falls City Council delayed approval of the city’s comprehensive plan during its regular meeting on April 16.
Councilors unanimously voted to push approval to their May 7 meeting to give themselves more time to look over the 193-page document.
“I made the comment that I had a baby last week, so I hadn’t had a good chance to review it yet,” Councilor Bryan Walker told DailyTrib.com.
Walker made the motion to delay a vote on accepting the plan.
“That document is 193 pages,” he said. “Before we passed it, I asked we just move it to the next (meeting). That way, we have a good couple of weeks to review it instead of just one week.”
The plan, when approved, will be used as a “decision-making guide” for future city councils, Walker said.
He is pleased with the parts of the plan that he has already reviewed.
“I think it’s very well done,” he said. “I think it’s a good plan.”
The councilor especially likes its focus on adding city parks.
“The thing that I’m most proud of is to see people wanting us to expand the park space,” Walker said. “I think that we’re really getting the community feedback that we wanted to see. People are actually voicing, ‘Hey look, we need things closer to our homes park-wise instead of the big trio (Lakeside, Westside, and Johnson parks) down in the center of town.’”
He was also happy to see the plan include goals to increase commercial offerings.
“I’m big on getting more businesses and restaurants,” Walker said. “I think we have a really awesome opportunity to in-fill more of the commercial space.”
Marble Falls’ current comprehensive plan was last updated in 2016.
“We pride ourselves on doing just about everything that was in the (2016) comprehensive plan,” Walker said. “I think we’re on track to do the same thing here.”
City staff began work on a new comprehensive plan in the fall of 2022 alongside Halff, an Austin-based planning consulting firm.
The city held several public meetings and multiple surveys over the past 17 months to allow residents to voice their opinions.
“It was nice to have such good, heavy involvement by the citizens,” Walker said. “I think we had over 700 respondents (in the surveys), which is really good turnout.”
The Marble Falls City Council will consider approval of the comprehensive plan during its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. May 7 inside Council Chambers at City Hall, 800 Third St.
“That’s the plan for right now,” Walker said.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated the city hired planning consulting firm Hatch for its comprehensive plan. The firm is actually Halff. DailyTrib.com apologizes for the error.
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Lower Colorado River Authority employees volunteered their time on five projects in the Highland Lakes during the LCRA’s annual Steps Forward Day on April 12. Hundreds of LCRA employees worked on 36 projects in 30 communities across the authority’s service area.
“Steps Forward Day is a day to work hard, have fun, and give back to our customer communities,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said in a media release. “This year, about 700 employees volunteered to pitch in on these projects to help support Texans and Texas communities.”
In Burnet and Llano counties, LCRA employees painted the exterior and awnings of the Bertram city pool, spruced up walkway fencing and handrails at Granite Shoals City Hall, and stained benches at Grenwelge Park in Llano. They also spread mulch and repaired and painted picnic tables and the windmill sign at the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center in Burnet and installed a new split-rail fence and river rock beds at the Llano River Golf Course.
Other Steps Forward Day projects included installing new landscaping and a shade structure at San Saba River Nature Park, adding sand and mulch to Play for All Abilities Park in Round Rock, and painting and sealing the exterior of the Shiner city animal shelter.
“Our volunteers tackle projects that communities might not have the time and resources to complete on their own, and we’re excited to see these projects to the finish line,” Wilson said. “It’s a way of saying ‘thank you’ to our customers and helping to make a real difference in the communities in which we work.”
LCRA launched its Steps Forward employee volunteer program in 2015. The authority works with its customers to identify service projects in their communities, supplies the labor, and provides the materials needed to complete the projects. For more information, visit www.lcra.org/stepsforward.
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The inaugural class of Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s apprenticeship program, which opened in Marble Falls in 2020, has graduated—just in time for Lineman Appreciation Day on Thursday, April 18.
Graduates include J.R. Ewing of Marble Falls, Austin Hernandez of Oak Hill, Jacob Chapman and Phillip Stapp, both of Junction, and Blake Jackson and Jacob Simons, both of Liberty Hill.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this program and for having PEC’s full support,” said Ewing, who is now a journeyworker. “We learned so much through our training and from the seasoned journeyworkers, and I’m eager to impart that wisdom with the new apprentices to keep our PEC crews strong and the lights on for our members.”
PEC developed its program in partnership with Northwest Lineman College in Denton, which is where PEC apprentices had to train before the Marble Falls center was built.
“Keeping training local, within PEC’s service area, allows lineworkers to go home to their families after training and keeps PEC crews nearby to respond to outages when needed,” said a PEC spokesperson in a media release.
Through their training, PEC lineworkers gain hands-on experience working with energized equipment in a controlled environment. They practice real situations that they might encounter in the field and focus on safety protocols and improving technical skills.
“Seeing our lineworkers learn, grow, and perfect their craft over the past four years has been an incredible journey,” said James Vasquez, PEC’s director of Safety and Technical Training. “They have mastered skills at an extraordinary level and with a commitment to safety.”
PEC lineworkers maintain more than 25,000 miles of distribution and 300 miles of transmission lines across 8,100 square-miles of service territory in some of the nation’s fastest-growing counties.
“Our lineworkers are the key to our reliability, responding to outages in all weather and at all hours,” Vasquez said. “As they show their commitment to power our members and communities, we are proud to build programs to support their safety, training, and education and to pave a path for a bright and fulfilling career.”
To further promote careers in linework, PEC also works with local high schools.
Those interested in serving their community through a linework career can learn more online or apply at jobs.pec.coop. Additional information on PEC’s apprenticeship program is available by emailing PECpreapprentice@peci.com.
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Plans to upgrade the Joppa Bridge are back on track, according to Burnet County Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle. The structure, built in the early 1900s, is one of only two iron-truss bridges on public property in the county still standing.
Beirle spoke about the project during the Burnet County Historical Commission’s April meeting.
“We’ve decided we are going to put a committee together with Joppa residents, me, and members of the historical commission to get a plan together,” he told DailyTrib.com. “Money is the question. We have to go out and ID some funding sources.”
The Joppa Bridge, constructed in 1907, crosses the North San Gabriel River at the intersection of county roads 210, 272, and 200. Two miles south, the Russell Fork Bridge crosses the Russell Gabriel Fork of the San Gabriel River on CR 272. It was completed in 1911.
Both were built by the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. and were issued historical markers by the Texas Historical Commission.
“Our next step is to really start working on national recognition for one or both of these bridges,” said Burnet County Historical Commission Chairman Rachel Bryson. “And we need the Joppa Bridge to be a safe bridge.”
The Russell Fork Bridge is considered pedestrian safe. Nothing blocks people from walking across its wooden planks, but no vehicles, including motorcycles, are allowed.
The Joppa Bridge has large rocks blocking vehicle passage, but pedestrians can still access it, even though it is not considered safe. However, that’s not stopping anyone. It’s a popular spot for graduation, engagement, and wedding photos. It’s also decorated for Christmas each year, and area residents meet for Coffee on the Bridge at 8 a.m. the first Saturday of the month.
“The people I’ve talked to are interested in having a structural engineer look at the condition the bridge is in right now,” Bryson said. “We need to know what we need to do so it is safe for any pedestrians and events on the bridge. People love to get married on the bridge, get engaged on the bridge, have photos taken on the bridge. They want to see it really be used and enjoyed.”
Commissioner Beierle said some of the boards at the front of the bridge are starting to fall through.
“The structure seems fine, but some of the boards are starting to rot,” he said. “We need to get that assessed by a professional.”
He speculated the whole process of evaluation and rehabilitation could take two to three years.
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Candidates for the Burnet City Council and school board attended a forum hosted by the Burnet Chamber of Commerce on April 16 at the community center. Each candidate was given one minute to introduce themselves and two minutes to answer questions written by the chamber.
The forum was moderated by 33rd/424th District Court Judge Evan Stubbs.
Candidates were given the questions for the forum ahead of time.
“They’ve had an opportunity to not be surprised by the questions,” Stubbs told the crowd.
The event was livestreamed. Visit the chamber’s YouTube page to watch the full forum.
Election Day is May 4. Early voting is April 22-30.
BURNET CITY COUNCIL
Burnet City Council members serve staggered, two-year terms. Three seats are up for election this cycle. The top three vote-getters out of six candidates will fill those seats.
Running for the council are Anthony Francisco, Tommy Gaut, Dennis Langley, Zac Neely, Cindia Talamentez, and Philip Thurman. Of the six candidates, only Talamentez was absent from the forum.
Each candidate was asked five questions. DailyTrib.com selected three of those questions and the candidates’ responses for this story.
PHILIP THURMAN
Thurman is the current mayor pro-tem of the city of Burnet. He is the chief executive officer of OfficePLM, an engineering software company.
“I am pro-citizen, pro-business, and pro-Burnet,” he said. “What that means is I’m motivated to let you have the best experience you can with the city.”
ZAC NEELY
Neely was born in Burnet and raised in Lampasas. He was a teacher for four years before working at ExxonMobil. He has been the assistant boys’ camp director at Camp Longhorn for nearly five years.
“The whole reason for me and my wife to come back to Burnet was to raise our family here,” Neely said. “I’d like to see Burnet keep its small-town atmosphere.”
TOMMY GAUT
Gaut has lived in Burnet since retiring over 10 years ago from the computer industry. He has served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission for the past 10 years and as the board’s chair for the past five years. He also chairs the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.
“I want to be an advocate for all the voices,” he said. “I want to be proactive. I want to listen.”
DENNIS LANGLEY
Langley is the owner of Dennis Langley Construction and an incumbent city councilor.
“I’ve enjoyed serving on council and working with the city staff and City Manager David Vaughn,” he said. “Over the past two years, I think we’ve accomplished some good things.”
ANTHONY FRANCISCO
Francisco has lived in Burnet for 30 years after leaving for six years to attend college and for work. He is the owner/partner of Thess Mortgage in Burnet.
“My motivation would be to make sure that Burnet is transforming and moving forward in the right, correct way and for the people,” he said.
QUESTION 1
What particular skills and experiences qualify you to serve on the City Council, if elected?
NEELY: “In a way, I’m already on a city council as a management position at Camp Longhorn. (The camp is) a small city of about 750 people. The only difference is they switch around about every two weeks.”
Neely also cited his experience as a turnaround specialist for ExxonMobil as proof of his knowledge of construction practices.
GAUT: “I bring to the position 25 years of senior management experience. I’ve been responsible for projects nationally and internationally in areas like anti-corruption, human resource development, and re-engineering businesses to particular forms that were more cost-effective.”
Gaut also referenced his familiarity with city ordinances and codes from his longtime work on Burnet’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
LANGLEY: “I’ve been a small-business owner for well over 30 years. I think that gives me the experience to be financially responsible and help the city go in the right direction.”
Langley followed with the importance of working to improve the lives of residents and city employees by ensuring their voices are heard.
QUESTION 2
With the projected growth and the growth that’s occurring, where do you see the city of Burnet in five years?
THURMAN: “It’s going to impact our life. It’s going to attack the way we live, but it’s not all bad. How do you turn that growth into something good? You do that by using the money from the growth to grow the city the way that you want. What does that mean? It means that we have to plan for the growth. We can’t just sit back and wait for it.”
Thurman pointed to the importance of strategically preparing and planning for an influx of new residents to avoid mirroring mistakes made in other municipalities, such as Liberty Hill and Dripping Springs.
NEELY: “The growth is going to come, and we have to plan for it. Burnet is in a fortunate situation where we’re just far enough from Austin that we can see it coming our way. We do have that foresight there because of our distance.”
Neely also touched on how interest rates can dictate growth. He specifically mentioned how record-low interest rates in 2020 fed into growth in other Central Texas towns.
LANGLEY: “I believe with the leadership that we have and the nature of the citizens, I think that Burnet will still be the best place to live in five to 10 years. Now grant you, it’s going to grow, and, unfortunately, Austin is moving this-a-way. We’re fortunate that our leaders have got to watch places like Liberty Hill and Dripping Springs, and, yeah, we’re still going to have issues. But I think, that being said, the city workers and the (council) kind of know what’s coming.”
Langley doubled down on his hopes that Burnet remains small but also identified the historic downtown square as an area that could benefit from future growth.
FRANCISCO: “I think if we can continue to have a firm foundation for Burnet to grow—when we do hit those spurs and absorb those extra people—we’ll look like professionals that have been doing it all along. We can do it with open arms and continue to be Burnet: kind, loving, and great.”
Francisco also echoed Thurman’s concerns that Burnet needs to work hard to prepare itself for future growth.
QUESTION 3
Being on the City Council requires teamwork. Give us an example of when you have worked as a team.
THURMAN: “Teamwork is about doing and being part of a solution. As it relates to the question, I’ve been on a team with (former City Councilor) Ken Graham and (City Manager) David (Vaughn) and remodeled Galloway-Hammond (City Park) and handed it over to the (YMCA). We were taking about a $500,000 hit on that (annually), and we turned it into an incredible facility for the people of Burnet.”
Thurman also touted his experience reworking the Delaware Springs Golf Course budget to become sustainable without being subsidized by tax dollars.
GAUT: “To deliver projects to customers, by default, you have to be able to work with teams. Not just in leading teams, but by being a collaborative team member. Being a chair of the Planning and Zoning (Commission) and the (Zoning) Board of Adjustment, I work with my fellow commissioners and city staff.”
Gaut spoke directly to the city’s recent passage of its new short-term rental ordinance as an instance that required coordination between multiple bodies, including city staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Burnet City Council.
FRANCISCO: “There’s many things, from being a collegiate athlete to being a member of many startups to also being involved in large transactions with investment brokers. When it comes to teamwork, it’s just allowing everyone to use their strengths and working with them to create unity, not uniformity.”
Francisco promised the crowd that he would lead when needed but also let others lead when the time was necessary.
BURNET CISD
Burnet school board candidates Amber Cardenas (left) and Katy Duke. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District trustees serve staggered three-year terms on a seven-place board. Place 5 is the only contested race in the May 4 election with Katy Duke and Amber Cardenas vying for the spot. Trustees vote on BCISD policies and budgets.
School board candidates were each asked four questions. DailyTrib.com selected two of those questions and the candidates’ responses for this story.
KATY DUKE
Duke is a Realtor with GEC Real Estate in Bertram. She has served on several committees within the district, including the District Advisory Committee and the Bond Oversight Committee. She was appointed to the BCISD Board of Trustees in November 2023 following the death of longtime Trustee Andy Field in September 2023.
“The main reason that I want to serve on the school board, and the main reason I already am serving on the school board, is that I am very committed to making sure that all of our kids are well-cared for and have the best opportunities they possibly can,” Duke said.
AMBER CARDENAS
Cardenas is the owner of Bill’s Burgers in Burnet and has lived in the city for the majority of her life. She is also a marriage and family associate therapist. She has four children in the district.
“I want to be a voice that represents the public’s interest,” Cardenas said.
QUESTION 1
With the growth that Burnet has seen and will see in the future, where do you see Burnet Consolidated Independent School District in five years?
DUKE: “I see an additional elementary (school) or two, possibly a middle school, and I know there’s been conversations about a possible fifth- and sixth-grade center. I’m a real estate agent, so we need to be buying land now.”
Duke also mentioned that BCISD could have its own police force by 2029 and touched on the potential of one or two future bond elections to cover costs from the district’s expanded enrollment.
CARDENAS: “In five years, I see Burnet CISD as a district that will be providing safe and supportive learning environments for our kids, providing staff and faculty with resources to provide a great education, and meeting our goals for students to lead successful lives and be prepared for their future.”
Cardenas also acknowledged that growth is already here and touched on the importance of retaining quality staff and faculty to ensure successful outcomes for students.
QUESTION 2
If you had the sole power to change one thing, what would you change and why?
DUKE: “Ideally, I’d like to do away with Robin Hood (a state law that sends tax dollars from wealthy school districts to poorer districts) or get more help from the state. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s something that I’ll have direct impact over. As a board member, you don’t have sole power to change anything. You’re a team of eight (including superintendent). I want to work the best I can with that team.”
Other hopes outlined by Duke were that the district continue its focus on building students that are “ready to adult” upon graduation through providing academic support and resources.
CARDENAS: “I would ban cellphones. I mean, all the way, across all campuses, all the phones, all the students. I’ve heard from numerous faculty that the policies we currently have on our books don’t work.”
Cardenas elaborated, stating that cellphones lead to undesirable student behavior such as disrupting class and vaping. She recommended the district research the success of similar phone bans at other ISDs in the state.
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