Uneven steps, heavily trafficked sidewalks, and faded striping on parking spaces in downtown Marble Falls might be due a touch-up. The city’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board No. 1 met on Wednesday, Jan. 30, to discuss the so-called “low-hanging fruit projects.”
The board is targeting work that is easy to complete and finance.
The well-worn stairs between Main Street and Element7 Concrete at 901 Third St. are the board’s primary focus.
“My opinion is that it’s our highest priority and highest-value job,” said TIRZ board Chair Kyle Stripling at the meeting.
The plan is to level out the steps for easier pedestrian access.
“With this project, it would keep the sidewalk the same width,” said Downtown and Marketing Manager Erin Burks. “We’re just fixing the stairs. It’s fixing a problem that we know needs to be done.”
Marble Falls City Engineer Jeff Prato laid out a larger vision for the project.
“(The stairs) are very wide, and if you cut those stairs down to five feet, that would leave you space to potentially have a sidewalk adjacent to the street,” he said. “That way, you could accommodate parking, keep the stairs, and have a sidewalk. I’d consider something along that line as a permanent solution.”
Deputy City Manager Caleb Kraenzel reminded the board that Prato’s proposed take on the project would require additional work.
“The second option is going to require geotechnical investigation,” he said. “We have to equivocally know if (the stairs) are part of the building foundation — if there’s rebar to tie them into the building. That could structurally affect the building. We need to do our due diligence.”
The board also discussed restriping parking spaces across downtown and renovating sidewalks between Yett and Second streets and Fourth and Fifth streets.
“Those projects don’t have big interruptions to businesses,” Burks said. “They fix a problem that needs to be fixed, and we’re in and out and we make an impact.”
City financial advisor SAMCO Capital Markets recommended TIRZ take out a bond of $4 million to fund the projects.
“It is, in essence, our legacy what we do with the money,” Stripling said.
Board member Mitch McManus was uneasy with that figure.
“I’ve got to say this, and nobody is going to like it,” he said. “I don’t know where we came up with $4 million. I don’t think we should borrow that until we can afford it. We’re betting on (revenues) to come, and I would never do that in my personal life. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes, but I don’t know. It seems like there’s a lot of assumptions. I’m all for progress, but I like taking baby steps.”
Other board members agreed with McManus’ assertion, leading to a tentative agreement to seek a “staggered issuance” of about $2 million.
“I see what you’re saying,” said board member Joe Don Dockery, who’s also the Burnet County commissioner for Precinct 4, which includes Marble Falls. “We can do a $2 million issuance, wait two years, and do another $2 million issuance.”
Four of the nine TIRZ board members were absent during the Jan. 30 meeting: Tony Plumlee, Matt Cochran, Kaitlynn Williams, and Teresa Carosella.
The next meeting of the Marble Falls Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board No. 1 is at noon Tuesday, Feb. 27, inside Council Chambers at City Hall, 800 Third St.
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Election season is in full bloom with a crop of candidate forums popping up in Burnet and Llano counties. Candidates in key races in the March 5 primaries have already participated in several forums, but more are on the schedule before Election Day. Many of the Republican nominees will likely end up in office come 2025 due to a lack of Democratic opposition.
Below are a list of upcoming forums with times, dates, locations, and invited candidates.
Hosted by the Burnet County Republican Women. RSVPs required through the BCRW website to ensure space. Three candidates are vying for the position of tax assessor-collector: Susan Allen, Adrienne Feild, and Deanne Fisher. The tax assessor-collector is responsible for the assessment of property values in the county and collecting ad valorem taxes from residents.
Burnet Community Center, 401 E. Jackson St. in Burnet
Hosted by the Burnet County Republican Party. Features candidates for the following races: district attorney, county commissioner Precinct 3, county tax assessor-collector, and constable Precinct 2.
Candidates will be given time to introduce themselves and then asked five questions each. They will have one minute to respond and be given a one-minute rebuttal.
Candidates for the Texas House District 19 seat also have been invited. They will be given a three-minute speaking limit that can also be used by a proxy or a pre-recorded video.
Unopposed candidates will be introduced at the close of the event.
Hosted by the Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce. Features appearances from GOP candidates Hatch Smith and Wes Virdell. Each will give a 10-minute introduction. Following the intros, they will visit with attendees. This will be the first public appearance for both candidates in the same place in Llano County.
Quail Point Lodge, 107 Twilight Lane in Horseshoe Bay
Follows the regular meeting of the Star Republican Women. The forum will host candidates from the following races: House District 53, district attorney, Llano County sheriff, and justice of the peace Precinct 1.
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Check agendas to see if the following government meetings are in person, virtual, or both. Agendas are posted 72 hours before a meeting so are not always ready by the time this list is published. Check links for more information.
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The city of Granite Shoals received 26 letters from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2023 for violations of water quality standards, failure to report required water sampling, and requests for mandatory reporting. As of January 2024, the city’s water meets state requirements and is safe for use and consumption, according to city staff, but a series of clerical errors, equipment failures, and understaffing issues put Granite Shoals under enforcement action from the TCEQ, which is tasked with regulating water-quality standards statewide.
During a City Council meeting on Jan. 23, Utilities Superintendent Joshua Hisey explained what is being done to remedy the water issues and how they came about.
“We’re working with the state,” he told the council. “The water that comes out of the water plant is safe to drink, safe to bathe, safe to consume, do dishes in, wash the baby. It meets the state’s requirements.”
Hisey spent about a half-hour of the meeting delving into the 26 letters and why they were sent:
Five of the letters were for basic correspondence between Granite Shoals and the TCEQ. One of those was for a routine tri-annual investigation required by the state. Two were notifications for new standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concerning polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Two were for notification of state requirements for an emergency preparedness plan, which the city will have officially met by May 2024.
One letter was for a complaint from a Granite Shoals resident about the water’s color. This issue was determined to be caused from within the resident’s home rather than the city’s system.
Two letters were for failure to submit required Water Quality Parameter samples in quarters one and two of 2023.
One letter was for failure to submit required copper and lead samples in the first six months of 2023.
Several letters were for routine license renewals.
The remaining letters were for exceeding maximum contaminant levels of disinfection byproducts in the city’s water.
Of the 26 letters, 11 were for TCEQ violations.
“I know that’s a big number, especially for our little city,” Hisey told the council.
In addressing the sampling failures, he explained that the city was notified by the TCEQ in 2022 that it would be required to provide more samples than usual in 2023. According to Hisey, these notifications were received by former City Manager Jeff Looney, who never shared them with the rest of the staff before he was fired in June 2022.
The notifications were discovered in September 2023, by which time, it was too late to submit the samples within the compliance window.
The department has since complied with all current sampling requirements, Hisey said, and the most recent samples were found to be well below maximum lead and copper levels. A new notification system is now in place so multiple parties will be made aware of any correspondence with the TCEQ, rather than just the city manager.
He moved on to explain the violations of maximum contaminant levels of disinfection byproducts found in the city’s water, in this case, trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Certain locations within the city exceeded acceptable levels of TTHMs, which can cause health problems with prolonged exposure. TTHMs are a normal part of the chlorine disinfection process used in most water systems around the world, but they must be kept at manageable levels.
TTHM levels have been reduced since Granite Shoals received its violations, Hisey said.
“You would have to, at current levels, have 10 times the rate we have and then drink it every day for a year, and you might see something,” he explained. “We are nowhere near that. I just want to reiterate that our water is safe to drink and bathe in.”
Hisey took full responsibility for the series of issues and violations that occurred throughout 2023 but believes the city is on track to be in full compliance and provide better water in the future.
Granite Shoals recently added a second clarifier to its water treatment plan, which Hisey said would likely remedy any lingering issues with TTHMs and water palatability.
“I have confidence in Josh,” Mayor Ron Munos told DailyTrib.com in an interview following Hisey’s presentation. “I feel good that measures were put in place so that this doesn’t happen again.”
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Farmers in Burnet and Llano counties affected by the region’s excessive heat are eligible for emergency loans through the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The deadline to apply is Sept. 3.
The emergency loans can be used to aid various recovery efforts for farmers, including replacing essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation, or refinancing certain debts.
The pair of Hill Country counties are two of 64 Texas counties eligible for relief. The loans follow months of hot, dry temperatures that have impacted farming operations statewide.
To file a Notice of Loss or ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center by calling 512-756-4651 in Burnet County or 325-247-5154 in Llano County.
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A monument honoring brothers Murry and Winston Burnham and their popular predator calls was unveiled on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at Lakeside Park in Marble Falls.
The two siblings owned and managed Burnham Brothers Sporting Goods in Marble Falls, which was best remembered for the innovative hunting calls on its shelves and the live rattlesnakes showcased in its front window.
About 75 people attended the afternoon ceremony at the park to hear public addresses from Burnham family members, monument organizers, and city dignitaries.
“We are so glad to have this opportunity to honor the Burnham brothers,” said Robert Linder, an avid hunter and monument organizer.
He started raising money for the granite tribute in the summer of 2023 and received an outpouring of support from hunters with fond memories of the Burnhams and their shop.
“I got a check in the mail from a guy who said, ‘I’m retired and I don’t have much money, but the Burnham brothers were very important in my life. Here’s a $15 check,’” Linder said of one of the donors. “As far as I was concerned, it could have been a $1,000 (check), because I felt it was from that man’s heart. It was unbelievable.”
Linder thanked former mayor and current Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. Director John Packer for his support. Packer was the “granite connection” and voted with the EDC board to award the project a $7,500 grant in August 2023.
“When I brought this up (to the EDC), John looked at me and said, ‘Let me help you,’” Linder said. “Now, that’s what I call a Marble Falls trait. Let me tell you what, John Packer looked after me. He made sure we got this granite.”
Hunter Burnham, the son of Murry Burnham, explained to ceremony attendees how grandfather Morton started the family down its path to national fame by learning to imitate the sound of a wounded rabbit to attract predators.
“Word got around to more and more people about Morton Burnham and his calling ability,” Hunter said. “Around 1950, there was an article written about him in True Magazine. True Magazine was a national publication. Hundreds of people wrote the Burnhams after that article asking for a device that would make the sound of a rabbit in distress.”
Morton’s sons, Winston and Murry, began experimenting with the idea.
“One of their first tries was two sticks with prickly pear cactus skin between them,” Hunter Burnham said. “The cactus skin didn’t last very long, but it made the right sound. These experiments led to (a call with) two pieces of plastic with a rubber band in between, and the S-2 Close Range Call was born.”
The brothers’ predator calls created a new sector in the hunting market, Hunter said.
“Now, there’s dozens of game call companies, there’s calling contests, and a whole industry exists around predator calling. And it all started with Morton, Winston, and Murry Burnham,” he said.
Former mayor and current Marble Falls City Councilor Griff Morris spoke about the brothers’ dedication to the outdoors.
“The Burnham brothers were not just hunters who specialized in bird and predator calls, they were conservationists,” he said. “They cared deeply about wildlife in the countryside. They took as much pride in people sending them photographs of animals that they had called in and let go as they did when people called in animals and mounted them as trophies. I was always impressed by the amount of pride Murry and Winston had for this area and for the wildlife that they felt they were charged with protecting.”
Former Mayor Richard Westerman, a longtime friend of the Burnham family, also spoke.
“I think it’s very important for us as a community to always honor our past as we grow and change,” he said.
The ceremony closed with an official monument dedication by Mayor Dave Rhodes.
“Think about the days when these folks were doing what they were doing,” he said. “If they were in today’s day and age, it wouldn’t be the Duck Commander dudes (from the A&E reality show “Duck Dynasty“), it would be these guys.”
The granite rock for the Burnham brothers’ monument came from Coldspring Granite, while the bronze relief was created by local sculptor Dan Pogue.
The monument joined memorials for musician Floyd Tillman and composer Oscar Fox, both locals, as part of Lakeside Park’s “Music Row.” The Burnham brothers’ tribute qualifies for its connection to “the sounds of nature.”
“As this corner develops, I expect that we’ll have more things in the future because of the great past of Marble Falls,” Linder said.
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The last day to register to vote in the March 5 primary elections is Monday, Feb. 5. Ballots in Burnet and Llano counties have significant Republican races that will likely determine the winner of the November general election due to a lack of Democratic opposition.
REGISTRATION/ELECTION RESOURCES
Visit VoteTexas.gov to register online or check your registration status.
Five Republican candidates are vying for the position being vacated by incumbent Billy Wall on the Burnet County Commissioners Court:
Caleb Carrasco, owner/operator of Mad Hatters Provisions in Burnet
Chad Collier, Bertram business owner
Joseph Rosser of Bertram, who listed public servant on his candidate filing form
Homer D. Will, Burnet County foreman and member of the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors
Cord Woerner of Marble Falls, a retiree from the Marble Falls Independent School District
TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR
Three Republican candidates are running for the open position, which is currently held by Sheri Frazier:
Susan Allen of Horseshoe Bay, the current chief deputy tax assessor-collector
Adrienne Feild of Lake Victor, who listed airport administrative services on her candidate filing form
DeAnne Fisher of Bertram, the current chief deputy treasurer for Burnet County
PRECINCT 2 CONSTABLE
Incumbent Garry Adams of Burnet is the only one of four constables who drew an opponent:
Donald “Brian” Knowles of Bertram, a Burnet County Sheriff’s Office sergeant
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
DA Wiley “Sonny” McAfee of the 33rd and 424th Judicial District is stepping down. Attorneys Marie Primm of Sunrise Beach Village and Perry Thomas of Burnet will face each other in the Republican primary. The winner will represent four counties: Burnet, Llano, Blanco, and San Saba.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 19
In the GOP primary, Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Lakeway) drew challenger Kyle Biedermann, a former state representative from Fredericksburg. Dwain Handley of Burnet County and Zach Vance of Lago Vista face off in the Democratic primary. The winners in each contest will battle it out in the Nov. 5 general election.
UNOPPOSED RACES
Running without an opponent for their positions are Republican incumbents:
Find more information on a few of the candidates in the sheriff, district attorney, and Precinct 3 commissioner races in this Jan. 10 DailyTrib.com story.
Marquis Cantu of Horseshoe Bay, a former Texas Ranger and Llano County Precinct 1 justice of the peace.
Les Hartman of Llano, a Llano Police Department patrol sergeant and singer-songwriter
PRECINCT 3 COMMISSIONER
Three Republicans are running for the Llano County Commissioners Court seat being vacated by Mike Sandoval, who represents the Kingsland area:
Bull Guthrie of Kingsland, who works in real estate and is a retired law enforcement officer
Karen Shaw of Kingsland, an administrative assistant to her church and retired from teaching and academic administration
Brent Richards (no information could be found on the candidate)
PRECINCT 1 JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
Two Republicans are running for the position, which has been left vacant by sheriff candidate Cantu:
Allen Fletcher of Llano, a retired state representative
Sam Silver of Horseshoe Bay, a retired firefighter
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
DA Wiley “Sonny” McAfee of the 33rd and 424th Judicial District is stepping down. Attorneys Marie Primm of Sunrise Beach Village and Perry Thomas of Burnet will face each other in the Republican primary. The winner will represent four counties: Burnet, Llano, Blanco, and San Saba.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 53
Rep. Andrew Murr (R-Junction) did not file for re-election, and three candidates are seeking his position. Rancher Hatch Smith of Llano and firearms advocate Wes Virdell of Brady will compete for the GOP nomination. Democrat Joe P. Herrera of Natalia is running unopposed in his party’s primary. Smith or Virdell will face Herrera in November.
UNOPPOSED RACES
Running without an opponent for their positions are Republican incumbents:
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The largest development in the history of Cottonwood Shores — a 93-acre RV resort park with luxury amenities — was recently given a thumbs-up by the City Council.
Monarch Luxury Motorcoach Resort will have 343 concrete RV pads as well as townhomes, duplexes, a base camp lodge, pools, pickleball courts, kayak and canoe rentals, cabins, glamping opportunities, a boat ramp, and a dog park. It would be located between Dogwood Lane and Ridgeview Drive along Lake Marble Falls.
According to City Administrator J.C. Hughes, the development will be about one-fourth of the size of Cottonwood Shores.
“This is a huge project,” Hughes said. “You can’t underscore how big of a deal this is for the city.”
Current projections demonstrate the resort will double the city’s tax base and generate over $30 million in annual consumer spending.
“Financially, it’s going to have a huge impact as far as bringing in sales tax and ad valorem taxes,” Hughes said. “It’s going to have a domino effect on the local economy from a retail and commercial standpoint.”
Cottonwood Shores will also receive $2 per RV site on a per-night basis. That figure is anticipated to total over $100,000 of additional annual revenues for city coffers.
“We’ll see a huge financial benefit,” Hughes said.
He believes the resort’s commercial impact will be felt across the Highland Lakes.
“It’s going to have a ripple effect on the communities around us,” he said. “From Burnet to Johnson City, from Spicewood over to Llano, it’s going to have a major commercial and retail impact on this whole area.”
A proposed bridge over upper Lake Marble Falls connecting the north and south sides of the lake ignited talks between the developer and the city roughly two years ago.
“The Wirtz Dam Bridge is what kind of got their attention,” Hughes said.
Site topography also heightened developer interest.
“There’s a lot of rock and topographic changes in a small area,” he said. “It didn’t lend itself much as a housing development. In a motorcoach (development), you can use the topography to your advantage for some of the amenities. We see it as the best use (for the site).”
The city’s infrastructure improvements over the past few years made the deal possible, Hughes said.
“In the last three or four years, we’ve actually improved our infrastructure greatly,” he said.
Developers Hill Country Holdings LLC committed an additional $1 million for further infrastructure improvements to ensure Cottonwood Shores can grow in the coming years.
“They bent over backward for us, we bent over backward for them,” Hughes said. “It’s a huge win for the community.”
Hill Country Holdings has four years to break ground on Monarch Luxury Motorcoach Resort, although Hughes anticipates “dirt to turn” sooner than that.
“Realistically, it will probably start construction in two years,” he said. “We gave them a time period that they could live with because they’ve got to go out and get the financing and engineers to do all the pre-engineering work.”
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Llano County is in line for massive upgrades to its emergency services, including a new facility in Kingsland, if a $1.8 million construction contract reaches final approval. The Commissioners Court approved a bid from Lehne Construction on Monday, Jan. 29, to renovate and build EMS stations across the county, bringing the process closer to completion after nearly two years of planning.
The contract will be pitched back to Lehne and then returned to the court for a last look. If final approval is given, Lehne can begin work on new EMS stations in Kingsland and on the Llano County Sheriff’s Office grounds on Texas 16 and an expansion to the current EMS station at MidCoast Central Medical Center in Llano. Extensive upgrades, including a drive-through, are also planned for the satellite tax office at the county’s East Annex in Buchanan Dam.
The new stations will have 24/7 housing for first responders and bays for additional ambulances, providing better coverage of the county.
“The ultimate goal is to have the ambulances placed strategically throughout the county to have response times as low as possible,” Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham told DailyTrib.com after Monday’s meeting.
Kingsland needs its own EMS station to accommodate rapid growth in the area, Cunningham said. The LCSO station would increase response times on the north side of the Llano River and be a safeguard in case the Roy Inks Bridge were shut down.
Expansion to the ambulance bays and living quarters at MidCoast Medical Center would boost coverage on the south side of the river.
The current average response time for emergency services in Llano County is 10 minutes and 18 seconds. The average response time in the city of Llano is seven minutes and 24 seconds. These numbers will likely drop once the new EMS stations are in service.
Cunningham said the overall project has been in the works since 2020 when Llano County began contracting with Hamilton EMS, which stationed full-time first responders in the county.
In June 2022, the Commissioners Court approved a contract with Riley Mountain Engineering to oversee extensive construction across the county, including the EMS stations and tax office improvements. The $1.8 million will come from the county’s 2021 tax notes.
If final approval is reached, construction could be finished as early as April 2025.
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