The Horseshoe Bay City Council has approved two cut-and-fill variances for the Cap Rock Thundercloud subdivision, allowing the project to move forward under specific conditions after months of public hearings.

The variances, approved at the March 17 council meeting, lift the previous four-foot grading limit for the development, which includes 10 garden home lots and a 1-acre parcel for two additional homes off Bay West Boulevard in Horseshoe Bay West.

Replay Destinations will be granted the variances after addressing all staff comments, prohibiting construction parking on public streets, and finalizing an overflow parking plan for Cap Rock.

Public hearings on the variances spanned January through March. Residents generally supported the project but raised concerns about traffic, drainage, infrastructure, and overflow parking.

“We are thrilled to be at this stage of the journey that has been a couple of months in the process,” Brianne Kelsey, Senior Vice President of Development for Replay, said in the meeting.

maci@thepicayune.com

Horseshoe Bay is installing automated license plate recognition cameras at key entrances and exits to help law enforcement track vehicles and improve city security.

The cameras are designed to assist in criminal investigations and increase the likelihood of identifying suspect vehicles. Officials emphasized they will not track speed or use facial recognition. The Police Department will have access to the data for 30 days before it is automatically deleted.

City Council approved the multiple-use agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation in their Tuesday, March 17, meeting, allowing the cameras to be installed in TXDOT right-of-ways. Funding for installation and ongoing operations was included in the city’s budget, and officials expect the cameras to be operational within 30-60 days.

Planned locations include the east and west sides of the city and at Summit Rock Boulevard.

“The cameras have been a useful tool for the protection of over 6,000 communities. For Horseshoe Bay, this will be an important tool to ensure safety of our citizens in the ability to deter and track criminals through the timed recognition surveillance of vehicular entry and exit of our city’s roadways,” City Manager Jeff Koska told the DailyTrib.

maci@thepicayune.com

The full lineup for Burnet’s favorite free concert series, Jackson Street Jams, has been released, bringing four electric names to the swinging downtown stage in addition to Marty Haggard and Moe Bandy who performed last Saturday, March 14.

Once a month from May to August, Jackson Street and Main Street will tune into a performance from local artists with the support of the Burnet Community Coalition, Economic Development Corporation, Chamber of Commerce, and Burnet County Tourism.

The full lineup is as follows:

• Saturday, May 16 – Cory Morrow
• Saturday, June 20 – Little Texas
• Saturday, July 25 – Rick Trevino & “Shania”
• Saturday, Aug. 15 – Dysfunkshun Junkshun

For each concert, a large stage and supporting acoustics are erected at the intersection of Main Street and Jackson Street on the historic Burnet square, with seats lining each respective street.

Food trucks, shops, and street dancing are among other activities that concertgoers can enjoy while listening to strums and hums in the background, and are usually open for operation before the performances begin.

caden@thepicayune.com

Burnet County moved up to drought Stage 3- Severe on Wednesday, March 18. The decision was made by the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District in light of increasingly dry conditions afflicting the county. 

With the change made, well owners are encouraged to practice water-conservation measures and reduce overall water used by 20 percent. Under the previous Stage 2- Moderate drought conditions, well owners were encouraged to voluntarily reduce use by 10 percent. 

This drought stage only applies to groundwater usage. It is not imposed upon surface water users that draw their water from Highland Lakes reservoirs.

The CTGCD had discussed changing the drought stage at prior meetings this year, but agreed to wait in hopes for wetter weather conditions that are typical of the early spring season. 

While some scattered storms rolled in recently, none were significant enough to drastically alter groundwater levels in the area according to CTGCD representatives, prompting the drought stage change.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to be proactive about (the stage),” CTGCD Precinct 1 Director Kathy Griffis-Bailey said at the meeting. “We said ‘let’s see what happens in the next couple weeks,’ and not much has happened. We did get some rainfall but it hasn’t been enough to majorly impact groundwater.”

CTGCD General Manager Mitchell Sodek offered further explanation on the drought stage change, noting that the current drought restrictions are completely voluntary.

“The district has moved from drought Stage 2 to Stage 3, indicating that ongoing drought conditions continue to keep groundwater levels below average for this time of year,” Sodek told DailyTrib. “Stage 3 is currently voluntary, and the district encourages all well owners to practice water-conservation measures and reduce overall water use by 20 percent.”

The district is led by a five-member, elected board of directors and a hired general manager. Together, they are responsible for regulating groundwater usage in Burnet County. 

caden@thepicayune.com

A new ordinance, approved during the Tuesday, March 17, meeting of Marble Falls City Council, allows golf carts, utility vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles on city streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less. The ordinance also establishes specific rules governing cart usage and the requirement of a permit.

The council made its decision following a September 2025 meeting in which they discussed allowing golf carts on city streets to enhance tourism, encourage local spending downtown, and to strengthen the city’s identity as a walkable, visitor-friendly community.

“(Golf cart use) is already happening in Marble Falls,” Downtown and Marketing Manager Erin Burks told the council during a September 2025 presentation. “People are already using them. They’re coming downtown, they’re parking in regular parking spots, they’re using them at events. There have been several requests by residents to allow golf carts in the (downtown) area, and some of our businesses have made that request.”

Drivers must have a valid drivers license, carry state-minimum insurance, and obtain a Texas Department of Motor Vehicles-issued license plate for the cart. Vehicles must display a city-issued permit sticker, which residents receive by completing a free safety acknowledgment form confirming they will follow safety rules, including seat belt use. Carting is only allowed between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m..

The vehicles are prohibited from traveling on state highways or farm-to-market roads, except to cross at signalized intersections. Crossings are not allowed at Mormon Mill Road and U.S. 281 or at RR 1431 at Bluebonnet Drive and Avenue N.

Violations may result in fines of up to $500 per offense, or up to $2,000 for violations involving public health and safety.

Assistant Police Chief Trish Ratliff said officials expect an increase in crashes and citations, though she said prohibiting rentals should limit potential problems.

“For the most part, your crash volume and your citation volume will go up,” Ratliff said in the meeting.

Mayor John Packer said the city could revisit the ordinance if issues arise.

“It’s important for the community to know that everybody needs to be responsible or we’ll take the privilege away,” Packer said in the meeting.

For more information, view the ordinance online or contact the city at 830-693-3615.

maci@thepicayune.com

A severe weather and flood training class will be offered to residents of Burnet County from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. The event, held at the AgriLife Auditorium at 607 N. Vanderveer Street in Burnet, will be hosted by the National Weather Service.

The severe weather and flood training class is free and open to the public, and will teach residents about the dangers of flooding, tornadoes, hail, and lightning.

The NWS will guide attendees through identifying key signs of such hazards, as well as how to report them and their effects to officials.

The NWS emphasizes the importance of public assistance during weather events, as public reports are essential to local forecasters’ ability to disseminate necessary information.

Visit the National Weather Service’s severe weather and flood training webpage for more information.

editor@thepicayune.com

A massive rock quarry is still in the works just outside of Burnet, and a local group is still fighting it every step of the way. Now, Save Burnet is inviting the public to participate in the battle, kicking off a series of monthly open meetings.

The inaugural Save Burnet open meeting is slated for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office, 607 N. Vanderveer Street in Burnet. 

Save Burnet has been meeting for over 18 months, organizing an ongoing defense against the proposed 715-acre Asphalt Inc. rock quarry on Hoover Valley Road, about 6.5 miles southwest of Burnet. The quarry has drawn considerable community backlash due to its potential impacts on air quality, groundwater, and local traffic, and its close proximity to children’s summer camp Camp Longhorn, Longhorn Cavern State Park, and Inks Lake State Park, which are all within 3 miles of the proposed quarry site.  

“There are a lot of people out there saying ‘it’s a done deal’ and ‘you can’t fight back,’” Save Burnet founder Randy Printz told DailyTrib. “That is not true. It is not over. It is far from over.”

Printz explained that this inaugural meeting would focus on bringing the public up to speed on what has happened with the quarry so far, what is happening now, and what to look out for in the future. 

Representatives are expected to attend the meeting from the offices of Texas District 24 Senator Pete Flores and Texas House District 19 Representative Ellen Troxclair. Burnet Mayor Gary Wideman, Burnet County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Luther, and Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson are all also expected to attend.

Future meetings will likely feature guest speakers, specific calls to action, and strategy sessions on how to move forward in opposition to the quarry. 

Printz noted that one of his primary concerns about the project was that it was backed by Alabama-based corporation Construction Partners Inc., which owns Asphalt Inc., a company that does business in Central Texas as Lone Star Paving.

“It’s not right to have an outside company come out here and take advantage,” he said.

Keep up with Save Burnet through its Facebook page and its website.

Background

Asphalt Inc.’s rock quarry has been on the public radar since the summer of 2024, when hundreds of local residents gathered for an official protest at the Hill Country Fellowship church in Burnet.

Resistance remained steady as Asphalt Inc. pursued, and eventually acquired, an air quality permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in February 2025 and a water quality permit from the Lower Colorado River Authority in June 2025.

Now, one of the final steps remaining in the quarry’s path to approval is a groundwater-use permit from the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District. As of this article’s publication, Asphalt Inc. has not filed its official application to acquire a permit, but they are in discussions with the district.

Local and state representatives have expressed their opposition to the quarry, but met with their own resistance in some cases. HD 19 Rep. Troxclair attempted to pass legislation in May 2025 that would have hindered or stopped the quarry, but she was shot down by an especially tenacious South Texas representative, Terry Canales, who repeatedly challenged Troxclair’s bill and delayed its passage, causing it to miss a crucial deadline. 

According to Transparency USA, Canales had received about 17.93 percent of his campaign donations, or $61,000, from the Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC, which is dedicated to advocating for the highway construction industry. 

dakota@thepicayune.com 

An HTeaO storefront will likely be headed to the empty Burger King building off of S. Water Street in Burnet with the help of a $200,000 performance agreement from the Burnet Economic Development Corporation approved at a Monday, March 16, workshop meeting.

While the sale of the Burger King has not yet gone through, both sides have signed a contract for the sale of the building.

Funding will come from the EDC budget, which has a total reserve of over $1.7 million set aside specifically for supporting Burnet’s economy. The developmental dollars will be paid out near completion of the project so long as the developers: finish it by summer 2027, tally a minimum investment of $1.5 million, and employ five full-time jobs a year for three consecutive years.

The performance agreement was approved by the city council immediately following the EDC’s decision, and will require one additional reading and approval before it takes effect.

The agreement is the culmination of a months-long dialogue with the HTeaO developers that originally began with interest in a plot of city-owned land at the southern corner of Cary Johnson Parkway and S. Water Street.

The land, however, would have needed a retention pond for proper development, which could have cost the EDC hundreds of thousands of dollars to construct.

Weighing their options, the EDC decided to recommend a buyout of the old Burger King lot instead, as it had been sitting empty for nearly a year and a half and would favor the city to be occupied again. The EDC agreed that the project would likely help bolster the economy, and set aside $200,000 to help recuperate the developer’s costs in the switch.

“We shifted from working with them on the land, which had a high cost with the pond that was $375,000 or more,” City Manager David Vaughn said at Monday’s meeting. “I think it’s a better deal for us to get a building that’s dark, not dark anymore.”

EDC President and Mayor Pro-Tem Philip Thurman voiced similar interest in the buyout option at previous meetings.

“I’d rather invest in a building on the main highway than a piece of bare property that’s already sitting there,” Thurman said. “It has a bigger impact on the highway of putting somebody in an existing building than something that’s not there.”

While plans are in very early stages, the size of the Burger King storefront could allow for the future HTeaO to sell merchandise, such as hats and shirts, in addition to their drinks. Interior and exterior renovations are also planned to fully align with the broader brand identity.

HTeaO is a Texas-based iced tea drink stop that started as an Amarillo family business in 2009. The company operates over 125 locations nationwide. To learn more about the company, visit the HTeaO website.

caden@thepicayune.com

Granite Shoals’ deer management program more than doubled its previous record this season, removing 267 deer and providing thousands of pounds of venison to residents despite early challenges.

The Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee’s (WAC) program, designed to control the overpopulated deer herd through an archery-only approach with qualified harvesters, used 267 of 270 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tags, about 99 percent, across 10 approved sites. 

Running from Sept. 27, 2025 to Feb. 5, 2026 the program finished three weeks ahead of schedule and donated 190 deer, yielding roughly 3,500 pounds of processed venison for local residents.

“The 2025-2026 program was highly successful, more than doubling deer removals compared to prior efforts,” WAC Chair Mark Henshaw told DailyTrib.

Fifty active participants contributed roughly 3,900 volunteer hours. Most deer removed were does (222), along with 45 bucks, more than double the previous high of 130 total deer harvested. The program also reported a low 7.4 percent loss rate, with 21 deer unrecovered.

The deer harvesting initiative, which began in 2017, was paused in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed this year with early adjustments to address resident safety concerns. WAC says feedback from residents, along with the final report, will help guide improvements in future seasons.

“We did learn a few things and have made recommendations to lower community impacts, improve harvester efficiency, and return even more free venison to our citizens,” Henshaw said.

maci@thepicayune.com