Agendas for Highland Lakes governments 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.
Monday, Sept. 15
Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees
6 p.m. regular meeting
Central Administration Office, 1800 Colt Circle in Marble Falls
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A city of Marble Falls employee no longer has their job after making comments on social media regarding the recent killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
The employee’s identity and their online remarks were not shared by the city with DailyTrib.com. According to a Marble Falls media release, the “social media statements” were made Wednesday, Sept. 10, and the staffer’s last day of employment with the city was Thursday. Whether they were fired or resigned was not released.
Marble Falls Mayor John Packer shared the following written statement with DailyTrib.com on Friday:
“The city of Marble Falls values the voices of our residents and appreciates those who recently shared their concerns (regarding the social media post). We want our community to know that when issues are brought to our attention, whether in person, by phone, or on social media, we take them seriously and work to address them. Your feedback helps us ensure that Marble Falls remains a place we are all proud to call home.”
A media release issued by the city on Friday provided further context.
“Marble Falls is a close-knit community built on hard work, respect for others, and pride in service,” Packer said in the release. “Our residents take seriously the importance of compassion, dignity, and treating one another with fairness.”
Marble Falls City Manager Caleb Kraenzel also commented on the matter in the release:
“As a municipal organization, the city expects its employees to uphold these shared values every day. The city’s core values of teamwork, respect, integrity, pride, and professionalism guide how we work together within the organization and how we provide service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Marble Falls. Consistent with city policy, we will not provide additional details regarding the personnel matter.”
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The city of Granite Shoals recently banned unofficial fireworks displays in the city, and now short-term rental operations will have to make that clear with signage so visitors follow the same rules as residents.
The City Council on Sept. 9 unanimously approved an amendment to Ordinance 878, which took effect immediately, requiring STRs to post signs telling renters that fireworks are prohibited within the city and violations could result in a misdemeanor conviction with a fine of up to $1,000 for each offense. The signs must be clearly visible to guests and the city’s fireworks ordinance included in any instructions given to them.
Previously, Granite Shoals allowed private fireworks on some holidays, including July 4 and New Year’s Eve. However, a revised ordinance adopted Aug. 12 now limits fireworks within the city to professional, authorized displays.
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Hougen (Place 4) said the fireworks restriction is mostly due to noise, rather than danger. He thanked residents who shared feedback at past meetings.
“This ordinance and the signage associated with it for short-term rentals is a good thing overall for the city, and I appreciate the public for drawing attention to that,” Hougen said during the meeting.
The short-term rental ordinance is part of the city’s zoning code. The update followed the standard public process: review by the Planning and Zoning Commission, a published public notice, and final approval by the City Council.
The Granite Shoals City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at City Hall, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road. View agendas and meeting minutes at the link.
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A $4.8 million dental office development likely will get significant job creation incentives from the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. The project is expected to bring in and maintain dozens of stable, high-paying jobs, something the EDC can sink its teeth into.
A job performance agreement set for a vote by the Marble Falls City Council on Sept. 16 would see local development group Heritage Oaks Holdings receive funding for each job created and maintained by the dental offices in the next three years, up to a total of $98,000.
The offices, currently under construction at 411 12th St., are about a year-and-a-half in the making and expected to open in early 2026.
Steel supports are in place for the new Heritage Oaks Dental offices at 411 12th St. in Marble Falls. The facilities are expected to open in early 2026. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
According to Heritage Oaks Holdings founder Ross Johnson, the two, 5,000-square-foot buildings will serve as the new home for Main Street Dental, which is rebranding itself as Heritage Oaks Dental, and another location for oral surgeon Dr. Jeff Alford. Combined, the office buildings should have 40 total jobs between them once they are up and running.
“This isn’t a big group out of Dallas. These are people who are living here and raising their families in the community,” Johnson told DailyTrib.com.
The rebrand of Main Street Dental and the name of the office space is an homage to the large oak trees that dot Marble Falls, like the one on Old Oak Square in the city’s downtown. The oaks on and surrounding the construction site were preserved.
Johnson explained that the Main Street Dental practice was growing and wanting to leave its 308 Main St. location, potentially out of town. The practice and Heritage Oaks Holdings found a solution, settling on new construction and an expanded vision of more office space for other providers. Johnson’s wife, Dr. Janelle Johnson, is one of the primary doctors with Main Street.
“We would have lost a hell of a service in the community,” Ross Johnson said.
Main Street Dental alone serves around 3,800 patients and supports a staff of about 12, which is expected to grow to around 20 once the rebrand and move take place.
The Marble Falls EDC approved the $98,000 performance agreement on Aug. 6, and a first reading of the deal was heard by the City Council on Sept. 2.
According to EDC Executive Director Christian Fletcher, the deal came about when developers saw unexpected cost overruns that could have jeopardized the project. After months of negotiations, the EDC agreed to the performance agreement to the benefit of both parties.
“As far as the justification goes, we like healthcare sector jobs,” Fletcher said. “They’re good, stable, well-paying jobs. Healthcare and wellness are target industries for the EDC.”
The Marble Falls EDC uses its budget to facilitate economic growth in the city, which includes job creation.
While the funds for the deal would come from the half-cent sales tax collected by the EDC, it requires council approval before moving forward because the expense is over $10,000. Learn more about how the EDC works under its bylaws, available online.
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The Granite Shoals City Council approved a $14.6 million budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, and a slightly higher property tax rate than last year’s during its Sept. 9 meeting.
The upcoming budget is a 6 percent increase from last year’s $13.7 million.
Of the $14.6 million, $12.5 million will fund daily operations and $2.1 million is dedicated to capital projects in streets, utilities, parks, planning and development, and public safety.
The city’s general fund increased by 2.2 percent to $7.1 million. The primary source of revenue is expected to come from property taxes, with only about $680,000 projected for sales-tax revenue.
The general fund supports the day-to-day operations of the city and is divvied up as follows:
23 percent to police service
21 percent to debt service
19 percent to fire service
11 percent to administration
10 percent to streets department
7 percent toward non-departmental
4 percent to parks and recreation
4 percent to Planned Development District service
1 percent to municipal court
Employee support is a key focus, including a 2-percent cost-of-living adjustment, up to 2-percent merit raises, and, for the first time, a 20-percent city contribution toward dependent health coverage.
Granite Shoals has struggled with employee benefits and retention for years. City leaders hope the new contributions and raises can help remedy the longstanding issue.
“This investment not only supports the well-being of our team and their families, but also strengthens recruitment and retention, ensuring Granite Shoals remains a place where talented, dedicated professionals want to work and build their careers,” reads an excerpt from the adopted budget.
Other key elements in the 2025-26 budget are funding water line replacements and annual road maintenance while maintaining an aggressive capital improvement plan that focuses on infrastructure, parks and public spaces, growth and development, and community standards. The budget also plans for enhancements to public services and events and sees the addition of two full-time positions in the streets department.
“Our (fiscal year 2025-26) budget takes a balanced approach—strengthening infrastructure, supporting growth, and enhancing community standards while keeping the tax rate nearly flat and investing in the employees who make our services possible,” City Manager Sarah Novo told DailyTrib.com.
2025-26 TAX RATE
The property tax rate will remain nearly flat at $0.5424 per $100 valuation, up 1.12 percent from last year’s rate of $0.5417. The city will raise $295,999 more in property tax revenue than last year with the rate change and general increases to property evaluations, a 5.15 increase from last year’s budget.
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The Lower Colorado River Authority will lower Inks Lake by about 8 feet this fall so property owners can work on docks, boat slips, and other shoreline structures like retaining walls; dredge up to 2,000 cubic-yards of material; and remove debris from the lake and shoreline.
The drawdown will begin on Oct. 1, with the lake being lowered by about a foot a day. The lake will be at its fully lowered level of 879 to 879.5 feet above mean sea level by Oct. 9. The refill will begin Nov. 24 and conclude on Nov. 28.
Inks Lake was last lowered in 2020.
The LCRA currently does not plan to lower any of the other pass-through lakes, such as Lake Marble Falls, Lake LBJ, and Lake Austin, in 2025. The next opportunity for a routine drawdown will be the fall of 2026, and the river authority will make a determination about which lakes, if any, will be lowered next year based on conditions at that time.
In the past, the LCRA has lowered lakes for shoreline maintenance and dock repair between January and February but now performs drawdowns in the fall to ensure hydroelectric generators at the dams can be fully operational in the winter, when electricity use can rise dramatically.
Floods or power emergencies could change or cancel the drawdown to pass water through the Highland Lakes. Property owners should not leave equipment unattended in the lakebed and should remove tools from the shoreline when not in use.
To lower Inks Lake, the LCRA will release about 5,000 acre-feet of water through the hydroelectric generator at Inks Dam. The water will flow downstream through lakes LBJ and Marble Falls into Lake Travis, causing Lake Travis to rise about 3½ inches.
Without additional rainfall, the water to refill Inks Lake will be released from Lake Buchanan, causing the lake to fall slightly less than 3 inches.
For other work: Property owners must register projects at www.lcra.org/lakelowerings before beginning maintenance dredging, up to 2,000 cubic-yards, and repairs on retaining walls, boat slips, and boat ramps under LCRA’s Army Corps of Engineers Lakewide Permit. The permit notice provided at LCRA.org must be displayed in a visible location at the worksite.
Deadline: All work should be completed by Nov. 28, when the refill concludes.
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Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham said he won’t be running again when his current term ends in 2026. The judge is finishing out his second term in office, having been first elected in 2019.
“Thank you all. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to work with everyone, but in 2026, I’ll be tapping out so to speak,” Cunningham told the audience at the Llano County Commissioners Court’s regular meeting Monday, Sept. 8. “It’s been a good run, but I’m not going to seek a third term.”
Cunningham told DailyTrib.com his decision was made primarily due to a desire to spend more time with family.
“I’ve got a grandson now who is a year old. He lives in New Mexico. We want to see him more, and family is everything,” he said.
Llano County judges serve four-year terms and are elected following party primaries. They have no set term limits.
“If eight years is long enough for president, it’s long enough for county judge,” Cunningham joked.
Judge Cunningham has been in government in some capacity since he joined the U.S. Army at 19 years old. After a three-year military service, he worked for the San Angelo Police Department for five years, for the Texas Department of Public Safety for 17½ years, and as a federal contractor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for 18 years.
Cunningham led Llano County through several major events, milestones, and controversies including:
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Horseshoe Bay will hold a public hearing in October to consider zoning amendments clarifying restrictions on mining, drilling, quarrying, and rock crushing in the city limits. The hearing comes after a controversial approval of a temporary rock-crushing operation this summer at a construction site in the Atten Hill area.
Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in during the City Council’s regular meeting, which is Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. at 1 Community Drive. The council will follow the hearing with a discussion and possible action on the matter.
Residents also may submit comments in writing before the meeting to City Secretary Kerri Craig at kcraig@horseshoe-bay-tx.gov.
The item was originally on the September meeting’s agenda but was pushed to October to allow for more time to develop policy and gather public input.
The amendments target sections 14.02.402, 14.02.414, and 14.02.421 of Chapter 14 of the city’s zoning code.
Horseshow Bay Mayor Elsie Thurman told DailyTrib.com the proposed amendments are intended to reaffirm and “tighten up” existing restrictions while adding explicit language about rock crushing, ensuring clarity for developers and residents moving forward.
The conversation began this summer when a developer submitted a request to operate a temporary rock-crushing and screening site near the exclusive Atten Hill community during Phase 1 construciton of the Summit Rock development.
The City Council approved a conditional-use permit for the rock crushing with several restrictions in August. Operations are limited to five designated sites within the construction zone and may continue only through March 1, 2026, or within 180 days of the intent to begin work, whichever comes first. Work hours are restricted to between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
In response to residents’ concerns about dust, air quality, and noise, the permit requires the operator to use a manned water truck to control dust, monitor and maintain air-quality standards, and implement sound-reduction measures in compliance with city noise ordinances.
Additionally, the site must be screened from the view of nearby residents and golfers. Truck access is also restricted, with entry and exit limited to Texas 71 for hauling materials to Burnet.
Currently, Horseshoe Bay’s zoning ordinance includes several restrictions on mining and aggregate operations:
Section 14.02.402 (12): “In relation to oil, gas, and minerals, no mining, exploring, drilling, development, refining, quarrying, or other operations of a related nature” are allowed on any lot in any zoning district.
Section 14.02.414(c)(L) (Summit Rock communities): Specifically prohibits mining, drilling, or quarrying of oil, gas, minerals, gravel, soil, or rocks.
Section 14.02.421(c)(9) (The Parks at Horseshoe Bay): Applies restrictions in Zone 18, restating prohibitions from Section 14.02.402.
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The Llano County Library System is now reaccredited with the state after losing its status in 2023 amid funding cuts made in the wake of a federal lawsuit over alleged censorship in the county’s libraries.
As of Sept. 1, the library system is back in the good graces of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The change came after the county upped its spending on its libraries for the 2024-25 fiscal year, satisfying the state’s requirements for accreditation.
With the reaccreditation, the Llano County Library System can again participate in the statewide Interlibrary Loan Program, offer patrons access to the TexShare book database, and be eligible for federal E-rate discounts and state and federal grants. All of these privileges were revoked from Sept. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31 of this year due to the county’s null accreditation status.
“It feels really great,” library system Director Amber Milum told DailyTrib.com. “I’m glad that we are able to offer more resources (for our patrons).”
The Llano County Library System, which includes libraries in Llano, Kingsland, and Buchanan Dam, lost its accreditation mostly due to the county’s funding cuts and freeze on new book purchases that led to a federal censorship lawsuit in April 2022. At the time, the library system removed several books dealing with race, sexuality, and farts from its shelves, which the suit’s plaintiffs claimed violated their First and 14th amendment rights.
According to Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham, to remedy the spending deficit and regain accreditation, the county spent about $472,000 on library system upgrades and purchased over $15,000 worth of new books through its online CloudLibrary system.
The Commissioners Court approved the pursuit of reaccreditation during a March 18 meeting.
LAWSUIT
On May 23, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a decision that sided with the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, who wanted the removed books to be put back in circulation. The reversal allowed the books to be kept off of library shelves.
Members of the Llano County Commissioners Court, save for Precinct 3 Commissioner Brent Richards, who was not serving at the time of the lawsuit, along with Milum, are all named as defendents in the federal lawsuit.
The plaintiffs, a group of Llano County residents, have until Sept. 22 to file an appeal of the Fifth Circuit court’s decision and request the case be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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