The Horseshoe Bay Fire Department needs to raise $300,000 to purchase a fire rescue boat to improve emergency response times on Lake LBJ.
The goal amount would cover the cost of a new-build boat, a Munson Model 26-48. To date, 10 percent has been raised. A Sept. 11 golf tournament hosted by two private Horseshoe Bay golf associations is expected to boost that number.
Mayor Elsie Thurman said the project is a great way to give back to the fire department for its service, which also includes a danger prevention program for the elderly that assists with tasks such as changing lightbulbs and smoke detector batteries.
“Citizens often want a way to thank firemen for exemplary service, and (the fundraiser) provides that means for them to make donations,” she said.
Thurman said the city is not buying the boat as it would primarily benefit waterfront properties and those who use Lake LBJ recreationally. Horseshoe Bay’s primary source of funding comes from property taxes, so any items purchased for the fire department should be beneficial to all residents, she explained.
However, the city did recently fund the rebuild of Fire Station 2 and the purchase of air packs—known as Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)—which protect firefighters from inhaling toxic chemicals.
With the recent upgrades in place, Fire Chief Doug Fowler said this was the right time to get the fundraiser going and the rescue boat added to the arsenal. He believes the boat will “fill a hole” in the area, as no other local department currently has one.
The idea for a fire rescue boat came from Fowler’s previous experience on South Padre Island, where the absence of a dedicated vessel highlighted the critical need for one. When he assumed his role in Horseshoe Bay, he was motivated to take action.
“I recognized the need,” Fowler said.
Building a boat takes two years and requires a $25,000 down payment to start. Fowler hopes to save $125,000, about 40 percent of the total, before making the payment. He expects it will take a year to 18 months to raise those funds and, at that time, make the down payment and begin the project. Maintenance and other related items would be worked into the department’s annual budget once the boat is purchased.
By the end of this year, Fowler said he should have a better idea of the timeline involved based on community support.
The Model 26-48, already in use by departments such as Grand Prairie, has a top speed of 41 mph. It is lightweight, durable, and effective in shallow water, making it especially useful on Lake LBJ, which has a wide range of depths. The boat could be used in drownings, firefighting, and other emergencies.
Fowler said the fire rescue boat would be a significant upgrade from the department’s current swiftwater vessel and would greatly reduce emergency response times. The current boat must be trailered, transported, and launched—steps that add time and create potential safety hazards. In contrast, a fire boat could be stationed on the lake 24/7, which Fowler estimates could lower the department’s response to an emergency by 20 minutes or more.
The boat can also pump water directly from the lake, which makes it especially valuable during waterfront fires and for accessing homes that might be difficult to reach by road.
Although the boat would belong to Horseshoe Bay, Fowler emphasized it would benefit the entire Highland Lakes during mutual aid situations.
Several Horseshoe Bay firefighters are already certified boat operators, but Fowler said he would want to increase that number to ensure around-the-clock readiness. Training requires basic firefighting, marine navigation, emergency response, vessel maintenance, and a commission-approved Marine Fire Suppression certification, as well as passing a marine exam.
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Water and sewer provider Aqua Texas is applying with the state to implement large rate increases for customers across the board, including for a few communities in the Highland Lakes. The Public Utility Commission of Texas is accepting protest letters from Aqua Texas customers before a determination is made on the application.
Aqua Texas filed an application with the PUC on June 20, requesting permission to implement rate increases to reflect an estimated $700 million in capital infrastructure projects made between 2004 and 2024. If the changes were to be implemented, customers could see steep increases to their water and sewer rates.
The proposed changes vary by customer and location, but they are dramatically higher in most cases. For example, in the city of Houston, the current rate for 1,000 gallons of water is $1.90; with the rate change, it would jump up to $5.49 for a residence, a 188 percent increase.
Aqua Texas serves several communities in the Highland Lakes area, including Tropical Hideaway Condominiums in Granite Shoals, a cluster of homes near Scobee in unincorporated Burnet County, portions of Horseshoe Bay, parts of Barton Creek Lakeside on the Burnet-Travis county line, and the Rio Ancho Ranch subdivision in Burnet County.
Aqua Texas came under fire in Granite Shoals in 2023 amid chronic issues with its wastewater treatment plant at Tropical Hideaway. The plant was cited for 11 violations with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and spilled 2,000 gallons of sewage due to a pump malfunction.
If you’re unsure whether or not you are an Aqua Texas customer who could be impacted, visit the provider’s website and enter your address to check. Aqua Texas has 377 water systems and 66 sewer systems across 56 counties in the state.
To file a protest or, as an intervener, to request a public hearing with the Public Utility Commission of Texas on the Aqua Texas rate increase, visit the PUC website here and use control number 58124 to file.
As of Monday, Sept. 8, there have been 3,771 filings regarding Aqua Texas’ rate increase application.
As of now, the rate increase is in limbo, and customers could have days, weeks, or months to file their protests, depending on how the PUC rules on the matter.
dakota@thepicayune.com
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The Burnet County Democratic Club hosts a forum Sept. 14 featuring three primary candidates running for Texas’ 31st congressional district in 2026. The event is 2 p.m. Sunday at Westside Park Community Hall, 1704 W. Second St. in Marble Falls.
Attending candidates are Justin Early, Caitlin Rourk, and Brian Trautner. District 31 for the U.S. House of Representatives includes all of Burnet, Bosque, Coryell, and Hamilton counties and parts of Bell and Williamson counties. The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. John Carter, a Republican.
For more information about the Sept. 14 forum, contact the Burnet County Democratic Club via its website, by calling 830-220-5228, or emailing info@bcdctx.org.
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The city of Cottonwood Shores adopted its 2025-26 budget and tax rate on Sept. 4, marking the first time the budget has surpassed $4 million and the fourth consecutive year with a property tax rate reduction.
The City Council unanimously approved both items during its regular meeting last week. The new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
The just-over-$4 million budget, which is an increase from last year’s $3.8 million, includes a 4.6-percent boost to the general fund, from $1.89 million to $1.97 million.
Greenspace spending is a focal point. The city’s 2026 recreational improvements in 2026 include adding public restrooms to city parks.
The budget also has a one-percent increase to the city’s retirement contribution and higher health insurance funding for employees.
Over half of the city’s revenue comes from its utilities fees, at $2.07 million, with the remainder of the budget funded by $1.97 million in property taxes.
TAX RATE
For the fourth year in a row, the city reduced its property tax rate, which is now $0.4998 per $100 valuation. Cottonwood Shores has lowered the rate by about 8 percent over the past four years, with a nearly 6-percent decrease since 2022 when the rate was $0.5315 per $100 property valuation.
“I’m excited that we were able to lower our property tax rate and pray we continue to do so,” Mayor Jared Dodd said. “Our City Administrator J.C. Hughes always does an excellent job with our budget. As we grow as a city, our goal is to increase the goods and services we can provide for our wonderful citizens.”
While the tax rate has been reduced, rising property values in the city mean residents will still see a slight increase to their property tax payments. The city estimates the average value of a home in Cottonwood Shores has gone up about 2.47 percent over last year, from $286,026 to $293,095.
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Firefly Aerospace is growing rapidly, and it wants to take Burnet County along for the ride. The space firm was the latest guest at the Marble Falls/Highland Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce monthly business luncheon and shared some stellar statistics about the future of the space industry in Central Texas and the opportunities available for the local workforce and youth.
Firefly, a space and defense technology company headquartered in Cedar Park, has a 200-acre manufacturing and testing facility in the northeast Burnet County community of Briggs. The company has been around for about eight years, but it recently rose to international prominence when it completed the first-ever fully successful commercial landing on the moon in March.
As of late August, Firefly has over 800 employees company wide, with 371 of them in Burnet County, filling a variety of roles from welder and machinist to software engineer and rocket scientist. There’s no end in sight to the growth, with over 100 job openings, 50 of which are stationed between Briggs and Bertram.
“Our company, specifically, is increasing our employee population,” Firefly Marketing Specialist Alexandra Chavez told DailyTrib.com at the chamber luncheon. “We’re not looking to stop anytime soon.”
The hiring surge can be attributed to the massive contracts and customers the space firm has recently acquired. Firefly has three more missions to the moon on the docket, along with several rocket launches and orbital vehicle tests, all for space industry and technology titans like the U.S. Space Force, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris.
The company will likely continue its expansion, as it just went public in August, raising over $600 million in funding.
Firefly Chief Operating Officer Dan Fermon, who gave the presentation to the Marble Falls chamber on Tuesday, Sept. 2, made it clear the company wants to be part of the Highland Lakes community.
“We definitely are passionate about having strong partnerships with schools, and we want to do that with Marble Falls as well,” he said. “We want to share what we have going on and what we do to make sure we are good stewards and good community members. That is extremely important to us.”
Firefly offers summer internships for college students at its Briggs site and Cedar Park headquarters as well as tours of its facilities, presentations, classroom visits, and more to grade school students.
No events have yet been scheduled with local school districts, but similar programs have been held in the Leander and Florence school districts.
Learn more about Firefly Aerospace’s community involvement by sending an inquiry to the company online and selecting “STEM/Community Inquiry” in the dropdown menu under “I’m Interested In.”
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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. 8
Llano County Commissioners Court
9 a.m. regular meeting
Justice of Peace Precinct 4 Courtroom, 752 Andy Taylor Drive in Llano
proclaim Sept. 11, 2025, Service and Remembrance Day
discuss and take action on the fiscal year 2025-26 proposed budget
discuss and take action on a request for final plat approval for Moonlight Bend, Phase 1, a private subdivision consisting of 66 lots on 330.9 acres at 536 Flying X Roads
Burnet Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors
3 p.m. regular meeting
Second-floor courtroom, Burnet County Courthouse, 220 S. Pierce St. in Burnet
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Three men accused of manslaughter in the death of a Lakeway man after a brawl at a house party in Kingsland in July 2024 are set to go to trial in November 2025.
Francisco Reyes, 19, of Kingsland, Ryan Moore, 20, of Marble Falls, and Damon Murphy of Marble Falls were all charged for their alleged involvement in a fight that broke out on July 14, 2024, at a home on Mesquite Drive in Kingsland. David Michael Justus, 20, later died from injuries sustained in the altercation.
A trial for the three suspects is set for Nov. 10 in 424th Judicial District Court, representing Llano County.
Manslaughter is the charge when a death is caused by reckless behavior. Each of the suspects faces up to 20 years in prison and as much as $10,000 in fines if they are found guilty in court.
According to initial reports from law enforcement, Justus was attending a party at a home owned by a friend’s family when a fight broke out between different groups who were unfamiliar with each other. The cause of the fight was not released by law enforcement, but reports said it appeared Justus struck his head on concrete during the chaos, leading to his life-ending injuries.
Justus was taken to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple on July 14. He died on July 23.
Reyes was arrested July 23, immediately after Justus died, and Moore was picked up on July 29. Murphy was arrested some time later. All three men were indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 4, 2024.
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After two years of population surveys, research, and preparation, the city of Granite Shoals is just weeks away from restarting its white-tailed deer harvesting program for the 2025-26 hunting season.
Certified deer harvesters with crossbows could be in stands as early as opening day of archery season on Sept. 27, shooting deer under special conditions at designated sites across Granite Shoals.
The city of Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee will run the program with the blessing of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department through the current Texas white-tailed deer season, which ends Jan. 4.
Harvesting will take place at 10 active sites on city-owned and private property, with three more spots identified if needed. Sites are equipped with tree stands, feeders, and backstops, and all crossbow shots must be taken within 20 yards. Residents living within 75 feet of a site will be notified and property owners contacted if a wounded deer crosses their land.
The city currently has about 30-40 certified harvesters but hopes to expand participation to as many as 100.
Hunters must:
be 18 years or older;
possess a Texas hunting license;
complete a bowhunter education course;
pass an accuracy test and a 15-question safety quiz;
and undergo a Texas Department of Public Safety background check.
Two qualifying dates to join the program as a harvester remain this season:
Saturday, Sept. 6, from 8-11 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20, from 8-11 a.m.
Harvesting will be generally scheduled after school buses clear in the morning and again in the early afternoon to limit visibility for children, with each session lasting about two hours.
Contact the Wildlife Advisory Committee with questions and concerns, or to learn more about participating, at GSWAC78654@gmail.com.
WHY THE NEED
“When deer get diseases in an area with overpopulation, it spreads like a wildfire,” Wildlife Advisory Committee Chair Peter Hutnick told DailyTrib.com.
According to the most recent surveys of wild deer, there is an estimated one animal for every 0.86 acres in the city, which far exceeds the TPWD healthy population ratio of 8-10 acres for every deer.
This remains an issue for residents as the deer can be infected with Lyme disease, tuberculosis, rabies, and more, which can be passed along to humans or other animals
The harvesting program, which began in 2017, was halted in 2019 due to COVID-19 but returned after residents raised concerns. In its first two years, volunteers harvested 305 deer, logged more than 2,000 hours, and produced nearly 6,000 pounds of venison. Hunters may keep the venison they harvest, with leftovers donated to local food pantries.
Hutnick emphasized the program is not about trophy hunting but rather controlling herd size to a sustainable level. Thinning the herd should help prevent traffic accidents and reduce destruction to landscaping and vegetation, he explained.
The program is designed to lower the population to a number the city can realistically sustain long term, not completely eliminate the deer. The exact target number will be determined after a review of results from an August population survey.
Granite Shoals’ effort is coordinated with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which issues special deer permits that set the maximum number of harvests allowed. Nearly all harvested deer are antlerless, meaning does or immature bucks, reflecting the program’s focus on reducing reproductive rates.
According to Hutnick, alternative methods were considered, but as transporting live deer is illegal in Texas, archery harvesting was the most practical and legal option for the city. TPWD biologist Erin Wheland has been working with the city to guide management decisions and monitor outcomes.
“This is what we’re doing in the beginning, but we have to be flexible,” said Hutnick, noting that plans could shift as the program develops.
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“We are deeply grateful to Mike Hodge for his years of dedicated service to Marble Falls,” said Mayor John Packer in a city media release. “During his tenure, our city achieved meaningful progress in key areas, and he leaves behind a lasting legacy of dedication to the community that will benefit Marble Falls for years to come.”
Hodge accepted the recognition of his service along with an official proclamation making Sept. 2, 2025, “Mike Hodge Day” in the city.
“I have really enjoyed the opportunity to work with the people in this community and the people that really make Marble Falls what it is,” he said to a crowded room at City Hall on Tuesday night. “I’m successful because of the support I got from the council members. As always, I had an excellent staff, and I cannot sing their praises loud enough. I would put them up against any staff in the state or the nation because what sets them apart is that they’re passionate about what they do.”
One of those staff members is the newly appointed Kraenzel, who is in his 20th year with the city. He started out as a geographic information system planner with Marble Falls, worked his way up to the director of Development Services, then made the leap to assistant city manager.
Kraenzel has spent the past two years working side by side with Hodge as the deputy city manager, preparing him for his new role.
“I’m incredibly honored to continue serving the Marble Falls community in this new capacity,” Kraenzel said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside an outstanding team here, and I look forward to building on that foundation as we focus on excellence and purposeful service.”
Kraenzel told DailyTrib.com he plans to develop stronger communication between the city and residents and look for ways to balance the small-town feel of Marble Falls with its rapid growth.
“The council has a vision for maintaining our small-town charm, our small-town character, and staff plays a very pivotal role in that with how we deal with people and interface with people, so that would be a focus area that I really want to champion,” he said. “Customer service to residents and visitors at all layers of the organization top to bottom.”
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