The families of three of the five women killed in a July 25 collision on U.S. 281 in Burnet County are preparing to file wrongful death lawsuits against the driver arrested and charged in the crash.
Killed in the crash were 23-year-old Thalia Salinas, 23-year-old Ruby Aracelly Cruz, 21-year-old Jacqueline Velazco, 22-year-old Brianna Alysea Valadez, and 23-year-old Desiree Cervantez, all from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The lifelong friends were traveling to a Kingsland lakehouse for a birthday party when the crash occurred.
The families of Salinas, Cruz, and Velazco retained the legal services of J. Alexander Law on Aug. 7 to pursue civil legal action against Talley.
The law firm is conducting an independent investigation into the wreck and intends to pursue “all available civil remedies against the driver and any other responsible parties,” according to an Aug. 7 media release from the firm.
“No family should ever receive a call like this,” principal attorney Josh Alexander wrote in the release. “These young women were sisters in every way that matters. We will move swiftly to demand answers and accountability for the families of Ms. Salinas, Ms. Cruz, and Ms. Velazco.”
As of the morning of Friday, Aug. 15, lawsuits had not been filed.
In the early evening hours of July 25, Talley drove into oncoming traffic on U.S. 281 and struck two vehicles, including a Mercedes SUV with the five women inside, according to law enforcement reports. The SUV was thrown from the road and burst into flames, killing everyone inside.
More details on the wreck were revealed in an official affidavit filed in the Burnet County Court at Law and obtained on Wednesday by DailyTrib.com. The document states that Talley was driving “recklessly” leading up to the crash; had a long criminal history, including two convictions for driving while intoxicated; and was not licensed to haul the livestock trailer pulled by his 2018 Dodge Ram pickup truck.
Talley also did not have an ignition interlock device in the vehicle, which was required by law due to his past DUI charges. A driver breathes into the device, which prevents a vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected.
The investigation into the wreck is ongoing. Talley’s bond was set at $1 million for the five counts of manslaughter. If convicted on all five charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison. As of Friday morning, Talley remained in the Burnet County Jail, according to jail records.
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Burnet County officials are crunching the numbers on the upcoming budget to see if they can lower the tax rate and still approve hundreds of thousands of dollars in new expenditures.
The proposed 2025-26 budget and tax rate for the county were approved Tuesday, Aug. 12, though the numbers are not set in stone. Elected leaders and taxpayers have until an Aug. 26 public hearing on adoption day to weigh in and ask for changes.
The budget will be further finetuned during a Commissioners Court meeting at 9 a.m. Aug. 19 on the second floor of the Burnet County Courthouse, 220 S. Pierce St. in Burnet. The public hearing, and possible budget adoption, is at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 26 in the same location.
Original proposed budget
(This version of the budget can be viewed at this link.)
A lean version of the budget originally proposed by Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson was beefed up at Tuesday’s six-hour Commissioners Court meeting, during which department heads argued for new equipment, new personnel, raises, funds for promotions, and more.
Wilson’s proposal aligns with his stance on cutting taxes and reducing spending, something he pitched publicly on Aug. 5.
Drafted before the Tuesday meeting, the judge’s budget does not make any cuts to county departments but does reject nearly all requests for new personnel and reclassifications of positions that would have resulted in salary increases.
Wilson’s proposed budget is funded by a 0.3323 per $100 valuation property tax rate, which is about 6 percent less than the 2024-25 fiscal year rate of 0.3541 per $100 valuation.
It would bring in around $40.1 million in revenue for the general fund through taxes and fees. Budgeted expenditures are about $42.2 million. The $2.1 million difference would be covered by the county’s fund balance, which is a pool of unallocated, surplus money kept for unexpected expenses, emergencies, and to help balance the budget if needed.
Wilson developed his version of the budget after weeks of meetings and workshops with elected officials and department heads. As county judge, he is the chief budget officer responsible for creating Burnet County’s budget, which is then adjusted and ultimately voted on by all five members of the Commissioners Court.
“My position is (that) we have (an) opportunity to maintain a smaller county government and lower taxes,” the judge said during Tuesday’s meeting. “If we can’t take this opportunity to lower taxes, then we aren’t doing our jobs.”
Adjusted budget
(This version of the budget can be viewed at this link.)
During Tuesday’s marathon meeting, the whole Commissioners Court deliberated on changes to Wilson’s proposed budget. By the end of the meeting, many requests for equipment, personnel, and promotions that had been denied in Wilson’s budget were ultimately approved by the court.
Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson proposed a lean budget for the county, denying many requests for personnel, equipment, and promotions that came with salary increases. He also fought for a tax rate decrease. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The biggest ask approved by unanimous vote of the commissioners and the judge was new personnel for the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, including four deputies with about $246,000 in combined salaries.
However, the approvals came with a caveat.
“I want to see what (adding the approved items to the budget) does to the tax rate,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery told DailyTrib.com. “It’s my goal to help the judge achieve his goal (of reducing the tax rate) as long as we don’t compromise public safety.”
The budget and tax rate approved by the whole court are different from Wilson’s proposals and will likely change again when the court meets Aug. 19.
The court’s revised version of the proposed budget is funded by a 0.3348 per $100 valuation tax rate, which is slightly higher, a 0.75 percent increase, than Wilson’s 0.3323. It is also well below the 2024-25 rate of 0.3541.
This version of the budget would bring in about $40.4 million, roughly $300,000 more than Wilson’s budget. Expenditures would be $43.5 million, around $1.3 million more than Wilson’s proposed spending. The difference between revenues and expenditures would be made up for with the fund balance, as in Wilson’s proposed budget.
The court made the adjustments after hearing arguments from department heads, including Sheriff Calvin Boyd and Chief Deputy Alan Trevino, who both adamantly defended the Sheriff’s Office’s need for new deputies, other personnel, equipment, and vehicles.
“My number one priority has to be the folks,” Boyd said in court on Tuesday. “Our call times are not where they need to be and our backup times are really bad. Four more deputies would really help us in that frame.”
Boyd was referring to the response times of Burnet County deputies to 911 calls.
Wilson asked what the response times are and if the crime rate has increased at all, but official statistics were not presented or available. Boyd did respond with a rough estimate of 13-15 minutes for the average response time.
Commissioner Dockery stepped in and moved to break the tension between the Sheriff’s Office and the judge.
“Plug (the funds for the deputies into the budget) and run the numbers, and let’s see if we can still get the taxpayers a (tax) rate cut,” he said. “That would be fantastic.”
The court unanimously approved Dockery’s motion.
TO GET INVOLVED
Keep up with Burnet County Commissioners Court meetings, budgets, and agendas on the county’s agenda center webpage. Meetings, including the one on Tuesday, can be viewed on the county’s YouTube page.
Residents wanting to get involved can attend meetings and offer public comment or contact the members of the Commissioners Court directly with comments, concerns, and questions at:
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency in Texas is accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program in 20 counties, including locally, to address damages from the severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in July. ECP provides cost-share and technical assistance to producers to restore farmland to pre-disaster conditions.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 11.
“Recovering from the impacts of natural disasters is never easy, but the Farm Service Agency is here to help,” said Erasmo Trevino, deputy state executive director for FSA in Texas in a Aug. 13 media release. “If you have an immediate need to clean up and restore your operation, please call your local office to see if restoration practice approval is needed before you take any action.”
Producers in Burnet, Llano, and Lampasas counties are eligible for ECP assistance along with Coke, Concho, Gillespie, Kerr, Kendall, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson counties.
Emergency Conservation Program
Approved ECP applicants can receive up to 75 percent of the cost of the approved restoration activity with a maximum cost share of $500,000 per natural disaster event.
ECP cost share is available to producers who lease federally owned or managed lands, including Tribal Trust land, as well as state land.
Conservation concerns present on the land prior to the qualifying natural disaster event are not eligible for ECP assistance.
Approved ECP practices include:
Non-engineering practices
EC-1—debris removal
EC-2—grading/shaping/releveling or similar measures
EC-3—repair/restoration of fencing
Engineering practices
EC-4—restoring conservation structures and other installations (check with FSA before beginning any work)
Producers implementing any practices that involve engineering and/or ground disturbance should check with the FSA before beginning any restoration work as prior approval might be required to receive cost-share assistance.
Flexibilities
To allow producers to begin their recovery efforts sooner, the FSA is offering flexibilities that apply to non-ground disturbing practices.
The agency is waiving the onsite inspection for non-engineering ECP practices to remove surface debris and repair fencing. Additionally, the agency is waiving the requirement for producers to obtain prior approval to conduct surface debris removal and fence repair to support critical disaster recovery efforts.
Recent policy changes allow the FSA to streamline environmental compliance reviews following eligible natural disasters. The agency will continue to complete on-site environmental reviews for applicants who do not meet the required conditions.
More Information
To learn more about FSA programs, producers may contact their local USDA Service Center or visit farmers.gov/protection-recovery. USDA disaster assistance information can also be found at farmers.gov, including the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool.
The Farm Service Agency helps America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect, and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs. The FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery, and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.
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The 33rd/424th District Attorney’s Office said it will “aggressively” pursue and prosecute intoxicated and reckless driving charges within its jurisdiction from here on out.
While no specific cases were mentioned, the announcement comes on the heels of eight recent fatalities on Burnet and Llano county roads. Five women were killed on U.S. 281 in Burnet County on July 25; while one person died July 27 and two people were killed Aug. 3 on Texas 71 in Llano County.
“Our community has suffered too many heartbreaking losses in recent weeks because of people driving on our roads with blatant disregard for the safety of others,” said District Attorney Perry Thomas in a Wednesday, Aug. 13, media release. “My office is currently pursuing these cases with the full force of the law, and we are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold the offenders accountable.”
Thomas’ office covers Burnet, Llano, Blanco, and San Saba counties. The media release indicates that “aggressively” pursuing prosecution means seeking maximum penalties for driving while intoxicated. This could mean a felony for those with one previous conviction for driving under the influence or driving intoxicated with a child passenger.
In an interview with DailyTrib.com, Thomas explained further, saying he and his assistant district attorneys would take cases to trial if necessary to ensure strong consequences for intoxicated and reckless driving.
“I’m mad to tell you the truth. I’m mad,” Thomas said. “You better think twice before you drink and drive.”
He went deeper in the DA office’s media release, making it clear where he stands on the subject.
“Intoxicated and reckless driving has become a major public safety problem in our region, and it cannot be tolerated,” Thomas wrote. “My office will treat every intoxicated driving offense with the seriousness it deserves, before it leads to another life lost. We’re not just responding to tragedy—we’re working to prevent it by holding the people who endanger others on our roads accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
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Kody Talley of Leander was booked into the Burnet County Jail on Aug. 5 on a $1 million bond in connection with the multi-vehicle wreck near the Park Road 4 intersection between Burnet and Marble Falls. Talley was driving a pickup truck and pulling a horse trailer at the time of the collision.
According to the affidavit, filed in the Burnet County Court at Law and signed by Texas Department of Public Safety Cpl. Jarek Stuart, Talley was driving “recklessly,” was not licensed to haul the trailer, and did not have an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle, which was required due to previous convictions for driving while intoxicated.
At around 6 p.m. on July 25, Talley was heading northbound on U.S. 281 near the Park Road 4 intersection in a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup truck while hauling a large livestock trailer. He reportedly drove into oncoming traffic and collided with a Chevy Malibu and a Mercedes SUV going southbound. The five occupants of the Mercedes—Thalia Salinas, Brianna Valadez, Desiree Cervantez, Jacqueline Velazco Ventura, and Ruby Cruz—were all killed when their vehicle flipped over and burst into flames.
The women, all from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, were lifelong friends on their way to a lakehouse in Kingsland to celebrate Salinas’ 23rd birthday, according to reports.
“Talley’s conscious disregard for the substantial and unjustifiable risk that existed considering the circumstances was a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under the circumstances,” reads the closing affidavit statement of DPS Cpl. Stuart, who responded to the July 25 wreck.
Talley faces up to 100 years in prison if he is convicted on all five manslaughter charges and given consecutive sentences.
‘RECKLESS’ DRIVING
According to Stuart’s affidavit, Talley confirmed he was the driver of the Dodge Ram in an interview with Burnet County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Car dash camera footage from a witness to the wreck also confirmed that Talley was driving on the wrong side of the road when he collided with the other two vehicles.
Airbag Control Module data pulled from Talley’s truck shows he was accelerating into the initial collision with the Malibu, and the gas pedal was “fully depressed” (pressed down) less than a second before impact.
CRIMINAL HISTORY
In his sworn affidavit, Cpl. Stuart cited two previous convictions for driving while intoxicated on Talley’s record from Williamson County. Those were among 21 other criminal charges in that county between 2008 and 2024, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, running a red light, disregarding a no-passing zone, and operating a vehicle that is unregistered or for an improper class.
Talley is also restricted to only driving vehicles with an ignition interlock device installed, which the Dodge Ram did not have at the time of the collision. The breathalyzer device measures a driver’s blood-alcohol content (BAC). If alcohol is detected on a driver’s breath, the vehicle’s engine will not start.
Talley was interviewed by BCSO deputies after the wreck but left before any official interview with DPS troopers. He was not given a BAC test at the scene.
A statement sent to DailyTrib.com from Sgt. Billy Ray, a DPS spokesman, said the department believes Talley might have “absconded from the scene,” implying he possibly left to avoid a DPS interview.
DailyTrib.com reached out to the DPS and the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office for more details on the case.
“Because this crash investigation is still active and ongoing, no further details will be released at this time,” Sgt. Ray said. “When these details are available for release, we will provide an update.”
IMPROPER LICENSE
Talley also did not have the correct license to pull the livestock trailer. The combined load of his vehicle and the trailer was 24,236 pounds, which would require a Class A driver’s license in Texas. Talley only had a standard Class C driver’s license.
The horses in the livestock trailer reportedly survived the wreck and were released to an authorized party.
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After years of analysis, Burnet’s water system looks to be robust enough to handle current and future residents. More work will be needed, depending on the direction the city’s growth takes, but leaders hope to responsibly manage development as it happens.
According to Burnet City Manager David Vaughn, understanding the capabilities and capacities of the city’s water system has been of paramount importance in recent years. By the numbers, it is holding strong.
“We’ve been working on getting water engineering water models in place for years,” he told DailyTrib.com. “We are in a great position on our water supply, but that doesn’t mean we can sit back fat and happy.”
Burnet currently uses about 4,600 living unit equivalents of water, but it has the infrastructure to handle about 7,600 LUEs. A living unit equivalent, a common measurement used in city planning, refers to roughly the amount of water used in a single-family home occupied by 3.5 people.
The city has enough wiggle room with its LUE numbers that new homes and businesses won’t put much additional strain on the system.
The work leading up to this current surplus comes at a cost. Burnet residents are seeing a sizable bump in their utility rates. In May, the City Council voted to implement a 20-percent rate increase in two phases for water and sewer, which have gone unchanged since 2011 and 2012, respectively. The first phase kicked in on June 1; the second will hit on Oct. 1.
“On one hand, it sounds great to say, ‘We haven’t had a rate increase since 2011,’ but then that means seeing a big 20-percent increase all at once,” Vaughn said. “I think, at this point, that we will likely have gradual rate increases over time.”
Burnet also has access to enough water to fuel growth and development in the long term. Between its firm water contract with the Lower Colorado River Authority and permits with the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District, the city can support up to 15,965 LUEs, over triple its current usage.
While the city has the capacity to fuel more development, Vaughn said it won’t be growth for growth’s sake.
“You have to manage with the idea that protecting your water supply is paramount,” he said. “If you’re bringing in 1,000 homes, that is a big hit on the supply. When people come in, we want it to benefit the community and not just the developer who owns the land. We are promoting responsible growth, not growth at any cost. I think that is what we are hearing from the community.”
“Our water is worth a fortune; the future of Burnet’s growth depends on water,” Vaughn said. “I think we have to plan with the idea that you’re going to have periods of flood and drought.”
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Texas Department of Public Safety crews poured the deck for the RR 1431 bridge over Cow Creek east of Marble Falls, another key step toward completing the emergency replacement project by the Sept. 19 deadline, or sooner. The bridge was washed away by the Fourth of July weekend flood, hampering travel from Marble Falls to Lago Vista and beyond. WATCH the latest video of the work being done. Screenshot from TxDOT video
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Llano County issued a countywide burn ban on “open fires” effective starting Monday, Aug. 11. Violators face a Class C misdemeanor and a $500 maximum fine.
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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, Aug. 11
Llano County Commissioners Court
9 a.m. regular meeting
Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Courtroom, 752 Andy Taylor Drive in Llano
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