[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6093301,"mediaKeyId","2848121-4f03a12c52f3338584e932f1ead0b141","parentId",2848121,"title","Votes at a glance: Liberty County Commissioners Court, March 25, 2025","audioSeconds",3614,"startMs",1082000,"endMs",4696000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2848121-4f03a12c52f3338584e932f1ead0b141&start=1082&end=4696","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2848121-4f03a12c52f3338584e932f1ead0b141/thumbnail_1082000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6093301/Liberty-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Liberty-County-Commissioners-Court-March-25-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093301-395ec1abed341683a3b9560eb2e92794/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929673&Signature=hr-rlInXIGpeKaxApmeIm4WjmcoXu-d38D6GT4bgBUvfdvgKfGCdomWNOmabKpfqvzmbw32jgfHJJNYkOmgV7szlAIY1EZH2RtXx0aPJya8iqEWl9qFIOxsezxM8z71MpifhLBjpwm5MkcA-vQ60Wdauu52jf-69semrwGeeW5tEJQJ-3zhK8KPa~P-ylBCaLjar7eDEfcXYDU9pygNc5wIoZuRCZ9mqNIcZYc9JHtmFgogOVwmjB1KU5ZHd6pLNzvABJ3p6UzvVLoFzyWRmsdV4thWw9K5gCAfspk2~PLZccOnUNNw3k2gZnYKURnV6Tg-~r85WN2vLXJPSDQUeEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Liberty County","date","2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Liberty County Commissioners Court on March 25, 2025 approved a burn ban and moved a series of routine and administrative items including bank depository selection, insurance renewal, vehicle and equipment purchases, multiple plat approvals, and a nondisclosure agreement tied to an economic development prospect.

Key votes at a glance:
• Burn ban — Approved. Motion by Commissioner Greg; second Commissioner Bruce. Court found on the record that circumstances present a public-safety hazard in unincorporated areas and set an initial two-week ban (see separate article).

• County depository — Prosperity Bank selected on a two-year term beginning June 1, 2025. Motion from Bruce; second from David. Court cited existing service relationship and proposed money-market rate structure with tiering.

• Workers' compensation renewal — Approved renewal with Deep East Texas self-insurance fund through Region 7; premium reported as $491,383. Motion by Greg; second by Gerald. Court noted an 8% rate decrease offset by higher payroll.

• Vehicles and equipment — The court approved purchases and asset transfers including three sheriff's vehicles under BuyBoard contract #724-23 (total $157,562.25), transfers of county motor graders and F-150s between departments, and purchase/repair of microphones for commissioners court ($3,136.95).

• Grants and ARPA items — The court approved submission of draw No. 6 for the GLO housing buyout grant ($625,399.39). Several ARPA-funded invoices and progress payments for municipal sewer projects were presented; some were tabled pending city-council signatures.

• Land use and plats — The court approved preliminary plats and construction plans for Venado Lakes (Section 1), Forest Lakes (Sections 1–3) and other subdivisions after LJA engineering letters of approval. Two commercial site-plan items (including Hallet Materials) were tabled pending coordination between engineering firms.

• Nondisclosure agreement and economic development — The court approved a nondisclosure agreement so Project Wire could submit confidential information for a proposed location in the Gulf Inland Logistics Park. Separately, the court approved a conditional Chapter 312 tax-abatement economic incentive proposal for Project Wire, contingent on the company's formal application: tiered percentage abatements across a 10-year schedule were authorized conditionally.

• Resolution opposing pending state bills — The court approved a resolution opposing House Bill 2989 and Senate Bill 1745 as filed, citing concerns about submerged-lands and navigation-district authorities tied to the Liberty/Chambers Navigation District and a proposed Cedar Port entity.

• Executive-session outcome — The court authorized the county attorney to renegotiate terms of the master architectural services contract with Burns Architecture and to remove gel-repairs consultation services from the master contract as part of that renegotiation.

Several items were routine consent approvals, and many administrative items were approved by voice vote without roll-call detail recorded in the transcript. Land-use approvals that raised technical questions were handled by tabling or scheduling a workshop to align engineer reviews and protect the county's FEMA floodplain standing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Liberty County TX Commissioners Court Regular Meeting March 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The court approved a short-term countywide burn ban and a series of routine administrative items, selected Prosperity Bank as county depository, renewed workers' compensation coverage, approved several subdivision plats, approved a nondisclosure agreement for an economic development project, and passed a resolution opposing two filed state bills.","taxTitle","Liberty County, Texas","taxId",69549,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6093306,"Liberty County enacts two-week countywide burn ban citing wind-driven wildfire risk",450,1126000,1576000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2848121-4f03a12c52f3338584e932f1ead0b141&start=1126&end=1576","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2848121-4f03a12c52f3338584e932f1ead0b141/thumbnail_1126000.jpg","/articles/6093306/Liberty-County/Texas/Liberty-County-enacts-two-week-countywide-burn-ban-citing-wind-driven-wildfire-risk","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093306-5b084fc2e83a5d1d01020ca09bc4f73a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929673&Signature=Ug-UiERTCRaszbn75I7EORS3Az96PHe-hoSz7Fw41efEhzy6xQrUCe4Txr~DsGJpBIORY4iC0XoNG03-4NKmwTioEH5j8KSE1XFjRYB34K1J3asDwIbx7Afh8CJN4CjGLMMIhNAkV8~-vFN1aJiXvQQU-2ua5kHOI1WRdjX6BPMh601H-~G6TzpVx7b4-3uz67eiXPvk6aTWZTlsDA4r0-PgcKM2hmGbQgqodvBbpKhCf4PGJBuo3tkQn0TGdjOHZRwmryYFwQIbN0ljmgSRJC9PK0zJ9wBWfGgGzVi5L9f44axBA2wgsDhpeFoBiLfBGxzRZc9BBXkDO8IiweDXIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Liberty County Commissioners Court voted on March 25, 2025 to enact a countywide burn ban for two weeks after the county fire marshal reported that surface vegetation killed by freezes remains dry and that forecast winds increase the risk that any fire could spread rapidly.

The burn ban passed after a motion by Commissioner Greg and a second by Commissioner Bruce and carried on a voice vote. The court recorded a finding on the record that circumstances present a public-safety hazard in unincorporated areas of the county, a step cited as necessary under Local Government Code chapter 352.

Fire Marshal Nathan told the court that \"the KBDI reading for Liberty County is at or below 200 because of the rain that we've had,\" but emphasized that \"it's not the ground that burns, it's the dead foliage on top of the ground that is the problem\" following recent freezes. He recommended a ban “for no more than 30 days” to let the season settle; the court set the initial length at two weeks and said it can terminate the ban earlier if conditions improve.

The court record shows the ban is intended as a temporary, precautionary measure for unincorporated areas and will be revisited at the next commissioners court meeting. The fire marshal said the ban can be lifted at any point that danger is determined to be nonexistent. He also warned residents about legal and financial consequences: a reckless burn that gets out of control can carry fines the transcript states “up to $250,000” for an individual and “up to $500,000” for a business.

The discussion distinguished surface fuels from soil moisture: county staff and the fire marshal explained that recent rains have moistened the ground but not the dead vegetation on top, which remains a source of spread when driven by wind. The court asked staff to prepare public-education materials explaining when residents may legally burn, what responsibilities apply, and where to find online KBDI and other fire-condition resources.

The county judge and commissioners said the ban was meant to be protective and temporary. The court recorded that the burn ban is effective immediately for two weeks and will be reevaluated at the following meeting or sooner if weather conditions change.","The Liberty County Commissioners Court on March 25, 2025 approved a countywide burn ban for two weeks after the county fire marshal warned that dead surface vegetation and recent windy conditions could cause wildfires to spread rapidly.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Liberty County Commissioners Court, March 25, 2025

Liberty County enacts two-week countywide burn ban citing wind-driven wildfire risk