[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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",6093292,"mediaKeyId","2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f","parentId",2848142,"title","Fire marshal, permitting staff outline proposed commercial permitting and fee changes; court to consider next week","audioSeconds",470,"startMs",2315000,"endMs",2785000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f&start=2315&end=2785","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f/thumbnail_2315000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6093292/Liberty-County/Texas/Fire-marshal-permitting-staff-outline-proposed-commercial-permitting-and-fee-changes-court-to-consider-next-week","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093292-fd4d8df9509e9cafedb0df899e3c58c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770517327&Signature=ksk5OXcNy7ybgBS9Fg4nKZVIcA1ziURosOZl7zA3ODlIQnJjzW0P1khpvRVwtuMTFA1oV1WIpraxgCELRhZZC3SyZqqogIe9ssk5ofZXSDhVbmX~kAMFXW7N4jzE1XRJQ0Bz2tXd96rH-xm9n6nr73YMeX0a4vDt3~CiluiqSKR0gG2G2Cu3iRmtnmDDcwzUtZcObL0kmiNrU9Tj~IBhvIAuIBp5k2tg5SCyKEadwzaYoYOUSnmVVMWJN4Mu12yFf5qZgjpAwGZm4OJSN~OkozQizL~G1ik-NOLleJd8HvJ1pDk393feg2SFh0CRWpSXdBo9RD26oKfL8zH~RegcCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Liberty County","date","2025-02-20T00:00:00Z","article","At the Feb. 20, 2025 special meeting, Liberty County staff discussed consolidating fire plan reviews, inspections and certificates of occupancy into the county permitting system and proposed adding fees to offset the cost of fire‑related reviews and inspections for commercial projects.

Mister Green, identified in the meeting as the fire marshal, explained that fire plan reviews, sprinkler and alarm inspections, and annual commercial inspections were not currently being charged or tracked through the county permitting office. He said the change would make those reviews part of the same permit record so both permitting staff and the fire marshal would have a visible paper trail for plan review statuses and inspections.

Green and permitting staff said the proposed fee schedule was modeled on comparable regional jurisdictions. They told the court the fees are intended to offset the county’s cost of providing required plan review and inspection services and are not intended to be a revenue generator. Green noted most fees would apply to commercial projects; residential homeowners would not be affected except where state licensing already requires inspections (for example certain daycare or foster facilities where state forms apply).

Staff also raised several operational gaps discovered during the review: county staff said they currently lack an appropriate permit type and inspection tracking for large communications (fiber) projects, and that a planned federal‑grant fiber build of roughly $90 million will begin in the county in spring 2025. Officials said they do not have consistent information on where contractors are placing conduit or splice enclosures in county easements and that some installations have restricted drainage and damaged ditches and road shoulders.

County staff also described recurring road‑damage issues from overweight haulers and utility work performed without adequate permits or supervision; staff said existing processes have limited enforcement teeth and that third‑party inspection and compaction verification are not consistently required for road base work.

Permitting staff advised the court that the fee schedule and permit consolidation will be presented as an action item at the next commissioners court meeting so the court can approve, modify, or table the proposed fees and the revised permit workflow.

Court members asked staff to provide a clearer schedule, a legal review of whether the fees require public posting or notice, and to identify which fees would apply only to new construction. The court did not take a vote on fees during the Feb. 20 meeting and set the item for formal action on the following Tuesday’s agenda.

Ending: County staff said they will return with a formal ordinance or fee schedule and clarified that the goal is to create permit visibility, improve enforcement of road‑use and utility work, and recover a portion of the county’s costs for fire plan reviews and inspections.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Liberty County TX Commissioners Court Special Called Meeting Feb 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the Feb. 20, 2025 special meeting, county staff proposed routing fire plan reviews and inspections through the permitting office and adding fees to cover those reviews.","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},6093297,"Liberty County commissioners approve letter supporting Bayou Bell MMD",1997,279000,2276000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f&start=279&end=2276","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f/thumbnail_279000.jpg","/articles/6093297/Liberty-County/Texas/Liberty-County-commissioners-approve-letter-supporting-Bayou-Bell-MMD","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093297-6db1b11c716f557f012977488872f2d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770517327&Signature=MImIDBNzVOo9U9qSXvYo3H-j5nXCL9IMCTVNBO2tONp7K-N59TDwxNqaiYpeQxdMkqlyyaKWbRROLq1ne1ecpFz1aviY58whfTGwXvBnAcKLSMGwEDgeqhhWmhGfkSeMQ6GrcWHcqmTywpi6v0dwrKPpYwyg7oOmsIBhkLOs2sIHCYgznRtmbr5zF3i2qUWQeWVjBfp0Ut3BIshLVWLjliJhBN2hCtA8oF71vKJ4qrKs-~86XuWok4P4dXgl4ZQSN7di7G53cjmzBI724Fv8tOHOgAdf~~WJkgsf6fzpAt-Gdb6QucHrpS6oKb0jwsc-XCyDRCQYH~PrYQTENEwzag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Feb. 20, 2025 special meeting, the Liberty County Commissioners Court voted to approve a letter of support for creating the Bayou Bell Municipal Management District (MMD) after a presentation by the development team.

The letter is nonbinding and intended to accompany the developer’s legislative request to create the MMD. The developer said the district would allow assessments to pay for services such as a fire station and sheriff’s office presence and to fund infrastructure inside the proposed community.

Developer Logan Marchman and his partner Greg Monet told the court the Bayou Bell property is roughly 876 acres now (with about 70 additional acres expected soon) and could include about 2,200 homes of mixed types. Marchman said the plan preserves about 40% open space, includes acreage lots of 1–5 acres, and sets aside about 17.5 acres for a school site (the developer said the acreage could be increased if needed). He described the product mix as rear‑loaded single‑family lots, cottage/townhome fields and a build‑to‑rent component; target lot widths discussed included 30‑ and 40‑foot products intended to be more affordable to local workers.

Marchman said pricing aims for 30‑foot homes to be affordable at roughly $200,000 and 40‑foot homes near $225,000 by reducing some exterior costs and using alternative siding materials. He told the court the plan emphasizes walking trails, amenitized detention areas, neighborhood porches and a small commercial node near the frontage, and that the MMD would enable explicit assessments to fund county services in the district.

The developer acknowledged floodplain constraints on portions of the site and said some land falls in the 500‑year floodplain; he described the team’s intent to be conservative in placing development outside the worst flood areas and to integrate existing drainage features and District Drainage (DD1) channels into the overall plan. He also said primary vehicle access to State Highway 99 would run via FM 1413 and that traffic and road improvements (including potential signalization and future widening) will need long‑range coordination with the county.

County staff and several commissioners pressed for follow up on drainage studies, street widths, alley/one‑way street designs, and school district coordination. County staff noted a leadership transition at the local school district and said the district would get first right to the dedicated school site but that a private charter operator has expressed interest if the district does not take the land.

County staff member Catherine told the court the letter would be strictly supportive and nonbinding: \"It's not binding on the actual development itself.\" Court staff also confirmed the district’s official county numbering. After discussion the court directed staff to use the local naming/numbering convention; county staff advised the Bayou Bell entity would be filed as Liberty County MMD number 3 if it is named as a Liberty County MMD.

Commissioner Bruce St. Gerald moved to approve drafting the letter of support; the motion was seconded on the record and carried by voice vote. The letter does not create the district—state legislation is required to form an MMD, and developers said they were meeting with lobbyists and counsel the following day to pursue legislative authorization.

The court asked staff to require future submittals of drainage studies, survey data and a development agreement before any binding county approvals related to infrastructure. The developer said the initial phase would prioritize acreage lots, with higher density phases to follow once surveys and drainage models are complete.

The court’s action was limited to authorizing a county letter of support; further approvals (development agreements, drainage and infrastructure plan approvals, and any bond issuance) would require later, standard agenda items and staff review.

Ending note: Commissioners emphasized they wanted to be kept apprised of drainage study results, road‑improvement plans and any school‑district decisions as the project moves from concept to engineering and statutory steps.","After a developer presentation, the court voted to create a nonbinding letter of support for the proposed Bayou Bell municipal management district, which developers say would fund on‑site services and infrastructure. Commissioners asked for more data on drainage, traffic and school planning before future approvals.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6093287,"Court discusses county road numbering and street‑naming process; schedules workshop with CAD",0,3351000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f&start=3351&end=3351","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2848142-a81a0040244c9161c08a48a16635d89f/thumbnail_3351000.jpg","/articles/6093287/Liberty-County/Texas/Court-discusses-county-road-numbering-and-streetnaming-process-schedules-workshop-with-CAD","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6093287-8104220f4ba9a1f5757a04b4f55c25fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770517327&Signature=OfhAXwbSBnJF0ad09IGWhO~0FXtjiAxc7ugUh4rftgwlyaTDhsvEboGddDoUMesUODuSeVXQfkVo~ZKUQTTMvkmd4ap2MWm1hxzTGyhIQWNySsbYI8EII8-A8b25bbie1GkQ1Ai8sSKLOQtLPXhV~Dim5pHvKzaV5BbwXgTpEJwYqdwsVNra61SOEh7Y1FD9kpFqiXoKx6n9C49h4bq8j0ivGmI8KPbK1BAsmWRZTbKII6s8pKYxFg6w~UkcFj4RpBeyA6WxezZPcLGIYz9qawUpzUNesndCoahcIYOqmuErbrKMTq1yLRg0hnY5Ly0mshx0mAXWcs0D~Vpnm-p-qQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The court discussed who is responsible for assigning county road numbers and street names in Liberty County and agreed to schedule a workshop to coordinate with CAD (public safety addressing/dispatch), county mapping staff and the commissioners.

Court members said accurate and consistent county road numbering is critical for emergency response and described existing confusion between county road numbers and subdivision street names. County staff said the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and the county assessor/collector (CAD in transcript context) maintain address lists but that the county needs a master list and clearer steps to prevent duplicate names or numbers. Staff recommended a joint workshop to define responsibilities and review a numeric naming system and a software/process solution to prevent duplicate submissions.

No vote was taken; a motion to adjourn followed later in the meeting. The court instructed staff to set a workshop with CAD, county mapping, and permitting/planning staff to resolve naming, numbering and liability questions for future subdivisions.

Ending: Court asked staff to produce a recommended process and to coordinate a workshop that includes CAD and county planning staff.","Commissioners discussed responsibility for county road numbers and private street naming, and asked staff to set a workshop with CAD (addressing/dispatch), planning staff and county leadership to agree a master list and process. No formal action was taken.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Fire marshal, permitting staff outline proposed commercial permitting and fee changes; court to consider next week

Liberty County commissioners approve letter supporting Bayou Bell MMD

Court discusses county road numbering and street‑naming process; schedules workshop with CAD