Atascosa County adopts 90-day burn ban, approves insurance renewal, equipment donation and multiple hires

Atascosa County Commissioner's Court on Jan. 27 adopted a 90-day outdoor burning ban effective Jan. 27 and approved a package of routine but budget-relevant items, including a property and casualty insurance renewal, acceptance of donated light towers from EOG Resources, revised election equipment rental rates for contracting entities and numerous personnel hires and promotions.

The burn ban was presented by Fire Marshal Ronald Saench, who said persistent winds and low recent rainfall justified a temporary restriction on outdoor burning. The court voted to adopt an order restricting outdoor burning for 90 days — until April 27, 2025 — and authorized the fire marshal to lift the ban early without returning to the court when conditions improve.

The court also approved a renewal of the county's property, general liability and auto insurance effective Feb. 1, 2025. Linda Burrows of Rick's Insurance told the court that the insurance market is “really tough this year,” and that after additional market outreach the broker reduced the initial premium quote by $15,000. The renewal includes changes to several deductibles: law-enforcement liability deductibles rise to $50,000 per claim and public-officials/employment-practice deductibles to $25,000; the annual premium increase across coverages was described as about 10 percent. The court approved the renewal by motion.

Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Panta introduced representatives from EOG Resources and asked the court to accept two refurbished light towers donated by EOG for county public safety use. The towers were described as converted to LED and fully…