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Austin County officials keep burn ban in place after mixed rainfall, recommend two-week review
Summary
County leaders reviewed drought-index maps showing improvement in parts of Austin County but noted remaining dry pockets; fire chiefs recommended leaving the burn ban in place for at least two more weeks and no formal lift was approved.
Austin County Commissioners received an update on the county'wide burn ban during their meeting. The county judge said recent drought-index maps show the southern end of the county has received some relief, while the northwest remains in orange and red conditions. He told the court he spoke with several fire chiefs, who recommended keeping the burn ban in place for at least another two weeks to allow grass conditions to recover.
Court members heard that recent rainfall "greened up" some areas but cautioned that other parts remain dry. No member pushed for immediate lifting of the ban, and the court took no formal action to change the existing restriction, instead treating the report as an operational update and scheduling re-evaluation in two weeks.
The court also noted that information and color-coded drought maps are available on the county website for residents seeking details on local conditions. The next formal reconsideration of the ban was left to staff coordination with fire chiefs and another court update.
