Burleson County Commissioners approve $350,000 ambulance grant application, award bridge contracts and deny fireworks permit

Burleson County Commissioners Court met Feb. 9, 2026 in Caldwell and approved a series of contracts, grant applications and operational items while hearing a public request for road and bridge repairs in the Birch Creek subdivision.

The court voted unanimously to authorize an application to the Texas Comptroller for a Rural Ambulance Service Grant (House Bill 3000) in the amount of $350,000. Commissioner Vincent Svec moved the measure, and Commissioner Bobby Urbanosky seconded; the motion carried on a unanimous vote. The transcript cites "House Bill 3000" as the authorizing program; the application details and any matching requirements are in meeting attachments (not specified in the transcript).

Commissioners also awarded contracts for bridge work on County Road 119 after accepting responses to Request for Proposal 2026-0112. Commissioner Dwayne Faust moved to approve the awards and Commissioner Urbanosky seconded; the vote was unanimous.

Other actions taken without recorded opposition included extending Oil & Gas FP permits for 180 days for BNSF Railway and Atmos Energy; approving LexisNexis agreements; renewing the county’s Affordable Care Act Reporting & Tracking Services (ARTS) for 2026 with the Texas Association of Counties; and approving an Interlocal Participation Agreement with the GoodBuy Purchasing Cooperative and an associated resolution for Education Service Center, Region 2. The court also approved Emergency Action Plans for Cade Lakes and Mallard Lake dams.

During public forum, Mona and Lewis Griffith told commissioners they appreciated recent Road & Bridge Precinct 4 repairs but urged the county to schedule bridge repairs and repaving on roads in the Birch Creek subdivision near Park Road 57 and Cedar Drive. The transcript reports this public comment occurred roughly between 9:03 a.m. and 9:06 a.m.; no formal action on that request appears in the record.

The court denied a request from Beaux Breaux to open Feb. 25 through March 2 for Texas Independence Day fireworks sales; Commissioner David Hildebrand moved to deny and Commissioner Dwayne Faust seconded, with the court voting unanimously to deny the request.

Operational and staff reports included Sheriff Rios’ personnel update (vacancies noted: one patrol deputy, one dispatcher, and one school resource officer in Snook) and a jail population of 61 inmates (45 males, 16 females). County Treasurer Stephanie Smith reported progress installing employee time clocks and syncing computers with the Encode timekeeping system. Auditor remarks focused on completing outside audit work in time to begin the new budget process in May.

A workshop discussion covered purchasing a used generator (recommended: Mustang CAT) for a pug mill using RBGEN funds; the transcript records a recommended price of $24,637.68 but shows no final purchase motion. Judge Keith Schroeder reported January collections for felony and misdemeanor courts ($8,978.43 and $12,338.00 respectively), noted that General Land Office projects at Mallard Drive in Beaver Creek and Cade Lake Estates are in progress through a grant, rescheduled the agricultural breakfast to Feb. 24, and said he would put a county burn ban into effect immediately after court.

The court approved payment of county bills and adjourned. Nearly all recorded motions were approved unanimously; where the transcript references attachments or contract documents, those materials are noted in the minutes but not included in the provided transcript.

The meeting record is signed and attested by County Judge Keith Schroeder and County Clerk Anna L. Schielack.