Burnet County Commissioners approve budget calendar, plats, generator purchase and vendor selections

Burnet County Commissioners met in regular session May 12, 2026, and approved a package of routine administrative and procurement actions ranging from budget scheduling to subdivision plats and vendor selections.

The court unanimously approved the FY2027 Budget and Tax Calendar with a workshop added for any department wishing to propose changes, a step county officials said was intended to give departments an opportunity to adjust requests before formal hearings.

The court approved several land-use items, including a replat combining lots 684–687 in Sherwood Shores III-A into a single lot and final plat approvals for Thomas Ranch Northwest Phases 2 (203 lots), 4 (119 lots) and 5 (77 lots). Developer representative Joe Renfro and Development Services Director Herb Darling presented the Thomas Ranch materials before the court voted 5-0 to approve each phase.

The court authorized procurement actions tied to county operations. Commissioners approved going out for bid on a turnkey 230 kW diesel generator and switch for the Sheriff’s Office, authorized reimbursement for a temporary rental generator, and approved payment for both from Fund 710 (building reserve) in an amount not to exceed $325,000.

On procurement and contracts the court approved a Guardian RFID Command Cloud subscription for the jail not to exceed $33,100.31, ratified an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service for federal prisoner housing, and approved a General and No Litigation Certificate for Capital Area Housing Finance Corporation tax-exempt obligations related to the Redwood Apartments. The court also accepted a bid for aerial fiber installation, approving Future Infrastructure at $122,150.00; Commissioner Chad Collier recorded an abstention on that vote.

Finance and internal adjustments were a frequent part of the docket. The court approved multiple interdepartmental line-item transfers, created a non-departmental line item up to $4,000 for county tolls and vehicle tags, authorized payment of claims previously approved by the county auditor, and approved a $307.12 return of unspent SB22 funds from the County Attorney’s Office for the 2024 report year.

Other administrative items approved included authorizing RFQ negotiations and ranking for a historic properties assessment and planning project (Stantec Consulting Services ranked highest, with negotiations authorized up to $50,000 from Hotel Occupancy Tax funds), a Spicewood Library FY26 budget amendment for equipment and software purchases, and county vehicle/asset transfers between departments.

The court designated Jackie Haynes as Burnet County’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator and opened a statutorily required public hearing on ADA accessibility in county facilities; the hearing was opened and closed within about a minute.

The meeting concluded after the court indicated an executive session under Texas Government Code §551.071 was not needed and adjourned at 10:40 a.m.

Votes at a glance

• Bond for Stephanie Ellis, Interim Elections Administrator — Approved (motion: Beierle; second: Collier) — Vote: 5-0.

• FY2027 Budget and Tax Calendar — Approved (motion: Beierle; second: Luther) — Vote: 5-0.

• Road naming (“Ark Way”) to conform with 911 — Approved (motion: Luther; second: Beierle) — Vote: 5-0.

• Sherwood Shores III-A replat (lots 684–687 → 684A) — Approved (motion: Luther; second: Collier) — Vote: 5-0.

• Thomas Ranch Northwest final plats Phases 2, 4, 5 — Approved (motions: Dockery; seconds: Collier) — Vote: 5-0 each.

• Sheriff’s Office generator procurement and rental reimbursement (authorization up to $325,000 from Fund 710) — Approved (motion: Beierle; second: Luther) — Vote: 5-0.

• Guardian RFID Command Cloud subscription (Jail) — Approved — Vote: 5-0.

• Fiber installation bid award (Future Infrastructure) — Approved (motion: Luther; second: Beierle) — Vote recorded with one abstention (Chad Collier); approved amount $122,150.00.

• RFQ ranking and authorization to negotiate with Stantec for historic properties assessment (up to $50,000 from Hotel Occupancy Tax) — Approved — Vote: 5-0.

Next steps and context

Most approvals were procedural or housekeeping items that enable procurement or planning work to proceed; several items will move to contracting or bidding phases. The court did not take action on certain preliminary replats and one maintenance bond release item. The application for a Government Letter of Approval for a new EMS provider (Lonestar Faith, LLC) was considered separately and failed on a 2-3 vote (see separate item).