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Council amends burn-permit ordinance to add the fire marshal as an approver
Summary
Council voted to add the fire marshal to the list of officials authorized to approve outdoor burning and land-clearing permits; proponents said the change will speed approvals and that it does not remove authority from the fire chief or designee.
Council adopted a narrow amendment to the city's code governing outdoor burning that adds the fire marshal to the list of officials authorized to approve burn permits.
Staff said the current ordinance allows only the fire chief or their designee to authorize outdoor burning and that adding the fire marshal will let staff process permit requests more quickly. "We need to add those two words: fire marshal," staff said during the discussion, noting the fire marshal is a former fire chief and is qualified to act in that role. Councilmember motions to adopt the amendment carried by voice vote.
Why it matters: the amendment is procedural and intended to shorten permit turnaround time for land-clearing and outdoor burning requests while preserving minimum safety requirements referenced to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules.
Next step: the ordinance change will take effect per the city's code-adoption process and staff said the fire marshal will be added to the internal approval list.
