Burnet City Council recently approved the purchase of one lot measured at a little over 6 acres for outdoor recreation and possibly other open space development.
The council voted unanimously to purchase the lot at $300,000 from the Burnet Economic Development Corporation.
Council members made the decision during its Feb. 27 meeting.
The lot is located north of Texas 29 in the Kroeger subdivision along a residential area close to the east bank of Hamilton Creek, near Haley-Nelson Park.
"A lot of it is floodplain, and that is why it is valuable to the park,” City Manager David Vaughn told council members.
Closing date for the sale is yet to be announced, officials said.
Interestingly, the sale of the 6 acres to the city began last December.
At that time, the BEDC purchased less than 1 acre situated near the former Bealls retail building at the Pierce Street and Texas 29 intersection, as part of their future plans to redevelop the area and make it more desirable for commercial use.
As part of the settlement for the 1-acre purchase, BEDC officials agreed to purchase the 6-acre lot near Hamilton Creek.
However, later, BEDC officials decided the 6-acre lot is not well-suited for indoor marketing.
“It has no commercial value,” Assistant City Manager Habib Erkan Jr. said.
So then, city officials eyeballed the lot for family- friendly outdoor public use.
“I think (the purchase) is a good for both parties,” Vaughn said.
Turning to another matter, the council approved a contract of more than $30,150 to continue Lower Colorado River Authority inspections, maintenance and testing of city-owned electrical equipment and substations during the next five years.
“They (LCRA electrical technicians) have done a really good job for us over the years,” Vaughn said.
“It (the renewed contract) will help us maintain excellent electrical services for the citizens of Burnet,” added Taylor Stuckey, the Burnet electric department superintendent.
According to city officials, the previous contract with LCRA cost $15,750. The increase is necessary because the cost of LCRA services is significantly higher now. Payments for the new contract will be funded by Burnet customer utility bills, as part of the LCRA power cost rate, officials said.
The monthly increase per customer will be approximately 20 cents per 2,000 kilowatt-hours used, according to officials.
“It is a very small amount,” Vaughn said.
Also during the meeting, the council approved a letter of intent to offer at Burnet Municipal Airport a ground lease of about 1 acre up to 40 years to CareFlite Air Medical Services, which has announced plans to construct an aircraft hangar and offices on the acre.
The price of the lease will depend on the outcome of negotiations during the next several days, officials said.
“We are really getting close to a settlement,” said Adrienne Feild, the city airport manager. “We have done everything we feel comfortable to do.”
Also, the council passed the first reading of an ordinance proposed to amend the city code, so as to publish one comprehensive fee schedule in one section to list city permit, service and several other fees.
“It will make things easier for developers and other users,” Erkan said.
Financial Director Patricia Langford reported the city general fund through the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 and the end of last January shows a profit more than $1.5 million.
“The general fund is in great shape,” Langford told council members.
Langford added, the city total unrestricted cash reserve balance as of Jan. 31 is above $7.7 million, more than $3.2 million over the three-month reserve amount required.
“Overall, the city finances are doing very well,” Langford said.
Police Chief Brian Lee reported traffic stops increased more than 4,900 last year, an increase of more than 15% from 2023 and more than 45% from 2022.
“It (the increase) is really due to our increased amount of traffic,” Lee told the council.
About 2% of more than 4,900 stops last year involved a search of vehicle that yielded contraband, Lee pointed out.
More than 75% of the stops were conducted on white drivers, Lee pointed out.
Burnet Police Department follows a strict policy against racial profiling, he added.
Currently, the police department is fully staffed,” Lee said.
“We have no openings,” he added. “We anticipate we will add a second dog to our canine crew sometime this summer.”
In other business, the council:
• Approved the final reading of an ordinance to establish a new speed limit of 60 mph due west along Texas 29 between Wild Sage Drive and the Exxon gas station near Hoover Valley Road; and
• Approved the final reading of an ordinance to rezone both 105 E. Third St. and 300 E. Third from light commercial district C-1 to multi-family residential district R-3.
