No new railroad line, no spaceport development.
Basically, that is the loud and clear message the Burnet County Commissioners Court issued during their April 8 regular meeting at the courthouse.
Texas Materials Group Inc. has indicated it plans to revive an old railway between along U.S. 281 between Burnet and Lampasas for the purpose of hauling crushed granite between quarries.
Burnet County Pct. 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle indicated his firm opposition to the revived railway last month.
“It will go through a large populated area and have a negative impact on landowners over 26 miles,” Beierle said.
Several residents who live in the area have professed the reactivated railroad would do more harm than good, especially in terms of excessive noise, harm to protected species, lower property values, air pollution and traffic safety.
In turn, during the meeting April 8, Beierle, County Judge Bryan Wilson, Pct. 1 Commissioner Jim Luther Jr., Pct. 3 Commissioner Chad Collier and Pct. 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery approved a lengthy resolution filled with several objections to oppose the proposed reconstruction and operation of the rail line.
Generally, the resolution requests a “full and thorough review” of the matter and declares the railroad would “negatively impact the environment, safety and well-being of Burnet County” in particular, the area at Russell Fork and the San Gabriel River.
The resolution will be sent to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board Office of Environmental Analysis, Wilson said.
The judge added there would be a joint workshop with Lampasas County officials to discuss the matter at 6 p.m. April 8 in Burnet at the Hill Country Fellowship auditorium, 200 Houston Clinton Drive.
Spaceport Development Also during the April 8 meeting, the commissioners took no action related to the Central Texas Spaceport Development Corporation (SDC) Williamson County officials have established.
During a public workshop April at the Burnet County Courthouse, Cedar Park Assistant Economic Director Scott Smith pleaded with the commissioners to enter a partnership with Williamson County to advance several SDC goals including the new federal and state grants to both counties for more space research.
Also, during the same workshop, Fire Fly Chief Operating Officer Dan Fermon indicated his firm supports expansion of the SDC.
Fire Fly operates a “Rocket Ranch” over 200 acres in Briggs, where it develops space exploration technology within County Precinct 2, which Beierle represents.
All the commissioners listened politely to Smith and Fermon but took no action after the April 1 workshop.
During the April 8 meeting, Beierle reported his constituents have provided him with “99 percent negative feedback” toward Burnet County joining the SDC.
Many Briggs residents object to the possible monopoly of future land use by SDC and how the corporation could upset the administrative or governmental “balance of power” between Burnet and Williamson counties.
“The folks I represent are saying ‘no’ at this time,” Beierle told Wilson and fellow commissioners. “There may be some good things (about the SDC) but its negatives outweigh the positives now.”
Wilson asked the commissioners for a motion on the spaceport issue. Stone silence followed. No motion, no action.
Also during the meeting, the court proclaimed April as Child Abuse Awareness Month.
“It does exist in our county,” Burnet County Welfare Board President Caroline Ragsdill told the commissioners. “It exists in every county. If you see something, say something. It might save a child’s life.”
Super Visit
As a courtesy to the commissioners, Marble Falls Independent School District Superintendent Jeff Gasaway mentioned the district plans to hold a “zero-rate tax increase” election on four propositions May 3.
If voters approve all the propositions, the district would be endowed with more than $170 million to implement several facility and technology upgrades as well as transportation and security improvements.
Funding for the upgrades would come from the district debt service fund (funded by the interest and sinking rate) not the general operations fund fueled by local property taxes.
“It is not going to increase the (property) tax rate one penny,” Gasaway said.
Furthermore, the funds would not be “compressed and recaptured” by the Texas Education Agency for sharing it with other districts under the so-called “Robin Hood” legislation.
Crime Software In other business, the commissioners approved more than $25,000 to procure the new iCrime and iCrimeFighter software to help the Burnet County Attorney and 33rd/424th Judicial District Attorney store and transfer evidence information to trial defense counsels as the law requires.
“I expect this to be a big improvement,” County Attorney Eddie Arredondo said.
“I think it is our best choice,” District Attorney Perry Thomas said.
Continued use of the Odyssey software for the same purpose would cost the county more than $80,000, Arredondo added.
“It looks like a good system,” Wilson said. “We are spending a little bit of money to make things go right.”
