Good news on two fronts at the Burnet City Council meeting Tuesday, March 9: the coronavirus pandemic and the February Arctic storm.
Fire Chief Mark Ingram told the council while hospitals are still full, pressure may be easing a bit. When asked what “full” meant, Ingram said, “If they check someone out (of a hospital), they check someone right back in that room.”
Ingram announced a vaccine clinic for Friday, March 19, but as of Monday, no appointments seemed to be available at the event.
Still, Ingram said Burnet County’s vaccine allotment had gone from 1,100 to about 3,200 or 3,300.
“I think we can make a big dent with citizens in the county,” he said.
The council also voted to give residents some relief from higher-than-usual utility bills caused by February’s winter storm, and approved two plat applications that would add a total of 158 homes to the city.
The water-sewer relief removes the February billing from overall billing averages, for residents whose burst pipes during sub-freezing temperatures resulted in higher than usual water use.
The move doesn’t forgive February bills but if residents can show February use was higher than January, they can apply for a payment plan to help ease the sting.
To do that, call the city Utilities Department at 512-756-6093 or email the department at utilities@cityofburnet.com.
The council warned that the payment plan requires users to stay current with the installment payments to keep on the plan.
The two developments approved — Wandering Oaks to the southwest and Creekfall on the east side — passed with no objections.
Wandering Oaks, on 105 acres, would include lots ranging from about three acres to six acres. Water would come from individual wells and each lot would have its own septic system, developers said.
The Creekfall project, south of Texas 29 between the railroad tracks and Westfall Street, would include 135 homes and two drainage lots. The project would be supplied water and sewer service from existing lines.
