Burleson County commissioners approve Wildfire Energy permits, hotel funding and several appointments; sheriff reports 60 in jail

Burleson County Commissioners Court met Aug. 26 in Caldwell and approved a slate of permits, appointments and funding requests while hearing routine reports from county offices.

The court unanimously approved Special Road Use Permit #2024-02-001 for Wildfire Energy Operating LLC to use County Road 226 for Sully 1HE and Harley 1HE, and separately approved a temporary right-of-way request for a 12-inch temporary water line by Wildfire Energy on County Road 205. Commissioner Vincent Svec made the motion to approve the road-use permit, seconded by Commissioner Bobby Urbanosky; Svec also moved the temporary right-of-way approval, seconded by Commissioner Dwayne Faust. Each motion passed on a unanimous vote recorded as "All voted Aye. None voted No."

The court approved deputations for Renata Bartek and Dawn Chaney as deputy tax assessor/collector after a motion by Commissioner David Hildebrand and second by Commissioner Vincent Svec. Commissioners also approved a hotel/motel funding application for Copperas Hollow Country Club (motion by Hildebrand; second by Urbanosky) and appointed judges and central counting station personnel for elections (motion by Urbanosky; second by Hildebrand).

In reports to the court, Chief Rios said the county jail held 60 inmates (54 males and six females) and that the sheriff’s office currently has two open patrol positions and two open dispatch positions. Constable Gaas reported he is recovering from an injury and noted that Snook Schools have started the year without major issues.

The auditor reported August sales tax receipts of $159,394, a 17.6% increase compared with August 2023, and noted a sales tax adjustment notice for an overpayment of $47,793.62 that will be deducted soon. Commissioners gave brief precinct updates on road-and-bridge work, including seal-coating projects in Precinct 1 and catch-up shredding in Precincts 2 and 4; Precinct 3 reported coordination with Entergy on safety around local schools.

The court also approved acceptance of donations included on the consent agenda (a $30 donation to the Burleson Health Resource Center and a $2,500 donation to the sheriff’s department from the Rotary Club) and approved a Distinguished Award for the Burleson County Historical Commission. The meeting concluded after the court voted to authorize payment of bills and then adjourned.

Next steps: no votes were tabled or postponed; several agenda items recorded as "approved" will proceed per county processes, including the county’s coordination with Wildfire Energy on road use and right-of-way conditions.