Sheriff reports 62 inmates, multiple staffing vacancies; burn ban lifted Dec. 1

Sheriff Rios reported to the Burleson County Commissioners Court Dec. 8 that the county jail held 62 inmates — 49 males and 13 females — and that the sheriff's office has multiple staffing vacancies: two jailers, one dispatcher and one school resource officer (SRO) assigned to Snook.

The Sheriff's Report, as read for the record, listed the open positions and the current inmate count. The court received additional departmental information: Shawn Edwards reported 12 referrals, and Jody Tillery said 54 burns were reported during the county's burn ban and that he issued 22 citations; the burn ban was lifted on Dec. 1, 2025 (referenced as "see Order Allowing Outdoor Burning").

Raileen Murray gave a separate status update on grant activity and hazard-mitigation projects, noting current and closing files including sam.gov grant work, ARPA SLFRF funds, a GLO CDBG-MIT hazard mitigation project with Beaver and Creek Cade Lake finalized, two elections security grants, an application for a veteran grant (TVC FVA) and proposed flood-management evaluation projects submitted to the Lower Brazos Flood Planning Group for possible inclusion in the 2028 plan for Snook and Clay areas. Murray also referenced OOG FY26 ballistic vehicle components and potential new OOG grants.

What this means locally: the sheriff's staffing vacancies may affect daily operations and coverage for schools in Snook; the jail population figure provides a snapshot for county officials and the public. The minutes do not contain additional detail on timelines for hiring or whether the staffing gaps will affect service levels.

Next steps: staffing, recruitment and the lift of the burn ban were recorded for the minutes; the transcript does not specify follow-up deadlines or refill timelines for the open positions.