Llano County lifts burn ban

January 15, 2013, 9:00 pm by Lyn Odom

Commissioners Monday lifted the Llano County burn ban in unincorporated areas, made changes to board and committee memberships, heard a presentation regarding cedar clearing on county owned property, and discussed proposed gravel pit locations.

It was not a unanimous vote to lift the burn ban that expires on Feb. 24. Precinct 2 Commissioner Linda Raschke disagreed with lifting the ban. Voting to lift it were Commissioners Peter Jones, Jerry Don Moss and Judge Wayne Brascom. Commissioner Ron Wilson, Precinct 3, was not at the meeting.

Jones said there "was a fairly low risk lifting the ban since the index used to measure ground level moisture currently indicates mid- to –low ranges of danger.”

The court agreed to monitor the situation closely.

"We will stay in touch with local fire departments and keep tabs on wind conditions,” Brascom said.

Even though the ban has been lifted, Brascom said, if need be, an emergency meeting can be called to reinstate the burn ban if necessary.

Board and committee changes included appointing Jones to the Hill Country Transit District Board, a position held by former commissioner Johnnie Heck. The court also accepted the resignation of former commissioner Tommy Duncan from the Colorado River Flood Plain Coalition, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, the Llano County School Lands and the HOT, or Hotel Occupancy Tax, Committee. 

Brascom signed and the court approved the bonds of the newly elected officials including Jones, Wilson, Tax Assessor Collector Dexter Sagebiel, County Attorney Cheryl Mabry, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and the county’s four constables Joe Simpson Pct. 4, William "Bill” Edwards Pct. 3, Stephen Hallmark Pct. 2, and Jerry Drummond Pct. 1.

For more of this story, see Wednesday's The Llano County Journal.