County Commissioners Court got right to business on Monday August 12th, after reciting the US and Texas Pledges and a quick prayer by Judge Ron Cunninghamm, with a long list of agenda items on the docket.
The first vote was to unanimously reinstate the county burn ban, with Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett citing moderate danger and an increase into the 300-400 KBDI range. KBDI values range from 0 to 800 and represent cumulative soil moisture deficiency measured in hundredths of an inch. Commissioner Peter Jones commented that with 100 degree temperatures projected through the week, it made sense to reinstate the ban.
Judge Cunningham gave a quick update that the construction of new EMS Stations would begin soon but could not provide a timeline. This and other new construction projects are awaiting grant approval.
Actions for Llano County’s Rules and Procedures to comply with its responsibility under the Indigent Health Care and Testament Act were approved. The Order of Election for the Nov. 5, 2024 Joint General and Special Elections was approved as well as the Joint Resolution to contract between the cities of Horseshoe Bay, Sunrise Beach Village, Deerhaven Water District and the County of Llano for the November elections.
Next, the court accepted the resignation of Commissioner Frank Sanders from the Emergency Service District #1 Board effective August 28th and appointed Jordan Spiros to complete the term which ends in December 2025. They thanked Sanders for his service. Spiros is currently the assistant manager of the Horseshoe Bay Resort.
The next discussion item was a status update from Commissioner Jones on the potential move of Llano County from The Hill Country Transit District (The HOP) to the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) for rural transit. Jones expressed a positive interest in the switch after meeting with the General Manager and Assistant General Manager of CARTS, calling it a “premiere interconnected system.” There are a few key components that differentiate the two rural transit systems, Jones explained to the courtroom. 1) CARTS does not and will not provide student transportation. The HOP currently facilitates 48 student rides per month between LISD campuses and Llano Christian Academy. The school bus system is, however, already available as an alternate mode of transportation for these students. 2) CARTS does not currently provide Medicaid transportation, which accounts for 422 monthly rides on The HOP. CARTS is considering adding this service. 3) CARTS provides other types of transportation services such as airport transportation, which The HOP does not. 4) HOP rides are free, whereas riders would pay somewhere in the range of $2.00 - $6.00 per ride with CARTS. 5) The cost of the CARTS program to Llano County would be significantly less than the cost for The HOP, which currently takes $155,000/year from the Llano County budget. Jones gave the example that Burnet County pays around $8,000/year for their CARTS program.
There are many questions to be answered before the fate of rural transportation in Llano County is decided. The court is projecting a decision by March 01, 2025 and The Llano News will continue to follow this story.
After approving the renewal payment of public safety FCC License Filing Free in the amount of $2,400 and a series of replats, the court went into Executive Closed Session.
A Budget Workshop for FY2025 followed with approvals of $40,000 for a radio tower and $18,000 for IT cyber security.
