Gonzales County to institute burn ban Friday

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Correction: in the August 6 edition of the Inquirer, in a story regarding the August 3 Gonzales County Commissioner’s Court and the burn ban put in place, it was mistakenly reported that the meeting was tabled for receipt of tax information from the Tax Assessor-Collector when it was actually tabled for the absence of the auditor. The Inquirer apologizes for any confusion caused by this mistake.

After several grass fires were reported by fire chiefs in Gonzales County to County Judge Patrick C. Davis, a burn ban will go into place on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020.

“Last time I had talked to all of the, actually, Chief (Keith) Schmidt and all the fire folks and I know they have had several grass fires that they have been going to fight,” Judge Davis said. 

Under this burn ban, in accordance with the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, it is prohibited to burn any combustible material where all of the flame is not contained. Violation of this order is a citable misdemeanor and could result in a fine of up to $500.

Exempt from this order are non-commercial food preparation and the burning of prickly pear for livestock feed. The order will remain in place for up to 90 days or until the area is no longer t experiencing a drought.

To enforce the burn ban, response from the fire department to any suspicion of outdoor burning will be accompanied or followed by a peace officer.

The burn ban was voted into effect by the commission, and then issued as an executive order by Judge Davis.

Other agenda items which were addressed at the meeting include:

  • Receipt of the 2020 Appraisal Roll.
  • Receipt of 2020 No-New Revenue, Voter-Approval, and Sales Tax Rate Calculations from the Tax Assessor Collector. Due to a delay in receipt of tax revenue information by the Tax Assessor Collector’s Office, the second half of the agenda concerning budget items was tabled until the next meeting on Monday, Aug. 10.

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