WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS APPROVE BURN BAN EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY
Washington County is now the latest area county to enact a burn ban.
County Commissioners at their meeting today (Tuesday) signed off on the burn ban, which prohibits outdoor burning in the unincorporated area of the county for 90 days.
The burn ban will be effective tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon, to give the Road and Bridge Department enough time to set up signs alerting travelers of the ban.
County Judge John Durrenberger said the county came to this decision after polling local fire chiefs over the past four weeks.
Prairie Hill Volunteer Fire Deputy Chief Doug Zwiener said, through the Washington County Firefighters Association, all 11 fire chiefs in the county are polled weekly and asked if the conditions in the county call for a burn ban. Zweiner said the last poll done had a vote of 6-5 in favor of the ban.
Zweiner added that many of the fires the county has seen recently were started by accident, with Commissioner Joy Fuchs saying they were not burn ban preventable.
Durrenberger said he believes most of the people in Washington County “have enough common sense” to not burn in these kinds of conditions.
Violation of a burn ban order is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by citation and a fine up to $500.
Also at today’s meeting, the county approved its portion of a commercial tax phase-in for Del Sol Food Company, the maker of Brianna’s Salad Dressing. The company has purchased the adjacent ADS building, with plans to convert it into its distribution center.
The county’s abatement totals roughly $41,000 over eight years, while the company is projected to pay $76,000 on average in taxes each year over the course of the abatement.
City of Brenham Economic Development Director Susan Cates said the agreement was amended to take the full employment of Del Sol into account for the tax phase-in. According to County Judge John Durrenberger, the company is retaining 62 employees, with the expansion project bringing in an additional ten employees.
Cates said it is “an exciting time” to see an existing business that provides so much to the community experiencing success that requires them to expand. She said it “says a lot about the business environment in Brenham” that the city is experiencing this kind of expansion and growth.
Commissioner Joy Fuchs thanked the company for choosing to expand in Washington County and trusting in its economy. Durrenberger said this abatement is a “great business deal”.
Commissioners also:
- Proclaimed September 2019 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Washington County. Donna Culliver of Adam’s Angels said there are currently three in Washington County battling childhood cancer, while one has lost his battle since last September. The county also proclaimed September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution Week.
- Approved a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) Transportation Partnership Program, for transportation services for county residents at the Margaret E. Blizzard Senior Activity Center.
- Approved the consolidation of voting precincts for the November 5th constitutional amendment election. Durrenberger said this is being done because of the county’s low voter turnout for constitutional amendment elections in past years. County Clerk Beth Rothermel said a few years ago, a recent amendment election only drew 4 percent of voters. With this consolidation, only one polling location will be available in each precinct, come time for the election this year.
- Approved appointment of Lieutenant Mark Whidden to replace Donna Gomez as a Criminal Justice Advisory Committee member representing Washington County. Gomez is retiring from her position at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The BVCOG coordinates this committee in developing a Regional Strategic Plan and grant funding focusing on criminal justice.
- Approved revised EMS position descriptions as discussed during 2019’s budget workshops. EMS Director Kevin Deramus said the department has not collectively revised the descriptions in over a decade.
- Heard presentation of several monthly reports.