BURTON CITY COUNCIL HONORS HARRY VAN WOERT FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

  

A longtime Burton resident was honored on Tuesday by the Burton City Council for his years of service to the city and others.

Harry Van Woert was presented a certificate of recognition in gratitude for decades of helping upkeep local properties and maintain the appearance of the city by mowing around town.  His volunteerism also includes assisting his neighbors through local organizations like the Burton Bridge Ministry and Burton Friends and Neighbors.

Burton Mayor Karen Buck said Van Woert has shown “tremendous devotion to the Burton community,” has “contributed greatly to the vitality of Burton,” and “is making an indelible mark on the hearts of its residents.” 

A native of Michigan, Van Woert moved to Texas in 1995 after a 30-year career with General Motors, working the assembly line.  He and his late wife, Penny, were honored in 1999 by the Burton Lions Club as Citizens of the Year. 

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved a change order request for the new water well, in the amount of $4,575.  BEFCO Project Civil Engineer Bradley Loehr told the council that the well testing period led to the discovery that the well site has a greater capacity than what was previously known before drilling.  Loehr proposed extending the underground well piping deeper by 61 feet, which will increase the well’s flowrate from 250 to 280 gallons per minute.  This would accommodate 50 additional service connections, and more with an additional booster pump, the reason for the change order request.

In other items, the council:

• Accepted the 2024-25 Fiscal Year audit presented by Medack & Oltmann, LLP.
• Approved amended 2025-26 Fiscal Year general and water/sewer budgets reflecting actual income and expenses for the second quarter of the fiscal year.
• Nominated Halee Stark Kalkhake to continue serving on the Washington County Appraisal District Board of Directors.
• Accepted deeds without warranty for the conveyance of an abandoned portion of Trinity Street off of FM 390 and for a portion of the abandoned creek easement between West Washington and East Texas Street.
• Tabled an ordinance providing for specific exemptions to permitting fees.  City Secretary Angela Harrington said the permit fees were originally enacted to cover the city’s cost of providing security at events, but the city no longer provides security.  The item was tabled until next month’s meeting in order to allow for further clarification on the organizations that would be exempt from fees.