BURTON CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS FATE OF PEACOCKS

  

The fate of Percy and Chester, the two peacocks that roam the city of Burton, was in the hands of the City Council at their meeting Tuesday evening.  Two citizens of Burton spoke in favor of relocating the birds as they squawk at all hours and like to climb on vehicles, destroying the paint in the process.  Two other citizens spoke in favor of keeping Percy and Chester as they have become a tourist attraction.  The two peacocks showed up in 2016 and replaced a peacock that had roamed the city for 28 years. The Burton City Council decided to table taking any action on the birds and will be looking into training them or trying to limit the areas they roam.

In other action, the board voted to adopt a property tax rate of $.50 per $100 valuation.  The rate is the same as last year and is the maximum amount a small municipality can charge in the State of Texas.  The tax rate will increase the total taxes for the City of Burton by .42 percent.  Council also set a public hearing on the tax rate for their next meeting on September 10th at 5:30 PM at the Burton City Hall.

During the mayor’s report, it was announced that Burton Police Chief Greg Rolling had resigned, effective August 8th.  Mayor David Zajicek said that the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, DPS, and the County Constable will continue to provide law enforcement for Burton until a new Police Chief is hired.

In other action:

• Council approved the 2019-2020 Budget for the Washington County Appraisal District.  The budget is 9.8 percent above last year’s due primarily to payroll, computer costs, and oil and gas appraisal costs.
• Council approved allowing the Appraisal District to retain excess funds from the 2017-2018 year.  The total amount from Burton taxes amounted to $78
• Council approved accepting a decimal interest from GeoSouthern Operating ll for a 729 acre lease that contains a small portion of the city.
• Council approved budget amendments for their operating budget to allow changing amounts in different categories.  The overall budget amount will remain the same.
• Council approved the addition of a patio / deck for the Burton Roadhouse that extends into the city’s right of way.  They will have a lease agreement drawn up for the property.
• Council approved the abandonment and conveyance of property on the far south east portion of the city to property owners Raymond C. Thaler, Annette Turner, and Joyce Hopkins.  The property was plated as city streets years ago, but was never developed.  The city will retain any utility easements on the conveyed property.