KERR COUNTY, Texas – Officials discussed several flood-related topics at the Kerr County Commissioners’ Court meeting on Monday.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said that the county is still in the search and rescue phase, with two people still missing after the catastrophic floods on the Fourth of July.
Texas Department of Transportation contractors are currently working on state highways to remove debris.
Kerr County commissioners said that contractors are beginning to arrive and will be present for months.
Burn ban
The burn ban in Kerr County has been lifted in specific areas that were not impacted by the recent floods.
Kelly said that anyone who wants to burn something will need to contact the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office first to obtain a formal burn permit.
Furthermore, burns will need to be monitored 24/7 and cannot be performed within an hour before or after sunset.
The commissioners stated that certain areas of Kerr County, impacted by the floods, remain under a burn ban as officials work on a “complicated system” to sort through and dispose of debris.
Property damage
Kelly recommended that Kerr County residents with property damage fill out a “Right of Entry Form” as soon as possible.
The form ensures that the Texas General Land Office and its contractors have the necessary authorization to enter your home and begin work on the damaged property.
Starting on Tuesday, the forms will be available in hard copy at the Hunt School, located at 115 School Road, the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department, located at 151 FM 1340, and the Ingram Volunteer Fire Department, located at 215 TX-39.
The form is also available online, starting on Monday.
Economic Stabilization Fund
A Kerr County resident mentioned Texas’ Economic Stabilization Fund and questioned commissioners on why it had not been used yet.
The resident said she did not understand why “flood victims were helping flood victims,” in the form of fundraising, when state money was available.
The commissioners said that they were being “very cautious about the order of events in which they do things,” so that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding would remain intact.
However, the commissioners did not dismiss the possibility of using the Economic Stabilization Fund in the future.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Kerr County Precinct 4 Commissioner Don Harris.
Kerr County Grant Coordinator Noel Putnam requested that the commissioners approve submitting a Request for Assistance to FEMA to obtain temporary housing and public assistance for the county, which was unanimously approved.
Uptick in crime since the July 4 floods
Leitha asked the commissioners to approve hiring a Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigator for the sheriff’s office because the Hill Country floods have increased their workload.
Leitha said that there has been a slight uptick in crime in Kerr County since July 4, citing instances of theft and looting. He also mentioned the first case of fraud in Kerr County, which was directly related to the floods.
The Texas District Attorney’s Office will assist Kerr County with the fraud investigation, according to county officials.
“Obviously, we have a couple of hundred additional first responders,” Leitha said, in part. “My concern is that at some point, they’ll be leaving and we’ll be left to handle this, and I’ll be looking for a significant increase (in crime).”
After a bit of discussion, the motion to hire one CID investigator was unanimously approved.
Kerr County budget
Terri Hall, a Kerr County resident and board member of “We the People: Liberty in Action,” publicly commented during a discussion of the 2025-26 fiscal year wage adjustment.
“Your constituents don’t have any extra money, and they are not getting any richer from the disaster,” Hall said. “If anything, we are poorer today since July 4.”
Hall said that any pay increase for Kerr County employees would, in turn, affect the tax rate.
“We don’t have any more to give you, and we ask you to please hold the line,” Hall said.
Harris said that concerns about tax rates had been brought to them, and it was being taken into consideration.
“We’re going to be cautious about what we do,” he said. “So, hold off on the accusations. We’re doing the best job that we can.”
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