Comal County commissioners Thursday rescinded an Oct. 21 disaster declaration but extended the burn ban by another 90 days.
Hot work like welding, cutting and grinding no longer needs to be permitted through the Fire Marshal’s Office. However, the burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including burn barrels, fire pits, burn rings, and campfires.
Barbecue pits are allowed for cooking purposes only as long as they are off the ground and have a lid to contain all sparks and flames.
The disaster declaration was issued due to the threat of wildfires.
“With the rain we received in early November, we got below the threshold that we look at for disaster declarations,” Fire Marshal Kory Klabunde said.
The rain wasn’t enough to make a dent in the burn ban, though. Although the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) fell to 729, 500 points is the threshold for enacting a burn ban.
On Thursday, the county was at 587 KBDI.
At their weekly meeting, commissioners voted to renew the county’s contract with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), allowing the county to pull raw water from Canyon Lake for construction projects. Due to drought, the county is not using Canyon Lake water.
Also approved was Tax Assessor-Collector Kristen Hoyt’s first monthly tax report for 2024. Total property tax payments so far total $502,832. She said the county is seeing an influx of payments and that many residents are paying online.
In other action, the court accepted a $5,000 check donation from Canyon Lake Little League for a concession stand construction project at Hidden Valley Sports Park. A check for $5,000 from the Spring Branch Youth Football Association also was approved for a lighting project at Jumbo Evans Sports Park.
Commissioners will canvass results of the Nov. 2 General Election at a special meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19.
