HENDERSON COUNTY–Commissioners’ Court of Henderson County approved a July 26 resolution declaring a local state of disaster because of drought and wildfires, which followed the July 21 emergency disaster declaration issued by County Judge Wade McKinney that was valid for up to seven days without commissioners’ court approval.
McKinney’s July 21 emergency disaster declaration stated that Henderson County had experienced 40 wildfires during the week leading up to its signing and that the county totaled 134 fires for July. County Fire Marshal Shane Renberg said that as of July 26, the county has had 189 fires since July 1 and 84 in the past seven days.
The county fire marshal said the July 26 Keetch-Byram Drought Index had a maximum county reading of 754 and averaged 724 countywide. According to Texas A&M University’s Texas Weather Connection, the index assesses the risk of fire by measuring soil moisture and has a maximum drought number of 800, indicating absolutely dry conditions. The county’s drought index number is increasing 5-7 points per day, Renberg stated.
The disaster declaration disallows fireworks and outdoor burning of combustible materials, which includes burning trash or brush, the latter of which Renberg told the court included landscaping and agricultural-related activities. Also, the declaration states that tobacco products must be discarded into an appropriate container.
Outdoor cooking is not banned, Renberg said, nor is outdoor welding. However, outdoor welding requires someone on scene with a pressurized water system to put out potential fires, Renberg stated. If winds exceed 15 miles per hour, outdoor welding is banned, according to Renberg’s recitation of the declaration.
July 22, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott amended his wildfire disaster declaration originally issued March 18 to include Henderson and Kaufman counties. By state law, the county’s disaster declaration supersedes any local declaration, according to McKinney.
“If we respond to somebody illegally burning right now, they’re getting written [cited],” Renberg remarked. “They’re written for whatever we can legally write them for.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner Scott Tuley responded, “It ain’t no fun and games no more.”
The court also approved releasing the performance and payment bond held by Henderson County for construction of the Legacy Shores subdivision at Lake Palestine. Precinct 4 Commissioner Mark Richardson said the county approved the subdivision in late 2020 and required developers to put up a bond of $2.7 million for its infrastructure, including roads.
In other business, the court:
• Approved two checks totaling $6,348.18 for a tax overpayment refund request by the County Tax Assessor-Collector.
• Approved the list of election judges from the Democratic and Republican parties for the November election.
• Approved a bid to sell a Precinct 4 asphalt zipper for $40,000 to Mercury Concrete.
• Approved the payment of June sales tax bills in the amount of $1,390.66.
• Approved the payment of fiscal year 2022 bills in the amount of $96,181.88.