Commissioners make it official
The Caldwell County Commissioners canvassed the votes Monday from the May 15 election to legalize the sale of all alcohol beverages including mixed beverage in the City of Lockhart.
Each commissioner canvassed the votes for their corresponding precincts.
Commissioner Ronnie Duesterheft found a problem with the vote tally showing fewer votes against the propositio
n than reported. Duesterheft said the reporting showed 78 against the measure but the tally actually showed 70 votes against the measure. The error had no affect on the outcome of the election.
The vote for was 1357 for and 432 against for a total of 1789 votes cast during the election.
To obtain a liquor license, an applicant starts with the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission in San Marcos to obtain a license application. The TABC will do a criminal background check on the person seeking the license
The applicant will then take the applications to state comptroller for a sales tax number.
Then they will take the application to the city to certify that the establishment is in a wet area. The county clerk then certifies the establishment is in a wet area of the county and files the application on the county judge’s docket and sets a hearing with the judge.
Once the county judge approves the application it is transferred to the county assessor collector for payment of fees and then it is transferred to the TABC for the issuance of the permit.
The state fees to obtain a license for a liquor store is $634. The fees for a license to sell on premise alcohol is $3,160 the first year, $2,410 the second year and $1,660 the third year. Each year after that the state fees will be $910 annually.
County Judge H.T. Wright made the announcement that the sale of all alcoholic beverages is legal in the city limits of Lockhart.
The city held the election for the county since the city already had an election set.
• Approved accepting Reata Ranch Road as a county road into the County Unit Road System. The roadway is located in the Reata Ranch Subdivision off County Road 179 (Barth Road).
• Rudy Ruiz reported there are four more applicants qualified to receive a septic tank system for free under the Texas Community Development Program and U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant program.
• Paid bills in the amount of $26,613.73.
• Approved the indigent health care report in the amount of $38,389.13. Wright said that at the current rate the expenditures would probably exceed the $200,000 the county has budgeted for the program.
