FAYETTE COUNTY OEM OF- FICE- Angela Hahn, Office of Emer -
gency Management and Homeland Security and Grants Specialist, re - ported: Fayette County was notified in May that the General Land Office had approved the application for the regional mitigation program. The ap - proved projects included communi - cation equipment in Schulenburg and Winchester, the Ellinger water and sewer system updates and to mitigate flooding in the Plum area. The kickoff meeting with GLO, LCMS, the County's grant consul - tants and Weishuhn Engineering for the mitigation funding was held Aug. 21. An environmental review was required and was completed in early December with no issues found.
Weishuhn Engineering has com - pleted several milestones for the El - linger and Plum projects; the commu - nication projects are on hold due to materials and supplies delays.
The County went out for propos -
als to update the master plan for the County courthouse. Eleven propos -
als were received, with the County awarding the bid to Komatsu Archi - tecture. The consultants have done the site assessment and expect to have a draft of the plan to the County by early February. The updated master plan is required by the Texas Histor - ical Commission before the County can apply for funding for courthouse restoration projects.
BEFCO is nearing completion of the countywide drainage study that is being funded through a hazard - ous mitigation grant from TDEM. All field work was completed and the firm was working on the analysis and sizing of conveyance structures for each of the crossings. It is antic - ipated the study will be presented to the Commissioners in early spring of 2026. FAYETTE REGIONAL RECY - CLE CENTER Paul Zapalac, Di -
rector, reported: We have achieved another out -
standing year within the Fayette County Recycling Program, by re - cycling over 1.450 million pounds in: plastics, newspaper, magazines, cardboard and aluminum. According to a Keep Texas Recycling report, 4.133 million gallons of water were saved by recycling in Fayette County (data through Oct. 31, 2025). In ad - dition to that, we have recycled 360 tons of glass, 181 tons of scrap metal, and 902 tires. In early 2026, we will be recycling over 300 tons of scrap metal, which we were unable to move in 2025 due to market conditions less than ideal. We have properly disposed of thousands of pounds of household hazardous waste, including paint, bat - teries, chemicals and electronics. We mulched nearly 18,000 cubic yards of brush. Visit us to purchase exception - al double-ground mulch at remark - ably low prices. Warda: Thanks to Commissioner Jason McBroom for securing a site to bring the Warda Recycling trailer back to that area. With the expansion of Highway 77, we lost our site for a few months, but were able to secure a new site near the Warda Church. Fayetteville: Stage I of the Fayette - ville yard expansion has been com -
pleted with funds provided through a Capital Area Council of Govern - ments grant (CapCOG). Our Fayette - ville site was in dire need of attention and with the addition of an on-site cardboard baler, we have seen steady increases in that commodity. Be on the lookout for Stage II equipment to arrive on-site any day now. With the addition of the 20' x 30' pole-barn, thanks to Pct. 4 Commissioner Drew Brossmann and his crew for con - structing it and Commissioner Ster -
nadel and his crew for the dirt work and manpower, in 2026 we will be in -
stalling a plastic's baler to better meet area demands. On the recommen - dation of Pct. 2 Commissioner Clint Sternadel and the need for more site availability, we have decided to add another day of operation for recycling in Fayetteville. NEW: Beginning Jan. 16, our Fayetteville site will be open on Friday mornings from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in addition to our normal Tuesday afternoons, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The recycling industry is forever evolving and trends change. We have received notice from our buyers, we are no longer allowed to store our plastic bales outside due to the deg - radation of the plastic material. How - ever, we were able to utilize an older 20ft.x25ft. Pole barn at the LaGrange site, with the help of Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff and his crew, we can now meet the market require - ments by utilizing this building. As always, we are here to help you recycle and properly dispose of your household items. We try to accommo - date our Fayette County taxpayers to the best of our ability, but there are some items we simply cannot accept. We hope you understand. If you have any questions, please call 968 8446 or ask an attendant on duty. This industry requires everyone to work together and become better stewards of the land and its resources. Since 1994, Fayette County has operated an exceptional recycling program, sec - ond to no none (so I have been told) because we all work together to get the job done. If you don't believe me, travel around and see what they have to offer. Please always tie your bags shut and secure items in the bed of your trucks. FAYETTE REGIONAL AIR CENTER Debra Maddox, Manag - er, reported: 2025 total revenues for the airport amounted to $93,793. Two purchased hangars increased the revenue by $3600 per year. All county hangars have been oc - cupied during the entire year, with 20 individuals still on the waiting list.
Thanks to RAMP grant funding, several changes were made this year. New solar-powered taxiway lighting was installed in late October. Sever - al pilots have commented positively on the new lighting. Also, upgraded Runway End Identifier Lights are due to be installed before the end of the year.
Updating of the Airport Layout Plan is currently underway, with the first public meeting scheduled for Jan. 7th. For the fourth year in a row, the airport has provided a base for For - estry Service wildfire operations. This year, a modified Blackhawk helicopter and crew were based here for several months. This Blackhawk is capable of quickly loading 800 gal - lons of water for firefighting efforts.
This past September, we were treated to a surprise visit from the Good Year blimp. The blimp hovered near the airport for several minutes before making a landing and then taking off to the west.
During the year, a small Cessna on a cross-country flight from Denton diverted from its original destina - tion airport due to a rough-running engine. A safe landing was made at Fayette Regional and several sheriff's vehicles and an ambulance were on the scene just minutes later. The Fay -
ette Regional Flying Club continues to be an asset to the airport by pro - viding shared airplane "ownership" to its members. The club is currently open to new members contact frfc - [email protected] for more infor - mation.
9-1-1 ADDRESSING Dawn Moore, 9-1-1 Addressing/Mapping Coordinator Fayette County assigned 369 new 9-1-1 addresses during 2025. Two (2) private roads were named and addressed for mapping purposes and added to the Fayette 9-1-1 addressing system.
2025 Year-End County Road Mileage Report Approximately 871 road miles are currently maintained by Fayette County. 88% of the county roads in Fayette County are paved. Eight sub - division roads were adopted into the county road inventory in 2025. PERMITTING OFFICE Kelly Blackwell, Floodplain Manager During 2025, the Fayette County Floodplain Manager approved 234 Development Permits. Of those 194 Residential (43 in Precinct 1, 69 in Precinct 2, 52 in Precinct 3, and 30 in Precinct 4), 25 Non-Residential (9 in Precinct 1, six in Precinct 2, eight in Precinct 3, and two in Precinct 4) and 15 Oil and Gas (two in Precinct 1, seven in Precinct 2, and 6 in Precinct 3) for a total of $7,080. The Permitting Office also took in 8 applications to Lay Temporary Water Lines in right-of-way permits (four in Precinct 1, three in Precinct 2, and one in Precinct 3) for a total of $29,000 and four applications for Road Bored "Crossing" Permits (one in Precinct 2 and three in Precinct 3) for a total of $4,000. SUBDIVISIONS Amber Hielscher, Designated Representa -
tive/County Inspector During 2025, there were 123 di - visions of property. Of those 123, 13 were exempted over 10 acres, 18 were exempted adjoining land owners, 36 were family exemptions, 45 were variances (under 10 acres), and eight were formal divisions (22 in Precinct 1, 40 in Precinct 2, 33 in Precinct 3, and 26 in Precinct 4), creating 183 new tracts of land. SEPTIC Amber Hielscher, Des - ignated Representative/County In - spector During 2025, there were 243 septic permits totaling $72,250.
JUVENILE PROBATION- Zach - ary Velasquez, Chief Juvenile Proba - tion Officer Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Zachary Velasquez's data shows the Fayette County Juvenile Probation Department received 18 referrals from law enforcement for criminal offenses committed by juveniles, with 89% of the population being males and 11% being females. Of the 18 referrals, eight were Felony offens - es, seven were Class A or B offenses, two were class C offenses, and one Status Offense. The youth were be - tween the ages of 10-16 years of age.
VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE Jesse Lednicky, Veterans Service Officer Took in approximately 275 in-per -
son appointments throughout the year. Handled over 800 calls con -
cerning Veteran issues and claims over the phone. Visited with all vet - eran organizations throughout the county at least once. Maintained accredited status to better serve our local veterans. Continued to serve veterans and all individuals in need of emergency assistance as chairman of our Salvation Army unit.
