Five public meetings this week and an August 20 Cedar Creek forum
Editor's note, August 11: Item E.4 was tabled after strong community input. This update originally told residents to support the draft while asking the County to use existing tools; that guidance was wrong. Nick Lealos and LIV correctly challenged language that could understate present county authority. An August 12 LIV Zoom, the remaining August 13 public-comment routes, and the August 20 LIV forum are current, with corrected guidance to use existing lawful tools, preserve every option, and not return Item E.4 unchanged.
Item E.4 was tabled. Our earlier support guidance was wrong.
Nick Lealos and LIV correctly challenged the resolution's narrow account of county authority. Residents were right to urge tabling rather than adoption as written. The August 12 LIV Zoom, remaining August 13 meetings, and August 20 forum are still useful, but the corrected ask is to use existing lawful tools, preserve every option, and not return Item E.4 unchanged.
Read the outcome, documents, BESS analysis, and Earth Native interview →LEPC and Commissioners Court both begin at 9:00 a.m. Thursday
One person cannot attend both in full. Neighbors can divide coverage: send emergency-planning speakers to LEPC and county-capacity or budget speakers to Commissioners Court. BISD begins later, at 5:30 p.m.
- Keep comments concise and tied to the agency's role.
- State one verified fact, one unresolved question, and one specific request.
- Do not tell officials that Pacifico is on an agenda when it is not.
- Bring or email a written copy so the request can remain in the record.
LIV meeting rescheduled for Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
The League of Independent Voters of Texas moved its canceled Monday call to Wednesday, August 12, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. The organizer's notice identifies local control over AI data centers, infrastructure demands, and tax abatements as a major topic.
Use the call to coordinate Thursday coverage and compare the County's tabled resolution with specific fire-safety, BESS, water, disclosure, emergency-planning, and anti-subsidy requests. It is a community Zoom, not a government hearing or official Pacifico decision.
Where residents can speak—and what each body can address
Bastrop County Commissioners Court
Commissioners Courtroom, 2nd floor · 804 Pecan Street, Bastrop
Commissioners Court did not adopt Item E.4. Strong testimony and written comments challenged language that could understate existing county tools. This was not a Pacifico-specific decision.
Best use of public comment: If a replacement returns, oppose language that concedes away existing authority. Ask for public legal review of fire-safety, BESS, health, infrastructure, records, and incentive tools before any vote.
Outcome and editorial correctionBastrop County ESD No. 1
Central Fire & Training Facility · 1965 FM 20, Red Rock
The agenda covers operations, budget and tax-rate work, and a fire-station update. Pacifico is not listed. ESD 1 administers local fire-code review and is one of the districts from which Pacifico seeks tax relief.
Best use of public comment: Ask ESD 1 to publish any Pacifico correspondence and require a project-specific review of fire water, hydrants, access, staffing, apparatus, hazardous materials, batteries, gas infrastructure, and developer-funded mitigation before considering an abatement.
Official agendaLIV Rescheduled Virtual Meeting
Online · Zoom access through LIV event registration
LIV rescheduled its canceled Monday virtual meeting. The organizer's meeting notice identifies local control over AI data centers, infrastructure demands, and opposition to tax abatements as a major topic. This is not a government hearing or official Pacifico decision.
Best use of public comment: Join to compare the tabled county resolution with the existing tools residents want used now, coordinate Thursday speakers, and sharpen BESS, fire-safety, water, disclosure, and anti-subsidy requests.
LIV event details and RSVPBastrop County Local Emergency Planning Committee
Mike Fisher Building, Room 101 · 1501 Business Park Drive, Bastrop
The agenda includes citizen comments and reports from the Right-to-Know, Public Education, Hazardous Materials Facilities Liaison, and Emergency Response and Resource committees. Pacifico is not listed.
Best use of public comment: Ask when the proposed 710 MW gas facility, fuel supply, battery systems, hazardous materials, fire-water plan, evacuation needs, mutual aid, and multi-agency response will receive a public, project-specific planning review.
Official agendaBastrop County Commissioners Court Special Session
Commissioners Courtroom, 2nd floor · 804 Pecan Street, Bastrop
The only action item is the proposed FY 2026–27 budget. The agenda also includes citizen comments, but Pacifico is not posted and the Court cannot deliberate on it at this meeting.
Best use of public comment: Ask the County to fund the staff, emergency-planning capacity, public-record systems, and independent technical expertise needed to evaluate large industrial proposals instead of relying primarily on applicant-supplied information.
Official agendaBastrop ISD Board of Trustees
Jerry Fay Wilhelm Center for the Performing Arts · 1401 Cedar Street, Bastrop
BISD would become the local JETI decision-maker if J0049 clears state review. Pacifico is not posted, but BISD policy expressly permits public comment on non-agenda topics at regular meetings. Trustees cannot deliberate or vote on Pacifico that night; they may provide facts, state existing policy, or propose a future agenda item.
Best use of public comment: Arrive early and sign up before 5:30 p.m. Use Open Forum to ask BISD to correct any suggestion that residents cannot raise Pacifico, place J0049 on a future agenda, publish the MoakCasey and financial record, require independent air-and-health review, and approve no subsidy on an incomplete record.
Official agendaLIV Pacifico Town Hall — in person
Thursday, August 20 · 6:00–9:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish Hall, 4045 FM 535, Bastrop, TX 78602.
LIV's event page identifies the gathering as an in-person Pacifico Town Hall. The current page does not state that registration is closed. It is a community-organizing event—not a government hearing or formal Pacifico decision.
Check the organizer's page for current RSVP availability and reserve a place if the form is available. Because capacity may be limited, confirm the walk-in policy before attending.
What these meetings can—and cannot—do
Public comment creates notice, identifies missing records, and asks officials to use their lawful authority. It does not convert an unposted topic into an action item. A project-specific Pacifico abatement, JETI agreement, Aqua resolution, or permit decision would require its own applicable notice and process.
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