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COMANCHE – A malfunctioning air
conditioning system caused the Commissioners Court to meet in a very
warm County Courtroom on Monday, June 12. The Commissioners considered
at least two hot topics – whether to reinstitute a total outdoor burn
ban and whether to assist the formation of a volunteer fire department
in Proctor.
Total Outdoor Burn Ban Considered
Dry weather conditions have already
prompted fire marshals to deny all outdoor burning requests in the
southern part of Comanche County.
County Emergency Services Coordinator Ray
Helberg and representatives of various volunteer fire departments
attended the meeting and voiced their concerns that it is time to
renew the total outdoor burn ban that the Commissioners Court had
earlier declared during the winter months and later lifted following
early Spring rains.
Commissioner Chris Biggs noted that if a
fire ban was instituted that the Fourth of July fireworks show might
have to be cancelled. It was pointed out, however, that even with the
total burn ban in effect that the fireworks exhibit could likely be
put on because of the pyrotechnics licensing.
DeLeon VFD Fire Chief Doyle Rone was the
lone dissenting voice among the fire and emergency services leaders.
He noted that wildfires had not been a problem in the northern part of
the county, with only one fire in the last three weeks, and that those
few that occurred were generally easily controlled. He added that
weather conditions, including relative humidity and ambient
temperatures, were headed toward more dangerous conditions. Rone
cautioned, “But don’t be misled. We’re nowhere near where we were at
the first of the year.”
Rone stated that from his perspective,
this was the time of year that rookie firefighters received valuable
training fighting relatively small and less dangerous fires, and that
even veteran firefighters were able to sharpen their skills on the
smaller wildfires. “They don’t burn up a fire truck and they don’t get
hurt,” was how he described firefighting in the spring and early
summer, noting that they would need that training when conditions grew
more dangerous later in the year.
Rone emphasized that he was not against
the restricted burn ban currently in effect. “In the past in DeLeon
we’d run 120,130-40-50 grass fires a year. With our burn ban we’ve got
now, which has worked great, it’s got us down to running between 80 to
120, maybe. No, I don’t want to see anything burn up, but I danged
sure don’t want to see one of our firemen burned this winter because
they didn’t get a chance to learn and make that mistake in an
environment that is relatively safe.”
Comanche VFD Fire Chief Sam Cunningham
said that his department had been out on three or four fires in the
last month. When asked his opinion of whether an emergency fire ban
was needed, however, he referred the question to Ray Helberg.
Helberg said that the Texas Forest
Service had begun moving airborne firefighting resources into Abilene
and Granbury in anticipation of wildfires in the area and was
recommending that burn bans be instituted in dry parts of the state.
Helberg noted that there had been a fire
started by a welder in the south end of the county that had burned
over 100 acres. He added, “It’s drying up on the south end, and in the
middle of the county it’s getting really dry. I just think at this
point we need to enact the burn ban, the total burn ban. And, of
course, we have July coming up.”
Helberg added that several counties,
including Erath County, had recently enacted burn bans.
Commissioner Garry Steele commented that
he agreed with Rone, but for a different reason. He noted that with a
restricted burn ban as at present, where persons wishing to burn must
call for permission, provided better information on burning to be
available at Central Dispatch. He added that the large fire that was
started by a welder could still have occurred even if a total outdoor
burn ban had been in effect.
Steele continued, “However, if we don’t
get some appreciable rain between now and our next meeting (in another
two weeks), I think we definitely should start considering by the end
of this month.” He later added, “If it continues with no rain
whatsoever for the next three weeks, with temperatures maintained at a
100 to 105, I think we need to look at it seriously, for the remainder
of the summer.”
Commissioner Bobby Schuman stated that
the Commissioners Court could call an emergency meeting at any time
they believed necessary to institute a total burn ban.
Sam Cunningham noted that the worst
problem with the current situation was in trash burning, where even if
the trash was being burned in a container that it could still ignite a
wildfire.
Bobby Schuman said, “I suggest we leave
it like it is on a day-to-day basis. If we need to, the Judge can call
an emergency meeting and we can come in her and put a burn ban on. But
let’s leave it like it is for now.”
Garry Steele noted, “I certainly don’t
want to get into a Cross Plains (where a wildfire burned around a
third of the town) again, but I’m a little hesitant sometimes to just
shut totally everything off because when we do that we sometimes lose
control and they go ahead and1 burn anyway and then you don’t know
anything about what’s going on. I think Bob’s idea is really good, you
just do it on a case-to-case basis.”
Everyone who spoke, however, agreed that
the fire danger was growing and that if there was no rain soon that
something would need to be done.
Bobby Schuman offered a motion to leave
the restricted burn ban in effect for two weeks or less and call an
emergency meeting if one was needed. Garry Steele seconded Schuman’s
motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.
There was further discussion regarding
trash fires in which the firefighters present pointed out that they
were the source of many of the wildfires. Garry Steele asked Sam
Cunningham to remind the Commissioners to include outdoor trash
burning in any total burn ban enacted.
Proctor Volunteer Fire Department
Formation
Billy Marett, a Proctor area resident and
member of the group that is seeking to form a new Proctor Volunteer
Fire Department addressed the Court on the progress his group has
achieved. He pointed out that it had been around 25 years since one
had existed in the area, and that the Cross Plains situation had
opened people’s eyes to the need. He pointed out that it took as long
as 30 minutes for the Comanche VFD to respond to a fire in their area,
primarily due to a 20 minute travel time.
Marett said that bylaws for the
department have been prepared and a charter application has been
submitted to the Texas Secretary of State’s office. Approval is
expected to be received in around two weeks. He said that the
prospective fire department has 12-15 volunteers, including two
trained firefighters.
Marett said they met with Ray Helberg and
Comanche Fire Marshal Kevin Burch and that a 9-1-1 response area for
the Proctor VFD had been assigned. It consists of an approximate four
mile radius around the Proctor community of around 50 square miles
bounded by Erath County line on the east and following county roads
343,332,328,327 and then Highway 377 to CR 418B, north to Highpoint
Park, then Highway 1496 to CR 438 and 444 back east to the county
line.
Marett said that around $3,500 had been
raised from the community through donations and that the community was
solidly behind formation of the department. One old fire truck has
been readied for service which originally was from DeLeon, then
donated to Promontory Park and now has been donated to Proctor.
The Commissioners expressed their
agreement that there was a real need for a fire department in the
Proctor area because of its remote location away from other county
fire departments. They also expressed their desire to assist the
department financially. Bobby Schuman offered the fire department a
place in his county barn to house their equipment.
Marett said that tentative arrangements
had been made to park as many trucks as needed in Billy Ray Evan’s
barns, which is centrally located on a paved highway. The Upper Leon
River Municipal Water District had also discussed placing a new fire
plug at that location to allow refilling of the water tanks. He later
added that Harrell Arms had agreed to donate ten hand-held radios to
the department, valued around $4,000.
Marett said that Dublin had provided
another truck on loan to the department in return for Proctor VFD
agreeing to provide mutual aid to Dublin in their fire calls. Marett
said that they had also been working with the Texas Forest Service to
obtain used firefighting equipment. He also mentioned plans to obtain
equipment by purchase or donation from area fire departments.
Commissioners Schuman and Steele asked
County Auditor Joey Boswell about how the county supports its
volunteer fire departments. Boswell responded that annual
contributions of $2,880 were made to VFD’s for DeLeon, Comanche and
Sipe Springs and annual contributions of $2,220 to Energy, Gustine and
Promontory.
Schuman suggested that a $2,880
contribution should be made to Proctor, once they have received their
charter approval. Steele agreed with Schuman’s suggestion. Joey
Boswell was directed to prepare the necessary budget amendments for
the next Commissioners Court meeting.
Other Matters
In other matters the Commissioners:
• Formally designated Ted Mosher as
supervisor for the Precinct 4 work crew to serve at least until the
results of the November general election are known and a replacement
Commissioner can be appointed. Commissioner Schuman commented on the
good job that the 23 year veteran had been doing in recent weeks
during Clyde Brinson’s illness and after his death. Mosher was also
given a 60 cents an hour raise. The unanimous action was taken on
Shuman’s motion and Steele’s second.
• Requested the county’s share of
unclaimed capital credit funds from the State Comptroller. The amount
of available funds was not known. It was agreed that any funds
received would be split between the Economic Development Corporations
of the county. The unanimous action was taken on a motion by Garry
Steele, seconded by Bobby Schuman.
• Voted to have a survey of the county
radio tower property.
• Approved an amendment to the county
personnel policy formally designating the start of the work week to be
12:01 a.m. each Wednesday and further defining that overtime would be
paid only when actual hours worked, not including sick or vacation
pay, exceeds 40 hours in a given week for all non-law enforcement
employees. It was further agreed that the personnel policy manual
needs to be redrafted in connection with the next budget cycle to
reflect all amendments in effect.
• Designated Commissioner Garry Steele as
the County representative on the 9-1-1/Central Dispatch Board and to
serve as Chairman Pro Tem of the Commissioners Court.
• Formally authorized Sheriff Jeff
Lambert to file a grant request with the West Central Texas Council of
Governments for an Environmental Law Officer. The Commissioners made
clear that in approving the grant request, they were not specifically
approving the hiring of an Environmental Law Deputy. Sheriff Lambert
said that the grant would pay 100% of the Deputy, if the Deputy
devoted 100% of his or her time to the purposes of the grant. Lambert
said he envisioned a 50/50 split between environmental and general law
enforcement.
• Discussed the junk site on CR 300 on
the eastern edge of Comanche. A lawsuit for the collection of back
taxes had been filed, but Sheriff Jeff Lambert and Constable Mark
McDonald reported that the owner of the property now lives in Mexico
and that service was not possible. Alternative means of proceeding
with the lawsuit will be pursued.
• Discussed the jail inmate count.
Sheriff Lambert reported 127 inmates on Monday morning. He added that
the jail was just about running at breakeven. County Auditor Joey
Boswell looked at the most recent financial report and said that the
jail was not quite at breakeven, but added that Parker County always
pays one month late and that if they were current that the jail would
be showing a profit.
Garry Steele said that even at breakeven,
the jail saves the county taxpayers around $400,000 every year.
Boswell said that used to be the case, but that he believed the jail
is now saving the taxpayers closer to $500,000 each year. |
