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COMANCHE -- The Comanche County
Commissioners Court held a relatively brief regular meeting on Monday,
July 10, and disposed of a largely routine agenda. All members of the
Court were present at the meeting where helicopter ambulance service,
tax abatement guidelines and fruit stand sales at the Courthouse
parking lot garnered the largest amounts of discussion.
The meeting opened with a request
presented by Bobby Brinson, speaking on behalf of his employer, Air
Evac Lifeteam, to allow the company to offer memberships for sale in
the county. Brinson, the son of recently deceased and long time
Commissioner, Clyde Brinson, was warmly received by the Court.
Brinson explained that as an Emergency
Medical Services provider, his company is regulated by the State and
is required to obtain permission of any county in which they offer
membership services to its residents. The county is not required to
endorse the membership offering, only to allow it to be offered.
The membership service offered by Air
Evac Lifeteam is an agreement that if the member has to be transported
by air for appropriate medical services, that any careflight costs not
reimbursed by the member's medical insurance will be considered to be
paid in full. The cost varies from a high of $50 per year for a single
person to higher amounts for more household members and for more years
of membership.
Brinson emphasized that the Air Evac
Lifeteam services do not replace local area ground ambulance EMS, but
only supplement it. He noted that air ambulance services are most
needed in rural areas far from specialized care, and that the sale of
memberships helps air ambulance services operate in rural settings
where they are most needed.
Commissioner Bobby Schuman quickly
offered his opinion that it sounded like a good idea and requested an
application form. Commissioner Garry Steele expressed his agreement
with Schuman's assessment.
After further discussion of the program,
Schuman offered a motion to allow Air Evac Lifeteam to offer its
membership services in Comanche County and Commissioner Chris Biggs
seconded the motion. It was then unanimously approved.
Attorney Jim Dudley and County Clerk Ruby
Lesley presented a document setting out the specifications for
projects that might qualify for county property tax abatements. State
law requires that a county adopt abatement guidelines before granting
tax abatements for economic developments that increase the county tax
base or create new jobs.
The guidelines presented specified that
tax abatements could only be granted for real property improvements
and fixed equipment, but not for land, supplies, inventories, movable
personal property, and not for residential improvements. Tax
abatements are generally structured to start out at 100% for the first
year, with the degree of abatement to drop by 20% of the total each
succeeding year until there is no abatement in the sixth year. The
policy does stipulate that for projects exceeding certain limits and
numbers of job created that the abatement can be individually
negotiated.
The need for the tax abatement policy had
been discussed at the previous Commissioners Court meeting in
connection with the proposed construction of a new motel in Comanche
and the possible construction of an ethanol plant at one of several
sites in the county under consideration.
Dudley noted that Ruby Lesley had done
most of the work in drafting the guidelines. Garry Steele asked if the
minor changes that the Commissioners had suggested had been
incorporated in the document and was assured that they had. He then
offered a motion to approve the guidelines. Bobby Schuman seconded
Steele's motion and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Pauline Villarreal of DeLeon next spoke
to the Commissioners regarding a request that she and her family be
allowed to locate a fruit sales trailer on the parking lot of the
County Courthouse. County Judge James Arthur was not enthusiastic
regarding the request, noting that on certain days when District and
County Court is in session that parking spaces around the Courthouse
are in short supply. He noted that the one fruit stand operator
currently selling from the Courthouse parking lot is regularly asked
to leave when parking space is tight.
The Commissioners noted, however, that if
one fruit vendor is allowed, that it would only be fair if Villarreal
be allowed, or else none should be allowed. Garry Steele noted that
any permission granted would not include the trade days conducted by
the Comanche Chamber of Commerce.
For her part, Villarreal seemed agreeable
to all stipulations mentioned, and indicated that operating only on
Friday through Sunday would be acceptable to her.
The Commissioners first voted approval on
a motion by Chris Biggs, seconded by Bobby Schuman, to allow
Villarreal to operate a fruit stand on a three day weekend on the
Courthouse parking lot. After Judge Arthur asked if the motion to
allow Villarreal to operate was subject to his supervision, Garry
Steele offered an amendment to the previous action to that effect.
Chris Biggs seconded and again the vote of approval was unanimous.
In other business, the Commissioners:
• Authorized the Proctor Volunteer Fire
Department firemen to be covered under the county's accident insurance
policy now that the department has been chartered and is in operation.
• Agreed to send notices with the 2007
property tax statements to landowners affected by the county's actions
in regard to listing all county maintained county roads.
• Appointed Rebecca Jones to the Comanche
Public Library Board of Trustees.
• Selected election judges and alternates
for the one year term beginning August 1, 2006. The judges and
alternates are:
Pct. 1, Box 1 - Gene Ratliff, Glenda
Levisay.
Pct. 2, Box 2 - Stella Reid, Janatha
Carlisle
Pct. 2, Box 3 - Edna Elliott, John Webb
Pct. 1, Box 4 - Diane Holland, Clinton
Geye
Pct. 3, Box 5 - Nancy Felts, Carisma
Hicks
Pct. 2, Box 6 - Mary Ann Braim, Carol
Teich
Pct. 3, Box 7 - Roger Oliver, Joe Moore
Pct. 3, Box 8 - Wayne Russell, Ronnie
Calcote
Pct. 3, Box 9 - Carolyn Cook, DeAnn Jones
Pct. 3, Box 13 - Judy Sanders, Martha
Woods
Pct. 3, Box 14 - Judy Sadberry, Kathryn
Hugg
Pct. 4, Box 15 - Robert Dunwell, Tjwanah
Smith
Pct. 4, Box 16 - Peggy Moon, Carrie
McGinnis
Pct. 1, Box 19 - Dorothy Whiteside,
Sherry Whiteside
Pct. 1, Box 22 - Joe John McEntire,
Bobbie Wyatt
Pct. 4, Box 27 - Gayland Daughtery, Judy
Bingham
Early Voting - Sue Bingham, Betsy
Robinett
• Heard a report from Garry Steele that
the property survey for the old Comanche hospital building had been
completed. Steele said he expected the matter of the proposed property
donation to the County to be considered by the Hospital District board
at its July meeting near the end of the month.
• Discussed the fire danger situation
with County Emergency Services Coordinator Ray Helberg and agreed to
leave the restricted burn ban in place, at least for the time being.
Helberg noted that no burns were being allowed on Monday due to wind
conditions, and that he expected that a total outdoor burn ban would
be requested soon if rain was not received in the area.
• Adopted a hazard mitigation action plan
as drafted by the West Central Texas Council of Governments.
• Heard a report by Sheriff Jeff Lambert
on narcotics investigations and arrests and discussed the continuing
high inmate counts and the Parker County jail construction situation.
Parker County generally provides the largest number of paying jail
inmates in the Comanche County Jail. A newspaper article provided by
County Auditor Joey Boswell described how Parker County Commissioners
are now considering whether to scrap their plans to build a new and
greatly expanded county jail and to instead contract with a private
company for inmate housing in their facilities near Mineral Wells. |
