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COMANCHE -- The Commissioners Court
agreed to allow county residents to once again resume outdoor burning,
although under certain restrictions. The Commissioners also refused a
request from Hamilton County Judge Cox to restrict the recreational
use of the Leon River waters below Proctor Lake.
The active members of the Comanche County
Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday, September 11, to
conduct the first of two required budget hearings and to consider a
lengthy agenda of matters. County Judge James Arthur presided and
Commissioners Garry Steele, Chris Biggs and Bobby Schuman
participated.
Budget Hearing
Following the approval of the minutes of
the previous meeting with only minor revisions, Judge Arthur opened
the budget hearing. Garry Steele asked County Auditor Joey Boswell to
review the basics of the proposed increased property tax rate and
budget.
Boswell noted that the proposed property
tax rate for the county would increase from 57.38 cents per $100 of
taxable valuation to 58.33 cents, an increase of 1.66%. The rate
increase, when combined with the effect of increased property
valuations in the county, is projected to provide a property tax
revenue increase of 6%. Boswell noted that the county's total taxable
property valuation had increased from $497 million to $527 million.
Garry Steele noted that the primary
factor requiring the tax rate increase is rapidly increasing energy
costs, especially motor vehicle fuel, which is heavily used in many
aspects of road maintenance and law enforcement.
Boswell noted that Comanche County has
traditionally been in the bottom third of all Texas counties in terms
of its property tax rate. Steele noted that there were some counties
with lower rates, but that they generally benefited from much higher
total property valuations.
Bobby Schuman added that the increase in
the property tax rate was well below the general rate of inflation and
the growth in costs for county operations.
Judge Arthur stated his opinion regarding
the county's budget when he added, "This is a very conservative
court."
Burn Ban
As the Commissioner began consideration
of the total outdoor burn ban, Garry Steele circulated a certificate
of appreciation and a letter of thanks received from the Texas Forest
Service for help received from Comanche County while fighting the
large fires in the Texas panhandle region during March. The current
year's fire season was described in the letter as being the worst in
Texas in over 50 years.
Steele then began discussion of the burn
ban by noting that the area had received some nice rains, with perhaps
more in the forecast. He stated, "It's my personal opinion at this
time that we should lift the total (outdoor) burn ban and re-impose
the restricted burn ban that requires call-ins on fires. I think our
fields have greened up somewhat. I feel like we need to let some of
the people burn that do need to burn, as long as they will call in on
the restricted burn."
Central dispatch supervisor Jennifer
Kluge spoke in agreement, commenting that "They're burning anyway."
Steele responded, "I'd rather know who and where," regarding the
call-in requirements of the restricted burn ban.
County Emergency Management Coordinator
Ray Helberg stated that Comanche County was now in the low-to-moderate
wildfire risk according to the Texas Forest Service.
Steele said that if the fire department
and emergency management representatives in the audience had no
objection, he would offer a motion to lift the total burn ban and
return to a restricted burn ban.
The firemen commented that we were
currently in pretty good shape. Helberg noted that people burning
trash outdoors need to use approved containers, and added that cattle
panels were not adequate for containing an outdoor trash fire and
preventing its spread.
Steele added to his motion a request that
everyone burning outdoors exercise extreme caution.
Bobby Schuman seconded Steele's motion
and the vote to approve was unanimous. In a separate action, the
Commissioners also voted unanimously to give the County Judge the
authority to lift a total burn ban to a restricted burn for 72 hours
following a rain, based upon the advice of emergency management.
Leon River Designation
Judge Arthur explained that Hamilton
County Judge Fred Cox had sent a draft resolution to the Comanche
County Commissioners Court with the request that they join Hamilton
and possibly other counties in approving it and sending it on to the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in request that Leon
River Segment 1221 have its use designation changed from contact
recreational (swimming) to a secondary use (fishing and wading) when
establishing the TMDL (total daily maximum load of bacterial
contamination), the standard that will be used to manage the cleanup
of the impaired section of the Leon River.
Comanche County Extension Agent Bob
Whitney was invited to advise the Commissioners regarding the proposed
resolution, since he has been active in monitoring and participating
in the Leon River TMDL effort.
Whitney described the effort as a
simple-sounding request, one stating that if the Leon cannot meet the
contact recreation standards, that it should be redesignated to a
lower grade use standard that would presumably have a lower water
quality standard that could be met without difficulty. Whitney
cautioned, however, "It sounds simple, but it could put you on a track
for the Leon River that could be detrimental in the long run... I'm
sure the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't want to go around promoting that
we have a river that you can't get into. Certainly it would require to
keep people out of the river." He also noted that it would entail law
enforcement difficulties.
Whitney noted that the water standards
adopted for Texas are the most strict in the nation, and that the
standards were voluntarily adopted by the state and not required by
federal law. He noted that there were meetings and processes currently
underway to get the TCEQ to either relax its standards to the federal
level or to designate a mid-point allowed use level such as wading,
something that currently does not exist. He noted that the TCEQ's only
current standards are full contact and non-contact. He added that the
only body of water currently designated as non-contact is the Houston
Ship Channel. The secondary use (wading) standard contemplated in the
draft resolution currently does not exist. Whitney estimated it would
take as long as three years before any change in the TCEQ's current
standards could be hoped for.
Whitney stated his opinion, gained from
consultations with experts in the matter, that the best strategy would
be to push for the TCEQ to follow the less stringent federal standards
that also have more variability in their use standards.
He added that the draft resolution
prepared in Hamilton County was a bit misleading in that it was
calling for application of a use standard that currently does not
exist in Texas.
Garry Steele asked what use standard
applied to fishing.
Whitney responded that "fishing" does not
exist as a standard, that it would fall under the contact use
standard. He added that the application of any other standard other
than contact would eliminate fishing as well as swimming and other
human contact uses. He continued stating his worry that the
application of any other standard below contact would lead to severe
problems with downstream interests.
Steele expressed his support for the
effort to encourage the TCEQ to adopt the same rules and standards as
used by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. He said, "You've
got continuity that way."
When asked, "What does that do to our
lake?" Whitney responded that Proctor Lake was not currently included
in the TMDL effort. Whitney later noted that although Proctor Lake had
easily passed the bacterial load standards, that it had come close to
not meeting the dissolved oxygen standards.
Whitney offered to help in drafting an
alternative resolution requesting a relaxation of state standards to
the federal level.
Garry Steele offered a motion to pass on
the proposed resolution at this time. Chris Biggs seconded and the
vote in favor was unanimous.
Whitney was requested to draft a
substitute resolution on the Leon River.
Commissioners Advised of Groundwater
District Effort to Require Water Well Meters
Whitney then changed the subject matter
with the following comments. "I know this is out of order, Judge. I
was told not to tell you about this, but you're going to hear it. This
underground water district meeting the other day was a fiasco. The
chairman of that board wants to shut down all water well permits and
not allow them until the standards are changed and they put meters on
all the pumps. The chairman of the board when haywire, in my opinion.
I will publicly say that. He's went a little crazy over what he
proposes, and the board is trying to shut it down. But that's scary!"
Garry Steele said, "That's probably going
to be as popular as fencing off the rivers."
Whitney agreed. "Be aware that that may
be coming down the pike. That may be another resolution."
Other Business
In other business the Commissioners:
• Discussed the need to appoint another
person to serve as the County Fire Marshall in light of Wayland
Chupp's medical condition which has made him unable to continue
fulfilling his duties. The matter was postponed until the following
meeting. It was noted that the County Fire Marshall is required to be
a certified peace officer.
• Discussed and approved several minor
amendments in the proposed interlocal agreement between Comanche
County and the Comanche County Consolidated Hospital District
regarding the transfer of title and operational responsibility for the
original portion of the old Comanche hospital building to the county.
The agreement is expected to be presented for final approval to the
Hospital District board at its next meeting.
• Discussed the transition of 9-1-1
addressing responsibilities to county personnel, namely County
Emergency Services Coordinator Ray Helberg and Dispatch supervisor
Jennifer Kluge.
• Discussed and voted approval of a draft
agreement between the county and the Comanche Independent School
District regarding a bond election to be held on November 7. The
agreement calls for the CISD to pay $150 daily rental on all
computerized voting machines, all expenses incurred and a 10%
administrative fee based on all direct expenses and rentals. The
Commissioners acted unanimously on a motion by Bobby Schuman, seconded
by Garry Steele.
• Acknowledged an order from the District
Court setting salary increases for juvenile probation officers. Joey
Boswell pointed out that the salary increases were paid for with state
funds and would not cost the county taxpayers anything.
• Approved a resolution of support and
approval for the Comanche County Indigent Defense Grant Program, again
which is at least partially state-funded.
• Approved an advanced funding agreement
with the Texas Department of Transportation regarding the replacement
of a bridge on CR 235 over Mercer Creek in Precinct 2.
• Approved the execution of a note of
indebtedness to Comanche National Bank for the purchase of a 2001 Ford
Pickup by the Sheriff's Department made in connection with the state
grant program for an environmental deputy. The Commissioners also
formally authorized Rhonda Alderman to serve as the environmental
deputy.
• Heard a request from Sheriff Jeff
Lambert and County Auditor Joey Boswell to investigate the cost of
obtaining major medical insurance for county prisoners. Boswell's
analysis was, "It's a ticking time bomb." Bobby Schuman's response
regarding the request to obtain an insurance quote, "Let's do it." The
Commissioners and Sheriff Lambert also discussed the prisoner housing
outlook situation in the state and area.
• Concluded the budget hearing with a
discussion of the proposed budget for the district attorney and Garry
Steele's insistence that Ray Helberg develop a budget to be reviewed
at next Monday's budget hearing for both the 9-1-1 addressing and the
GPS addressing efforts to be undertaken in the new fiscal year. |
