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COMANCHE -- An upgrade of the emergency
notification system that allows courthouse employees to quickly
request law enforcement assistance was the largest single expenditure
approved in Commissioners Court on Monday.
Other topics of discussion in the
relatively uneventful meeting included the appointment of a Mass Care
Coordinator, revisions to the County's personnel policy manual, phone
bills for the Department of Public Safety's Drivers License office and
road materials donated to the county by the Texas Department of
Transportation.
All members of the Commissioners Court
met on June 25 with Judge James Arthur conducting the meeting and
Commissioners Bobby Schuman, Garry Steele, Jimmy Dale Johnson and
Kenneth Feist participating.
Other county officials present and
participating at various times in the meeting included County Clerk
Ruby Lesley, County Auditor Joey Boswell, Sheriff Jeff Lambert,
District Clerk Brenda Dickey, and County Treasurer Billy Ruth Rust.
Work Hours in District Clerk's Office
Following the reading and approval of the
minutes of the June 11 Commissioners meeting, the first order of
business was a presentation by Brenda Dickey regarding personnel hours
in the District Clerk's office.
Dickey noted that one of her two
employees, a part time worker, was considering quitting her job in
order to get higher paying full time work elsewhere.
Dickey requested that the position be
upgraded to a full time, five days a week job from the presently
authorized four days a week. She also expressed hope that an increase
in the hourly pay rate could be approved, noting that she had invested
a year in training the employee and had a capital murder case coming
up soon and would need all the help possible.
Bobby Schuman asked about the details of
the requested pay rate. Neither Dickey nor Billy Ruth Rust knew what
hourly rate was currently being paid.
Rust stated that the part time position
was currently being paid at the same hourly rate as other clerical
positions in the courthouse. She added that the employee in question
had been hired on a four days a week basis at her own request.
Garry Steele asked Dickey if funds were
available in the District Clerk's budget to cover the costs of a five
day position and was answered in the negative. He commented that he
did not have a problem with funding the extra day of work, but added
that a pay rate increase that would cause the position to be out of
line with other similar positions in the courthouse offices would
present a problem.
Joey Boswell noted that there were
unspent funds in the District Clerk's capital outlay budget that could
be transferred to cover the cost of the extra day per week of
scheduled work. Garry Steele added that the total amount involved
would be less than $1,000.
Bobby Schuman said that if funds would be
needed to replenish the capital outlay that they could take care of
the matter at that time. He then offered a motion to approve the
request for full time work.
Kenneth Feist seconded and the vote of
approval was unanimous.
Following the vote, Schuman emphasized
that the authorization was to take effect immediately.
Coordinator for Volunteers for Mass
Immunization Clinic
Garry Steele discussed a proposal to pay
Tricia Grimshaw of DeLeon $500 per month to serve as the coordinator
for a program to develop a county system to deliver mass immunizations
utilizing trained volunteers and suitable public facilities.
Steele noted that Grimshaw had started
work on the program at the beginning of the month and that the cost of
her contract work would be covered by the West Central Texas Council
of Governments. He added that he had no problems with authorizing the
paid position as long as the WCTCOG was paying for it.
Grimshaw described the program as an
effort to establish a group of volunteers to perform mass vaccinations
for pandemic flu and other health emergencies. She said that she
already had 22 volunteers to help in the effort, exactly half of the
44 required under the program.
Grimshaw noted that current plans involve
setting up a vaccination center in the DeLeon High School gymnasium,
and perhaps also at the Comanche High School gymnasium, although those
arrangements have not yet been completed. Vaccinations would be
provided through the Strategic National Stockpile.
There was discussion regarding the
details of employment and whether or not certain benefits would be
required. It was agreed that the work and pay would be only on a part
time contract basis with no employment-related benefits provided. The
period covered under the program will end on August 31.
Jimmy Dale Johnson offered a motion to
approve the temporary contract position beginning June 1 and
continuing through August 31, subject to reimbursement by WCTCOG.
Garry Steele seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
There was further discussion regarding
the reporting and practice drills requirements under the contract
between the county and the WCTCOG.
Courthouse Security System Upgrade
Garry Steele discussed a proposal from
SecureTech in Fort Worth to install a new wireless alarm system to
replace an outdated existing courthouse security system. The new
system would provide improved courthouse security, and would also
cover the courthouse annex facilities. The proposal included 27
wireless distress buttons and two wireless repeaters.
Steele noted the cost of the upgrade,
$15,160, net of a $3,500 trade in allowance for the existing system,
could be paid out of the courthouse security fund, a dedicated purpose
fund which currently has a balance of more than $58,000, and is funded
by court fees.
Judge Arthur showed the existing system
to the new commissioners. The effectiveness of the system in obtaining
almost immediate law enforcement assistance was discussed and attested
by Billy Ruth Rust, who recently accidentally triggered a distress
call and soon had a deputy and a city police officer in her office.
Bobby Schuman offered a motion to approve
the expenditure, Garry Steele seconded, and the vote of approval was
unanimous.
Other Business
In other business, the Commissioners:
• Approved by unanimous vote a motion by
Garry Steele, seconded by Jimmy Dale Johnson, to request available
unclaimed capital credit funds from the State Comptroller, estimated
by Joey Boswell to be around $800. The motion provided that the funds
be split equally between the Economic Development Corporations of
Comanche and DeLeon.
• Voted unanimously in favor of a motion
by Kenneth Feist and seconded by Jimmy Dale Johnson to approve a draft
of changes in the county's personnel policy manual which added
references to non-salaried hourly wage employees in sections of the
policy where previously only salaried employees had been discussed.
• Discussed the county's non-payment of a
telephone bill related to a phone number used by the Texas Department
of Safety's Drivers License Office in Comanche County. Gary Steele
noted that the county was not required nor had agreed to pay for that
particular phone line, but had agreed to cover the costs of two other
phone lines used by DPS troopers. Steele added that the state does not
share any drivers license fees with the county and that the long
distance charges on the line had caused it to grow to multiples of its
earlier cost. No action was taken and the commissioners agreed that
the matter should be investigated further before paying the costs
related to the particular phone line.
• Discussed materials made available to
the county by the Texas Department of Transportation which consisted
of a 6,000 cubic yard stockpile of pavement millings valued at
$19,000. The problem was that the county would be required to pick it
up and haul it from its present location near the intersection of
Highway 16 and IH 20. Garry Steele said it would cost him roughly
$10,000 to haul his precinct's 1,500 c.y. share. Bobby Schuman
indicated that he had not had good experience with highway millings.
Jimmy Dale Johnson was the only commissioner who expressed strong
interest in the material, noting that it was the best he had
available, and added that he would be pleased to make arrangements to
purchase the other precincts' share if they were interested. No formal
action was taken.
• Heard Sheriff Lambert discuss his
office's recent loss of its newest pickup patrol unit, a 2007
Chevrolet, while attempting to respond to a call in an area
experiencing high flood waters. Lambert said that he believed
insurance would take care of the problem by totaling the vehicle, and
added that radio and camera equipment were also damaged in the
incident. Lambert also discussed a recent resignation in the Sheriff
Office's and his plans to reassign existing personnel to fill the
vacancy and the consequential planned hiring of a new patrol deputy.
He noted the S.O. is currently one deputy and one vehicle short of its
authorized total.
• Approved various budget amendments, the
payment of accounts due and owing in the total amount of $152,271, and
the payment of payrolls and related benefits coming due prior to the
July 9 next regularly scheduled meeting. |
