|
COMANCHE -- All the members of the
Commissioners Court met to consider a lengthy agenda on Monday, July
23.
Judge Arthur conducted the meeting and
Commissioners Garry Steele, Kenneth Feist, Bobby Schuman and Jimmy
Dale Johnson participated.
Judge Arthur’s participation was limited
by a failing, whispering voice. He expressed hope that his severely
limited vocal capabilities would soon return to normal as he noted
several potions and medications he had tried without success to remedy
the problem.
Other county officials present at the
meeting included County Clerk Ruby Lesley, County Auditor Joey
Boswell, County Sheriff Jeff Lambert, County Treasurer Billy Ruth
Rust, Constable Mark McDonald, Emergency Services Coordinator Ray
Helberg and his assistant, Tricia Grimshaw.
The first order of business was the
reading and unanimous approval of the minutes of two earlier
Commissioners meetings. The second new business item on the agenda was
planned to be a discussion with Ted Simpson regarding the Emergency
Watershed Program. Simpson was not present, however, and the matter
was passed.
The Commissioners next discussed
documentation requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) concerning expenses incurred to recover from the effects of
recent flooding on county roads and bridges.
Joey Boswell, Ray Helberg and Tricia
Grimshaw discussed the types of documentation necessary to support
requests for federal reimbursement of employee and equipment hours and
materials used in the recovery effort.
There was also discussion regarding a
meeting called by FEMA officials to be held in Eastland on the
following day. An email had been received by county officials inviting
all to attend the meeting to discuss federal plans to help in the
recovery.
The email letter advised officials that
they should bring county banking information and would probably need
to establish a separate account for the federal assistance funds.
Bobby Schuman commented that the
documentation requirements might be a bigger job to contend with than
the actual repair work.
The next item of business was presented
by Ray Helberg. It was a request that Tricia Grimshaw's employment
status be changed from part time to full time work.
Helberg stated that Grimshaw was now
needed on a full time basis to help with the FEMA documentation
compliance. He added that funds would be available from FEMA to cover
administrative compliance work. Helberg noted that Grimshaw was
considering another full time work opportunity.
Jimmy Dale Johnson spoke noting that the FEMA funds would be vital to
the county and that he supported Helberg's request.
Joey Boswell said that if Grimshaw were
to be paid for FEMA related work that the expenditures should be
accounted for in a separate fund.
Garry Steele commented that some of the
funding for Grimshaw's current work in 9-1-1 addressing as currently
programmed will end on August 31.
Joey Boswell commented that there had
been a significant delay in receipt state reimbursement funding for
the 9-1-1 addressing work.
Steele suggested that the matter be put
on the agenda for the next Commissioners meeting when more information
regarding planned FEMA flooding reimbursements would be known.
The Commissioners continued discussing
the pay and benefits arrangements for both Ray Helberg and Tricia
Grimshaw.
Jimmy Dale Johnson said if he had to pay
Grimshaw out of his precinct, he would put her on full time, adding
that she was helping him every day.
Bobby Schuman made a motion to hire
Grimshaw on a full time basis, with full employment benefits, to do
both FEMA-related and 9-1-1 addressing work. Jimmy Dale Johnson
seconded and the vote in favor was unanimous.
Garry Steele asked that an update on the
status of reimbursement for 9-1-1 addressing work be on the agenda for
the next meeting.
Ray Helberg distributed photos of a
county tanker truck that has been rehabilitated by the Promotory Park
VFD for use in support of fire departments throughout the county.
Garry Steele noted that the tanker will
be stationed in Promontory Park, which is centrally located.
Helberg said that Promotory Park VFD would need some assistance for
fuel. He also asked that the department be reimbursed for $407 spent
for a dump valve and fire hose fittings.
Garry Steele and Joey Boswell discussed
funding the tanker's costs out of the County Emergency Management
Office. It was suggested that the Emergency Management Board should
make the final determination whether the department would be involved
in funding the tanker's operating costs.
Garry Steele made a motion that the
Promotory Park VFD be reimbursed for the $407 expenditure.
The motion was seconded and unanimously
approved. Funding for the non-budgeted expenditure was then discussed.
Ray Helberg next brought a large road map
to the Commissioners' table and requested that they make a
determination regarding addressing on CR 436 and Foley Road in
Precinct 3 near Proctor Lake. Helberg noted that several individuals
were waiting to have their official addresses determined for postal
and other purposes.
The official county map book was
consulted as Helberg and the four Commissioners huddled. The confusion
over the matter arose because the official county map book had
mistakenly designated portions of CR 436 as Foley Road.
Helberg recommended an intersection,
beginning at Lakeview Drive, where the roadway's official name would
change from CR 436 to Foley Road. He noted that if something was not
done, that everyone along the roadway would have to change their
official addresses from CR 436 to Foley Road.
Bobby Schuman made a motion to clarify
the designation of the road described as Foley Road in the official
county map book to be CR 436, and that it will only be officially
named Foley Road beginning at the Lakeview Drive intersection. Jimmy
Dale Johnson seconded. The vote in favor was unanimous.
The next matter for discussion concerned
the bill for the telephone line used by the DPS drivers license
office. DPS Trooper Vernon Gaines was present as Garry Steele reviewed
the history of situation.
Steele noted that the county was
currently providing three office spaces and related utilities
including telephones for the Highway Patrol offices at no expense to
the state. He added that he resented demands by officials in the
Drivers License division of DPS that the county pay for their
telephone bills.
Steele noted that the Highway Patrol
division generates funds for the county, but that the Drivers License
division does not.
Trooper Vernon Gaines commented that he
was aware that the county was not required to bear any of the expenses
related to the DPS.
Garry Steele made a motion to discontinue
paying for the telephone line for the Drivers License division and
that a letter to that effect be mailed by the County Judge to
appropriate DPS officials. Bobby Schuman seconded Steele's motion.
Jimmy Dale Johnson said that he thought
the county should charge rent for the Driver's License department,
since it was not required to provide anything, since the office did
not generate any funds for the county, and since they had been
demanding payment of their phone bills.
Johnson then offered an amendment to
Steele's motion that the county demand $250 per month rent for the DPS
drivers license office. Bobby Schuman seconded Johnson's amendment.
Garry Steele offered a further amendment
that the changes take effect on September 1 and again Bobby Schuman
seconded.
The motion was approved on unanimous
vote. Trooper Gaines said he would provide the County Judge with
appropriate names and addresses.
After a break, Ruby Lesley distributed a
list of proposed election precinct judges and alternates for the year
running from August 1, 2007 through July 31, 2008 to the Commissioners
for approval. She noted that all had been contacted by phone and
agreed to serve.
The election judges and alternate
nominees by voting precinct as presented were: Precinct 1-Addie
Ratliff and Glenda Levisay, Precinct 2-Stella Reid and Janatha
Carlisle, Precinct 3-Edna Elliott and Susan Smith, Precinct 4-Lou
Hobbs and Nancy Helm, Precinct 5-Karen Carr and Misty Barron, Precinct
6-Mary Ann Braim and Betty Kirkland, Precinct 7-Roger Oliver and Joe
Moore, Precinct 8-Wayne Russell and Ronnie Calcote, Precinct
9-Margaret Carmichael and Carolyn Cook, Precinct 13-Martha Wood and
Joyce McCamey, Precinct 14-Judy Barnes and Kathryn Hugg, Precinct
15-Robert Dunwell and Tjwanah Smith, Precinct 16-Peggy Moon and Carrie
McGinnis, Precinct 19-Sherry Whiteside and Dorothy Whiteside, Precinct
22-Joe John McEntire and David Steele, Precinct 27-Judy Bingham and
Phillip Levens, and Early Voting-Sue Bingham and Gracie Brown.
Bobby Schuman made a motion to approve
the list and Jimmy Dale Johnson seconded. The vote of approval was
unanimous.
The next matter concerned the
establishment of a county reinvestment zone. Ruby Lesley discussed the
need for a reinvestment zone designation to encompass the proposed
wind farm southwest of Comanche. She explained some of the technical
requirements of reinvestment zones including one that required they be
contiguous. That could be a problem in the wind farm if there were
intervening properties between the wind towers.
Lesley said she had been advised that the
entire county outside of incorporated municipalities could be included
in a single reinvestment zone. She noted that tax abatements granted
within the reinvestment zones would still be required to be approved
on a case-by-case basis. She added that reinvestment zone designations
were valid only for a five year period, and that tax abatement
agreements extending beyond that period would require renewal.
The Commissioners agreed that an entire
county designation, excluding municipalities, would be the best thing.
Garry Steele made a motion to that effect, Kenneth Feist seconded, and
the vote of approval was unanimous.
Lesley said she would get the notice in
the newspapers in the current week and that a required public hearing
on the reinvestment zone designation could be held at the next regular
Commissioners Court meeting.
Garry Steele requested that legal counsel
be obtained prior to taking final action on the reinvestment zone
designation. Ruby Lesley said that attorney Jim Dudley would be
willing to advise the Court on the matter.
The Commissioners voted unanimously to
authorize the continuation of the County Road and Bridge Fee of $10
per vehicle registration for 2008.
Billy Ruth Rust reported that the cost of
the group health insurance provided by the Texas Association of
Counties will increase by approximately 3% in the coming state fiscal
year.
Garry Steele commented that the policy
was a good one and needed to be retained.
Bobby Schuman made a motion to approve
renewal of the insurance policy. Garry Steele seconded and the vote of
approval was unanimous.
Garry Steele expressed his belief that
the county should consider the purchase of some long haul trucks for
the movement of road base, crushed stone, highway millings and other
materials for road repairs and maintenance.
Joey Boswell suggested that if
certificates of obligation are issued to help finance bridge and road
repairs from the flooding, that long haul trucks and other road
maintenance equipment could be purchased with the proceeds. He added
that the cost of the equipment would be covered by the debt service
fund and not out of the individual precinct operating budgets.
Garry Steele said that nothing should be
done until it was determined what FEMA would be willing to reimburse
the county for emergency road repairs.
A list of proposed appointees to the
county's Child Welfare Board for three year terms to expire August 31,
2010, was distributed to the Commissioners for approval.
The names submitted were Carolyn Merworth
and Sheila Stephens, both of Comanche.
Jimmy Dale Johnson made a motion to
approve the list and Bobby Schuman seconded. The vote of approval was
unanimous.
Ruby Lesley requested that the
Commissioners approve Toni Young as one of three Deputy County Clerks.
Jimmy Dale Johnson made a motion to
approve the deputation and Garry Steele seconded. The vote of approval
was unanimous.
Sheriff Jeff Lambert reported that the
insurance settlement on the new pickup lost in recent flooding had
been determined. He said the pickup had been totaled and that the
county would be paid $22,225 for the truck on which $15,612 was owed.
Lambert added that there would also be insurance payments of
approximately $6,000 for the two-way radio and the truck's camera
system.
Lambert was unanimously authorized on a
motion by Garry Steele, seconded by Kenneth Feist, to advertise for
bids for a replacement pickup truck.
The number of outside jail inmates was
brought up for discussion.
Sheriff Lambert was asked to contact his
counterparts in Parker and Lampassas counties regarding their progress
and plans in building new county jails. He and the Commissioners
discussed the state's prison construction plans and prisoner housing
strategies and the county's largely favorable financial history of
constructing and operating an expanded jail.
It was noted that the jail operated at a
profit in the prior fiscal year. Sheriff Lambert then expressed his
doubt that an actual profit would be earned in the current year, even
though the net cost of its operation would be far below that of a
stand alone county jail.
Billy Ruth Rust distributed her
Treasurer’s Quarterly Report for June 30 to the Commissioners. It
showed total cash receipts of $1.414 million and disbursements of
$1.688 million, with transfers in from time deposits of $304,000. The
total time deposits remaining was $3.375 million.
After considerable discussion, the
Treasurer's Quarterly Report was unanimously approved on a motion by
Garry Steele, seconded by Bobby Schuman.
Officers reports and budget amendments
were distributed and approved on unanimous votes.
Accounts due and owing totaling
$106,098.69 were reviewed and unanimously approved, as were salaries
and related benefits coming due prior to the next regularly scheduled
Commissioners meeting on August 13.
Joey Boswell suggested that the
Commissioners hold a budget workshop meeting on Thursday, August 9,
beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Commissioners agreed to hold a meeting on
that date. |
