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COMANCHE -- Another lengthy agenda
awaited the Commissioners Court on Monday, September 24, as they began
their second regular meeting of the month. The lengthy budget and tax
rate adoption process was set to conclude.
County Judge James Arthur conducted the
meeting, which was attended by all four County Commissioners: Garry
Steele, Kenneth Feist, Bobby Schuman and Jimmy Dale Johnson, listed in
county precinct number order.
Other county officials attending the
meeting included County Court Coordinator Sherry Ward (who assisted
Judge Arthur in announcing the agenda items), County Clerk Ruby
Lesley, County Auditor Joey Boswell, County Sheriff Jeff Lambert,
County Tax Assessor/Collector Gay Green, Chief Deputy Chris Pounds,
County Treasurer Billy Ruth Rust, Emergency Services Coordinator Ray
Helberg and his assistant Trish Grimshaw.
Budget and Tax Rate Adopted
The first item of non-routine business
was a public hearing on the county's proposed budget for fiscal year
2008. There were no members of the public who asked to speak during
the hearing.
The Commissioners briefly discussed the
salary for an investigator for the District Attorney and the rent
payment for his office. There was no provision made in the Comanche
County budget for an investigator's salary, however it was noted that
unspent funds remained in the DA's budget that could be used if
needed. There was no budgeted increase in the office rent payment.
The Commissioners discussed putting an
item on the agenda for the next regular meeting regarding advertising
for a person to fill the maintenance position that was approved at an
earlier meeting.
Garry Steele made a motion to adopt the proposed budget, Bobby Schuman
seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Bobby Schuman next made a motion to adopt
the proposed county property tax rate for 2008. Jimmy Dale Johnson
noted that the bulk of the tax revenue increase was directed to the
precincts to be used for work on county roads and bridges. He then
seconded the motion and the vote of approval was again unanimous.
The property tax rate increase is 1.98
cents, up from 58.33 cents to 60.31 cents per $100 taxable valuation.
The Commissioners voted in compliance
with the new requirements in HB 3195 to ratify the revenue increase
resulting from the property tax rate increase, acting unanimously on a
motion by Kenneth Feist, seconded by Jimmy Dale Johnson.
Ruby Lesley thanked the Commissioners for
the salary raises granted county employees and officials. The budget
generally provided 3% raises for full time county employees, although
some percentage law enforcement and jail personnel received higher
percentage increases.
The general fund budgeted revenues
increased from $4.104 million in fiscal 2007 to $4.240 million in
fiscal 2008. Budgeted general fund expenditures increased from $4.172
million in 2007 to $4.366 million in 2008.
The road and bridge funds for the county
precincts showed a 10.9% budgeted revenue increase, from $1.481
million to $1.642 million. The corresponding budgeted expenditures
increased by 9.9%, from $1.525 million to $1.676 million.
Road and bridge revenues are allocated
between the precincts at least partially based on the differing miles
of roads maintained in each precinct.
The precinct budgets do not reflect
anticipated revenues nor expenditures related to flood damage recovery
and cleanup, which will largely be funded from federal, state and debt
sources.
Additional Registration and Title
System Terminal Request
County Tax Assessor-Collector Gay Green
next spoke to the Commissioners and recommended the lease of a third
Registration & Title System computer terminal at the cost of
approximately $1,500 per year.
The state provides two terminals at no cost to the county, however,
Green noted that there were frequently backlogs of people needing to
be served on vehicle title changes.
With only two RTS terminals available,
all that the state will provide, her available office personnel are
unable to speed up their service. She noted that her office is busy
throughout the year with vehicle title work and that a third terminal
will better serve the public.
Bobby Schuman made a motion to approve
the terminal lease, Jimmy Dale Johnson seconded and the vote of
approval was unanimous.
Green added that she is hoping to remodel
her office and the public service counter sometime in the near future.
She was advised that the Commissioners could not grant approval for
such without it being on the meeting agenda and that she should gather
cost estimates for the proposed work.
County Authority on On-Site Sewage
Facility Systems
Macky Thedford, County Designated
Representative for septic system inspections, addressed the
Commissioners regarding a recent change in state law taking effect on
September 1. He described it as something that "slipped through the
legislature that no one knew anything about."
The new law gives homeowners in counties
with under 40,000 population additional authority to maintain their
own aerobic septic systems. The new law, however, also provides that
counties may act to continue to require inspections and maintenance
reporting if desired.
Property owners with aerobic septic
systems, which are necessary when clay soils cannot adequately absorb
septic wastes, have been required to engage qualified maintenance
contracts and to have quarterly reports filed regarding their aerobic
systems.
Thedford said that if the county failed
to adopt an ordinance requiring continuing maintenance and reporting,
similar to what was legally required prior to September 1, that many
homeowners would discontinue. He noted that special training is
necessary for proper maintenance and operation of the aerobic sewage
systems.
Thedford said failure to enforce
maintenance and reporting requirements would eventually cause
discharge of untreated sewage and complaints from neighbors. Without
proper maintenance, the aerobic systems will eventually fail.
Bobby Schuman made a motion to continue
requiring maintenance contracts and quarterly reporting for aerobic
systems. Garry Steele seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Sherry Ward commented that certain public
notice and hearing procedures would have to be followed and state
agency approval would be required to put the new ordinance in place.
Resolution Requesting a County
Floodplain Map
Trish Grimshaw, emergency management
office assistant, reported on her contacts with Congressman Mike
Conaway's office and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
personnel.
She said she had been told that the county was scheduled to receive a
preliminary, countywide flood insurance rate map in 2008.
In response to questioning, Grimshaw said
that no further action requesting a flood plain map was necessary.
Discuss Response to TxDOT Regarding
Leon River Bridge
Judge James Arthur received a letter from
Lynn Passmore, District Engineer for the Texas Department of
Transportation, in which it was noted that the Leon River bridge on CR
454 had deteriorated and recommended that the bridge pilings either be
encased in concrete or replaced if the bridge is to remain open.
Passmore stated that since the bridge was
scheduled for an early replacement, he recommended that it remain
closed until such replacement has been completed.
Jimmy Dale Johnson said that he wanted to
protect the county and keep the bridge open until replacement. He
recommended that the bridge have its load limit reduced from the
current 24,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds.
Johnson added that he had been down
looking at the bridge and that the damage was a little bit worse than
what was visible during the most recent TxDOT inspection.
Johnson and Sherry Ward discussed sending
a response letter to TxDOT regarding the bridge. Johnson said that the
bridge pilings would be encased in concrete as a temporary repair, but
that the water level would have to go down further before the repairs
could be made.
No formal action was taken on the agenda
item.
Off System Bridges Agreement
Kenneth Feist reported agreement had been
obtained from the landowner regarding permission to cross private
property during the replacement of the Salt Branch bridge on CR220.
Feist then made a motion to approve an
advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation
regarding the replacement of a second bridge on Salt Branch on CR 220.
Garry Steele seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Carpeting Quotes for County Annex
Building
Following a meeting break, Sherry Ward
presented two quotes to the Commissioners for carpeting a portion of
the hallway in the County Annex building, the former hospital. Garry
Steele examined the quotes in detail.
He reported that Heart of Texas Flooring,
which is based in Brownwood and providing service in Comanche through
Hathcocks Furniture, bid $1,000 for glue down, commercial grade
carpeting. Floors and More, also in Comanche, bid $1,042 for a similar
installation.
Sherry Ward noted that Franks Home Center
in DeLeon has been requested to provide a carpeting quote and had
declined, citing that they already had a six month work backlog.
Jimmy Dale Johnson made a motion to
accept the Heart of Texas/Hathcock bid. Kenneth Feist seconded and the
vote of approval was unanimous.
GrantWorks Proposal to Provide Grant
Services
Mary Smith with GrantWorks, an
Austin-based grant consulting and service business, spoke to the
Commissioners offering her company's services to the County in seeking
Texas Community Development Block Grants as administered through the
state's Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA).
Smith explained that a total of $13
million in grants up to a maximum of $350,000 per applicant were
available on a first come, first served basis for the 50 plus Texas
counties that had been included in the recent state flood disaster
declaration.
Smith noted that GrantWorks would only be
paid out of grant funds secured, and that the county would still
receive net funding in excess of $300,000, if they were successful in
having a grant approved. The grant funds could be used for the 25%
local matching requirement for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
disaster assistance funding.
Smith also noted that the county could
apply for the funds on its own, without any assistance from GrantWorks,
if it chose to do so, but re-emphasized that the grants would be
awarded on a first come, first served basis.
County Emergency Services Coordinator Ray
Helberg, when asked for his opinion regarding the proposal, noted that
his office had been in contact with ORCA and had plans to invite an
agency representative to Comanche to learn more about applying for the
state disaster assistance grant program.
Helberg also expressed the opinion that
he and Trish Grimshaw could handle the paperwork involved in the grant
program, thus saving the expense involved with using GrantWorks. He
added that FEMA had not yet completed its survey of flood damages that
would need to be in hand prior to filing for a grant and suggested the
matter be tabled for further investigation.
There were numerous questions posed to
Smith by Bobby Schuman regarding GrantWorks' services and the disaster
assistance grant program. She also discussed various other state grant
programs that the county might be interested in applying for.
Garry Steele responded that the county
was still in the process of receiving FEMA project worksheets on the
various flood damages that had occurred and that it needed a little
additional time to decide whether or not to pursue ORCA grant funding
through GrantWorks.
FEMA Progress Update
Trish Grimshaw reported that 26 FEMA
project worksheets on flood damages totaling $778,938 had been
received and processed, and that eight more are currently being
processed that would bring the total to $947,441. The county would be
eligible to receive a total of $710,581 in FEMA's 75% funding.
All but approximately $4,800 of that
total is for Precinct 3, with work continuing on the other county
Precincts. Much of the projected expense is related to flood debris
removal that will have to be completed by the calendar year end.
Grimshaw added that the first FEMA
funding from three grant packages already received will total $217,345
and is expected to be received in the next week or two.
Bobby Schuman emphasized that the funding
received would have to be used for flood damages and would not be
available for non-flood damage related road projects.
There was additional discussion regarding
the GrantWorks proposal.
Trish Grimshaw commented that if they
found out that the paperwork was too complex or cumbersome that they
could invite GrantWorks to assist the county, but both she and Ray
Helberg seemed to feel that they could probably handle the grant
application and administration process through their office, and at a
significant cost savings to the county.
Joey Boswell emphasized that the grant
application process be initiated as soon as possible.
Sheriff and Jail Operations
Sheriff Jeff Lambert added his thanks to
the Commissioners for the salary increases, noting that his office had
received additional employment applications for vacant positions.
Sheriff Lambert discussed the Spivey
junkyard cleanup project near Comanche.
Lambert noted that they had been required
to replace another air conditioning unit in the new part of the jail.
Another capital project coming soon is the required replacement of the
fire suppression system in the jail kitchen before January, 2008.
Garry Steele suggested that the project
should be completed ahead of the deadline in order to avoid the last
minute rush.
Sheriff Lambert reported that the annual
jail inspection will take place on October 23 and added that a
representative of the Commissioners Court should be on hand during the
day.
Garry Steele suggested that one of the
new Commissioners, either Kenneth Feist, Jimmy Dale Johnson, or both
should be present during the inspection. Plans were discussed with the
Sheriff for their possible overnight stay at the facility to insure
that they would not miss the inspection.
Other Business
In other business the Commissioners:
• Approved a bid from Ripley Roofing in
Comanche to repair the roof on the County Annex building in the amount
of $570.
• Acknowledged an order from District
Judge James Morgan reappointing Kay Solomon as the 220th District
Court Administrator.
• Approved an interlocal participation
agreement with other Texas counties for the Texas Association of
Counties Risk Management Pool for various types of insurance coverage.
• Approved Judge Arthur's proclamation of
October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
• Approved the county's participation at
no cost in the Attorney General's APRISS statewide automated crime
victim notification service.
• Approved officers reports, routine and
emergency budget amendments, the treasurer's letter of request for
authorization for payment of routine obligations and the payment of
salaries and related benefits coming due prior to the next regular
Commissioners meeting set for October 9. |
