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COMANCHE -- A wide variety of subjects
were on the agenda Monday, but the most controversial item,
construction permitting, was tabled for further consideration.
County Judge James Arthur conducted the
regular meeting of the Commissioners Court on Monday, October 9, with
Commissioners Garry Steele, Kenneth Feist, Bobby Schuman and Jimmy
Dale Johnson attending.
Other county officials attending the
meeting included County Clerk Ruby Lesley, County Auditor Joey
Boswell, County Sheriff Jeff Lambert, County Tax Assessor/Collector
Gay Green, County Treasurer Billy Ruth Rust, Emergency Services
Coordinator Ray Helberg and County Court Coordinator Sherry Ward, who
assisted Judge Arthur in conducting the meeting due to the loss of his
voice.
Fuel Bids
Following the reading and approval of the
minutes of the previous meeting, the first item of new business was
the opening of fuel bids for county vehicles. Bids were received from
Gooden Petroleum and Central Texas Energy Suppliers.
Both suppliers expressed their bids in
cents per gallon above the listed average gallon price as published
weekly by the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS).
The bid specifications stipulated that
the OPIS report be faxed weekly to the county. One supplier expressed
concern regarding the legality of faxing the report, since it is a
copyrighted subscription service.
The Commissioners voted unanimously on a Bobby Schuman motion,
seconded by Garry Steele, to accept the Gooden bid for precincts 3 and
4 and the Central Texas bid for precincts 1 & 2 and the Sheriff & Jail
office. Both bids accepted were 15 cents above the OPIS published
price.
Remodeling of Tax Assessor's Office
The next item of business was discussion
of remodeling of the Tax Assessor/Collector's office. Gay Green stated
that she did not have any figures yet, adding that she wanted to talk
with the Commissioners first before seeking bids.
Green wants to remove the counters and
replace them with work stations where customers and clerks can sit
while conducting business. She described the arrangement as more
efficient and would provide faster service. She said the remodeling
work could be accomplished in the spring of next year, after
conclusion of the property tax season.
Green stated that her office's basement
storage area needs work as well, adding that it had never been
remodeled like the County Clerk's basement area and that the carpeting
is in sad condition.
Garry Steele advised Green to prepare a
rough draft plan and then get some contractor estimates on her plans.
Green said she was hoping to get some
assistance in preparing the plans.
Sherry Ward suggested that she might
visit some other facilities that have arrangements similar to what she
has in mind.
Joey Boswell said that the counter and
basement remodel could be separate projects and various Commissioners
expressed their agreement with that suggestion.
No formal action was taken.
Approval of TxDOT Grant for County
Airport Improvements
Sherry Ward said that Jim Dudley had
brought the grant papers to her and requested that the Commissioners
approve them. She added that she thought that someone from the
City/County Airport Board would be present to discuss the matter with
the Commissioners, however no one was present. She said that she had
been told that the planned work was not runway repairs, but that she
did not know any other specifics.
The documents described the grant as a
part of TxDOT's routine airport maintenance program and mentioned AWOS
installation, monthly NADIN connection fees and any necessary repairs
not covered by insurance. The grant award is for $50,000, and that
amount is noted as half of the total with the local government
providing the matching funds.
Sherry Ward said she had been told that
the Airport Board was providing the matching funds. She also informed
the Commissioners that the approved grant documents needed to be
returned no later than October 27.
Garry Steele said that if the County was
not involved in the funding, that he had no objections to approving
the grant and then offered a motion to that effect. Bobby Schuman
seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
There was discussion to ask for an
Airport Board representative to meet with the Commissioners at their
next regular meeting to explain planned expenditures.
Discuss Advertising for Part-time
Maintenance Employee
The Commissioners noted that they had not
been able to find anyone interested in the 24 hours per week part-time
maintenance position.
Judge Arthur commented that he knew of
one possible candidate.
Garry Steele said he believed the
position should be advertised.
There was discussion regarding pay rates.
Garry Steele stated he wanted the job to pay at the same beginning pay
rate for all other county employees. He asked who would supervise the
position and if a job description had been prepared.
The primary work would be cleaning and
janitorial at the County Annex, exterior cleanup for the County
Courthouse, and some light maintenance work.
After further discussion, it was agreed
that the position would be advertised, that Ray Helberg would
supervise the employee, and that Sherry Ward would write the ad and
the job description in consultation with the County Judge and
Emergency Services Coordinator.
Garry Steele offered a motion to
advertise the part-time maintenance position, Jimmy Dale Johnson
seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
FEMA Flood Disaster Funds
Bobby Schuman requested that the
procedures for receipt and accounting for Federal Emergency Management
Administration flood disaster assistance funds be discussed.
A lengthy discussion ensued regarding how
the funding notifications were routed, how the funds were received and
where they were deposited and credited to the appropriate county
precinct.
Part of the problem arose from the
absence of a named individual on the addresses of the funding
notifications. Everyone agreed that Joey Boswell's name needed to be
provided to FEMA officials.
Billy Ruth Rust said that all funds were
initially deposited into the same account and that they would be
redirected to the appropriate precinct's account when the paperwork
was received and processed.
The Commissioners reviewed the FEMA funding and accounting process in
detail with the various county officials involved.
No formal action was taken on the matter.
Nominations for Comanche Central
Appraisal District Board
Sherry Ward explained that she had
received a call from the CAD on the prior Friday, after the
Commissioners meeting agenda had been posted, and was told that the
Commissioners had to submit nominations for individuals to serve on
the CCAD Board immediately following the current meeting. In response
she posted an emergency, under 72-hour addendum to the meeting agenda.
A letter dated October 5 from Chief
Appraiser Rhonda Woods apologized for not having delivered the
notification in a timely manner and stated that she was sorry for any
inconvenience caused, and that the tax code requires the notice to be
delivered prior to October 1.
Sherry Ward noted that the county can
nominate a single nominee for each of five board positions. Still,
there was confusion as to how many nominee names were needed.
There were numerous questions expressed
about the CCAD board members who may or may not be willing to continue
serving, and complaints about the late notice and lack of anyone
present to respond to inquiries.
Garry Steele asked if any of the
Commissioners knew of anyone who would be willing to serve and added
that he did not and was at a total loss on the matter.
Bobby Schuman asked if it had to be done
today and was assured by Sherry Ward that immediate action was
requested.
Jimmy Dale Johnson complained about the
lateness of the nominating notice letter and then recalled how the
county had been late in finalizing its budget because of the CCAD's
lateness in providing certified tax rolls. He wondered what could be
done to get the CAD administration to be more timely.
After further discussion Bobby Schuman
nominated Sam Sparger and Garry Davis to the CCAD board. Jimmy Dale
Johnson seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Discuss Permitting Process for
Floodplain Management
Ray Helberg distributed a sample
Floodplain Development Permit Application that had been prepared by
the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management.
He and Trish Grimshaw explained how they
imagined the permitting process in Comanche County might work.
Helberg explained that most of the
permitting process would cease once the determination had been made
that the development permit site was not located in a floodplain.
Until a county floodplain map has been prepared and received, he said
each permit application site would be visited and GPS coordinates and
elevations obtained and observations made as to the proximity of a
creek or history of flooding.
Helberg responded to a Sherry Ward
question and stated that a big majority of the permitting work could
likely be done simply by referring to a topographical map.
Garry Steele suggested that the
Commissioners hold a separate workshop on the permitting process,
outside of the normal Commissioners meeting, adding, "This is major
stuff, and I don't think we need to do it in a Commissioners Court and
tie it up for two hours trying to figure out how to do this. We do
need to have a workshop to get it like we need it."
Steele added that the matter could be
handled similar to the budget workshops and that the permitting
process should be as less invasive as it can be.
The other Commissioners each voiced their
agreement with Steele's proposal.
Steele then made a motion to hold a
workshop concerning the floodplain development permit application form
on the following Monday, October 15, at the Emergency Management
Office at 9:00 a.m.
Jimmy Dale Johnson seconded and the vote
of approval was unanimous.
Sherry Ward told the Commissioners that a
letter requesting a floodplain map be prepared for Comanche County
dated in 1997 and signed by Judge John Mack Weaver had been located.
She noted with a laugh that this may be why the county is on the
schedule to receive a floodplain map in 2008.
Set First November Commissioners
Meeting Date
Sherry Ward noted that the usual second
Monday meeting date on November 12 was a county holiday when Veterans
Day would be observed. She suggested the Commissioners might want to
meet on the following Tuesday.
Jimmy Dale Johnson offered a motion to
set the meeting to be held on Tuesday, November 13. Kenneth Feist
seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Acknowledging Approval of Change in
Early Voting Place
Ruby Lesley described the Department of
Justice's acceptance of the courthouse basement as an early voting
site, adding that it was a bit unusual that such a request would be
approved without a single inquiry.
Lesley noted that some modification would
be required to a door threshold to improve its wheelchair
accessibility.
Handicapped access curbs and parking
needs were also discussed.
Lesley noted that early voting starts
within two weeks of the meeting date.
Garry Steele made a motion to accept the
Department of Justice letter allowing a change in early voting
location, Bobby Schuman seconded and the vote approval was unanimous.
Sheriff & Jail Operations
Sheriff Lambert told the Commissioners
that Parker County had removed all of their remaining inmates from the
Comanche County Jail. He added that there were only 11 remaining when
the final pickup was made.
Sheriff Lambert said he had temporarily
frozen all jail hiring and not yet sought any replacement contract
inmates in order to vacate some jail cells for maintenance prior to
the upcoming state jail inspection. It would also give his jail
employees a rest from the overtime they had been working because the
jail had been short-handed.
Lambert said he did not expect any more
inmates to be received from Parker County.
Garry Steele said that the impact of the
loss of Parker County inmates should be fairly minimal.
Lambert noted that he is investigating
replacing the cameras in the jail and expects to be able to pay for it
from funds accumulated in the commissary account.
A new fire suppression system in the
kitchen will cost around $2,400 and be completed within the next two
or three weeks. The quoted cost was less than had been expected.
Accounts Payable
The Commissioners approved budget
amendments, accounts payable due and owing totaling $274,863.70
($135,000 of which was for insurance), and the payment of salaries and
related benefits coming due prior to the next Commissioners meeting on
October 22. |
