|
COMANCHE -- Voting precincts, contracting
for reduced rate electrical power, and a variety of financial and
procedural matters kept the Commissioners busy at their most recent
regular semi-monthly meeting.
All members of the Commissioners Court
were on hand on Tuesday, November 13, for their first November
meeting. Judge James Aurthur conducted the meeting with Commissioners
Garry Steele, Kenneth Feist, Bobby Schuman and Jimmy Dale Johnson
attending.
Other county officials taking part in the
meeting included County Clerk Ruby Lesley, County Sheriff Jeff
Lambert, County Treasurer Billy Ruth Rust, County Court Coordinator
Sherry Ward, Emergency Services Coordinator Ray Helberg and his
assistant Trish Grimshaw.
Voting & Commissioner Precincts
Royce and Judy Jacks were present to
discuss voting and commissioner precincts. Mr. Jacks complained that
they had recently been changed from voting in DeLeon to Sipe Springs,
which he noted, with approval, was closer to their home.
Jacks added, however, that they had
recently been required to drive 18 miles to Sidney to vote in the
state constitutional amendment election.
The Sipe Springs voting had been
consolidated with the Sidney voting precinct for that particular
election.
The Jacks also complained about still
having to drive to DeLeon to vote on school district elections and
said they believed you should be able to vote for everything in one
place. They also asked questions about the Commissioner precincts.
The Commissioners explained that there
had been work underway in the Tax Assessor/Collector's office directed
toward making sure that county residents are registered to vote in the
proper voting precinct. They also stated that the Sipe Springs
consolidation into the Sidney voting box was only for the special
election.
There was discussion of federal and state
requirements for defining commissioner and voting precincts, and it
was noted that voting precinct consolidations must take place within a
given commissioner’s precinct.
A map of voting precincts was brought into the meeting. Ruby Lesley
discussed the requirements for consolidating precincts in low turnout
elections and the difficulty in completely eliminating low turnout
voting precincts.
The Jacks were also advised that the
county had no control over where the school district established
voting locations.
After their brief course in election
laws, differing governmental entities involved and other related
matters, the Jacks apparently decided that nothing could be done to
ease their voting predicament and left the meeting, in apparently
better humor than when they arrived.
Garry Steele commented as they were
leaving the courtroom, "We appreciate your concerns. There's rationale
behind what we are trying to do."
TXU Rate Decrease Proposal
David Bane, an account executive with TXU
Energy, next addressed the Commissioners.
Bane noted that the county was on a
month-to-month floating power rate, similar to most power customers.
He noted that roughly 70% of the total energy used by TXU to generate
electricity came from domestically produced natural gas, and added
that gas tends to fluctuate in price, independent of the price of oil.
Bane then presented the county with an
opportunity to contractually lock in lower electrical power rates for
periods of either six, 14, 18 or 30 months. This will allow TXU to
lock in future delivery natural gas contracts and pass the savings
along to large customers.
The percentage cost savings projected
under the various contract periods increased from 15.6% to 16.2%. The
dollar savings projected ranged from almost $9,000 on the six month
proposal to $43,000 under the 30 month proposal.
A total of nine county meters were
included under the proposal, including the courthouse, the county
annex, the county museum and the precinct barn in Comanche.
The Commissioners asked numerous
questions on the particulars of the plan. They noted additional county
power meters that should be taken into account in the analysis.
After the Commissioners gained an
understanding of the situation and were more comfortable with the
opportunity being presented, Bane was asked which of the alternatives
he would suggest.
Bane recommended the county contract for
either a 14 or 18 month period. He explained that additional
contractual savings could be locked-in during the interim as natural
gas prices fluctuate.
Bobby Schuman indicated he preferred the
14 month option and then offered a motion to that effect. Kenneth
Feist seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous in favor.
The projected savings for the 14 month
period is $19,105.
Auto Allowance for Veterans Service
Officer
Bobby Schuman reported on a recent
conversation with Jim Coats, the county's Veterans Service Officer.
Coats had complained that the $100 per month gas allowance was hardly
sufficient for him to make more than one or two house calls a day.
Schuman said that he believed the $100
monthly gas allowance was very inadequate and suggested that it should
be doubled. He noted that the reimbursement had been cut from the
earlier level of $200 per month.
A brief discussion followed in which it
was noted that Coats had been home visiting veterans who were unable
to travel. Others expressed satisfaction with the job Coats had been
doing and agreed that the gas allowance was inadequate.
Bobby Schuman offered a motion to
increase the gasoline allowance from $100 a month to $200. Garry
Steele seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Update on FEMA Projects
Trish Grimshaw presented an update to the
Commissioners on FEMA flood disaster assistance funding. She noted
that as of October 31, 52 individuals had applied and been approved
for flood disaster financial assistance in the amount of $88,997.72.
FEMA flood assistance approved for the
county on road and bridge repairs totals $3,353,390.57, of which
around $700,000 has already been received. Grimshaw added that county
funding should be completed by the end of November.
There was some discussion regarding the
handling of the funds and the accounting for expenditures made under
the disaster assistance program.
The opinion was expressed that the county
would end up with better roads after the flood damage repairs had been
completed than had existed beforehand. The belief was also expressed
that requests for time extensions would likely be filed before every
repair project had been completed.
Garry Steele commented that in his
opinion FEMA had worked well with the county and that things were
going very well.
Steele also commended Trish Grimshaw on
her handling of the FEMA disaster assistance funding paperwork.
Jimmy Dale Johnson seconded Steele's
compliment regarding Grimshaw, "Yes, I agree with you a 100%."
Sheriff and Jail
Sheriff Jeff Lambert reported the
re-hiring of Carrie Guerra as a transport officer to start work
immediately. Guerra had previously worked for the Sheriffs Office for
18 years and was a welcomed addition to the staff. He mentioned plans
to send her to school to become a licensed correctional officer.
Lambert noted that all of the jail's air
conditioning units were now functioning properly and that the jail
count has improved somewhat. He reported having close to 40 local
prisoners recently.
Lambert also reported that Environmental
Deputy Rhonda Alderman had cleaned up an illegal dump site in Precinct
2. The responsible party had been located and was performing the
cleanup.
Bobby Schuman said he had an illegal dump
site in his Precinct and requested that Deputy Alderman come inspect
it. He noted that he knew who was the responsible party.
Other Business
In other business the Commissioners:
• Agreed to a five year, consolidated
contract with Unifirst Uniform Company that would cover all four
county precincts at a savings over present costs of approximately
$2,600 per year. Unanimous action taken on a motion by Garry Steele,
seconded by Jimmy Dale Johnson.
• Unanimously approved a resolution for
the 2008 Indigent Defense Grant Program, acting on a motion by Bobby
Schuman and seconded by Garry Steele.
• Requested the annual state allocation
of surplus road materials through the Texas Department of
Transportation. The total amount of material is valued at $19,930, or
approximately $5,000 per precinct, and consists of highway asphalt
millings on IH-20. The Commissioners acted unanimously on a motion by
Jimmy Dale Johnson, seconded by Kenneth Feist.
• Unanimously approved the continuation
of a certificate of bond for librarian Margaret Waring on a motion by
Garry Steele, seconded by Jimmy Dale Johnson.
• Unanimously approved a motion by Bobby
Schuman, seconded by Kenneth Feist, to authorize the hiring of Bobby
Daniels as a part time maintenance employee, and for Ray Helberg and
Judge James Arthur to supervise the position.
• Approved the deputation of Bryan Butler
as a Deputy Sheriff, acting unanimously on the recommendation of
Sheriff Jeff Lambert and a motion by Garry Steele, seconded by Jimmy
Dale Johnson.
• Approved the Treasurer's Quarterly
Report by a split vote on a motion by Garry Steele, seconded by
Kenneth Feist, with Judge Arthur providing the third vote in favor.
Commissioners Bobby Schuman and Jimmy Dale Johnson noted that they did
not understand the county's accounting for FEMA funds. There were no
accusations of wrongdoing nor animosity, however.
• Approved budget amendments on unanimous
vote, acting on a motion by Bobby Schuman, seconded by Garry Steele.
• Approved the payments of accounts due
and owing in the amount of $228,291.63 by unanimous vote on a motion
by Garry Steele, seconded by Bobby Schuman.
• Approved by unanimous vote the payment
of payrolls and related benefits coming due prior to the November 26
Commissioners meeting, acting on a motion by Kenneth Feist, seconded
by Jimmy Dale Johnson.
• Conducted a workshop regarding
Floodplain Development Permit Applications which was discussion only,
with no actions taken. |
