Presidio County Commissioners Court Special Meeting Wed Sept 26, 2018
Arrived at 9:54, meeting underway.
Auditor presents papers about budget.
Five months operating expenses in reserves for general fund, four months for jail and jail fund.
Questions about City of Marfa hotel motel tax contribution to airport runway capital project.
Comp time payout transfer from general fund.
Auditor goes though her handout notes. Various transfers, adjustments.
Estimated shortfall in budget: $170,000 plus change.
$75,000 to finance the airport grant match if airport funds are not coming from city of Marfa and/or FAA omnibus grant, which would be 100% funded with no match but is still unknown whether we will receive.
Judge brings up water district funding. Budgeted is $30,000.its $10,000 less than they asked for.
There is 7,300 in contingency in non departmental that could be added.
Judge would like to add the ten thousand to fund their budget. Aranda asks why. We are operating under a deficit budget.
Water well applications could provide them some revenue. Trey Gerfers is in Australia, unavailable. Ponton wants to know if there is any grant money available.
Judge says unknown, but manager says that it’s possible.
Senator Rodriguez supports full funding.
Sheriffs office revenues have been underestimated in the past, updated numbers and will spend it on travel and education, primarily.
Judge asks commissioners if there are additional questions about the budget.
No, not from commissioners.
Judge asks for public comments.
Gracie Parras says that jail and sheriffs office would like to split up their costs for communications and utilities with jail budget covering utilities and sheriffs office budget covering communications expense.
Auditor explains how that would change the budget.
Discussions about Big Bend Telephone bills and charges. Has been more expensive than expected. Buildout costs plus charges for actual service.
Auditor explains how the charges are broken down within the different departments. Sheriff is concerned that as his communications budget decreased the money was spread out to other department budgets to cover their costs for phone/internet.
Auditor explains how their office is adjusting to communications budgets within the county as a whole.
Judge wants to take a quick break for auditor to meet with Sheriff and jail administrator with regard to how the communications are budgeted.
To auditor the only reason this matters is because the jail budget and M&O budgets are kept separately.
Sheriff says he is ok with leaving it how it is if it helps the County.
Auditor says it just changes which pocket it comes out of, not really consequential to overall savings or spending.
Sheriff says we’ll leave it as is.
DPS Corporal Rey thanks the commissioners for helping with their budget. Judge reviews that it is paying for the phone, $800.
Any other questions or clarifications?
The airport numbers are not final and are conservative. Several ways to finance grant match if necessary.
Raises for airport have not yet been made. Auditor does not have anything specific right now.
Aranda asks about match financing. $395,000. $75,000 per year to finance.
Vasquez asks about bids for airport project. Judge says twelve bids have been received, TXDOT is negotiating with vendors. Both bids came in lower than budgeted. Omnibus funding did not come through. Runway improvements won’t be as substantial but will still be a great improvement.
Cold weather is coming, could set construction back.
Next week meeting in Presidio will include an update from airport director Chase Snodgrass.
Auditor says if project does not start until April or May it may impact when we pay the grant match and may impact loan payment and commissioners budget for it.
Five minute break at 10:37 AM.
10:50 AM reconvened
Commissioner Bentley motions to accept budget. Second by Aranda. Roll call vote. All commissioners vote yeah.
Tax rate: tax rate this year will be raising more revenue from property taxes by $205,000. $19,000 is from property added to tax rolls this year.
Aranda motions to accept. vasquez seconds.
Roll call vote unanimous.
Judge says that we have done this in compliance with the rules for counties under 225,000.
Total rate proposal is .61475
Did not increase from last year.
Aranda motions to adopt tax rate.
Second by Bentley.
Roll call vote is unanimous.
Dates for regular commissioners court meetings.
Proposed schedule of court dates being passed out.
Judge would like to pass budget earlier this year. Auditor says it can be done if work on budget is done all year long.
Called meetings coincide with payroll obligations.
Proposed Holiday Schedule passed out as well.
Aranda says that many counties have their budgets approved prior to mid September.
Feb 26 2019 is Presidio County day at State Capitol.
Item 12:
Approve holiday schedule: same as last year except for half day on Friday before Labor Day/Marfa Lights
Unanimous.
Item 13: Sheriff and Constable fees.
$100 for citations, writs $150.
Same as last year. Unanimous.
Item 14: promotion of Rudy Estor to airports director. Judge says she would like to postpone this item until next Meeting when Chase can present about this item and the next one.
Motions to postpone until Wed Oct 3 meeting.
Both items 14 and 15 postponed until next meeting.
Candelaria water supply corporation agreement.
Resolution for project that County is applying for and authorizing application for $300,000 arsenic removal project in Candelaria.
Cabezuela asks who will be doing the waters testing.
Man from Presidio will do it and get paid. Cabezuela says that JohnRussell from City of Presidio is licensed and willing to help.
Friday there was a full conference with TCEQ. Everything going as planned but no time to spare as project is late.
Resolution for grant application for Shafter solid waste removal grant.
Follow up on last week’s action. Hoping for $6000 for trailer for waste removal once per month.
Cabezuela wants to know who will be picking up this trash. Judge says it’s only for large trash, not residential trash. Judge says the plan is for Sam Cobos and Ruben Carrasco to organize the labor.
Ruben Carrasco and road and bridge crew will do most or all of the work.
Judge hopes to expand the grant next year to other colonias.
Bentley motions to approve grant application.
Aranda is happy that we are dong this, although it’s very expensive.
Unanimous.
Approve National 4H week in Presidio County. Reba Griggs proposed. Numbers are up, in Presidio there are six kids, last year four. Bentley commends her for her work. Very good to see the kids excited and having a great time.
Judge motions to accept.
Unanimous.
MOU between Texas A&M
Agrilife Extension and Presidio County for technology services. Two year agreement. IT services agreement for facilities for Agrilife office and technology standards. Had agreement in the past, same.
Aranda motions to approve. Unanimous.
Approve phone line and broadband to be installed in former county attorneys office in Presidio. When co atty moved to new office phone and internet were disconnected. Big Bend Telephone said it will cost a little more but there is so kind of credit. Judge says she would like to use that office and also station her clerk there twice a week. Bentley wants to postpone until amount of costs are determined. Judge says she does not yet know.
She will look into it. Needs to be budgeted.
Bentley motions to postpone. Unanimous.
Approve 8.5 hours of overtime for Katie Sanchez for help in County Judge office.
Judge says that commissioners already voted to pay out come time and use overtime pay from now on. No action necessary. Judge thanks Katie for her help.
Accept increased bid for real property. Detail in agenda item.
Judge says she received an email from TCG Corp that is handling trust properties and they have revived many bids on properties. Soon there will be many properties sold if court approves them. Back on tax rolls, money for County.
Next agenda for next meeting will have many properties.
Judge would not like to accept less than 15% for properties valued at less than$10,000. Bids just too low but the point is to get them back on the tax rolls.
Bentley says this has been going well.
Judge says there are several with issues including people living on them. We will have to sort those out.
Unanimous.
Line item transfers:
Various small ones to clean up final budgets.
Communications, utilities.
Jail software installation and new computer monitor for same, furniture line.
Aranda motions to approve. Second by Vasquez. Unanimous.
Approve bills: bills submitted by treasurer.
Adjusted list from auditor reflecting bills pulled or revised.
Health insurance payment should be for next fiscal year.
Questions about big bend telephone, att.
Bills approved unanimously.
End of month reports are in.
Unanimously accepted.
Adjourn At Noon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment