By Rachel Lumpee
The special meeting of the Blanco County Commissioners Court was called to order at 9 a.m. on July 28 by Judge Brett Bray. Commissioners Tommy Weir, Emil Ray Uecker, Chris Liesmann and Paul Granberg were all present.
Masks were worn and social distancing took place. The meeting was simulcasted live online at the “Blanco County” YouTube channel.
Four citizens, D’Anne Welch, Kenneth Welch, Brenda Freed and Terry Casparis, took the floor during public comments to discuss the Kinder Morgan (KM) agenda items. Each expressed concerns over the March incident where underground drilling fluid was lost during construction; citizens asked the court to seek more money from KM.
“I urge you to require Kinder Morgan to add at least an additional $1 million to the agreement. It should be used to fund an endowment for a community trust to be managed by a group of Blanco County citizens. The citizens group would determine when and how to distribute funds while maintaining the principle to generate future community project funding,” said Kenneth Welch.
The court approved the minutes of the previous meeting. There was only one line item transfer presented and it was approved. The line item transfer was requested to complete paving in Precinct 4. Liesmann moved to approve the outstanding bills of $154,088.52 and Granberg seconded the motion. It carried. A brief presentation of a donation check of $100,000 from the Capital Area Housing Finance Corporation for a new housing project located in Johnson City.
A new amendment to the Blanco County Investment Agreement with KM was approved; the additional amount is for $85,000. Bray and Weir met with Peyton Colony representative, Lawrence Coffee, to identify needs that could be helped with community investments.
KM also submitted applications for roadway crossing permits. “Utility Company Permian Highway Pipeline LLC proposes a forty-two (42”) Natural Gas line within County Right-of Way of CR 410/Middle Creek Road with contractor MPG Pipeline Contractors as follows: approximately 161’ to SH 165...In connection with the construction of the proposed line, Blanco County does hereby grant unto Applicant the right to construct, use and maintain a [1] temporary / [1] permanent access driveway, as identified, contemporaneously with the construction, installation and operation of Applicants pipeline...Construction of this line will begin on or after 1 August 2020,” reads the notice. These were reviewed and approved.
It was approved that the voter-approval tax rate be calculated at 8 percent in the manner provided for a special taxing unit. Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster in the state of Texas which allows this.
The commissioners authorized Judge Bray to sign the Capital Area Council of Government Interlocal Agreement for 9-1-1 Geographic Information System Database Management. The 9-1-1 GIS Database is the “geospatial database maintained and updated by the PUBLIC AGENCY that includes, at a minimum, all address points, road centerlines, PSAP boundaries, Emergency Service Boundaries (ESBs), and city limit (municipal) boundaries for the PUBLIC AGENCY’s provisioning boundary.”
Uecker moved to authorize the County to enter into a cooperative working agreement with the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority for the Sheriff’s Combined Auto Task Force’s FY2021 grant renewal and Weir seconded. This agreement shall be in effect Sept. 1, 2020 until Aug. 31, 2021.
The commissioners approved the sheriff and constables’ fees for FY2020-21. The court considered the imposition of optional fees for motor vehicle registration for 2021. Option A was selected which results in no change for the fees.
Uecker opened and reviewed the bid for Precinct 2 paving projects; the bid was for $3.06 per square yard and it was approved. The preliminary subdivision of “The 1623 Divide” was discussed. Uecker moved to accept the preliminary plat with the cleanup of the cul de sacs and the location of the fire suppression tanks. Weir seconded the motion and it carried. The burn ban remains on at this time.
Next, a lengthy discussion regarding the budget items for the upcoming fiscal year took place. Longevity and raise percentages were discussed first. Liesmann suggested if one is a supervisor he/she would have an additional 5 percent. Gem of the Hill would like to be included under the community services contributions by the county. Judge Bray proposed petitioning TxDOT to take 2766 to the end of the county. He also briefly explained that the transportation plan is still percolating. Additional funds will be put in the autopsy fund. Support was expressed for the law enforcement to have additional funds for the cell phones, however, the phones must be carried and answered by employees. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
