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Commissioners Let Emergency Burn Ban Expire

By JERRY MORGAN, Reporter

COMANCHE -- The County Commissioners and the Emergency Services Coordinator could not ignore the fact that some moisture was falling from the sky as they voted to let the emergency outdoor burn ban declared by the County Judge one week earlier expire without ratification. As a result, the county is no longer under a burn ban.

The Comanche County Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday, June 30, with County Judge James Arthur conducting the meeting. Commissioners Garry Steele, Kenneth Feist, Bobby Schuman and Jimmy Dale Johnson were present.

Other county officials present at the meeting included County Clerk Ruby Lesley, County Auditor Joey Boswell, County Sheriff Jeff Lambert, Chief Deputy-Enforcement Chris Pounds, County Tax Assessor-Collector Gay Green, County Treasurer Billy Ruth Rust, County Attorney Craig Willingham, County Emergency Services Coordinator Ray Helberg and his assistant, Trish Grimshaw and County Dispatch Director Tammy Poteet.

Ruby Lesley read the minutes from the previous regular meeting on June 9 and a called workshop meeting on June 17. Both sets of minutes were approved after minor corrections by unanimous vote.

Proctor VFD Fire Truck

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Evans of the Proctor Volunteer Fire Department spoke to the Commissioners regarding his department's need for a replacement brush fire truck. The department had located and made arrangements to purchase for $10,450 on the following day a 1988 model Ford diesel F-350 four wheel drive mini-pumper truck with 17,000 miles that was being sold by the City of Dallas as surplus equipment.
Evans added that the department was pressed into action by a worsening overheating problem on one of their two existing trucks making it marginal in its ability to respond to emergencies. The purchase of the used fire truck is being financed through First National Bank.

Evans then stated, "We would appreciate it if the Court is able to assist us in the purchase of this truck... We'd appreciate somewhere in the 50% category." He added that he understood if funds were not available, and that the department would eventually be able to pay for the entire cost of the truck, but that having two brush trucks was critical. He later explained that other than title and insurance details, all that was necessary to put the truck in service was installing a radio and filling the tank with water.

There was general agreement among the Commissioners that they wished to help the Proctor VFD, but various dollar amounts were suggested. It was determined that funds for the assistance would come from the Precinct 3 trash dump fees fund.

Bobby Schuman offered a motion for the county to pay $5,500 toward the purchase of the truck. Jimmy Dale Johnson seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.

Joey Boswell offered to get the check prepared and approved that same morning so the funds would be available at the time of purchase on the following day.

Remodeling Tax Assessor/Collector's Office

Gay Green presented flooring and electrical work estimates to the Commissioners. Green has proposed removing the existing customer service counters and replacing them with multiple work stations where taxpayers can sit while being waited upon, in addition to other work in the first floor office.

Two competing flooring bids ranged from $4,000 to almost $6,000. Electrical work was bid at $2,850. A bid for replacing the counters for almost $36,000 was also on hand. 

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Council Approves Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance,

Appoints City Administrator

By LAURA KESTNER, Editor

The adoption of a flood plain damage prevention ordinance, setting usage fees for the new park, and creating a new position of city administrator, were three of the more interesting items addressed at the DeLeon City Council meeting, Thursday, June 26, 2008.

Council members present included Roy Dale Freeman, Avery Carlisle, Pauline Villarreal, Lee Childers and Mayor Danny Owen.

Others present and participating at various times included City Secretary Karen Wilkerson, Police Chief Ralph Dickey, Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Helberg, Chamber Executive Director Linda Levens, and Public Works Administrator Rob Duncan. Council member Gayle Stroud was not present.

Mayor Owen noted that he appreciated Stroud “conducting business and taking care of things” in his absence during the previous council meeting.

Wilkerson explained to council members that the ordinance adopting the flood plain damage prevention was necessary, “So if there’s any flood damage to the town, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) will pay.”

“They explained, also, that if anybody wanted to build in the flood zone, they’d have to have a permit,” Wilkerson added. She later noted that anyone making major renovations to a house in the flood plain would also need to have a permit. In response to questions from council members, Wilkerson noted that there was a flood plain map available for viewing at City Hall.

“If you don’t do this, citizen’s can’t buy flood insurance,” said Ray Helberg. “And then if it floods, they’re not going to get anything.”

The vote to adopt the ordinance was unanimous.

Mayor Owen next addressed the user fees for the new park.

“This does not involve the Peach and Melon Festival,” Owen said. “I would like everyone to use our park facilities, but with the cost of utilities and stuff I think we need to seriously think about this to offset the city’s expense on utilities. The electricity is what I’m thinking about. I’m not after making a profit, just enough to help cover expenses. I don’t have any kind of figures tonight to present to you, I just wanted to see if you were favorable to seeing what some of the electric bills have run us, to see what kind of minimum fee we need to charge.”

There was then a discussion among the council members of how best to gauge the usage, how to charge for the usage and even refundable deposits to ensure that the park is cleaned up after each event.

“My main concern is getting the community to use the new park,” Owen said. “But I just don’t want it to be a financial issue on the taxpayers.”

“I agree,” Councilman Freeman said. “I don’t think we’re in this, nor should we be in this, to make money, but we shouldn’t be in it to burden the taxpayers either.” Freeman then noted that it might take some time, and a certain amount of trial and error, before suitable fees were selected.

“I think we need to look at some of the electrical expense we’ve had,” Owen said, “and go from there. And maybe evaluate that as we go.”

“I think that a good starting point,” Freeman said, “is to figure out what our anticipated expenses are, electric and otherwise.”

Mayor Owen reiterated that he didn’t expect the council to make any decisions that night. A vote was then taken to table any action, pending further study.

Approval of the ordinance establishing the position of city administrator was approved, with no discussion, after an executive session. Later, Karen Wilkerson explained that she had been appointed to that position.

“The new title is to give me more authority to deal with some routine issues,” Wilkerson said. “I’ll still be city secretary, but I’ll be city administrator too. I’ll be able to approve some routine things -- like City Hall rentals and RV move-ins -- instead of having to wait to bring them before the council.”

Wilkerson noted that this item will be placed on the agenda again for the next meeting, July 10.

During the open discussion between city officials and city employees, Mayor Owen noted that he and Officer Ben Rowell would be traveling soon to Merkel, to look at the K-9 services there, and that there was a strong possibility they “would bring a dog back with them.”

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Hospital District Adopts Budget for Next Fiscal Year

By JERRY MORGAN, Reporter

VAN DYKE -- The adoption of a budget with red ink on the bottom line and the initial performance review for the new hospital administrator, Kevin Storey, occupied the largest time segments in a fairly lengthy Board meeting last Tuesday.

The Board of Directors of the Comanche County Consolidated Hospital District, the governing body of the Comanche County Medical Center and Doctors Medical Clinic, met on June 24 to conduct a required public budget hearing and thereafter to consider regular agenda matters. President Gale Easley conducted the meeting with Board members Joe Locke, Charles Mazurek, Janna Morris and Billy Ray Evans present and participating. Karen Petty was not present.

Others participating in the meeting included Chief Executive Officer Kevin Storey, Chief Financial Officer Tom Letz, Medical Chief of Staff Dr. Dwayne Miller, Ancillary Director Rick Sanchez, Home Health Director Kristy Taylor and recording secretary Kathy Johnston.

Budget Hearing

The proposed budget projects a net loss of $338,756 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Other than the reporter, there were no members from the public present for the budget hearing.

Tom Letz reviewed the proposed budget for the Board. Key assumptions include a 5% revenue increase, an average salary increase of 2%, medical supply costs increasing 20%, utility costs increasing by 16%, the addition of $180,000 in interest expense for the Toshiba medical imaging equipment and the provision for additional lab expenses, the full year impact of the addition of two medical providers in the clinic, and the loss of Medicaid Dispro revenues of more than $300,000 which is planned to be more than offset by a projected improvement in Medicare contractual billings.

Letz noted that the budget does not include anything regarding year end Medicare and Medicaid cost settlements which, he added, "could be significant."

On the same subject, Kevin Storey expressed optimism that the cost settlement for the current year would be significantly favorable.

The budget does not include any assumed increase in property tax revenues, nor any assumed increase in the average number of hospital patients. Patient volume increases are assumed, however, in the clinic, as a result of two additional medical providers, and in outpatient services resulting from new imaging and laboratory capabilities.

The proposed capital expenditure budget totaled $327,224 with some of the larger items being $90,000 for an autoclave surgical instrument sterilizer, $80,000 for an anesthesia machine and $45,000 for a new operating room table. No provision for a new ambulance nor ambulance box remount was included.

Charles Mazurek asked Tom Letz if a cash flow calculation had been prepared, since none was included in the distributed budget package.

Letz responded that he had not yet fully checked out a preliminary cash flow calculation, however, after elimination of the non-cash depreciation expense provision of $1.717 million, the budgeted net loss of $338,756 would produce a positive cash flow from operations of $1.378 million. Principal repayments on debt of $869,000 and planned capital expenditures of $327,000 left an approximate positive cash flow of $182,000 before the changes in various balance sheet accounts were taken into effect. Letz added that it was a "pretty marginal" budgeted cash flow.

Kevin Storey noted that anticipated favorable cost report settlements could add $200,000 to the cash flow in the coming year. He added his opinion that he believed the overall budget to be "pretty conservative."

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