Becky Frost

Texas County News Reviews

April 20, 2014 by Becky Frost

North & East Texas

Anderson County Commissioners Court approved an ordinance to allow construction of two heliports in the county.

Cherokee County Commissioners Court approved a $2.7 million airport development plan that will begin with extending roads around the airport, taxiway and ramp.

Cooke County Commissioners Court approved a grant of $5,040 to Abigail’s Arms to start a battering intervention and prevention program. Commissioners Court also marked the 50th anniversary of Muenster Memorial Hospital District.

Coryell County Commissioners Court renewed agreements with Milam and McLennan counties to house overflow inmates from Coryell’s crowded jail.

Dallas County Commissioners Court approved a project of $165,000 for outreach to voters regarding the state’s new voter identification law.

Ellis County received two Homeland Security Grants through the Texas Department of Public Safety. In other business, Commissioners Court approved a contract with Swagit Productions of Plano for live video streaming of Commissioners Court meetings.

Johnson County Commissioners Court celebrated the birthday of a former teacher, Sister Herbie Stone, who received her teacher’s certificate from Paul Quinn College and taught in a one-room school in Venus.

Kaufman County Commissioners Court approved a county recovery plan to encourage the rebuilding of homes and businesses after a major disaster. Commissioners Court also issued $31 million in transportation bonds.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of six new Harley-Davidson motorcycles for $73,602 with the trade-in of five sheriff’s office motorcycles.

Morris County Commissioners Court approved a new communications tower to be erected for $81,159 by Inter-County Communications of Sulphur Springs. The project includes a grant of $63,460.

Panola County Judge David Anderson was named chair of the board of trustees for East Texas Baptist University.

Robertson County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of a drug dog for the sheriff’s office for $8,500.

Shelby County Commissioners Court approved tax abatements for Tenet Health Corp., which plans a $7.8 million emergency medical facility as part of Nacogdoches Medical Center.

Somervell County Commissioners Court voted to deed 7.19 acres of land in Gibbs Industrial Park to Prometheus Solutions, which plans to make at least $1 million in improvements within 18 months with construction of a weapons manufacturing facility.

Titus County Commissioners Court approved $1.8 million in repairs to a bridge on U.S. Highway 271 over the Union Pacific Railroad.

Walker County Commissioners Court awarded a contract of $39,470 to LMC Corp. of Houston to improve security at the district attorney’s office. Walker County also received a federal grant to replace a bridge on Stubblefield Lake Road near the entrance to campgrounds in Sam Houston National Forest.

South Texas

Aransas County Commissioners Court approved projects worth some $1 million for 2014 at Aransas Pathways, including primitive trails, bird drips, pavilions and ponds.

Austin County Commissioners Court approved construction of a new communications tower and base for the sheriff’s office.

Bexar County Commissioners Court approved a $7 million flood control project on the west side of San Antonio at Elmendorf Lake Park.

Brazoria County Commissioners Court approved purchase of 183 acres of land adjacent to the Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport for airport expansion and economic development.

Burnet County is seeking another company to operate the 592-bed jail after its five-year agreement ended March 31 with LaSalle Southwest Corrections. Commissioners Court also accepted a donation of $17,500 to purchase computer equipment for the sheriff’s office.

Edwards County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with Sutton County Hospital District for a clinic in Rocksprings.

Fayette County Commissioners Court approved a plan for commercial development of an oilfield pipeline training facility by Weishuhn Engineering on 1,942 acres known as Lazy Q Ranch. Fourteen structures will be built, including a septic system, classrooms, housing, and a food preparation area.

Fort Bend County held rededication ceremonies for its historic courthouse after a $5.8 million restoration project on the 105-year-old building. Commissioners Court also voted to refinance $18.8 million in county debt to save more than $2 million, and voted to approve an agreement with the city of Katy for fire protection in certain unincorporated areas of the county.

Hays County Commissioner Will Conley was re-elected chairman of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Jim Hogg County Commissioners Court voted to reopen the nutrition center for seniors after receipt of a federal grant of $55,910.

Kleberg County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of equipment for volunteer firefighters in Riviera and Ricardo.

Lavaca County Commissioners Court approved a project to scan images from about 10,000 courthouse files for $23,839 with Cogniserv of Irving. Lavaca received a grant for the project of $35,000 from the Dickson-Allen Foundation.

San Patricio County Commissioners Court approved reinvestment zones and tax abatements on the LaQuinta Ship Channel for Occidental Chemical and Dupont, which plans a $150 million plant with groundbreaking in 2015 and start-up in 2016.

Uvalde County Commissioners Court received a grant of $500,000 from the Texas Department of Agriculture for the Colonia Construction Fund to replace on-site septic systems at Uvalde Estates and Utopia.

Victoria County Commissioners Court approved a project led by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority to study logjams in rivers and creeks in the region that are causing flooding. Also, Commissioners Court added a fourth online recording system, PropertyInfo Corp. of San Antonio, for real estate documents.

Waller County Commissioners Court authorized $5 million in certificates of obligation for the remodeling of county facilities.

Willacy County Commissioners Court approved plans to use $2 million in wind farm revenue from Duke Energy to help fund a multimillion-dollar sports complex and events center on 50 acres of land. Another $60,000 in wind farm revenue will help fund a Boys and Girls Club, and the county will donate $250,000 for lights at a city Pony League field in Raymondville.

Williamson County Commissioners Court banned the use of electronic cigarettes inside and outside county buildings.

Wilson County Commissioners Court issued $8.5 million in certificates of obligation to fund renovation and stabilization of the courthouse and courthouse annex.

West Texas

Andrews County Commissioners Court approved a contract of approximately $1.2 million with NC Sturgeon of Midland for a commercial hangar for a pipeline patrol business at the county airport. The facility of 15,600 square feet is expected to cost $800,000, including a grant of $300,000 from Andrews Economic Development Council.

Cochran County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of new video systems for sheriff’s office vehicles for $48,915 from Watch Guard, and hardware replacement for the county jail for $60,100 from Southern Folger.

Crockett County Commissioners Court accepted a bid of $255,000 from Lopez Construction for a new animal control building.

Donley County Commissioners Court approved a contract of $30,091 with Texas Panhandle Cyber Medics for a new security system for the jail, courthouse, and courthouse annex.

El Paso County Commissioners Court authorized the sheriff’s office to accept a federal grant of $1.25 million to pay for 10 school resource officers.

Hall County received provisional approval for its hazard mitigation plan from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The plan also covers Etelline, Lakeview, Memphis and Turkey.

Lubbock County Commissioners Court voted to purchase property in Lubbock for $696,960 for expansion of EMS maintenance facilities.

Nolan County Commissioners Court gave its approval for a new 300-acre rail terminal near Sweetwater by Fort Worth-based USA Rail Terminals, which has served the oil and gas industry across the United States for about 20 years.

Pecos County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of 22 laptop computers and docking stations for $74,808 from COPsync for vehicles of the sheriff’s department to enable the department to share data with other agencies.

Presidio County Commissioners Court approved a reinvestment zone for SunPower, which is proposing a 300-acre solar power plant of 50 megawatts near Marfa.

Schleicher County accepted the donation of a sound system valued at $7,560 for the civic center from Eldorado Game Association. – Compiled by Garner Roberts

Texas Comptroller Issues Water Report

April 15, 2014 by Becky Frost

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs released a report in January examining the effects of the water challenges facing the Lone Star State and offering up several recommendations to the Legislature. The recommendations are laid out in “Texas Water Report: Going Deeper For The Solution,” which revisits the effects of recent drought conditions, examines research-driven approaches for augmenting Texas’ water supply, and proposes practical answers for the state’s growing thirst.

“Texas has been prone to cycles of drought for centuries, and there is no reason to expect that basic pattern to change,” Combs said. “Yet our state has changed, and its booming population and economy are creating an increasingly unquenchable demand for water.”

The report, which can be found at http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/water/, also explains the $2 billion in new funding for water projects approved Nov. 5, 2013, by voters in a constitutional amendment. Combs said Texans’ approval of Proposition 6 is a positive step toward assuring our water supplies – but additional innovative strategies are needed.

“Like the new approaches in Texas energy production, we need a revolution in water technology,” Combs said. “We need a breakthrough in this field, and some of our state funding should be used for innovative technologies which increase conservation.”

In the report, Combs recommends that the Texas Legislature establish a prize framework to reward those who develop proven new, cheap sources of drinking water. In order to continue to support its rapidly growing population, the report concludes, Texas must find cost-effective supplements to its reservoirs and aquifers.

“The state took a big step forward in addressing our future water needs by creating and funding Proposition 6,” said Jim Sartwelle III, public policy director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “However, we still face challenges Proposition 6 will not address. This report identifies those challenges and possible solutions. Policy makers should definitely pay attention to this report.”

Combs also recommends the Texas Legislature do the following:

• Establish a program providing grants to water authorities and major water users that achieves meaningful and verifiable increases in water efficiency due to conservation activities. This program would award grants to local water authorities, including, but not limited to, cities, counties, river authorities, water conservation districts and municipal utility districts.

• Increase state funding for innovative projects modeling new technology to help planners make more informed decisions about water usage.

“Although we tend to point to the historic drought as a singular cause for our water problems today, we’re not blameless,” said Texas State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock. “Moreover, there exists no single silver bullet solution. To make matters more complicated, Texas is so geographically and meteorologically diverse, that what may work in one part of the state would be ineffective in another. That is why it is so critical that the Legislature continue to promote conservation and innovation for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water uses.”

An introductory YouTube video with facts about the state’s growing water crisis is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRlp9-_xoCE.

Key Concept: Public Notice of Property Tax Rate

April 14, 2014 by Becky Frost

KEY CONCEPT: Public Notice of Property Tax Rate

KEY QUESTION: What is the required verbiage for public notices announcing the proposed property tax rate?

REFERENCE POINT: Local Government Code Section 140.010

TALKING POINTS:

The 83rd Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1510, which simplifies the wording of the public notices required to be published by counties prior to adopting an ad valorem tax rate.

The legislation amends Chapter 140 of the Local Government Code by adding Section 140.010.

A county that proposes a property tax rate that does not exceed the lower of the effective tax rate or the rollback tax rate shall provide the following notice:

“NOTICE OF (INSERT CURRENT TAX YEAR) TAX YEAR PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR (INSERT NAME OF COUNTY)

“A tax rate of $______ per $100 valuation has been proposed by the governing body of (insert name of county).

PROPOSED TAX RATE $______ per $100

PRECEDING YEAR’S TAX RATE $______ per $100

EFFECTIVE TAX RATE $______ per $100

“The effective tax rate is the total tax rate needed to raise the same amount of property tax revenue for (insert name of county) from the same properties in both the (insert preceding tax year) tax year and the (insert current tax year) tax year.

“YOUR TAXES OWED UNDER ANY OF THE ABOVE RATES CAN BE CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS:

Property tax amount = (rate) x (taxable value of your property) / 100

“For assistance or detailed information about tax calculations, please contact …” (see Statute for required contact information)

A county that proposes a property tax rate that exceeds the lower of the effective tax rate or the rollback tax rate shall provide the following notice:

“NOTICE OF (INSERT CURRENT TAX YEAR) TAX YEAR PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR (INSERT NAME OF COUNTY)

“A tax rate of $_____ per $100 valuation has been proposed for adoption by the governing body of (insert name of county). This rate exceeds the lower of the effective or rollback tax rate, and state law requires that two public hearings be held by the governing body before adopting the proposed tax rate.

PROPOSED TAX RATE $______ per $100

PRECEDING YEAR’S TAX RATE $______ per $100

EFFECTIVE TAX RATE $______ per $100

ROLLBACK TAX RATE $______ per $100

“The rollback tax rate is the highest tax rate that (insert name of county or municipality) may adopt before voters are entitled to petition for an election to limit the rate that may be approved to the rollback rate.

“YOUR TAXES OWED UNDER ANY OF THE ABOVE RATES CAN BE CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS:

Property tax amount = (rate) x (taxable value of your property) / 100

“For assistance or detailed information about tax calculations, please contact …” (see Statute for required contact information).

Karnes County

April 7, 2014 by Becky Frost

Karnes County Courthouse

County Seat: Karnes City

County Population: 14,824

(2010 U.S. Census)

The Karnes County Courthouse was completed in 1894 in a Romanesque Revival style as designed by John Cormack.

The inaugural county seat was in Helena, as detailed by the following historical marker text:

In 1854, Karnes County erected its first courthouse in the county seat of Helena, an important stage stop between San Antonio and Goliad. The original courthouse was destroyed in a storm about 1865, and a new stone courthouse was built in Helena in 1873.

In the mid-1880s, the citizens of Helena refused to grant right of way and cash concessions sought by the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad to route its proposed rail line through the town. As a result, the railroad bypassed Helena as it built a line through Karnes County in 1886-87. By 1893, the railroad town of Karnes City, established here in 1891, had surpassed Helena in population and political clout. Karnes City was chosen the new county seat on Dec. 21, 1893.

Karnes County officials let bids for a new courthouse and jail on Jan. 4, 1894. They received bids from prominent Texas courthouse designers Alfred Giles and J. Riely Gordon, but awarded the contract to design and build a new county courthouse at this site to John Cormack. Cormack died before finishing the structure, and his business associate, J. A. Austin, completed the job. The courthouse was dedicated on Oct. 25, 1894, and completed on May 29, 1895. Its original turrets and clock tower were removed during 1920s remodeling.

The last few years have found Karnes County in the Eagleford Shale “hotspot,” as explained by the Karnes City Chamber of Commerce: “The countryside outside of Karnes City has transitioned from crop fields, pastureland and cattle ranches to a mosaic of man-camps, trailer parks, oil rigs, service companies and fracing equipment. Even though the town is permeated with the hustle and bustle of traffic and an increase in population, Karnes City hopes the newcomer feels welcome and experiences a sense of down-home hospitality.”

Finally, Karnes County is home of the Lonesome Dove Fest, the official kickoff of dove season. The annual festival combines education, outdoor activities and entertainment.

Texas Commission on Jail Standards

April 7, 2014 by Becky Frost

Latest Meeting Recap

By Burnet County Judge Donna Klaeger

Chairman

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (Commission) voted to publish two new changes to Standards for adoption and comment in the Texas Register at its quarterly Commission meeting on Feb. 6 in Austin. The proposed Standards will add the loss of good time credit as a sanction for a minor infraction, and clarify when bedding and lines should be given to inmates. The Commission also voted to extend the use of variance beds in the Harris County Jail, though less than what county officials had requested.

In old business action, the nine-member Commission voted to modify previously proposed language regarding the bedding and linen Minimum Jail Standard. The bedding and linen Standard change was originally proposed at the Commission’s November 2013 meeting; however, opposition to the proposed language regarding the issuance of bedding and linens to inmates in holding and detox cells prompted Commission Chairman Donna Klaeger, Burnet County Judge, to form a workgroup. Commission Executive Director Brandon Wood provided a summary of the workgroup conference call to the Commission. After discussion, Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter made a motion to modify the language for inmates in holding and detoxification cells, and the Commission voted unanimously to adopt.

The Commission also voted to publish a proposed change to Standard regarding inmate discipline by adding the loss of good conduct credit as a sanction for a minor fraction. Current rules only allow the forfeiture of good conduct credit for a major violation. The proposed change to the Standard was prompted after a county official believed that the Standard was not aligned with state statute. Klaeger appointed a workgroup, which suggested that the inmate discipline Standard be amended. The Commission voted unanimously to publish the proposed change for public comment in the Texas Register. For the exact wording of the proposed change, go to http://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/docs/MeetingMinutesCurrent.pdf.

In other old business items, the Commission voted to remove remedial orders and received updates on counties having difficulty maintaining and achieving compliance.

In new business, Assistant Director Shannon Herklotz advised the Commission of a new partnership between the Commission and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) to create online training for Texas jailers. The first course, currently in the final stages of development, is the Objective Jail Classification program. The class is required before jailers can classify inmates; because of limited resources to attend or provide training, many jailers may wait months or years before being able to take the course. With the new web-based course, jailers will be able to receive the four-hour training without accruing significant agency costs. Herklotz advised that the class will be tested prior to rolling out, and the hope is to have the course ready by spring 2014. Herklotz advised that the partnership hopes to develop additional courses in the future.

In variance requests, the Commission reviewed an application from Harris County to extend the county’s use of variance beds. Harris County had previously been granted 680 variance beds in which the county used portable plastic bunks, commonly known as low riders or boats. In its application to extend the variance, the county asked to install 680 permanent double-bunks, increasing the capacity to 1,064 beds. The county also requested a variance to use 100 low riders. After considerable discussion about the county’s efforts to utilize alternatives to incarceration, population projections, and strategic planning, the Commission granted an extension of 680 total variance beds, whether permanent or boat beds.

Also in variance requests, the Commission extended Cameron County’s variance for its court holding cells. The cells, located in a stairway landing, have doors that swing into the cell rather than the required open into the direction of egress. Because the cells are on stairway landings, the requirement to open into the direction of egress would be unsafe. The Commission approved the variance without an expiration date; the cells will be reviewed during each annual inspection.

In final business, the Commission received an update on the status of construction, compliance and inmate populations.

Completed Jail Projects: Dallas County Court Holding
Jails in Compliance/Non-Compliance: 240 jails in compliance and six jails in non-compliance.
Status and Composition of Jail Populations as of Jan. 1, 2014:
- Total population in Texas county jails decreased by 2,818 from the previous month. Statewide capacity increased by 12 due to a re-count of beds in Parker County.
- County jails are now collectively operating at 66.99 percent of capacity.
- Two jails are at 100 percent or more of capacity.
- Some 43 TDCJ halfway house inmates are housed in county facilities.
- Local facilities are housing 184 out-of-state inmates (New Mexico and Arkansas) in five facilities.

The total number of contract inmates (county, federal, TDCJ and out-of-state) is 8,322.

Texas County News Reviews

Texas Comptroller Issues Water Report

Key Concept: Public Notice of Property Tax Rate

Karnes County

Texas Commission on Jail Standards

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