Court Again Discusses Emergency Coordinator
At the Feb. 12 meeting of the Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court, County Judge Wilburn Bednar recommended that the court consider hiring Kenny Batla as the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator. Bednar said Batla is the only person who has evidenced interest in the job. Paying a salary of $500 per month, the job is to be on a contract basis, with no benefits. Commissioner Hugh Schafer said he would like Batla to meet with the court next month to discuss the job. Commissioner Jimmy Strube said he supports Batla, but wants him to sign a job description, so there will be no misunderstandings later.
Although a preliminary job description was drawn up by Emergency Medical Service personnel months ago, the court had wanted other input, and to date, no final job description has been agreed upon nor adopted.Sheriff’s Department Wants Pay Increase
Bednar told the court that the Sheriff’s Department wants the $100 per month raise that all other county employees (except law enforcement personnel and commissioners) received with the new budget in October. No action was taken.
County Treasurer Alan Dierschke cautioned that the Texas Local Government Code specifies that salaries of elected county officials are to be set each year at a regular court meeting during the regular budget hearing and adoption proceedings.
Jansa Reports Ambulance Problem
Mitchell Jansa informed the court of a problem with the Garden City ambulance, a 1994 Ford diesel with 13,000 miles. He said on warm days, or when driving into even a mild wind, it will only reach a speed of 60 to 65 mph, and 75 mph is its maximum speed in near perfect conditions. He said in several situations, such as transporting a heart attack victim, when time is vital, the ambulance needs more speed. Jansa also said when traffic pulls over to let the ambulance pass, it hasn’t the power to do it. He said several remedies have been tried, to no avail, and it is time for the county to have a turbo put on the engine, to give it more power. The court asked Jansa to gather more information regarding available options and their costs by the March court meeting.
With no public discussion, the commissioners court voted unanimously to give County Agriculture Extension Agent Steve Sturtz a $2,500 raise, and to prorate it monthly through the rest of the budget year.
Jail Roof to be Rebid
Two companies submitted bids on re-roofing the jail: Clifton Roofing of Odessa bid $31,000 with a seven-year warranty and Coffman Roofing of Big Spring $18,310 with a ten-year warranty. Darrell Johnson, representing Clifton Roofing, made a presentation to the court, and afterward, Bednar handed Coffman’s bid to Johnson and asked him to explain why his bid was so much higher than Coffman’s. Johnson responded, “Well, he’s sure not making much money.” He went on to say that his own bid included insulation board and 2-ply modified rolled fiberglass roofing rather than 1-ply, and that Coffman’s bid did not mention reworking the skylights.
Johnson told the court he would be willing to lower his price several thousand dollars by modifying some items, and by eliminating a $500 truck charge.
Commissioner Mark Halfmann said he thought in order to be fair to everyone, the county should first set specifications for the job, then allow both companies to submit new bids, “so that apples are compared to apples, oranges to oranges,” Halfmann said.
Bednar asked Johnson to write the specs, send them to him, and he would get them to Coffman Roofing. Johnson said he would fax his new bid by Feb. 15.
The commissioners approved payment of a $1,700 bill for prisoners held in Reagan County at a rate of $30 per prisoner per day. Two of the original four prisoners are still being held there awaiting transfer to state facilities. Schafer said he thought they should be held in Glasscock County’s jail. The county currently has only one jailer, Leroy Hoelscher.Warning Siren Possible for Garden City
Although there was almost no discussion, commissioners seemed to be in favor of putting an emergency warning siren in Garden City. Halfmann is to get more information, including costs, and the matter was tabled.
The court also tabled the matter of whether to support more state funding for the state’s Mental Health and Mental Retardation programs as requested by the regional MHMR office in Big Spring. Texas ranks forty-third among the states in MHMR funding.
Dierschke reported that there are still problems with West Texas Rural Counties, the county’s former health insurer. He said WTRC declared insolvency last week. He said after all the county’s medical claims are paid, Glasscock County should recover some of money it paid WTRC’s reinsurer.
Justice of the Peace Marilee Jost is now using an online computer service that tracks people who don’t pay traffic fines and sends the information to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Those with outstanding fines will show up on DPS computers if they are stopped for traffic violations, and when they attempt to renew their driver’s licenses.
Bednar read a letter from the St. Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department, thanking the county for the recent purchase of a $6,400 power unit for its Jaws of Life equipment.