Commissioners Court Lifts Burn Ban
Recent Rains Provide Enough Relief to Lift Houston County Ban
By Jason Jones
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – Houston County Commissioners met Tuesday, October 12 to discuss regularly monthly agenda items. Among the items for discussion was whether to lift the county wide burn ban. A report by Houston County Emergency Management Coordinator Heath Murff indicated that recent rains had provided some relief to the area. Discussion among the Commissioners was cautious, but a unanimous decision was reached to end the burn ban. Attention will be paid to the situation as another ban may need to be put in place again should conditions merit such, but recent forecasts indicate that the relief may last for the foreseeable future.
Another agenda item receiving lengthy discussion was over job description and pay scale for a Facilities Administrator position. The need for more regular maintenance at county facilities, in particular the county courthouse, was recognized as a need. The factor of salary combined with those maintenance costs led to a sticking point for the court. A consensus was reached to send the item back to HR for further consideration.
Commissioners also approved an order to retain existing political boundaries following publication of the 2020 census. Counties with less than 10% discrepancy are not required to redraw precinct boundaries. Houston County came in at 4.68%, allowing the existing boundaries to remain.
Other agenda items approved by the court included the following;
- Approval of budget amendments.
- Payment of bills and expenses.
- Approval of salaries for new and/or transfer employees, including a salary increase for a State Certified jailer.
- Approval of payment of compensatory and vacation time for county employees and necessary budget amendments.
- Adoption of order setting dates of regular Commissioners Court meetings for FY 2022.
- Adoption of order for disbursement of salaries and routine expenses for FY 2022 as authorized under LGC 154.0235.
- Adoption of a proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Houston County.
- Approval of cooperative agreement with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service through August 31, 2026 for county support staff, office space, furnishings, equipment, telephone, fax and travel support of Extension Agent salaries.
- Approval of Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund application and interlocal agreement for Pineywoods Fine Arts Association for Pat Green concert to be held on November 19, 2021.
- Approve action to submit application for liability insurance at Houston County airport.
Jason Jones may be reached via email at [email protected]
