Editor: Shannon Cottongame
August 3, 2023
The Hill County Commissioners Court passed a 90-day burn ban during a regular meeting held Tuesday, July 25.
The order states that dry conditions exist in the county and local fire departments are depleting limited resources to protect public health and safety. It further states that dry, windy conditions are projected to continue, with no reasonable expectation of significant, appreciable rainfall in the near future.
As of last week, there were 145 counties in Texas that had burn bans in place. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for Hill County was listed at 661 Sunday, July 30. The index is used to determine fire potential and ranges from 0 to 800, where a drought index of zero represents no moisture depletion, and an index of 800 represents absolutely dry conditions.
The order bans all outdoor burning of combustible materials. Anyone burning or ordering someone else to burn is in violation of the ban.
All outdoor fires, including fires in a container or semi-enclosure like a barrel or hopper are banned. The ban does not include grills, barbecues or smokers that are used to cook food and attended.
The use of welders or cutting torches is prohibited unless the user has adequate fire suppression equipment and personnel on hand. This must include, at a minimum, a 2A-20BC fire extinguisher kept within 30 feet of any outdoor welding activity and an individual to serve as a fire monitor during welding and for at least 30 minutes after welding.
If the county receives rainfall and conditions improve, the court can rescind the ban at a later date.
In other action, the court heard a presentation from CASA of Hill County Executive Director Don Rawls, who provided an overview of how CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) assists local foster children and requested funding for the organization.
Rawls described how CASA volunteers go through extensive training and background checks before being sworn in by County Court at Law Judge Matt Crain to conduct research and speak up for an abused or neglected child’s best interests in court.
Rawls said that as the program grows, expenses also grow, and grant funds received from the state CASA organization were down $20,000 last year with future cuts possible.
Describing the need for CASA’s services in Hill County, Rawls presented the unfortunate fact that Hill County CASA serves more children than Ellis County, which is over three times bigger than Hill County. The Ellis County group does receive funding from its county.
County Judge Justin Lewis said that he is very inclined to help and will look at the budget and bring an agreement to the court for consideration. “CASA serves a very much needed function in Hill County, and I don’t know that folks who don’t have interaction with the courts on a daily basis understand just how much you do,” Lewis said. “CASA is a very important member of our legal community and a very necessary member.”
Commissioners amended the fiscal year 2024 holiday schedule to include an additional day that offices will be closed to the public. Lewis said that he wanted to add April 8, 2024 due to the solar eclipse, which is expected to draw a large crowd to the county. The judge said that the county is learning from other areas that have drawn large eclipse crowds.
“We’ve reached out to other cities about mistakes they made, and we don’t intend to make those,” the judge said. “I promise you this is true. We’re going to have a massive number of people.”
Closing public offices will free up resources to assist with eclipse efforts, Lewis explained. School districts were also asked to close for the eclipse when making their 2023-24 calendars. This will help law enforcement and emergency personnel plan to have enough resources on hand for the surge in population.
Commissioners continued discussing the buyout of compensatory time from county employees, as discussed at the court’s last meeting. The court voted to stop allowing comp time to accrue for county employees as of 11:59 p.m. September 30, which is the last day of the fiscal year. The buyout would then occur in the first pay period of the fiscal year beginning in October.
The court also selected insurance coverage providers for county employees. The county will stay with Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) for primary health insurance, AmFirst Insurance for secondary health insurance and Guardian for ancillary coverage. Anco Insurance assisted the county with the bidding process and reported that BCBS dropped the rate to negative 5% in total, which is due to the county’s efforts to reduce its claims through programs like telehealth services.
Commissioners approved communication systems agreements with four more volunteer fire departments that will be using the county’s new radio system. The latest to sign on were departments in Peoria, Hubbard, Aquilla and Blum.
The court approved changes in juror compensation related to recent legislation. The rates will be $20 the first day, which is the state-mandated amount, and $60 each day thereafter, which is $2 above the state mandated amount and will make the disbursement easier with cash on hand. The district clerk’s cash-on-hand compensation fund was also increased to facilitate the change. Commissioners also approved an addition to the juror donor organization list, which will be the Hill County Veterans Services Office.
In property matters, the court approved a replat of property off of Farm Road 1713 in the Whitney area that will accommodate Texas Department of Transportation requirements for a new retail business and approved a revised replat for property in White Bluff to split one of the previous lots. Commissioners also approved a preliminary plat for Lake Life Villas, a subdivision off of Farm Road 2604 in the Whitney area that is being permitted to have smaller lot sizes because a municipal-style sewer system will be installed.
A resolution was approved in support of the Texas Department of Transportation replacing a bridge at HCR 4149 at Island Creek, which is located just before the county line off Highway 81.
Under the federal off-system bridge program, the county can typically have bridges replaced by providing a 7% match in funds. Due to funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, the local match will be waived in full and the county will have the bridge replaced at no cost.
In other action, the court observed and recorded the Hill County Community Supervision and Corrections budget and the Child Protective Services treasurer’s report and approved a lease-purchase agreement for a vehicle previously budgeted for the sheriff’s office.
The court’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8.
The Lakelander 