The Hill County Commissioners Court rescinded the county’s burn ban and approved an upgrade to the public safety communication system at the county jail during a regular meeting held Tuesday, September 10.
The court enacted a 90-day ban August 20 as the county’s drought index rose to a level that warranted the ban, but County Judge Justin Lewis said that the court would monitor conditions and it would likely be lifted sooner.
Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hemrick reported at last week’s meeting that the Keetch-Byram Drought Index for Hill County had fallen to 564 the previous day, below the 575 trigger point for a burn ban.
Commissioners also heard a report on a needed upgrade to the public safety communication system within the Hill County Jail. Since the county upgraded its public safety radio system, the county has relied on a cell phone based radio communication system that utilizes wifi when in the jail.
Radio Administrator Chris Jackson told the court that this has not proven stable, as there are some areas of the jail without service, and the cellular service outages the county has experienced have also caused disruption. For instance, a recent county-wide AT&T outage resulted in almost four hours of no radio communications being available in the jail.
When firefighters responded to investigate a possible fire in the attic at the jail recently, they also did not have radio communications with jail staff or outside personnel.
Jackson said that the current situation is a safety concern and needs to be addressed. Motorola Solutions can install a bi-directional amplifier that will allow actual public service radios to be used in the jail.
The total cost of the project, including the purchase of radios, will be approximately $173,000.
Jackson said that Hill County Emergency Management, Sheriff Rodney Watson and sheriff-elect Hunter Barnes are all in favor of the project.
The court voted to approve the proposal from Motorola and the purchase of radios subject to exploring financing options.
Commissioners also approved a bid for an update to the county’s hazard mitigation plan. The plan identifies natural disaster risks and vulnerabilities that are common in the area and is used to create long-term strategies for protecting people and property.
The plan is updated every five years, and the work is covered by a $100,000 federal grant. Its completion allows the county to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants and other assistance.
H20 Partners was selected as the lowest and best bidder with an $89,000 proposal. Lewis said that the company has led hazard mitigation planning efforts for 36 Texas counties, and he had not heard anything bad about their work.
The court approved a proclamation declaring September 17-23 Constitution Week in Hill County, encouraging all citizens to commemorate the 237th anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution by studying the Constitution and reflecting on the privilege of being an American with all of the rights and responsibilities that the privilege involves.
In other action, a preliminary plat was approved for Lewis Valley Farms, involving four, five-acre lots on HCR 4123.
The court also approved a waiver of the normal allowable hotel fees to allow April Cook of Hill County Indigent Care to attend a conference in Washington, D.C. The conference will providing additional training on the new program the county is using to identify any existing health insurance coverage for jail inmates, relieving the county of financial responsibility for medical care. Cook said that to date this year, the program has saved the county $69,000, and the annual fee for the program is only $12,000.
Commissioners met in executive session for economic development negotiations and to discuss personnel matters. No action was taken when open session resumed.
The court’s next regular meeting will be Tuesday, September 24, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom at the courthouse.
