The Hill County Commissioners Court approved an asset management initiative during a regular meeting held Tuesday, November 26.
County commissioners have been using Cartegraph software to track county road projects since 2018, but County Judge Justin Lewis said that the county is not currently utilizing all of the program’s features. With an upgrade, the county can track other assets that are not currently in the system.
For example, Lewis said that there are 201 soil conservation dams that were built in the 1950s and 60s spread across three different soil conservation services in the county.
According to the Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board, the primary purpose of the structures is to protect lives and property by reducing the velocity of floodwaters.
The earthen dams exist on private property and were designed and constructed by the United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). They were built with the understanding that the private property owner would provide the land, the federal government would provide the technical design expertise and funding, and then units of local government would be responsible for maintaining them into the future.
The judge said that it is debatable whether the county has responsibility for all of the dams, but it is responsible for some of them. He proposed adding the dams to Cartegraph with photos of their current condition and location. Hill County Emergency Management will assist with this long-term project.
In addition to helping the county keep track of the locations, it could also be made available to first responders if there is an issue with a high hazard location.
The software could also be used to keep track of other county assets, which will be helpful when applying for grants.
The court approved spending $7,500 on additional Cartegraph licenses and the asset building feature.
Wendy Grantges was introduced to the court as the Hill County AgriLife Extension Agent for Family and Community Health. She comes to the county with 13 years in education, most recently serving as a culinary arts teacher for high school students. Grantges is looking forward to working on adult nutrition education and on youth education initiatives.
Commissioners appointed Rachel Parker to serve on the Hill County Child Protective Services (CPS) Board. She will join other volunteers from Hill County who work to address the needs of children in the care of Child Protective Services.
A road bore permit was observed and recorded for the Gransolar project in Precinct 3. The county requires the permits if any boring or cutting is performed by a company.
The court discussed establishing a dollar amount for items that are required to be inventoried in accordance with county policy. Lewis said that the understanding has been that anything over $500 has to be inventoried, but that number was not written down anywhere. To clean up the policy, he suggested including a dollar amount.
County Auditor Susan Swilling and commissioners agreed that $500 was a good limit to stay within the requirements of certain grants the county receives, and an updated policy will be drafted.
The judge said that other policy updates will be coming before the court, including revised subdivision rules and regulations, a tiny home policy and updated onsite septic regulations.
An agreement was approved with the Heart of Texas Council of Governments to reimburse the Juvenile Probation Department for certain mental health services, and a cooperation agreement was approved between the sheriff’s office and the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network regarding inpatient psychiatric services.
Commissioners observed and recorded the financial statements of the adult probation office, which showed the department in a healthy position.
Hill County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Scott Robinson reported that the sheriff’s office is working on the transition to a new administration in January, and the sheriff-elect and his chief deputy were on site the previous week meeting employees and making preparations. Robinson said that the court’s meeting would be his last and thanked commissioners for their support.
The court’s next regular meeting will be held Tuesday, December 10, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom of the courthouse.
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