The Hill County Commissioners Court approved a contract with Public Sector Personnel Consultants for a payroll study during a regular meeting held Tuesday, January 14.
The contract was presented at the court’s last meeting, when commissioners planned to contact other counties the company has worked with prior to approving the agreement.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Martin Lake said that he had spoken to Bell and Washington counties, which said the company did a good job and worked well with the county.
Washington County reported that they have used Public Sector Personnel Consultants for 15 years.
Funding for the study was included in the budget this year after the last study the county commissioned from Evergreen Solutions left some employees feeling like their responsibilities weren’t accurately reflected in the recommendations.
Commissioners also approved a contract for a real estate purchase to expand the Precinct 2 yard in Aquilla. The county will purchase two lots containing a structure for $50,000 to provide additional space for the precinct yard.
The court discussed adoption of a revised culvert setting policy containing the final version of the culvert permit application. The county recently passed a culvert policy that requires property owners to secure a permit. New culverts are required to meet certain requirements with the goal of keeping standing water off of county roads.
The revised policy would also change the minimum requirement from a 14-gauge culvert to 16 gauge. County Judge Justin Lewis said that 14 is no longer industry standard, and most retailers carry the 16-gauge option.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb asked that a check-off sheet be included with the application, as commissioners have to approve any culvert after it is installed.
Commissioners also discussed the process of addressing newly installed culverts that do not meet minimum standards, including how much time a property owner should have to remove the culvert before the county removes it.
A revised policy that incorporates the items discussed will be before the court at its next meeting.
Commissioners approved the Hill County Juvenile Probation Department’s annual grant application to the governor’s office for its truancy prevention program. The grant pays the salary of a juvenile probation officer.
Several contracts were approved between the Juvenile Probation Department and other entities. The contracts give the county options for needed residential and non-residential services for juvenile offenders.
The court also approved upfitting a law enforcement vehicle recently purchased for the sheriff’s office with the necessary law enforcement equipment.
The court’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, January 28, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County courtroom of the courthouse.
The Lakelander 