County leaves on burn ban, discusses other business

The Stephens County Commissioners Court met Thursday morning due to the rescheduling of their normal Monday meeting. In the meeting, they upheld the burn ban, passed a number of surety bonds, discussed a contract related to inmates and heard a presentation on potential roofing repairs for county buildings.

County Judge Michael Roach was not present at the meeting, as he was in Austin for official training. The meeting was led by Precinct 1 Commissioner John Russell.

The court decided to keep the burn ban on under the recommendation of Fire Chief Calvin Chaney. Chaney said based on the weather forecasts, as well as data from the Texas Forest Department, it should be left on. On Monday, the original meeting date, Chaney said data stated the risk for fires was in the low ranges. But Thursday had moved the region up to a moderate risk, which Chaney said he predicts will get worse, as the weekend high was forecasted to be in the 80s and the wind around 25 miles per hour. The ban will stay on until they discuss it at their next meeting, which will be Feb. 11.

The commissioners discussed a contract between the county and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the use of offenders. This item was briefly talked about at their last meeting on Jan. 7, but was tabled until further information could be gathered on the liability the county may have in using the offenders. Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Mc-Cullough detailed what would be required. As long as the county provides safety equipment, such as gloves, as well as picks them up, along with some restrictions, they are without liability.

The commissioners also received a presentation from Coby Walker with Cavalry Resources and Construction LLC, regarding a roofing leak at the Stephens County Extension Office.

Walker said after being sent out to see the roof leak, he saw the foam padding that was with the roof. Using a chunk of the roof in his presentation, he showed how thin the foam was. Walker said generally, it should be a 1.5 to 2 inches thick. He said this was more than likely causing a lot of the roofs to fail in the buildings he looked at. Offering two separate proposals, the commissioners accepted one that would cost about $25,500, along with $35 per sheet for any redecking needed due to rotting spots from the water. The cost will have the roof of the building refoamed with a thicker coat that can be reapplied. There will be a 10-year warranty on the foam once it’s been sprayed. Walker said they would be able to re-spray it after that time period.

Four items were tabled at the meeting, including a presentation from the Sacred Cross EMS Support Agreement, as they were not in attendance. Two of the items were reports from Stephens County Constable Adam Babilon, who was not in attendance due to illness. Babilon was scheduled to give a report on racial profiling for Stephens County and an asset forfeiture report. Lastly, the commissioners briefly discussed entering an agreement with Prater Construction, but ultimately tabled the decision.

Other items on the day included treasury reports and amendments for December. The board also discussed policy regarding county travel expenses and education expenses, which involve how much the court reimburses its employees for taking trips involving official work. They voted to bump up the mileage reimbursement rate to equal the same as the state level, which increased it from 54.5 cents to 58 cents per mile. They elected to keep the per diem and lodging rates the same as they had been. Also passed on the day were a number of surety bonds.

The Stephens County Commissioners Court meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. This week’s meeting was moved from its original date of Monday, Jan. 28 due to issues the court had with the agenda. Their next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 11.