By Anton Riecher
With rain in the forecast for the coming week, the Medina County Commissioners Court once again tabled action on a local burn ban at its July 22 meeting. However, Precinct 1 Commissioner Jennifer Castiglione urged the court to keep the situation in mind.
“It’s so dry right now it will only take a spark and we can have a serious fire on our hands,” she said.
The Texas A&M Forest Service reports that as this week 86 Texas counties are under a local burn ban, including Bexar County. A burn ban means no outdoor burning is allowed expect in an enclosure that contains all flames and/or sparks.
Castiglione and other commissioners reported road crews have been occupied with removing fallen trees that have toppled due to the ongoing drought conditions.
In financial matters, the commissioners approved $27,897 in line-item transfers for budget items affecting the auditor’s office, district attorney, district judge, sheriff, juvenile probation, human resources, elections and precinct 2. The largest amount was $20,897 moved from the election office general supply fund to various other expense accounts.
Commissioners approved total accounts payable totaling $1.512 million. The court also approved $72,719 in disbursement of funds since the last commissioners meeting, covering utilities, fuel and dental claims.
In a report on third quarter investments for fiscal year 2024, County Treasurer Jennifer Konegni reported that the county owned $12.2 million in certificates of deposit bearing various interest rates, the highest being 5.7 percent. The county also has more than $8.2 million invested with TexPool, an investment pool for local governments in Texas, at an interest rate of 5.46 percent.
Interest from the TexPool account during the quarter totaled slightly more than $242,000, Konegni said.
On a motion by Sittre, seconded by Lynch, the commissioners voted to approve accepting a load of aggregate donated by Medina Aggregates of Hondo. Lynch explained that the aggregate was picked up at the Medina Aggregates quarry for a precinct 1 road project west of D’Hanis.
“For whatever reason I was prompted to look up our list of vendors and (Medina Aggregates) were not on the list,” Lynch said. “I just thought we had misplaced their bid sheet because they always bid. Well, they had not.”
Lynch contacted the crew to return the aggregate and then contacted quarry owner Jim Payne about the error. Payne, who thought he had bid the project, told Lynch it was silly to go to the trouble of returning it and said he would donate it to the precinct instead, Lynch said.
Commissioners approved a three percent cost of living increase for the county auditor, assistant county auditor and official court reporter. The three positions are paid from the budget of the district judge. Also, the commissioners approved pay increases for 11 county employees as budgeted for the county’s 2024 fiscal year.
In other action, the commissioners approved an adjustment of $30,000 to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission grant budget, taking money from the personnel and fringe benefits accounts to the supplies budget for the public defenders’ office in Boerne.
“For some reason at the state level rent falls under the supplies category, so we’re just shifting around unused salary accounts into that supplies account,” county auditor Lopez said.
On a motion by Precinct 1 Commissioner Jessica Castiglione, seconded by Sittre, the commissioners accepted a $576,000 construction bond for phase four of the Valley Oaks subdivision on County Road 241 in precinct 1.
The commissioners voted to authorize submitting applications for grant programs established under Senate Bill 22 to provided financial assistance to qualified sheriff’s and prosecutor’s office in rural counties. The grant applications seek $500,000 for the sheriff’s office and $275,000 for the criminal district attorney’s office.
Also approved by the court was an interlocal agreement with Kinney County for use of the Medina County jail.
A budget amendment involving the Office of Attorney General Southern Texas Internet Crimes Against Children grant to the sheriff’s office was approved by commissioners on a motion by Sittre, seconded by Castiglione.
The Southern Texas ICAC Task Force is responsible for combatting online child exploitation including sexual solicitation of children and the dissemination of child pornography.
Sittre waved off county auditor Lopez when he approached the podium to explain the amendment.
“It speaks for itself,” Sittre said.
Commissioners also voted to adopt an order invoking a property tax exemption for qualifying child care providers as authorized by the Texas tax code. Six childcare providers in Medina County qualify for the exemption as participants in the Texas Workforce Commission program to aid working parents, County Judge Lutz explained.
The exemption amounts to a $34,500 tax loss to the county annually, he said.
Action to discuss accepting the resignation of Emergency Service District No. 1 board commissioner Leonel Rodriguez was tabled. Judge Lutz reported that Rodriguez was able to adjust his private work load to be able to retain his ESD seat.
County auditor Lopez reported to the commissioners that he has issued a mass email to potential county vendors advertising for sealed bids for paving services, hauling services, materials, fuel and paving oils. He said this was in response to feedback the previous year in advertising for bids.
“If there are any others that you would like us to specifically reach out to, please let us know,” Lopez said.