Friday's Internet Edition, August 08, 2008.
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Leader-Press correspondent -
GATESVILLE – Coryell County Commissioners accepted a new tax rate that translates to a 1.2-cent tax increase and set a public hearing for 9 a.m. Sept. 3 on the tax rate and the county’s new budget during a regular meeting on Monday.
But for Covites that news was overshadowed by the announcement that the Texas Department of Transportation has notified the county to begin purchasing land for right of way for the new U.S. 190 Bypass.
“I just got a fax this morning from TxDOT states we can begin the process of purchasing right-of-way,” said County Judge John Hull.
The communication, faxed to Hull from Sheila M. Mills, TxDOT’s right-of-way administrator, states the county’s portion of the land purchase is estimated to be $66,000 and the portion to be paid by the City of Copperas Cove for land acquisition is $172,502.
“This is the actual right-of-way,” said Hull. “Supposedly this means they’re going to go ahead with the bypass. This is the first time they’ve (TxDOT) really done something.” “Does this go back to the movement of new troops into Fort Hood? Maybe so,” Hull said. “Our governor has made that an issue and the state is trying to help.”
“I don’t trust TxDOT,” said Commissioner Jack Wall. “Here it is the 23rd (of August) and we’ve been in our budget hearings for months now and TxDOT is just now getting around to sending us (information about) what they want.”
Wall was commenting on the fact that the court could have done a better job of budgeting for this and other issues if TxDOT had notified them earlier of the needs for additional right-of-way.
The budget, now set at $10.4 million for the 2004-05 Fiscal Year, posts an increase of $600,000 over the FY 2003-04 budget. The tax rate increases from 41.207-cents per $100 valuation to 42.407 cents per $100 property valuation.
“That means on a $60,000 house, your taxes will go up $7.20 cents a year,” said Hull.
“That’ll make my taxes go up,” said Wall.
“Yeah. Mine, too,” said Hull, “and my property valuation increased this past year, too.”
The budget hearing and tax rate hearing, set for 9 a.m. on Friday Sept. 9, will be held in the commissioners’ courtroom in the basement of the Gatesville courthouse. The hearing is open to all members of the public.
The meeting was set on Friday because the following Monday is Labor Day and the court will not meet. State law requires that a budget is set by a specific date and the Friday hearing was necessary to comply with those rules.
“We looked over this budget the other day (last week) about as good as you can look over it,” Wall said. “It’ll save us money in the long run and it’s necessary if we’re going to move forward with our growth.”
Upon a motion from Commissioner Cliff Price and a second by Wall, the tax-rate motion carried without opposition.
Commissioners had decided to advertise for bids for the county’s rock crusher after several weeks of debate on the issue, but when the time came on Monday, Price suggested the issue should be tabled for one more week to allow County Attorney Edwin Powell to study whether what the county wants to do with the machine is legal.
The court had decided last week to advertise for bids to sell the crusher, hoping the primary bidder would be one who already has agreed to pay for the crusher in three installments and to provide crushed rock material to the county at a reduced rate.
But County Auditor Ben Roberts on Monday pointed out to the court that such a sale made on installments might not be legal.
Powell told the court he would study the matter and get back to the members with the legalities next week. The motion to table carried without a no vote.
Shirley Rice, manager of the Multi-County Water Supply Corporation, in Gatesville, asked the court to sponsor the company in applications for Texas Community Development Block Grant funds. The law requires that only taxing entities may apply for such funds, but a water supply company, such as Multi-County, can be sponsored by a taxing entity and thus qualify for grant funds.
“It’s the same thing we did for the Copperas Cove School District some time ago,” Roberts said. “The funds are just passed through the county and it doesn’t cost the county anything.”
The block grants provide up to $250,000 in funding for repair and upgrades in public utilities.
“We have several large lines that are leaking and we can’t afford to replace them,” Rice said. “This $250,000 wouldn’t replace them, either, but it would allow us to repair them, and stop loosing so much water to leakage.”
The grants will be available in the 2005-2006 fiscal year.
The court voted without dissent to support the water utility by acting as its sponsor.
Commissioners also re-appointed Ken Poston to serve on the Coryell Memorial Hospital Board.