Commissioners nix Williamson Road subdivision

 By LPR Staff

Editor/POST-REGISTER

After a brief public hearing and input from several neighboring property owners, the Caldwell County Commissioners Court opted on Monday morning to reject a plan for the preliminary plat of the Compostela subdivision on Williamson Road (CR177).

The developer, hoping to create some 58 lots from th

e 78-acre tract, offered no feedback into the project during the public hearing, while some neighbors expressed concerns about flooding patterns, traffic, and neighborhood safety.

“The property is between two subdivisions,” said Janet Homann O’Dell. “There is a petroleum pipeline under the property, and it seems dangerous to me to have that many people that close to that kind of infrastructure.”

In addition, Director of Sanitation Kasi Miles said several issues raised by contracted engineer Tracy Bratton had not been addressed by the developer; those 12 major issues, along with several minor issues were sufficient, under the Caldwell County Development Ordinance, for the Court to withhold their stamp of approval on the project.

“I want to make sure that people know, if they come back and they have complied with the ordinance, there is nothing we can do to deny them,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Roland said prior to making a motion not to approve the preliminary plat.

According to Miles and Assistant District Attorney Jordan Powell, if the developer choses to resubmit the project for consideration after the platting issues have been addressed, they will also have to resubmit their permitting and application fees.

In other business, the Commissioners approved several budget amendments, shifting funds within several County departments.

County Judge Kenneth Schawe noted a need for department heads to take more care to see they do not overspend their budgets, forcing the need for such amendments. He reminded department heads to “make sure the money is there before we spend it.”

Schawe and County Auditor Debra French have been working to prepare the coming fiscal year’s budget, and have pressed several times in the last month for better budgetary oversight.

In brief news:

At the recommendation of Emergency Management Coordinator Martin Ritchey, the Commissioners opted to leave the outdoor burning ban off temporarily. Ritchey noted wildland fire dangers were increasing as the summer wears on, and said he was working with the Sheriff’s Department to make sure that outdoor burning does not take place on days when the humidity is low and the winds are high, known as “Red Flag Days.”

They discussed, but did not approve, a sponsorship in the amount of $1,500 for the Seton Hays Foundation’s “Taking Care of Tiny Texans” gala, a fundraiser for the Seton CareAVan, which provides low-cost health care services for Caldwell County children.

The Commissioners approved a $1,750 annual contract for maintenance of the Courthouse Tower Clock.

The County paid bills in the amount of $349,804.57.

The Caldwell County Commissioners Court routinely meets on the second, third and fourth Monday of each month at 9 a.m. in the second floor courtroom of the Caldwell County Courthouse. The meetings are open to the public and are webcast at www.co.caldwell.tx.us.