Burn ban remains in place, despite storms

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

Caldwell County Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Parker asked the Court to leave the outdoor burning ban in place, despite recent rains. He said Caldwell County remains under an emergency declaration by the office of Governor Rick Perry, and there is still “a lot of fuel.”
“March is notorious for high winds,” Parker

said. “These little fronts come through, but the high winds dry everything back out.”
The Court unanimously agreed to leave the outdoor burning ban in place.
Oscar H. Fogle was sworn in by County Judge H.T. Wright as a member of the Board of Directors of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA). He succeeds John Schneider as a director representing Caldwell County. There are 10 counties in GBRA”s statutory district.
Maintenance Supervisor Curtis Weber approached the Court to request that a soundproof door be installed to replace one of the outer doors in a courtroom in the Caldwell County Judicial Center. According to Weber, court proceedings are frequently disrupted by the sound of trucks passing during court.
Sheriff Daniel Law contributed to the conversation, stating he has had meetings with some personnel at the judicial center and discussed additional security measures, including building a hallway to help “funnel” people through security before they enter the courtrooms.
Wright asked to table the initiative to give Weber the opportunity to prepare plans for other alternatives, and to discuss the requirements needed for the project with the the Lockhart Fire Marshal.
In brief news:
Veteran Services Officer Larry Corpus delivered a report on his activities for the month of February. Corpus noted his month had been “a little slow,” but said the bulk of his time had been occupied with reports for the government regarding non-service-related medical conditions of the county”s pensioners.
Law reported that the county”s architect, Joe Santropetro, has not yet provided the information the court requested regarding the addition of a 40″ – 40″ slab to the Caldwell County Jail Addition project. The Court approved purchase of a surety bond in the amount of $40,000 for Mary Vicky Gonzales as the elected office of Caldwell County Tax Assessor/Collector.
The Commissioners discussed calling an election for the board of directors for the Hays-Caldwell County ESD1. Only one candidate has filed for a position on the board, and the election is expected to be held in May.
County Clerk Nina Sells requested the Commissioners consider adding another full-time position to her office. She said one of the temporary positions currently in place should be upgraded in order to handle the workload that will be created later this month when District Attorney Trey Hicks begins pursuing judgments against bonded defendants who fail to appear in Court.
The county paid bills in the amount of $216,841.81. This includes $7,600 in indigent legal defense.
The Caldwell County Commissioners meet on the second, third and fourth Monday of each month at 9 a.m. in Room 100 of the Caldwell County Courthouse. The meetings are open to the public and the public is encouraged to attend and participate.