Court Addresses Office Separation
On Oct. 9, the Glasscock County Commissioners’ court issued the following statement regarding the proposed separation of the county sheriff’s office from that of tax assessor-collector, both of which are elected positions:
“The Commissioners Court of Glasscock County has added a resolution for separating the offices of Tax Assessor-Collector and Sheriff to the Nov. 6, 2007 general election. We think this is a good proposal since our sheriff is contemplating retirement at the end of 2008. Most counties have already separated the two offices and we feel this is in the best interest of our county. We do not think there will be any added expenses from this action.”
County voters will be asked to decide on the separation, with early voting Oct. 22 – Nov. 2.
Discount Drug Card Available
The court voted to make a free discount drug card available to anyone in Glasscock County. According to County Treasurer Alan Dierschke, the card, from the National Association of Counties (NACo) has no cost to the county, is usable at all major chain stores and is supposed to save an average of 20 percent on drugs. No application is necessary. After the court approval, Dierschke said he would get the cards ordered, and they will be available soon from most county officials and in courthouse offices. Information is available at https://naco.advancerx.com or by calling 1/877/321-2652.
Paving Project Complete
Consulting Engineer Don Bonifay reported that the county’s paving project is complete and “looks good.” He said the project came in under estimated costs, so the county will be getting a sizeable refund. He credited the savings to very carefully watching the quantities of materials used.
Commissioner Marck Schafer asked Bonifay to document the condition of Sherrod Road before movement of wind turbines on it begins in the next few months. Schafer said the wind company has agreed to restore the road if its equipment causes damage.
Fiscal Reserves Grow
According to Dierschke, some $315,000 was added to the county’s reserves at the end of the 2007 fiscal year. He says the total in reserves is now approximately $1.5 million, or about six months’ worth of expenses. He said that is the minimum amount suggested by the state to adequately protect a county’s solvency. He said not so long ago, the reserves were only $300,000.
Dierschke reported that the Garden City Water System added $4,900 to its reserves, which now total $59,000.
Portions of clerk’s office filing fees and county justice court fines provided the following monies: $9,000 added to the Records Management account for a total nearing $42,000; the Archives Records Management account gained $8,000 and now has reserves of $24,000; courthouse security gained $3,000 for a total of $10,000 and Justice Court Technology gained $1,000 for a total of $4,900.
Purchase of Maintainer Delayed
Since no bids were available for a new maintainer, the matter was tabled until a later date.
There was no action taken on an employee request to work another hour and be eligible for health insurance. Schafer said this isn’t the first request of this nature.