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COLUMBUS – The Columbus City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, June 26 to discuss updates in projects and resolutions.
The council considered action on Resolution 26623, a resolution granting consent for the creation of Colorado County Emergency Services District No. 1.
Fire Marshal Brent Gorman spoke to answer questions from the council about the resolution.
“Our end of the year report shows that about 70% of our calls are out of the county. It shows a lack of funding from the county,” Gorman said. “The city’s carrying a load in only getting about 30% of our call volume.”
He said funding is important for the fire department and said he also talked with all the fire departments in the county, which he said is a total of 10, concerning creating an ESD.
“So, we started our ESD formation countywide. It was supposed to be an entire county emergency service district and there’s several counties that do this where it’s all at once. Probably the best thing, especially the smaller or less populated areas,” Gorman said.
He also said they have worked with a lawyer who specializes in ESDs.
“The final product is Columbus Fire Department’s service area, which is huge in comparison to city limits, Bernardo service area and Frelsburg service area. So, Bernardo and Frelsburg are automatically partners. They’re the go to for every structure fire, every motor vehicle accident with entrapment, and during the daytime Monday through Friday, eight to five, any call. They have no one around, so they are basically part of us. So, that is where the district lines are.”
As noted in the resolution, the proposed creation of the Colorado County ESD would include having the “power to levy and collect taxes of ten cents on each $100 of taxable value of property taxable by the District.” It would also set the boundaries as “the entirety of the municipal and corporate boundaries of the of City of Columbus, Texas, and portions of the unincorporated areas of Colorado County, Texas.” The resolution also notes that “the area of the proposed ESD does not include or overlap the boundaries of any other ESD....the boundaries of the proposed ESD will include the city limits of the City of Columbus, the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Columbus, and portions of the unincorporated areas of Colorado County.”
The council and Gorman noted that if the resolution is passed by the commissioner’s court, it will then go on the ballet in November.
Council approved the resolution.
The public hearing is set to take place Monday, July 24 at 9 a.m. in the courthouse courtroom.
City Manager Donald Warschak also gave his report highlighting that the weather event that occurred last week caused temporary power outages and damage to trees around the city. He said the overall infrastructure of the city was not affected. Warschak said city crews have been working to remove the storm debris around the city. He said residents can place their tree limbs next to the curb and contact city hall for pickup.
He also gave updates on the status of two TxDOT projects. Signal poles, light fixtures, and a new electrical meter pole has been installed at the Signal Light Project on U.S. Route 71 (Fannin Street). Warschak said contractors are working on the new turning radiuses at the intersection. He said Tx-DOT has also finished the installation of sidewalks along the eastside of FM 806 from U.S. Route 90 to Park Street. Warschak said the city has also submitted the Montezuma Street Sidewalk Grant Application to TxDOT.
Warschak also noted in his report that the city is working on an application to submit to PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) for the 2023 Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant. He said the grant applications are due in August.
During the meeting, the city council also held an executive session to discuss personnel matters- city manager annual review.
After the executive session, Councilman Chuck Rankin motioned that Mayor Gobert would follow up with the city manager on policy procedures.
The council also discussed the budget schedule. In July, there will be budget workshops on July 10 and July 24 and then a special meeting on July 31. Public hearings related to the budget will take place in September.
