The Commissioners Court Tuesday approved a resolution for bringing a suit on behalf of the county against various drug manufacturers and suppliers of pharmaceutical drugs commonly referred to as opioids. Commissioner John Gothia said Orange County will be joining other counties and the state of Texas in bringing the legal action.
Commissioner Barry Burton compared this suit to similar actions brought against the cigarette industry years ago. Outside legal counsel will be hired to handle the suit since the Orange County District Attorney’s office does not have enough personnel to do it. There will be no cost to the county for the suit.
It will be next week before the Commissioners Court takes formal action to approve four new vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office. All four current vehicles were totaled for insurance purposes by either flooding from Harvey or crashes.
Sheriff Keith Merritt informed the Court his department has not received the ten vehicles the Commissioners approved for him last October. With the loss of these four vehicles his department is in desperate need of vehicles. The cost will be about $129,000 to purchase the four Chevrolet Tahoes being requested by Merritt.
The Texas Baptist Men have been active in the recovery process for Orange County since Harvey. Spokesman Dwain Carter with the Texas Baptist Men said that they were assisted last week with almost 150 college-aged students who worked doing recovery projects during their college spring break.
Carter informed the Commissioners Court that the Texas Baptist Men will be taking a three to four-week hiatus in April to give some of their volunteers a break from the daily work being undertaken. He did assure the group would return in May and believes there is work to keep them busy probably through the end of June.
Interim Emergency Management Coordinator Leon George updated the Commissioners that debris removal crews picked up only 968 cubic yards in the last week. There were two trucks in service with a third to join the effort for at least one week. Pinehurst and West Orange are the prime locations for debris removal this week. The contract with Ashbritt to remove the debris expires at the end of March, but George reminded that the contract has an automatic renewal clause to roll over each month until the county decides to terminate it.
A public hearing to hear citizens’ comments concerning changing road signs in the county will be held April 17. The hearing is a requirement anytime the county changes speed limits or other information on road signs. County Engineer Clark Slacum said there are seven different signs that will be considered for change. The hearing will be held at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, April 17, prior to the Commissioners Court meeting with an agenda item during the Commissioners’ meeting to approve the changes.
The Texas Department of Transportation is working to repair the swing bridge over Cow Bayou on East Roundbunch Road. Part of that project is to extend three phase power along that stretch of the road. Entergy will be doing the electrical work and has estimated the cost as not to exceed $11,400. The Commissioners delayed approving the work to be done until next week when it can have its legal counsel approve the wording necessary for the contract and the funds approved to do the work. The bridge repair work is expected to be completed by the end of the summer according to Slacum.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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