The Commissioners Court will hold its regular weekly meeting Tuesday afternoon. There is a workshop scheduled for Tuesday morning during which the Court will discuss the payment and processing of bills by the county.
The workshop was suggested according to County Judge Brint Carlton because the county’s credit cards for gasoline purchases were rejected for the second time in three months because of a late payment of the bill. Following the first occurrence in November the county was assured by Shell the credit card provider that since Orange County has been a loyal customer for over 40 years and the fact that there are first responders using the credit cards the county would be put on a VIP plan to prevent the credit cards being deactivated if the bill is not paid by the deadline in the future. Following the second incident this month Judge Carlton was told the VIP status only lasted for a 5-day grace period.
The cause in November was the county’s failure to pay a bill before the due date to Shell partially because the bill was mailed late by Shell. Judge Carlton said the Commissioners Court needs to take the blame for the most recent incident with the gasoline credit cards. The Christmas and New Year’s Holidays resulted in Commissioners Court not meeting for three weeks. Carlton indicated the Court was scheduled to meet the last Tuesday in December, but he and one Commissioner were out-of-town and a second Commissioner became ill that day. That left only two Commissioners which meant the Court failed to have a quorum and could not hold a legal meeting. The three week delay between meetings resulted in the bill being paid late again.
The Commissioners will discuss during the workshop different ways to handle important items like the gasoline and other utility bills. Carlton suggested some alternatives the Court will consider during the workshop. One is direct payment of bills as opposed to writing a check which then has to be mailed. Designating certain bills like utilities that do not need the Commissioners Court’s approval before paying is a second idea. Carlton is even thinking of selecting a different vendor for the county’s gasoline credit cards.
The workshop is scheduled for 10:00 Tuesday morning. During the regular meeting that afternoon at 2:00 the Commissioners Court has an item on the agenda to possibly take action to change the processing and payment of bills at the courthouse. Both the workshop and meeting will be in the Commissioners’ Courtroom of the Administration Building.
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