Commissioners approved a contract Monday that will extend the services of the executive director and his staff of the Orange County Economic Development Corporation through December 31. Back on July 27 the Commissioners Court voted to cut funding to the Economic Development Corporation at the end of the current fiscal year which ends September 30. Assistant County Attorney Doug Manning interpreted the Court’s action as not effecting the employment agreement between the county and Bobby Fillyaw the executive director of the EDC. Manning told the Commissioners in his opinion that listening to the tape of the July 27 court session the only action taken by the Court was to cut the yearly fee paid to the Economic Development Corporation and no action was done to effect the agreement with the executive director.
The county had paid about $70,000 a year to help fund the EDC. The separate employment agreement with Fillyaw also stipulated that he be provided whatever staff was necessary through December 31. Commissioner Barry Burton made the motion to accept the terms of the contract or agreement with Fillyaw. Burton amended the motion on the recommendation of Manning to say the agreement would be through December 31, 2015 and so long as funds were available to pay for it. Burton said he believes they should have enough money to cover this. County Judge Brint Carlton indicated earlier that there was about $100,000 of residual funds available to pay Fillyaw and his staff through the end of the calendar year. Judge Carlton and Commissioner John Banken were not present at Monday’s meeting.
The Commissioners Court took no action Monday after a closed meeting with Assistant County Attorney Doug Manning during which they discussed the Montano lawsuit against Orange County. Robert Montano died in the Orange County Jail in 2011, and his family was awarded a multi-million dollar settlement by a jury. U. S. District Judge Ron Clark struck down last week the county’s appeal of the verdict in the case. The county’s next step would be to appeal the case to the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
In other business the Commissioners approved creating a separate designation for the Transportation Department’s bus drivers in the Orange County Employee Policy. The bus drivers are part-time employees and are paid an hourly wage which was raised from $8.75 to $10.00 to go into effect with the new fiscal year. The creating of the separate designation will help the county cover the pay raise for the drivers in the budget. The Commissioners also approved projects for the Orange County Airport that will be covered by the 2016 Routine Airport Maintenance Grant.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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