With less than a week before the county takes over the operation of the Orange County Airport, the Commissioners Court Tuesday approved funds to pay the salary for an employee to work at the airport. The position was approved last week by the Commissioners and will be a NE-2 job classification.
The Court voted 4 to 1 to grant a request from Sabine Aviation to continue selling aviation fuel currently in the tanks at the airport. Commissioner Jody Crump cast the lone dissenting vote questioning the liability of Sabine Aviation the outgoing commercial operator of the airport once the county takes over operation.
Although June 30 is the last day of the contract with Sabine Aviation to be the Fixed Based Operator at the airport, the company will be allowed to sell fuel there until July 31. Crump questioned that Sabine Aviation should still have its own insurance to cover their fueling of aircraft at the airport. It was mentioned that the company has reduced the price it is charging for fuel which was a recommendation the county planned to take when it assumes operations at the airport.
The Court discussed with airport supervisor Missy Pillsbury the mowing of the grounds at the airport once the contract with Sabine Aviation expires and through the end of the fiscal year in September. No action was taken on Tuesday and will be addressed at a later meeting of the Commissioners Court.
Emergency Management Coordinator Joel Ardoin reported that there were 14 homes that did receive some water in them following the heavy rain last week. This number covered homes in all the municipalities and in the county.
Special Projects Coordinator Michelle Tubbleville reminded that families that are still seeking assistance in recovering from flooding from Harvey can receive assistance through disaster case management. She recommended citizens needing help call 211 and press one on their phone that they are a Harvey related victim. A case manager will be assigned to help them handle their recovery.
The Commissioners approved amending a Texas Community Development Block Grant program the county has received. The grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture is to improve the sewer works for low to moderate income households.
Randy Blanks with David Waxman Incorporated which administers the grant for the county informed that the number of households being assisted was dropped from 28 to 20 because several did not meet the criteria to be eligible for the program. Blanks assured that the grant will assist all the households that qualified.
Connie Powell was approved by the Court to be a member of the Orange County Child Protective Services Board. Frank McCoy serves as chairman of the board and recommended Powell to fill a vacancy created by a member resigning.
Approval was given by the Commissioners for Orange County Judge Dean Crooks to execute the certificate of appointment with Dr. Calvin Parker as the County Health Authority. The only requirement needed is for Dr. Parker to sign his statement of office for the execution of the certificate to be final. He would then be sworn in to the position.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
Commissioners’ Court will hold a Public Workshop on Thursday, June 28, 2018 starting at 10:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Courtroom of the Orange County Administration Building, 123 South 6th Street in Orange. They will discuss the improvement of drainage in Orange County, identification of problem areas, and possible partnership or coordination with other agencies including, but not limited to, the Orange County Drainage District, municipalities, and TXDOT.
Social Media