The Commissioners Court approved a reinvestment zone for a five-acre tract of land in Mauriceville on Tuesday. The reinvestment zone will allow for future potential tax abatements and other incentive agreements.
Executive Director Jessica Hill with the Orange County Economic Development Corporation brought the request for the reinvestment zone to the Commissioners. Any tax abatement would only effect new construction and not existing structures. The name of the property owner was not given, but it sounded as if it already has a current presence in the Mauriceville area. The hope is that expansion of this existing business could serve as a retail anchor that would allow for future growth and additional businesses.
An example of the success of reinvestment zones was provided at the meeting by Mark Viator with Jefferson Energy Companies. Viator presented four checks totaling $2.6 million to the Commissioners Court as his company’s payment of in lieu of taxes. Jefferson Energy has expanded significantly with 127 new jobs since it was granted tax abatements by Orange County in May 2014. Further expansion is planned in the future. Jefferson Energy Companies is located on the Orange County side of the Port of Beaumont.
The Commissioners approved paying over three million dollars Tuesday for the removal of debris from Harvey. The bills paid Tuesday were divided into three categories: payment to the contractor Ashbritt Environmental for removing the debris from properties in the county; payment to Tetra Tech for debris monitoring; and to Waste Management for taking the debris to the Newton County landfill.
County Judge Brint Carlton said this is only part of the cost for removing the debris which is already about seven million dollars and could go as high as ten million. Orange County will submit the fees for debris removal to FEMA and anticipates reimbursement of up to 90 percent for the total amount. The Court heard good news Tuesday from Lanie Brown with U.S. Congressman Brian Babin’s office that the state of Texas now indicates it could cover the remaining 10 percent if all the debris in the county is removed by September 30, 2018.
The Court approved Commissioner Johnny Trahan’s motion to extend the hours for citizens to use the Orange County landfill and continue to waive fees until further notice. The landfill will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Repairs to two county buildings damaged in Harvey received approval with a line item transfer on Tuesday. The Raymond Gould Community Center in Vidor needs repairs totaling $122,485 to make it available as a polling location in the upcoming primary elections this spring. Almost $24,000 was approved for repairing the north exterior wall to the Sheriff’s Office in Orange.
The two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) in the county will continue to operate in their current locations at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center and in Vidor until at least the end of February. The leases for the DRCs were due to expire at the end of January. FEMA requested the leases be extended until March 30, but the room at the Expo Center used as a DRC is needed by the Emergency Management Department and first responders since it is usually stocked with specialized equipment as an emergency center during other disasters which caused the Commissioners to approve only leasing it for another 30 days.
Teachers were recognized by the Commissioners Court with a special proclamation that was seconded by every member of the Court. Each Commissioner and the County Judge shared memories of special teachers in their lives and thanked them for their service. Lanie Brown also read a proclamation from Congressman Babin thanking teachers for all that they contribute to making Texas great. Dozens of teachers attended the meeting and visited a reception in their honor held in the employees’ breakroom next door to the Commissioners Courtroom.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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