The floodplain ordinance for Bridge City was approved by the City Council on Tuesday. The action was mandatory to allow citizens in Bridge City to be eligible to apply for flood insurance.
City Manager Jerry Jones informed that the city had appealed the federal floodplain regulations and maps for Bridge City about 13 years ago. Jones instructed the council that the floodplain ordinance needed to be approved by December 16 or citizens would not be covered by the national flood insurance program. “This simply assures that everybody in Bridge City will still be able to buy flood insurance, the mapping itself they’re not going to change the preliminary floodplain maps that they originally put out,” Jones stated.
The council approved the application for a State and Community Highway Safety Grant. Police Chief Tod McDowell said the grant will be used to pay off-duty Bridge City Police officers to work to cut down on speeding and other traffic violations on FM 1442 which is hoped will eliminate many of the accidents on that highway.
A new one-year contract was approved by the City Council with the Bridge City Police Association that will go into effect on October 1, 2021. The police association has previously unanimously approved the same agreement.
Philip Welch was approved as the candidate for Bridge City to continue serving on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Appraisal District. Jones said that Bridge City usually joins with the Bridge City Independent School District and the City of West Orange to pool their votes for one candidate on the board of directors, and Welch is that candidate this year.
As other municipalities in Orange County have done the City Council approved denying the rate increase request from Entergy Texas that was filed on August 31. Jones reminded that the request will go to the Lawton law firm in Austin for review before it is sent to the Public Utility Commission for approval.
Several positions on four municipal boards and commissions have become vacant in the last year. Appointments to fill those vacancies were tabled until the next meeting of the council to allow the members of the council to seek out citizens who are interested in serving on those boards.
The Texas Municipal League Conference is scheduled for the first week of October in Houston. The City Council voted to cancel its meeting that week to allow council members to attend the conference. A special meeting could be called if a need for action arises before the scheduled October 19 meeting.
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