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Commissioners welcomed the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and 4-H Council members on Thursday, Dec. 8. Pictured are Pct. 2 Commissioner Bobby Harris, Kara Spangler, Pct. 1 Commissioner Bruce Eliker, Shye Havelka, Lauren Meier, County Judge Richard Evans, Jessica Faubion, Pct. 3 Commissioner Jack Moseley, Mark Zoeller and Pct. 4 Commissioner Jordan Rutherford.
Photo by Jessica Nohealapa'ahi
December 9, 2022
Commissioners Court Briefings
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
Today, beginning at 10 a.m., a bonus food distribution will take place at the Silver Sage. Produce and dairy products, and other items, will be given away until noon, or the food is gone.
During the public forum of commissioners’ regular court session on Thursday, Levin Crawford of the Silver Sage said other food distributions continue to take place on the second Monday of the month in Lakehills, and the third Monday of the month in Bandera. Scheduled dates for December are Monday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Lakehills Community Center, 11225 PR 37, Lakehills; and Monday, Dec. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Lake Medina Shores pool, 7100 Wharton’s Dock Road, Bandera.
Crawford also reminded the public that flu and respiratory virus season is here. For information on free vaccines and more, go to vaccinatebandera.org.
In other business, commissioners agreed to move forward with applying for a disaster recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and distributed by the Texas General Land Office. Michael Sledge, of Grantworks, said the grant is intended to aid nine Texas counties impacted by either the 2015 or 2016 floods, or Hurricane Harvey. Sledge said Bandera County could be eligible for up to $1.317 million.
Some details of the grant include that funds are reimbursed through submitted invoices, a process that takes between three and six months; the county has two years from the award date to spend the allocated dollars; no match is required; and Grantworks will receive a rate set by the General Land Office, which is approximately five to six percent of the total amount.
Time is of the essence, Sledge said, as other communities have begun submitting their applications for funding.
Although Bandera County has already made and paid for repairs after the 2015 and 2016 floods, County Judge Richard Evans said other road and bridge work are eligible for the funding.
Evans clarified reimbursements from the General Land Office are more expedient than FEMA, which takes years to distribute funds.
“If I can get repairs at no cost to taxpayers, even if I have to wait three months, or six months, I’ll do it,” Pct. 2 Commissioners Bobby Harris said.
Evans said at a recent conference with AACOG (Alamo Area Council of Governments), he was told Bandera County may be eligible for only $1 million, more than $300,000 less than Sledge predicted.
“Somebody’s wrong,” Evans said. “I hope it’s AACOG.”
~ Commissioners welcomed the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and 4-H Council members. The program grew from 94 to 255 enrollments between last year and this, and now has 291 enrollments.
“We really appreciate all that you do,” Pct. 4 Commissioner Jordan Rutherford said.
~ Commissioners approved issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for a mass gathering lease at Mansfield Park during the October 2023 and April 2024 eclipse events. Leanne Beauxbeannes, who has requested permission to lease the park since the beginning of this year, said she would permit 250 vehicles, which would total about 750 people.
“I’m not hosting all of the folks who come. We only have so much room at Mansfield Park,” Beauxbeannie said.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Jack Moseley said on average, bike rallies attract between 2,200 and 2,500 campers in the park over the weekend. Moseley said in 2017, a total solar eclipse event in Oregon inundated several small towns of 7,000 people with more than 70,000 visitors.
~ Commissioners approved a bond for Jason Rutherford as County Fire Marshal, who was rehired effective Dec. 1.
Rutherford resigned in October, and came back on board after the court restructured the hierarchy of the fire marshal’s position, which will now report directly to the sheriff, as well as communicate with all other county fire departments and other agencies.
Commissioner Rutherford, Jason Rutherford’s father, abstained from the vote.
~ Commissioners unanimously approved a ban on certain aerial fireworks, specifically missiles with fins and rockets on sticks. Fireworks stands are expected to set up shop soon in anticipation of New Year’s Eve, and Harris said although the county has had a lot of moisture, it has not had any significant rain events.
Commissioner Rutherford commented on mortars, which are popular and not banned. He said people shoot them days before and after the holiday throughout the nights.
“People who live in the city who come out here have no regard for those of us who do live here,” Rutherford said. “A 2 o’clock in the morning, three or four mortars, boom boom boom. It’s not right for them to do that.”
During the public forum of commissioners’ regular court session on Thursday, Levin Crawford of the Silver Sage said other food distributions continue to take place on the second Monday of the month in Lakehills, and the third Monday of the month in Bandera. Scheduled dates for December are Monday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Lakehills Community Center, 11225 PR 37, Lakehills; and Monday, Dec. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Lake Medina Shores pool, 7100 Wharton’s Dock Road, Bandera.
Crawford also reminded the public that flu and respiratory virus season is here. For information on free vaccines and more, go to vaccinatebandera.org.
In other business, commissioners agreed to move forward with applying for a disaster recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and distributed by the Texas General Land Office. Michael Sledge, of Grantworks, said the grant is intended to aid nine Texas counties impacted by either the 2015 or 2016 floods, or Hurricane Harvey. Sledge said Bandera County could be eligible for up to $1.317 million.
Some details of the grant include that funds are reimbursed through submitted invoices, a process that takes between three and six months; the county has two years from the award date to spend the allocated dollars; no match is required; and Grantworks will receive a rate set by the General Land Office, which is approximately five to six percent of the total amount.
Time is of the essence, Sledge said, as other communities have begun submitting their applications for funding.
Although Bandera County has already made and paid for repairs after the 2015 and 2016 floods, County Judge Richard Evans said other road and bridge work are eligible for the funding.
Evans clarified reimbursements from the General Land Office are more expedient than FEMA, which takes years to distribute funds.
“If I can get repairs at no cost to taxpayers, even if I have to wait three months, or six months, I’ll do it,” Pct. 2 Commissioners Bobby Harris said.
Evans said at a recent conference with AACOG (Alamo Area Council of Governments), he was told Bandera County may be eligible for only $1 million, more than $300,000 less than Sledge predicted.
“Somebody’s wrong,” Evans said. “I hope it’s AACOG.”
~ Commissioners welcomed the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and 4-H Council members. The program grew from 94 to 255 enrollments between last year and this, and now has 291 enrollments.
“We really appreciate all that you do,” Pct. 4 Commissioner Jordan Rutherford said.
~ Commissioners approved issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for a mass gathering lease at Mansfield Park during the October 2023 and April 2024 eclipse events. Leanne Beauxbeannes, who has requested permission to lease the park since the beginning of this year, said she would permit 250 vehicles, which would total about 750 people.
“I’m not hosting all of the folks who come. We only have so much room at Mansfield Park,” Beauxbeannie said.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Jack Moseley said on average, bike rallies attract between 2,200 and 2,500 campers in the park over the weekend. Moseley said in 2017, a total solar eclipse event in Oregon inundated several small towns of 7,000 people with more than 70,000 visitors.
~ Commissioners approved a bond for Jason Rutherford as County Fire Marshal, who was rehired effective Dec. 1.
Rutherford resigned in October, and came back on board after the court restructured the hierarchy of the fire marshal’s position, which will now report directly to the sheriff, as well as communicate with all other county fire departments and other agencies.
Commissioner Rutherford, Jason Rutherford’s father, abstained from the vote.
~ Commissioners unanimously approved a ban on certain aerial fireworks, specifically missiles with fins and rockets on sticks. Fireworks stands are expected to set up shop soon in anticipation of New Year’s Eve, and Harris said although the county has had a lot of moisture, it has not had any significant rain events.
Commissioner Rutherford commented on mortars, which are popular and not banned. He said people shoot them days before and after the holiday throughout the nights.
“People who live in the city who come out here have no regard for those of us who do live here,” Rutherford said. “A 2 o’clock in the morning, three or four mortars, boom boom boom. It’s not right for them to do that.”