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KERR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
Workshop Session
Friday, December 12, 2008
1:30 p.m.
Commissioners' Courtroom
Kerr County Courthouse
Kerrville, Texas
Identify and discuss operations, projects,
installations and/or infrastructure needs that might
benefit from federal funding within Kerr County
PRESENT: PAT TINLEY, Kerr County Judge
H.A."BUSTER" BALDWIN, Commissioner Pct. 1
JONATHAN LETZ, Commissioner Pct. 3
BRUCE OEHLER, Commissioner Pct. 4
ABSENT: WILLIAM "BILL" WILLIAMS, Commissioner Pct. 2
CEO
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On Friday, December 12, 2008, at approximately
1:45 p.m., a workshop of the Kerr County Commissioners
Court was held in the Commissioners' Courtroom, Kerr County
Courthouse, Kerrville, Texas, and the following proceedings
were had in open court:
P R O C E E D I N G S
JUDGE TINLEY: Why don't we go ahead and come to
order for this Commissioners Court workshop posted for today,
Friday, December the 12th, 2008, at 1:30 p.m. It is past
that time now. The agenda item today for the workshop is to
participate in workshop to identify and discuss operations,
projects, installations, and/or infrastructure needs that
might benefit from federal funding within Kerr County.
Commissioner Baldwin, do you have a wish list?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I do, actually.
JUDGE TINLEY: I thought you would.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Number one, I want to -- was
that a sincere question? I mean, you want me to make
comments?
JUDGE TINLEY: Sure. Why not?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Okay. I want to endorse
Commissioner Williams' list, which includes most of my
thinking, and I have a couple of items that I want to add --
add onto that.
25 ~ JUDGE TINLEY: Okay.
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COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: So, I don't have --
JUDGE TINLEY: Why don't we go ahead and get into
the record, then, for the purposes of the audience, what's on
his list.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Okay.
JUDGE TINLEY: Do you want me to do that?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Sure.
JUDGE TINLEY: Commissioner Williams provided a
list to members of the Court. He's running a little bit late
and will be here shortly. His list is as follows: Center
Point/East Kerr wastewater project, Center Point/East Kerr
domestic water treatment and supply project, Hill Country
Exhibit Center Master Plan project, repairs to county dams --
and he did include a cost estimate for those to his listing
here. We've got Ingram, Flat Rock Lake, and the Center Point
Dams. Dredging and cleanup of all three county lakes, parks
improvements, connector road from State Highway 173 at or
near the intersection of State Highway 2771 to Airport Loop
at State Highway 27, including a new bridge at or near Brinks
Crossing, and a joint project with the City of Kerrville to
improve water distribution system at the Kerrville/Kerr
County Airport. Those are the items that were included on
Commissioner Williams' list. Any of you that want to throw
on top of that now? Commissioner Baldwin?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I do.
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JUDGE TINLEY: Okay.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Yes, sir. I want to add
Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Department, that new station that
they're dealing with, and -- just new station, and a pumper
truck to go in that station. And rebuild and bring to county
standards Primrose Lane, and another road, and I can't think
of the name of it. It's the one that Jody lives on.
JUDGE TINLEY: Cub Lane.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Cub Lane. Cub Lane. That's
all I have. That's all. That's only 10 or 15 million right
there.
JUDGE TINLEY: That was a pumper truck for Turtle
Creek?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: New station, pumper truck,
Primrose Lane, and Cub Lane brought to county standards.
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay. Commissioner Letz, have you
got something you want to throw in the mix?
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I guess two things. One would
be really to expand Commissioner Williams' Number 8 about the
water distribution at the airport. I'd like to expand that
-- to expand the ramp area, some other infrastructure
projects at the airport. One is at the area -- in the
airport master plan, it shows kind of out by where the Brinks
hangar is, a -- a taxiway going down -- up towards about
where the fuel barn is, and then T's, so that -- to increase
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the development possibility in some of that acreage, and also
some of the runway expansion type projects that are kind of
in the -- basically include everything on the airport master
plan list that's been identified so far.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Then the other item is -- and I
guess it's kind of on here already, but kind of not, is the
I Bush-Knipling lab. May be a way for us -- you know, I don't
know if it's really asking for money, or really kind of
lobbying to make sure that happens, if we're going to hire a
lobby. That's it.
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay. Commissioner Oehler?
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Well, we're just wishing, I
think, here, but might as well wish for all we can wish for.
JUDGE TINLEY: That's why we're here. As long as
it involves federal money, which virtually everything does.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Long as it's pie in the sky.
Acquire right-of-way in connecting Highway 27 to Highway
1340, tie Bear Creek to Spur 98, and connect Freedom Trail to
Upper Turtle Creek.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's actually priority
items, in my opinion. You know, we're getting old, Bruce.
We'd better get one of those done.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: If we don't do it now, you
know -- never happen.
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COMMISSIONER LETZ: Does one of those include
extending, I guess, on the south side of the river all the
way to Ingram? Is that kind of included in the -- some of
I those?
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Not -- not really. That's --
that could be another -- I don't see that.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Actually, that's already
there.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Yeah, it's kind of been
talked about.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Right. I mean, but it's -- the
plan's there, but the money isn't there to do it, I guess.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: No. I mean, you can
actually drive --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Oh.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: -- to Ingram. Freedom
Trail -- over Freedom Trail to Indian Creek.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: He's talking about up the
south side of the river all the way from Ingram to Hunt.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's not what he said.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Well, I'm talking more from --
what's the crossing out there -- what's that out there by the
Arcadia Loop? Is that -- that's Bear Creek crossing up to
Ingram.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's there.
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COMMISSIONER LETZ: That's there?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Yeah, Freedom Trail.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: That has to go back up and
over. I'm thinking more along the river. The City has it, I
know, in one of their master plans.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Okay.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: And one that we worked on. It
comes pretty much -- it's extending Spur 100 --
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: -- kind of along the river up
towards Ingram.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: That's going to be hard to do
because of the terrain, for one thing. You've got some steep
-- you got some steep hillside when you get back over toward
Beaver Road and back in there where it's just a sheer clay
rock dropoff. And that's going to be hard to do. I think --
you know, that was a good idea at one time, but I really
think that these are more --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Plausible.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Yeah. They're -- those
things, you know, one would take -- relieve the -- some of
the -- some of the traffic in Hunt, coming out of Hunt going
to Ingram, and you've got people coming in that could come in
off of I-10, go down the road I live on, or go to Mountain
Home and come around and then go straight over to Hunt, you
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know, back to 10 as quick as you can. That's the quickest
way. That's very short. It's not but -- it can't be over
three -- three, three and a half miles. It's just not far at
all. Depends on where you come across, but I think it can be
done. And I've had the offer to fly me around up there so we
can maybe identify it better from the air than you can just
guessing on the ground, and I haven't done it yet, but I
intend to. Also, up there on -- where you connect Freedom
Trail to Upper Turtle Creek, that is very short, the
distance. Buster, a mile, mile and a half? Mile and a half,
tops.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Mile and a half tops.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I doubt if it's a mile.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Are you going to talk to Jim
Ernst there and see if we can, you know, kind of run right
through his property there? That's the best route. He'll
just have to build a house on top of the hill. I've talked
to him about it before. He wasn't real excited about it.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Not a surprise.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: But, you know, the other way
is to go on up and acquire more right-of-way up Indian Creek,
and tie it into Turtle Creek Estates, which is very -- it's
only half a mile from the end of Indian Creek Road up to
Turtle Creek Estates. You talk about cutting off miles and
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miles, and that area would develop out there unbelievably if
they had access to it. Property values would go up. It
would be amazing what that would do. You can actually
connect -- now, another way to connect 27 to -- to 1340 is to
go and basically go through the Boy Scout camp.
I
~, COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Take the end of what used to
be Beach Road, and now it's Byas Springs Road; from the end
of it to -- over to 1340 is not but about two and a half
miles at the most.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I wonder if I should add on the
list to connect Lane Valley to Ranger Creek. (Laughter.)
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: That would be real easy,
wouldn't it? Just a foot.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yeah, just a foot, pretty much.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Just need a foot.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: And lawyer fees to do it.
JUDGE TINLEY: That might run the tab up a little.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Yeah.
JUDGE TINLEY: Anything else that comes to mind?
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: I don't believe so.
Commissioner Williams had the Hill Country Youth Exhibit
Center on here, so...
JUDGE TINLEY: Mm-hmm.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: That, of course, is a -- is a
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big-ticket item. That needs to be done.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, let me -- let me see if I can
connect up some things that may interplay with that.
Comprehensive county youth services program, and that would
be a facility to do all that. It potentially would have
educational components, juvenile justice components, social
services components, you know, pretty much across the board.
That might also have some interplay with the -- with the
Youth Exhibit Center, because we're now utilizing the 4-H
programs for juvenile justice, or some -- some components of
that, or near components of it. And that could also include
4-H and ag as youth diversion programs, which would bring in
educational components, criminal justice components,
agriculture, a lot of different potential pots of money.
We've always got the law enforcement. I'm surprised our
Sheriff is not standing tall with a Christmas list that's
longer than he is tall. But --
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Did you say him standing
tall? Is that what you said?
JUDGE TINLEY: I could have said that.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's pretty humorous.
JUDGE TINLEY: As that goes.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's pretty humorous,
isn't it? He's telling a joke.
JUDGE TINLEY: But --
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COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Poor little guy.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah, poor little guy. Mental
illness programs, jail diversion, juvenile justice, that's
going to be a major topic upcoming through the state. I know
a lot of these -- currently, a lot of the juvenile moneys and
mental health moneys come through the state, but they're
federal moneys. Now, insofar as what could come direct to us
without coming through the state, I'm not certain of what
might be involved in that. But there's no question but what
we've got some mental health issues and -- in both of those
components. Of course, in the city, we've got the proposed
library expansion that they're talking about doing. Got
downtown revitalization, which I think the City's vitally
interested in. That would be something that would be high on
their list, I'm sure. Information technology, both from
security -- from a security standpoint -- I suspect Homeland
Security moneys, still some of that out there. And also
weaving into that video teleconferencing. Does that surprise
you, Buster?
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I'm shocked that that came
up.
JUDGE TINLEY: I bet you are. And that could be
also not just the security issues, but also the
administration of justice.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: How are you talking about --
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I mean, if you're going after federal money, why don't you go
after and link all those counties up?
JUDGE TINLEY: That -- that would be -- of course,
we're looking at it from -- from the Kerr County aspect, but
-- and we're -- we're making some inroads on it. We're
getting another hookup that is going to be used in
conjunction with the one that Judge Brown is using, and it'll
also be a backup unit for the other courts to use if they
choose. They can do that, say, just between here and the
jail, for example, which does have some security components.
We're not transporting those prisoners back and forth, the
personnel issues that get involved, and the contraband issues
with -- with the courthouse and so forth. Let me see what
else I've got here. I think virtually everything else has
been rolled into one list or another at this point.
MS. LAVENDER: Your windows? Courthouse windows?
JUDGE TINLEY: I don't know that we can get that
one in there. We've already got the money set aside for
that.
MS. LAVENDER: Oh, have you?
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Creation of a Camp Verde
historic area. I mean, that's going to take some money, not
a huge amount, but that's the kind of thing -- I think
there's probably federal funds available to do that, to make
it more of a visitor-friendly type environment. I think
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that's pretty workable there. And something else, brush
control, clearing cedar. I know Buster would like that. And
also spreader dams, cachement dams, things of that nature.
Both of those come under the NRCS, but, you know, they come
under -- you know, that's federal money, and I don't know how
it's allocated, but if more can be allocated to Kerr County,
it would help. That's pretty short dollars right now trying
to get hold of that.
JUDGE TINLEY: I know under the -- the cedar
eradication program, why, the Guadalupe Basin was not in your
-- you recall we had a presentation from a gentleman down in
Comfort that there wasn't a lot of money that went to
Gillespie County or some of the these other counties, but
there was some money, and it got gobbled up pretty quick.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yeah. That was mostly state,
but it could have been pass-through.
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I have no idea. You know, a
lot of that, you think it's state, but it really isn't.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, yes, so much of it is a -- a
block grant.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I guess the other thing -- I'm
not sure what's available, but on that whole economic
improvement development horizon, I mean, if there's funds
available for -- to try to attract businesses or things,
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maybe -- and the airport's probably a pretty good point. I'm
not sure, because it was -- some of the problems that went
along with the major -- I guess our major tenant out there
has, there may be some opportunities to do something with
that huge facility.
JUDGE TINLEY: I think if they don't want to prop
up the automobile industry, maybe they want to do it with the
general aviation industry, aircraft.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: May be some funds available to
-- if they don't make it, to do something different.
MS. HYDE: U.S.A. Motors.
JUDGE TINLEY: Ms. Lavender, did you have anything
that comes to your mind that hasn't been mentioned
previously?
MS. LAVENDER: The only thing I've gotten phone
calls about several times is people inquiring whether we had
any kind of County-funded housing money for low-cost housing.
Because there's -- there's several programs that could
benefit from that.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: I really wish there was some
way for the feds to funnel some money through the -- into
Habitat for Humanity. You know, that's kind of a
self-sustaining program, from what I understand. Imagine
what they could do if they were funded.
MS. LAVENDER: Actually, we're getting into what's
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called the Bootstrap program, and it is some money that's
going to help us quite a bit. We're in the process of
getting qualified to do that, and then families have to be
qualified for the program. But it could mean a significant
difference in funding for us if we can get qualified and into
that program.
JUDGE TINLEY: Ms. Lyle? Ms. Bolin?
MS. BOLIN: I just have a question. I'm not sure
what stuff the federal funding will cover, but one of the
things that is -- I spoke to Judge Ragsdale about it last
night, was the possibility of coming to the Court to get a
larger building for Ingram annex. And I'm wondering if it
wouldn't be feasible for the County to purchase a small lot
and build their own, so that it's self-maintained. And I'm
to the point I could use two people out there at least 10
days a week -- I mean 10 days a month. (Laughter.) Feels
like 10 days a week this week. Is that something that --
MS. LAVENDER: It's a population growth issue.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Let's add it on. Let's add
it on the list.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: What do we call that thing?
I Annex?
MS. BOLIN: Mm-hmm, the West Kerr County Annex.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: West Kerr County --
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MS. LAVENDER: Upgrade.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: And you want to include
J.P. 4 in it? I thought we'd get him a tent. Let him --
MS. BOLIN: He said he would like to have a bigger
courtroom. I just would like to have space for two people to
function properly.
JUDGE TINLEY: Ms. Hyde? What's on your wish list
for Santa -- Federal Santa?
MS. LAVENDER: A shooting range. (Laughter.)
MS. HYDE: I'm not sure that this works either, but
is there any way that we could get some sort of indigent
health care place, like an emergency place that they could
go, rather than go to a hospital or a regional medical center
or something like that? Like a county --
JUDGE TINLEY: Health care business?
MS. HYDE: Like a county -- county-run --
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Clinic.
MS. HYDE: Where it became part of a county,
versus -- maybe not.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Like the one that just
closed, only county -- county-operated?
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: With the kind of money we're
spending -- she and I talked about it a little bit the other
day. The kind of money we're putting out on indigent health
care, you know, what would be the possibility of having a
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county-sponsored clinic, where you had staff that was
actually --
MS. HYDE: Is that more like a district -- you'd
have to district that in order for the county to get more
federal funding towards -- towards programs, and state
funding?
JUDGE TINLEY: Honest answer is, I don't know. I
can see -- I can see a lot of open-ended monetary issues
there, though. And --
MS. LAVENDER: A public clinic is what you're
trying to talk about. Is that what you're talking about?
~', JUDGE TINLEY: Certification issues, quite a number
of things. The money we're spending on indigent health care
is coming down.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: That would be wonderful if it
can.
JUDGE TINLEY: It is happening.
MS. LAVENDER: It is happening as we speak.
JUDGE TINLEY: And we're getting recoupments.
MS. LAVENDER: For what we paid out. I think, in
that line, you need to -- besides the public health clinic,
you also need to put family planning in that umbrella,
because right now there are no family planning clinics in
Kerr County.
MS. HYDE: Right.
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MS. LAVENDER: And anybody that needs it has to go
to Gillespie County to get that service.
MS. HYDE: Right.
MS. LAVENDER: It's not available any longer. And,
so, if we're going to go for federal money for a health
clinic, we need to include a component in it that provides
family planning.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Does that include abortion?
MS. LAVENDER: No, I wouldn't think that would be a
part of it.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I mean, we laugh about that,
but that's exactly what family planning means.
MS. LAVENDER: Well, not necessarily.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: On the federal level, are
you kidding me?
MS. LAVENDER: Yeah. More -- well, you make your
own rules to a degree, but there's probably some guidelines
with the federal government tied to the money, so I don't
know. You just have to look and see.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: If you go to a federal
family planning -- like in San Antonio, if you pulled into
one of those, what is the first thing they're going to talk
about? That's what they have on their mind. That's what
that little building's for.
MS. LAVENDER: But it does more than that. Just --
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COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I understand.
MS. LAVENDER: There's quite a bit more to family
planning than just abortion.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I agree.
JUDGE TINLEY: I'm listening.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: You've come up with about 20,
30 million dollars worth of stuff real quick, maybe
II 40 million.
i COMMISSIONER LETZ: Forty, maybe pushing 50.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: We just went over 50.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Do I hear 60?
JUDGE TINLEY: There was something indicated in
jest about a shooting range. You know, with our Olympic
training site out here and the economic development potential
of that facility, I see that as -- as something that might be
worth pursuing. You know, whether it be by virtue of the
Olympics aspect, or -- or law enforcement training, or from
other angles, to try and enhance that facility out there.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Increased gun sales.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Might even put a shop in out
there.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: You mean like --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: One of the things that would
help that facility a lot, in my mind, is some landscaping. I
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think it would help a lot of the sound problems that they
have if they had some trees in some of those areas, and it's
more a sound buffer. We can do it with landscaping. And
it's a low priority, I'm sure, for Jack and his folks out
there, because it's something that's not a --
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Pile up some cedar.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Caliche.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Both.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: You mean build something
like that -- like a Thunder Ranch deal? Training -- law
enforcement training?
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, I think the -- I think it's
already being utilized for that. I think not -- not with all
of the various closed courses, the combat -- the built-up
buildings like the courses at the G.I. installations, but --
but I can see where that might have some law enforcement
components for training.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Yeah, I do too.
JUDGE TINLEY: But I think the -- the biggest
potential it has for Kerr County is -- is an economic engine.
That thing generates a lot of money to the local economy when
those folks come in from out of town and do those big shoots.
They spend a lot of money here locally. A lot of money's put
in circulation, and it's quantifiable. But how you -- how
you -- how you funnel the money in, and the justification for
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it, and how you structure it so that it's doable is another
thing.
MS. H~'DE: The only other one, Judge, was about the
V.A. Is there any way that we could piggy-back in the county
with our V.A. here? Because it seems like our V.A. continues
to get smaller, and we have a large building and large
property that could be really utilized, because the next
V.A., as you're well aware of, and most of y'all are, is,
like, out in New Mexico or something. You have to go all the
way to New Mexico. So, those guys in west Texas can't even
come here. If it reopened here, some of them could come back
here and bring money back into the economy.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, there was one concept that I
talked to Senator Hutchison about. You know, she got that --
one of those -- I think it was one of four or five Level 1
trauma centers for San Antonio, headquartered out of South
Texas V.A. there for those returning Iraqi and Afghanistan
II veterans, and they're focusing on those closed-head injuries
now that they can do the real exotic medical treatment down
there, and use this for more of a rehabilitative-type
i situation. It's a less stressful environment. We've got the
i
-- we got the capacity here --
MS. HYDE: Yes, sir.
JUDGE TINLEY: -- we're not using.
~ MS. HYDE: Yes, sir.
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JUDGE TINLEY: But it would take some staffing.
Now, we've lost out to -- to Audie Murphy because of the
politics.
MS. HYDE: Right.
JUDGE TINLEY: But now that Gil Coronado's gone, --
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Thank God.
JUDGE TINLEY: -- we have a shot at something.
But --
MS. HYDE: I didn't know if that could be
piggy-backed in somehow.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, I think it could be. I
believe the appropriations for that -- and it was in place
when they announced it a year ago. September, I believe it
was, 66, 67 million bucks for that -- for that trauma center.
But the -- the more repetitive aspects that didn't take the
highly technical equipment and so forth, I think, could come
up here with the therapists and that sort of thing. And I
think that could be a pretty good -- pretty good draw with
the community in terms of employment and -- because those are
better paying jobs. They're not low-end service jobs. But,
basically, what we're talking about is just utilization of
our existing V.A. Hospital facility that is underutilized.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Beautiful spot, beautiful
building. I'm sure it needs some renovation, but -- it's
probably dated inside.
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COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Nothing has been spent on it
in the last 20 years.
JUDGE TINLEY: If they need more, they can always
come downtown, right?
(Whispered discussion off the record.)
MS. LAVENDER: Public clinic in there, too.
MS. HARGIS: I don't know if you mentioned the
jail, but, you know, when you have to expand it, I don't know
if there's any federal money for expansion of that facility
or not, but it would be one way for us to not pay that. And
', I assume you talked about all the roads and bridges and --
'cause the infrastructure --
COMMISSIONER LETZ: We talked about some
specifically. I mean, there's -- our bridges are in pretty
good shape, or will be after the current TexDOT plan. Now,
there may be -- I guess a lot of those are probably federal
pass-through funds, too, and trying to get them while we're
on the TexDOT plan, getting them unjammed from Washington,
would help in getting the projects completed.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: There's some now -- we were
told we were going to get that off-system bridge money, but I
think that's kind of been put on the back burner. Haven't
heard another word out of Mike about any of those off-system
bridges being done.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Heard about one of them, the
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first one that was brought up. He wasn't sure why. It was
the Lazy Valley at Cypress Creek, but then I hadn't heard.
That was about two months ago. He said let's meet, and we
haven't met yet.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Yeah.
JUDGE TINLEY: Well, Mike's a pretty busy boy right
now.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Mike doesn't have time to
turn around and go the other way.
JUDGE TINLEY: I think you're keeping him going
pretty strong, and the Lemos thing's got him -- he's trying
to finish up Sidney Baker and he's trying to do this -- what
is it, 1341 extension, to tie it into Holdsworth. And he
told me yesterday he was going to be bringing his boss up
here from San Antonio so we could talk about some of these
transportation priority issues. I said bring him on.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: Send him down.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah. Okay, folks. What else we
got? Nobody else got a Christmas list, huh?
COMMISSIONER LETZ: I think the -- I guess here is
one that I'm surprised Commissioner Williams didn't put it on
here. We obviously have a lot of rock quarries between here
and Center Point, and actually all the way down to Comfort.
He had come up with the idea of putting some off-channel
reservoirs, and surface water during high-flow periods, to
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store water in those, line them and make reservoirs out of
them. And the hole's there; you don't have to move the dirt.
And it's a -- you know, once the -- once they're done mining,
not a whole lot to do with it. Just big holes.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: All you got to do is cut a
diversion channel, come up. When the flood reaches a certain
height, it funnels part of that water in there.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Mm-hmm. And it can also -- you
can use it for flood control, you know, the flooding
downstream. It could be a way to --
MS. BOLIN: You could stock it with catfish so we
could go fishing.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yeah, stock it with catfish so
we can go fishing. We can spend another -- we can -- that's
a quick 20 million right there.
MS. BOLIN: I have one question. Nadene and I have
been talking about the election equipment, and with this last
election, we could have used two eSlates in several of our
precincts, but we didn't have them. And we had two backups.
One of them wound up not working, and we had to use the other
one in a precinct. If we did not -- if one of the other
precincts would have gone down, we'd have been S.O.L. on
that. Is there any way that we can put into this for --
JUDGE TINLEY: Election equipment?
MS. BOLIN: Yeah.
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COMMISSIONER LETZ: Is --
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: How much is that stuff? What
does it cost?
MS. BOLIN: You know, I honestly don't know.
Nadene's going to check on it, because I was going to bring
it to the Court after the first of the year.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah, we got --
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: A whole bunch of it.
JUDGE TINLEY: $300,000, we got 24 of those units,
plus a whole bunch more related equipment, so we're not
talking about a lot of money there.
COMMISSIONER OEHLER: She just needs a couple of
extra ones.
JUDGE TINLEY: Yeah. Talking about probably 14
grand a piece or something like that. Okay. Well, let's
everybody go write their letter to Santa Claus, and we'll
bring it before Christmas.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Who's going to be here for the
-- from the Normandy Group?
JUDGE TINLEY: I think the former Congressman is
planning on being here.
COMMISSIONER LETZ: Good.
MS. BOLIN: Is there something that we need to do?
JUDGE TINLEY: Pardon?
MS. BOLIN: Is there something we need to do, other
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than let y'all know our wish list?
JUDGE TINLEY: No, that's probably pretty much it.
MS. BOLIN: Okay.
JUDGE TINLEY: Unless -- unless you know how to
trace these trails of money up in Washington. You think it
belongs over here, but the money's actually over here
sometimes. And --
MS. BOLIN: Well, just don't fly your private jet
up there to ask for money.
JUDGE TINLEY: Didn't intend to. Last time I went,
I didn't do that. But I -- I didn't drive and share driving
duties with the other folks that went.
COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Can't figure out how to get
the thing started anyway.
JUDGE TINLEY: Okay. Well, let's fold it up, then.
Thank you.
(Workshop was adjourned at 2:18 p.m.)
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28
STATE OF TEXAS ~
COUNTY OF KERR ~
The above and foregoing is a true and complete
transcription of my stenotype notes taken in my capacity as
County Clerk of the Commissioners Court of Kerr County,
Texas, at the time and place heretofore set forth.
DATED at Kerrville, Texas, this 17th day of December,
2008.
JANNETT PIEPER, Kerr County Clerk
B Y . __ _ r±~~1Z1~
Kathy B~ ik, Deputy County Clerk
Certified Shorthand Reporter
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