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Weekly hillcountryweekly.com
BERGHEIM • BOERNE • COMFORT • FAIR OAKS • KENDALIA • SISTERDALE • WARING • WELFARE
Christina Ryrholm Hill Country Weekly On Monday commissioners court held their first meeting of the month dealing with seventeen agenda items in 45 minutes. While the judge was in the courtroom sitting behind the recently installed plastic shields, the four commissioners attended via zoom. There were about 25 other participants listening and watching the same way. The update of the Business Grant Phase II was not on the agenda but Richard Chapman confirmed the information. At a previous meeting the commissioners voted to award up to an additional $150,000 to businesses located within the county that did not receive money in the first round but who have been aversely effected by the COVID pandemic. Applications may be filed though 5 p.m. November 23 and the recipients will be announced at the December 14 meeting. The Committee Review will
Thursday, November 12
NOVEMBER 9 MEETING
Commissioners Court Commissioners to award a second round of business grant money occur between November 30 and December 4. In Phase I $194,000 was given to twenty-five county businesses in amounts ranging from $3,600 to $15,000 with an average of around $8,000. For more information and the application go to the Kendall County home page and scroll down to the Kendall County Business Grant (KCBG). For several weeks the court has been working with our State Representative Kyle Biedermann and State Senator Donna Campbell for the wording on a resolution of requests that they would like to have considered in the next legislative session. Managing subdivision development with authority over setbacks and incompatible land use, control over lot sizes that will effect density, the ability to assess impact fees and the authority to regulate “Dark Sky” rules are the primary concerns. One of the agenda items was to “discuss the County Commissioners authority over
hiring and budgetary matters concerning elected officials and departments”. According to General Counsel Bill Ballard he had been tasked to research and report back on this topic. In the past if an employee had been hired with a salary lower than the amount set aside, at times the difference in funds had been used to increase other employees pay within the same department. However, this practice then starts that employee at a higher salary the next budget, along with any other expenses for benefits, retirement and so forth. In looking for clarity Ballard told the court that they had the authority to reduce the salaries of employees at any time but those for elected officials could only be dealt with during the budget process. Don Durden emphasized that it was still possible that the court would approve any such request to use moneys available by this scenario but that it was
important for the court to know what is going on. Ballard indicated that there was already a form that should be used in this situation, known as a Personal Action Form. He closed with “Commissioners Court set the salaries of elected officials and their employees, no one else does”. Ultimately there was no action taken and the item will come before the court at a later date. Other action the court • Reinstated the Burn Ban • Approved minutes, budget amendments, accounts payable, donations and a list of surplus and salvage property • Agreed to close KC Solid Waste at Comfort and Spanish Pass the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Christmas • Approved ADT/Protection 1 Alarm Installation and Monitoring Agreement for the county IT facility • Approved a safer and more comfortable shirt for Road and Bridge employees
• Agreed to hire Kimley Horn to develop and train staff on a rough proportionality sheet, to aid staff in determining the amount of money a developer must contribute, for not more than $30,000 • To allow the Sheriff’s office to lease, rather than purchase, 29 Apple iPads at a 20% discount • Re-appointed Don Edmundson as the county’s representative to the KC Appraisal Board of Directors for 2021- 2022
General Counsel Bill Ballard
