[Call Meeting to Order] [00:00:03] OKAY. GOOD MORNING. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CALL THE BUDGET WORKSHOP TO ORDER 26TH DAY OF JULY 2022 AT 11:00 A.M.. COULD I GET A MOTION TO 10:00 A.M.. SORRY WE'RE AN HOUR EARLY. COULD I GET A MOTION TO SKIP THE INVOCATION AND THE PLEDGE THIS MORNING? WE HAVE A MOTION, DO I HAVE A SECOND? ONE SECOND. WE HAVE MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE, AYE. OPPOSED HEARING NONE. MOTION CARRIES. ANNOUNCEMENTS. NO ANNOUNCEMENTS. CITIZENS COMMENTS. NO CITIZENS COMMENTS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS. [1. WORKSHOP: To Discuss all departmental request budget for FY 2023. ] BEEN A BUSY COUPLE OF WEEKS ON THE BUDGET. THE GOOD NEWS IS WE GOT THE FINAL ROW FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND THIS IS WITHOUT ADJUSTMENT FOR THE TAX RATE BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN ALL THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO CALCULATE THE TAX RATE. SO TAKE WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF AN EXTRA $2 MILLION BECAUSE AFTER WE APPLY ALL THE EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED, PROBABLY GOING TO BE LESS THAN THAT BECAUSE THE RATE IS GOING TO GO DOWN. WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RATE IS GOING TO BE AT THIS POINT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YALL'S PERMISSION. AND THEN WE, OF COURSE, HAVE THE ARPA MONEY AND WE HAVE ABOUT A MILLION OF LAST YEAR'S LEFT OVER AND THEN WE GOT THE $4.2 MILLION. I WOULD LIKE TO ALLOCATE SOME OF THAT AND I'LL KNOW MORE IN ABOUT A WEEK FOR THE EMERGENCY RADIO PROJECT THAT I'M GUESSING THAT'S GOING TO BE $3 OR $4 MILLION. AND THEN WITH THIS $2 MILLION EXTRA MILLION, PROBABLY SEVEN, I'M GUESSING, OR MAYBE $6, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT WE USE THAT FOR ROAD PROJECTS [INAUDIBLE] BUT THAT'S UP TO YOU GUYS. SO BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO ALLOCATING THAT, I WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT WE'VE DONE UP TILL NOW, CORRECTED AD VALOREM TAXES, WHICH I JUST DISCUSSED WITH YOU. WE TOOK THE ENGINEER OUT AS WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME. FOR NOW, WE REMOVED THE IT SALARIES AND FRINGE AND AND MOVED THAT TO OUTSIDE SERVICES TO PAY FOR BLUE LAYER. WE INCREASE THE AUTOPSY LINE ITEM, UNFORTUNATELY HAVE MORE AUTOPSIES AND THERE'S ONE THAT'S A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE OTHER, BUT THE JOBS PREFER THAT AT ALL. SO ANY TRANSPORTS TO AUTOPSY [INAUDIBLE] TO THAT LINE ITEM AS WELL. SO THEY PREFER ONE OVER THE OTHER. IT'S A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT THEY GET THEM BACK MUCH QUICKER, WHICH EXPEDITES THE WHOLE JUDICIAL PROCESS, OBVIOUSLY. SO I'M OKAY WITH THAT IF YOU ARE. STILL WORKING ON CCAD PAPERWORK REGARDING THE TAX RATE, SO THAT $10 MILLION WILL OBVIOUSLY GO DOWN ONCE THE RATES ADJUSTED. I JUST DON'T HAVE ANY WAY OF BEING ABLE TO GIVE YOU AN ACCURATE NUMBER RIGHT NOW, AND THERE'S NO OTHER CHANGES TO THE SALARIES . DEPARTMENTS THAT WE'VE APPROVED NEW EMPLOYEES FOR THUS FAR. TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR MOVING PART TIME TO FULL TIME AND ADDING ONE NEW EMPLOYEE COUNTY COURT AT LAW. WE'VE APPROVED AN ADMIN ASSISTANT, ALTHOUGH WHEN WE DISCUSSED THAT LAST TIME WE DISCUSSED ONE SECTION OF THE STATUTE THAT SAID SHE COULD DO THAT AND WE JUST HAD TO APPROVE THE SALARY. WELL, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE SAYS SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT AND I'LL HAVE TO LOOK UP THE EXACT CODE NUMBER UNLESS YOU KNOW IT OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD CHASE. BUT IT ACTUALLY SAYS WE HAVE TO APPROVE BOTH THE PERMISSION AND THE SALARY AND THAT THAT'S THE ONE THAT TAKES PRECEDENCE. SO I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO TO BE AWARE OF THAT. PRECINCT FOUR WE APPROVED A NEW DEPUTY BECAUSE DUE WAS DUE TO ISSUES IN PRECINCT TWO AND THEY'VE ALSO BEEN HELPING OUT WITH RIVER PATROL. THEY ARE [INAUDIBLE] AND RAY SANDERS ARE SPREAD EXTREMELY THIN. SO WE APPROVED THE NEW POSITION FOR THEM. CONSTABLE ONE SANDERS IS GOING TO FULL TIME FROM PART TIME. WE APPROVED ONE NEW CUSTODIAN FOR BUILDING MAINTENANCE. WE APPROVED FULL TIME EMPLOYEE IN THE ELECTIONS OFFICE. AND THAT IS BECAUSE, AS YOU'RE PROBABLY AWARE, THE NEW ELECTION LAWS HAVE DUMPED AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK ON THAT OFFICE, MUCH MORE [00:05:01] THAN THEY'VE HAD TO DO IN THE PAST. AND WE'VE ALSO TAKEN ON SOME OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE'RE RUNNING ELECTIONS FOR. SO WE'VE ADDED THAT IN. AND SO FAR THAT'S BEEN APPROVED. THAT'S BEEN IN THERE FOR SOME TIME. THIS JUST KIND OF A REVIEW. AND A RADIO SYSTEM WE NEED TO INCREASE BY 10% TO COVER THAT'S JUST FOR OUR PORTION OF THE RADIO. NOW, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THIS, AND WE'VE ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION WITH THE MICROWAVE TOWERS ON THE RADIO, ON THE RADIOS, WE HAD TO DO SOME MODEMS. WE WERE TOLD THAT THAT WAS GOING TO I BELIEVE YOU FORGOT ONE FOR THE DA'S OFFICE, TOO. OH, THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT AN ATTORNEY FOR THE DA'S OFFICE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NINE [INAUDIBLE] THEY HAVE NINE MURDER CASES GOING RIGHT NOW. AND HE SAYS THAT'S LIKE BEETLEJUICE AND CALLS THE NEW ONE INTO EXISTENCE. SO HE DIDN'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S THEIRS. AND FRED AND AMANDA ARE PRETTY MUCH DOING THOSE BY THEMSELVES. SO THEY DESPERATELY NEED THE HELP. AND THAT'S BEEN IN THERE FOR SOME TIME. ON THE RADIOS WE WE WERE TOLD THAT BY ADDING THESE MODEMS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY USING, BECAUSE THE MICROWAVES WON'T GO ON THE TOWERS, BECAUSE THE TOWERS ARE IN SUCH DISREPAIR AND THAT YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THOSE ISSUES, THERE'S GOING TO BE A COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS TO BRING THOSE ONLINE. WHAT WE WERE NOT TOLD WAS THAT IT WAS GOING TO DOUBLE OUR AT&T BILL FOR THE DATA USAGE ON THOSE. SO THEN WE GET TO EXPLORING WHAT ALL THESE LINES ARE, AND IT TURNS OUT LOTS OF THOSE LINES DON'T EVEN GO TO THE COUNTY DISPATCH. THEY'RE CITY DISPATCH LINES THAT WE'VE BEEN PAYING FOR FOR YEARS. SO I'M GOING TO HAVE A MEETING WITH THE CITY HERE VERY SOON TO DISCUSS THEM TAKING THEIR PORTION OF THAT BILL. IF IF WE WERE TO CONTINUE PAYING THAT BILL, IT WOULD BE OVER A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. SO OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T SUSTAIN THAT. HOPEFULLY WHEN WE GET THE NEW RADIO TOWERS ONLINE, THOSE MODEMS WILL JUST GO COMPLETELY AWAY AND THAT THEN THAT BILL WILL GET BACK TO NORMAL. BUT WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CITY TAKING OVER THEIR PORTION OF THOSE LINES. I HAVE NOT DONE THAT YET. IT'S A LARGE PORTION. JUST TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, THE AMOUNT, IF WE WERE TO PAY IT, WHAT IT IS NOW WITH THE CITY INCLUDED, IT'D BE $575,000 A YEAR. IF WE ONLY PAY FOR OURS, IT WOULD ONLY BE $100,000 A YEAR. YEAH. YEAH. AND THAT'S APPARENTLY BEEN GOING ON. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A TIME WHEN THEY WERE DIVVIED UP AND THEN DUE TO ADMINISTRATION CHANGE, SOMEHOW THAT FELL BETWEEN THE CRACKS AND A LOT OF THE JUDGE DO WHATEVER HE KNOWS. BUT I JUST THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR SINCE WE PAY OUR PORTION OF THE RADIO BILL THAT THEY SHOULD PAY THEIR PORTION OF THE LINES. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION VERY SOON, AND THEN I'LL BRING THAT BACK TO Y'ALL. CONTINGENCY, I'M GOING TO PUT $500,000 IN THERE SINCE WE HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY. HOPEFULLY WE WON'T USE THAT. BUT IT'S BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY, ESPECIALLY IF WE GET IN KIND OF EMERGENCY IN OUR FUND BALANCES UP. SO I THINK WE'RE IN VERY HEALTHY SHAPE AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO ABSORB ANY SORT OF NATURAL DISASTER OR EMERGENCY AND THEN RECOUP FROM FEMA. SO WE'RE IN GREAT POSITION THERE. SO THOSE ARE THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF A JUST A ROUGH OUTLINE OF THE CHANGES TO THE BUDGET YEAR OVER YEAR. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO GET Y'ALL'S DIRECTION ON, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST CALL IT A MILLION AND A HALF BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO GO DOWN FROM $2 MILLION. HOW YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS. THEY ARE EXTRA AND AND WE HAVE SOME ROOM. I KNOW THAT DONALD IS IN NEED OF AT LEAST ONE, IF NOT TWO DUMP TRUCKS AND WHAT DONALD DO YOU MIND COMING UP AND KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE THE LIST OF EQUIPMENT STARTING FROM WHAT YOU NEED THE MOST TO WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE. WE WERE LOOKING AT FOUR DUMP TRUCKS TANDEMS TO REPLACE THE OLDER TRUCKS. THAT ONE OF THEM IS DOWN. WE CAN'T GET PARTS FOR IT. IT'S SO OLD. AND THEN A COUPLE OTHER ONES ARE PRETTY WELL SHOT AND THAT'LL HELP OUT IN OUR STEEL CODING OPERATIONS. A COUPLE MORE WATER TRUCKS, A COUPLE OF THE OLDER WATER TRUCKS WE'RE HAVING ISSUES WITH THEM. [00:10:01] THEN WE WERE LOOKING AT TWO TRACTORS TO ONE TO REPLACE ON THE BELLY DUMPS, 44 I JUST MAKING SURE WE WERE CLEAR THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. YEAH. THE TRACTOR FOR THE AND THEN ONE TO PUT UNDERNEATH THE WHOLE TRUCK. SO WE'RE NOT HAVING TO SWITCH THEM ALL THE TIME. WE NEED OUR ASKING FOR A LOADER FOR THE PIT. THE OLD ONE THAT'S BEEN DOWN THERE BEEN FOR A LONG TIME. AND THEN WE WERE KIND OF LOOKING AT TWO SMALLER MAINTAINERS TO DO LEVEL UPS BECAUSE THE ONES THAT WE HAVE ARE REALLY BIG FOR DOING LEVEL UPS. AND I THINK THAT WAS THE MAJOR LIST. YOU MENTIONED A BOW MAG MACHINE. YEAH. WHAT WHAT'S THE POTENTIAL FOR THAT? IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE ONE, BUT WE WE'VE GOT WHAT THEY CALL A TINKLER ON THE BACK OF TWO OF THE BLADES. AND SO ONCE WE [INAUDIBLE] FIRE IT BREAKS IT UP. IT ALMOST KIND OF DOES WITH THE BOW MAG DOES AND WE'VE BEEN HAVING PRETTY GOOD LUCK WITH RIPPING THEM UP AND TINKLING IT AND THEN ADDING A LITTLE MORE MATERIAL TO IT AND THEN BLADE THEM AND THEN GETTING THEM PREPPED AND READY FOR STEEL COAT. SO THIS LIST IS SORT OF IN ORDER OF NEED. YEAH. THE DUMP TRUCKS, THE TANDEMS AND THEN THE WATER TRUCKS AND AND THE. DO YOU THINK THE TRACTOR IS MORE IMPORTANT OR DO YOU THINK YOU NEED THOSE SMALLER MAINTAINERS MORE? THE WELL, I MEAN, THOSE THE TWO TRACTORS FOR THE BELLY DUMPS WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT FARTHER DOWN. THE LOADER WOULD PROBABLY BE UP THERE WITH THE TRUCKS AND WATER TRUCKS. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, COMMISSIONERS, WE HAVE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT EQUIPMENT NEEDS. SO I WAS HOPING TO BE ABLE TO APPLY SOME, IF NOT MOST OF THAT MONEY TO GET THEM THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO HOPEFULLY IT'LL EXPEDITE OUR PAVING OPERATIONS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP ON THAT BECAUSE EVERY ROAD WE GET PAVED IS WAY LESS MAINTENANCE THAT WE HAVE DOWN THE ROAD. AND WE CAN'T DO IT IF WE DON'T HAVE EQUIPMENT. YEAH, WE NEED GOOD EQUIPMENT. AND YOU KNOW, ANYBODY THAT'S DONE ANYTHING, CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS DOWNTIME IS THE DEVIL. IT KILLS YOU. WELL, EVERYTHING GOES GOOD. NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE THE CHIP SEALS, TOMAHAWK AND THEN LITTON LANE FROM TOMAHAWK INTO LITTON. WE'RE WORKING ON ROGER'S RANCH RIGHT NOW. WE'VE GOT TO PUT A SECOND COAT ON PETTY TOWN AND BARTH, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO START WORKING ON PROBABLY MINERAL SPRINGS, DICKERSON, KIRK'S CORNER. I'D LIKE TO GET A PAVED ROAD FROM 1386 ALL THE WAY TO 304. YEAH, THAT'S HEAVILY TRAVELED. YEAH, IT'S A BIG SHORTCUT FOR PEOPLE COMING DOWN THROUGH THERE. SO A LOT OF THESE MAJOR CUT THROUGH BETWEEN STATE ROADS THAT. AND A LOT OF THEM, WE GOT A LOT OF GRAVEL ALREADY OUT THERE. IT'S JUST GOING TO LEAVE LITTLE TIME PROCESSING THE TOPS AND THEN GETTING THEM READY TO S TEEL COAT. SO. SO COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA AT THIS POINT WHAT OUR TAX RATE WILL BE? WELL, NO, BECAUSE I CAN GUESS THAT I HATE GUESSING AT IT BECAUSE I'M NEVER RIGHT. BUT IT'S GOING TO GO DOWN FOR SURE, BECAUSE OUR EVALUATIONS WENT UP A BIT. SO MORE THAN MORE THAN WE WERE EVEN ANTICIPATING. SO. SO I'M NOT REAL SURE, BUT I'M IT'S JUST A GUT FEELING THAT WE'RE GOING TO WIND UP AT A MILLION AND A HALF ISH MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE BUDGETED NOW. BUDGET IS BALANCED. IT WAS, YOU KNOW, AND THEN THAT'S EXTRA MONEY THAT WE CAN APPLY TO ROADS OR ROAD EQUIPMENT OR WHATEVER YOU GUYS BEING NECESSARY. IT'S THERE. AND I DON'T WANT TO JUST STICK SOMETHING IN THE BUDGET IF YOU GUYS HAVE OTHER DESIRES, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DONE WITH IT. SO DID EVERYBODY IN THEIR BUDGETS ALLOCATE ENOUGH EXTRA FOR FUEL FOR THE FUTURE THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT MAY HAPPEN? YEAH, WE ACTUALLY WHEN WE WERE DOING THE ALLOCATIONS, WE GUESSED MORE THAN WHERE WE ARE NOW, LIKE CLOSER [INAUDIBLE]. [00:15:05] SO YEAH, WE KIND OF GUESSED ABOVE FIVE AND THEY'RE COMING DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT WHO KNOWS? SO AND IF WE WIND UP WITH, WITH, YOU KNOW, IF THIS THING ENDS HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR AND WE HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY, THEN WE'LL WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IT GOES WITH COURT APPROVAL TO THINGS THAT IT NEEDS TO GO TO. SO I FULLY AGREE WITH KIND OF TENTATIVELY ALLOCATING THAT PER UNIT ROAD. I THINK THAT'S MORE THAN WARRANTED. THAT HELPS US OUT IN THE LONG TERM ON OUR PAVING RATE, SO TO SPEAK, AS FAR AS HOW MANY MILES OF ROAD THEY CAN GET DONE. AND I THINK THAT'S A THAT'S AN INVESTMENT THAT I THINK A LOT OF A LOT OF CITIZENS WOULD LIKE TO SEE. YEAH, I THINK SO JUST YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WE'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD TO THE SO FOR THE LAST ABOUT THREE YEARS IN A ROW, DONALD'S BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO TO WAIT HIS TURN. AND I THINK THIS YEAR IS HIS TURN. SO I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE INCREASE WAS THE FUEL FOR US, BUT ALSO TIRES. THEY'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH A LOT OF TIRES THIS YEAR. DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO BUMP THAT UP A LITTLE BIT OR DO YOU THINK WE'RE OKAY WITH WHERE WE PUT IT? THE FUEL? I MEAN, I WAS ESTIMATING, BUT LIKE I SAID, THEY WERE STILL GOING UP ON THE PRICES. SO AND I MEAN, I WAS LOOKING AT ABOUT $120,000 OVER BUDGET THIS YEAR. SO I MEAN, I MOVED THAT $50,000 OVER. BUT EVENTUALLY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE SOME MORE OVER. OKAY. WELL, WE'LL WE'LL SIT DOWN, VISIT AND MAKE SURE WE GET ENOUGH ALLOCATED FOR THAT, BECAUSE I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE A SHORT WHERE WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL CYCLE THAT WE SEEM TO BE IN RIGHT NOW. I DON'T LIKE DOING THAT. SO I'D RATHER I'D RATHER BUDGET PROPERLY UP FRONT. AND WE'RE AWARE THAT FUEL PRICES ARE HIGH AND PROBABLY GOING TO STAY THAT WAY A WHILE. SO HE DID GO UP ON HIS FUEL, BUT HE KEPT HIS TIRE BUDGET SO WE NEED TO RAISE THAT. IS IT AT 45 RIGHT NOW, 1000. SO WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, LIKE 55? WELL, I ESTIMATED THE OF THE BUDGET ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT $170,000 AND FOR TIME WOULD COVER IT. BUT I WAS LOOKING AT LIKE $290,000 FOR THIS YEAR FOR TIRES. YEAH. IF THEY STAY DOWN AND YEAH. WE MOVED THAT $45,000 FROM THE. WHAT WAS IT. I CAN'T REMEMBER. BRIDGE REPAIR. YEAH. I THINK BRIDGE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR. OKAY. WE'LL GO BACK AND LOOK, BUT WE'LL MAKE WE'LL WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO POST THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET THIS WEEK. SO WE MAY MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS LIKE THAT COMMISSIONERS. BUT THE MAIN THING I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THOSE ARPA FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR THE RADIO. THE MILLION BUCKS IS LEFT OVER. IT'S NOT FOR RADIOS, IT'S FOR WE CAN USE THAT FOR WHATEVER AS WE GO DOWN THE ROAD. WE'VE GOT SEVERAL YEARS THAT'S BEEN THAT. BUT THE OTHER $4.2, I THINK IT'S GOING TO WIND UP NO MATTER WHICH WAY WE JUMP, BE IT MOTOROLA AND [INAUDIBLE]. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO IT'S GOING TO TAKE MOST OF THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BUILD A COUPLE OF TOWERS AND HANG EQUIPMENT AND REPROGRAM. AND THE LIST GOES ON WITH ONE WITH THE OTHER. WHO KNOWS? WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE. BUT WE'RE WE'RE STILL TALKING AND EXPLORING OUR OPTIONS. AND BUT WE'RE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO COMING BACK TO COURT WITH A FINAL DECISION ON WHICH WAY WE'RE GOING TO GO ON THAT. SO AND THEN WE'LL JUST OBVIOUSLY NEED YALLS APPROVAL TO DO WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF MORE MEETINGS TO HAVE WITH EVERYONE BEFORE WE BEFORE I'M PREPARED TO COME BACK AND GIVE YOU THE RUNDOWN ON WHAT EACH EACH OPTION OFFERS AND THEN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION. UM, JUDGE, YOU HAD ASKED EARLIER. THE STATUTE FOR THE COUNTY COURT LAW. IT IS 25.010E. AND IT SAYS IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS THE JUDGE MAY APPOINT A COORDINATOR IF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS APPROVED THE CREATION OF THE POSITION. OKAY. SO, UH, THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THAT AND THE OTHER STATUTE THAT I HAD ORIGINALLY READ IS THAT THIS ONE WILL END UP CONTROLLING. SO THE COMMISSIONERS COURT BOTH SETS THE SALARY AND CREATES THE POSITION. JUST WANTED TO MAKE YALL AWARE OF THAT. JUDGE, I FULLY SUPPORT INVESTMENTS INTO THE UNIT ROAD SYSTEM. I'D ASK THOUGH, DONALD THE, YOU KNOW, GETTING MORE EQUIPMENT OR TRUCKS, THOSE KIND OF THINGS. [00:20:03] AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE GOAL WOULD BE TO TO INCREASE YOUR ABILITY TO [INAUDIBLE] PAVING AND REWORK THE ROADS ON OUR SYSTEM WITH YOUR CURRENT STAFF. DO YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO INCREASE WITH THIS EQUIPMENT INCREASE? YEAH. I MEAN, YEAH, WE COULD ALWAYS USE AN INCREASE IN PERSONNEL, BUT I'M DOWN TWO GUYS RIGHT NOW, SO I'M POSSIBLY HAVING ONE. BUT HE WAS GOING TO GO GET A PHYSICAL BUT GOT THE COVID SO WE CAN'T [INAUDIBLE]. OKAY. I GUESS ANOTHER WAY OF ASKING IT IS IF WE GET YOU AS MUCH OF THIS AS WE CAN, OBVIOUSLY A MILLION AND A HALF IS NOT GOING TO BUY ALL THIS. BUT WILL IT SPEED THINGS UP WITH YOUR CURRENT STAFF? YEAH. YEAH, IT WOULD. I MEAN, IT WOULD GIVE US MORE GUYS TO PLACE TO WHERE WE COULD HAVE GUYS STILL CODING A MAJORITY OF THE TIME. AND THAT YOU TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THAT, YOU KNOW, AS YOU GET WITH THE JUDGE ON THAT AND JUST SEE. YEAH, THE PROBLEM IS IS TRYING TO GET CDL DRIVERS. I MEAN, WE'RE NOT SAYING IS HE GOING TO WIND UP BEING A SITUATION LIKE WE HAD WITH SO WHERE WE GOT ALL THESE POSITIONS BUDGETED BUT NOBODY NOBODY COULD FILL THEM BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT EITHER, BECAUSE THEN WE JUST WIND UP SWEEPING MONEY INTO THE BALANCE. THAT DIDN'T HELP US. PLENTY OF WORKERS, BUT NOBODY TO DRIVE THE EQUIPMENT. YEAH, SO. OKAY, WELL, LET'S WE'LL SIT DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, COMMISSIONERS. WE'LL, WE'LL TURN IN THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET AS IT IS AND ALLOCATE THAT MONEY TO EQUIPMENT. AND AGAIN, IT'S JUST PRELIMINARY. WE'LL HAVE MORE WORKSHOPS AS WE GO FORWARD. IT'S A LONG WAY BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF SEPTEMBER, SO WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO WORK ON THIS. BUT JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR PERMISSION TO DO THAT AND THEN MOVE FORWARD SO WE CAN GET THIS THING POSTED BECAUSE WE'RE COMING UP ON OUR DUE DATE. AND WE'D LIKE TO THANK Y'ALL BECAUSE THAT THAT NEW CHIP SPREADER AND THAT DISTRIBUTOR IS DOING A PRETTY JOB. IT'S A LOT BETTER THAN THE OLD ONES. YEAH, THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. AND I ACTUALLY DID GO DOWN A COUPLE OF THE ROADS THAT Y'ALL DONE AND THEY'RE NICE. YEAH. SO LOTS OF GOOD FEEDBACK. YEAH, EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY THAT LIVES ON THOSE ROADS IS VERY HAPPY. THERE'S A COUPLE THAT CAN NOW CALL TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE SPEEDING BECAUSE THE ROADS ARE EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN DO. PUT UP SOME SIGNS AND PATROL A LITTLE, I GUESS. BUT I THANK YOU ALL TOO YOU'VE DONE A LOT WITH A LITTLE FOR MANY YEARS. AND SO IT'S YOUR TURN TO AND I THINK THAT OUR NUMBER ONE COMPLAINTS ARE NEED MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN OUR IN OUR ROADS. YOU KNOW THOSE THOSE TWO ITEMS THAT PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY WANT TO SEE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT. SO WE'RE FINALLY GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT. AND I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT AND THANKS TO THEM, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES PAYING FOR IT. SO. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? I GUESS WE'LL LOOK FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN THEN. SO WE HAVE TWO MOTIONS TO ADJOURN, DO WE HAVE A SECOND, AND 2 SECONDS. SO TAKE YOUR PICK. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE, AYE. OPPOSED HEARING NONE. MOTION CARRIES. WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 10:23. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.