NEWS
Tensions rise as county VSO asks court to rescind assistant VSO appointment
By BARBARA GREEN, [email protected]
The battle over trying to increase county “secretarial staff” pay appeared to be over as the Montague County Commissioner’s adopted the 2021 budget without increasing those five positions, but it moved to a different front as one supervisor asked to have his assistant’s appointment rescinded.
Tensions rose Monday morning as Veteran’s Service Officer Colm Murphy made the request to a less than receptive court. Several years ago the court provided five reduced rate secretarial staff positions in lieu of funding a full-time person. In some instances the office part-time person moved up to this position.
During this year’s budget process several officials asked the position be moved up by $18,200 to be a full deputy due to expanded responsibilities. Tax Assessor Kathy Phillips and Murphy both made pitches in their budgets requests, and they were backed by County Clerk Glenda Henson and District Clerk Lesia Darden, who also have similar jobs in their offices. All of them indicated the jobs have evolved to involve much more than their original description.
In the VSO office, last fall Murphy asked to send this office assistant to training that would allow her to become certified and to work as his assistant accessing veteran records and working with the Veterans’ Administration. He asked the court to rescind her appointment as assistance VSO if she was not going to be compensated accordingly.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
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Montague County Commissioners wrapped up a few items before the end of the year as they met on Dec. 23.
Grant Coordinator Charley Lanier asked the court to go ahead and obligate $276,961.84 from the American Rescue Funds to complete the new wastewater treatment plant that will serve the courthouse complex.
He explained Dec. 30 is the last date where grant funds can be obligated, and he did not expect any issues since this project had already been approved in court using ARPA funds, he called it a “safety net,” to avoid any problem and possible return of the funds to the federal government.
Montague County has about $276,961.84 in grant funds which has not been allocated.
The court gave approval on the request.
Lanier also asked the court to apply for a grant for a tire cutter. Funded through the Nortex Regional Planning Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the application will ask for $26,865 to purchase a larger gas-powered cutter on a trailer, which can be moved around for use. It would cut the larger tires into four pieces, which would be allowed into a landfill. Lanier said if the cutter comes through the county would need to obtain a permit for its use from TCEQ, which he added should not be an issue.
Commissioner Mark Murphey said he picks up more tires abandoned on the county roads than he disposes of at his own yard, adding he probably has 500 at his yard. The court gave approval to apply for this competitive grant.
The remainder of Monday’s brief meeting were year-end items. Bonds for the justice of the peace one, county clerk, county attorney, district attorney, sheriff, commissioner three and constable two were accepted.
A cooperative agreement with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the county was approved, along with a license and services agreement with Local Government Solutions to provide software for both justice of the peace officers. The county attorney’s Chapter 59 Asset Forfeiture report was presented with no new seizures or forfeiture.
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