Kosse Council Approves Tractor Purchase

Kosse City Council focused their efforts on choosing a new tractor for the Public Works Department at their meeting on Tuesday, July 9.
City Secretary Christina Lockhart and council discussed a few different tractor options, comparing brands and prices available in the $30,000-40,000 dollar range to replace the city’s current tractor, which is 17 years old and has more than 1600 hours on it.
Mayor Brooks Valls inquired about what they could get for the current tractor and Councilman Todd Freeman stated that he had a potential buyer but would need to nail down a price.
Public Works Director Charles Dickerson
stated “that tractor runs like a top” but the labor cost alone to fix the blown seal on the front transmission would run $1,500-$3,000.
The merits of gear-driven versus hydrostatic tractors and the various brands and warranties were compared and considered. Ultimately, the council approved the purchase of a Kubota for $35,000 from Normangee Tractor, to be paid with funds from the Water Reserve line.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, the Council heard from local Trish Roy, who voiced complaints about noisy and excessive fireworks usage in town around the Independence Day holiday.
“Our walls and windows shake, it’s almost something you would need to be notified about before it goes off,” said Roy. “We’ve never experienced any residential fireworks like that. Some are louder than others; I don’t know if we need to get somebody in there to measure that volume or what.”
Council opted to add the matter of the city fireworks ordinance to the agenda for the August meeting, for further discussion and action, if deemed necessary.
Lockhart explained a road closure request by Ronnie Funderburk, for two plotted roads on his property that have easements but are not open to the public. The road closure was approved with little discussion.
To close out the meeting, monthly operation reports were made for the following departments:

• Water department- Dickerson reported 1.2 million gallons produced in June with no major water leaks; some problems at the wastewater plant due to the 22 inches of rain received. A water inspection by TCEQ resulted in two minor violations, and Dickerson stated TCEQ won’t be back til 2027.
• Police Department- Police Chief Brett New reported 48 citations in May and 59 in June. He also noted a DUI arrest made by Sean O’Reilly.
• City & Municipal Court- Lockhart stated that the Kosse Community Health Clinic is behind schedule but exploring options for how to use extra funds as they complete the project. She also stated that the house on Myrtle Street that had been discussed for demolition has been purchased and they have plans to demolish it.
• EDC- nothing to report, meeting scheduled for August.
• Community Center- Valls reported the purchase of 30 new chairs and repair of a leak, with several ceiling tiles that will need to be replaced.
• Fire Department- Fire Chief Kendall Funderburk stated that call volume was down due to the wet summer so far, and reported the Homecoming Fundraiser as a huge success (“the biggest fundraiser we’ve ever had”). He also reported slow but steady progress with the development of the new fire station.

The next Kosse City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13 at 7 p.m., at Kosse City Hall.