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Limestone County commissioners made quick work of their agenda Tuesday, June 11, with most of their decisions pertaining to the Road and Bridge Department.
Regular attendees noticed agenda formatting changes and the commissioners’ use of laptop computers instead of paper agenda packet, a change explained by County Judge Richard Duncan.
“I want you to look at all these computers up here; we’ve gone to the digital world. It’s 2024, and primarily we’re trying to get it to where all our information is out to the public. I think it’s going to speed up the process for Shantell (Carrizales- our Executive Assistant) and she has done a lot of work on this. ”
After the meeting, Carrizales explained further that she has been working with a new software program to digitize agenda attachments so that a link can be added to the county website, granting citizens easy access to information that before had to be specifically requested. She said she is confident the link will be live by the first July meeting, if not sooner, and readers can expect details on how to sign up for email notifications when an agenda is posted in the near future.
Commissioners continued their discussion about the restrooms at Lake Limestone (Parks 2 and 3) from the last meeting, having received two quotes for maintenance and upkeep of the bathroom facilities.
While commissioners considered and compared proposals from Murphy Septic & Maintenance and D&M Septic, the disparity between prices gave them pause. The need for weekly cleaning of the restrooms, at least during the busy season, and demolition/replacement of the existing bathroom facilities were deemed top priorities, and the court decided to table the decision until the next meeting, so Duncan can clarify service details with each bidder for a more informed decision.
The purchase of a backhoe for the Road and Bridge Department was approved with little discussion, as Road and Bridge Administrator James Trantham stated it would allow his crews to get more work done in multiple locations. County Auditor Natasha Goodman confirmed sufficient funds for the purchase were available in the equipment line of the budget.
Commissioners also discussed a bridge on LCR 368, with Trantham summarizing the bridge had been closed in 2022 by the state, and the county rebuilt it as a flatcar bridge. In March, the state began designing and engineering a rebuild of the bridge for 2025,. Commissioners determined they should plan to close the bridge closer to 2025 in order to tear out the flatcar bridge for use elsewhere, as the state will fund and carry out the rebuild on LCR 368.
Rob Barthen of Grantworks provided some details about the 2025-2026 Community Development Fund, and the projects Limestone County could tackle if awarded the grant.
“Generally they just do water and sewer projects, but luckily for y’all, the COG’s (Council of Government) priority for this cycle includes street improvements. Right now, ’23-’24 was $500,000, and they are saying they are going to raise it possibly to $600,000 or $700,000. The county will have a 2% match; that’s roughly $10,000 to 14,000. There are guidelines and it isn’t a quick fix. It’s a two- to three-year process once the application is received.”
Barthen continued summarizing the guidelines, qualifications and processes associated with the grant, as well as the role Grantworks would play in the application process.
In other business, the court:
- Took no action on the county burn ban (it remains off at time of press);
- Approved the consent agenda; and
- Approved the monthly operation reports and safety report.
The next regular Commissioners' Court meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, in the county courthouse. The meetings are open to the public but also available for live-streaming or later playback on YouTube (search: Limestone County Commissioners Court)
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