Mineola Monitor (Mineola, Tex.), Vol. 141, No. 9, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Page: 8 of 16
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8A Mineola Monitor* Wednesday, March 2,2016
Mayor
From page 1A
erations outside of Tyler,
called him one day and
told him they were going
to put in an urgent care
facility in Mineola.
"So we will at least
have care on Saturdays,"
the mayor said. The com-
pany has ordered a new
x-ray machine and the
entity will promote the
facility on television.
"It's a huge deal, I think.
We've been trying to do
this for a long time."
It is expected to be open
within 90 days. Watkins
believes that a Mineola
facility will be an asset
to ETMC operations and
the facility will be an as-
set to Mineola.
He also announced that
he signed a five-year ex-
tension of the ambulance
contract with East Texas
Medical Services based
on the recommendation
of Fire Marshal David
Madsen, Police Chief
Chuck Bittner and Assis-
tant City Administrator
Mercy Rushing. With the
contract coming up for
renewal, the city had also
met with representatives
of Champion EMS.
"I think it's worth not-
ing," Watkins said, "be-
cause a lot of people get
misconstrued on this. We
pay ETMC about $37,500
a year. If you're inside the
city and you have health
insurance, that means
you pay nothing else, co-
pay wise. Between what
the dty has and your
insurance has, it should
equal out. If you do not
have insurance, then the
bill is reduced by 40 per-
cent."
"It is a benefit and it
is a benefit to everyone
inside the city," he said.
He said there had been a
couple of issues reported
by Madsen and Bittner,
"Nothing that couldn't
be worked through. We
now have established a
line of communication
with the people maybe
higher up the chain and
we feel confident that
what our concerns were
will be addressed. So,
that's a big deal."
He also reported that
the dty has been work-
ing on the building per-
mit process. He, Rushing
and Madsen have met
"and written reports are
now being given on in-
spections to the owners."
Tie said Madsen said that
a green copy is given if
they pass and they are
given a red copy if it fails.
Those copies are sup-
posed to indude what
causes the failure, what
is to be taken care of.
"And we're not supposed
to go back and change
... if there's five tilings
written down, we're not
going to go back on the
follow-up and say these
five things now become
10 things."
"That's to protect us
and to protect the con-
stituent. So everybody
should know." He said
that if someone goes to
him with a complaint
about the process, the
first thing he is going to
ask to see is their report.
He had been told
by a council member
that a friend had con-
tacted Lowe's and they
wouldn't come to Mine-
ola and put in a hot water
heater. He said a former
mayor also was told that.
The mayor said that any
complaints will be rout-
ed through the fire mar-
shal.
Also, he noted that
back in 2008 or 2009
there was a study done of
the water rates. "And the
recommendation of this
study was that rates go
up eight percent for five
years... running all the
way to 2017." That rate
would be compounded
each year.
He said the council
took action in 2009 and
2010 of eight percent,
nothing in 2011, in 2012
increased it 4.75 percent,
in 2013 it was 2.5 and in
2014, 2015 and 2016 zero
increases.
"Had we gone up on
the rates at the recom-
mended rate, just on
water, not including
wastewater because
wastewater charges are
based on the amount of
water used, we'd have
$320,000 more than what
we've got. We have a
negative fund balance in
our water utilities, once
we take out the peoples'
deposits - we've talked
about that - the $125,000.
I have asked myself
many times how did that
get to a negative number.
Because water and waste-
water stands on its own.
You can't borrow from
general fund to pay bills
over here and obviously
we've got infrastructure
being the wastewater
treatment plant, pump
stations, water lines, that
we have to issue bonds.
When they issue a bond,
they look at your ability
to pay that bond back.
And they don't look at
the general fund. They
look at the water utility
fund."
"I've heard the council
say many times that they
didn't want to encumber
future councils with de-
cisions that this council
made. Like leasing the
police vehicles instead
of purchasing. Well we
have encumbered the
citizens of Mineola by
not taking action in the
past."
He said he doesn't
know what the total lost
revenue would be, but if
wastewater was factored
in, it could be $600,000 to
$700,000.
"I know no one wants
to pay more, but I did
tell them the other night,
people are either going
to pay more, or we're
not going to have water.
That's the bottom line."
He acknowledges no one
wants to hear from con-
stituents "raising cane
because their water bills
gone up has," he said
with emphasis, "but it's
got to happen."
"There's no ifs, ands or
buts. We have to increase
rates to keep up. "
He also noted that the
dty spent $10,000 or
$15,000 for the 2008-2009
study, as well as a fol-
low-up in 2014 that was
$5,000. "And they said
this is what you've got
to do to get caught up.
We can see where it was
discussed in workshop.
But it never made it to
the council meeting to be
voted on. You've got to
think long-term. It's not
what we're doing today.
It's where is the dty go-
ing to be 20 years from
now, or five, 10,15 years.
And we've got to be sure
we're doing our part to-
day so people in the fu-
ture can do their part."
He said the annual au-
dit is being conducted
and auditors were arriv-
ing at 7 a.m. and staying
until 7 p.m. Three weeks
ago the auditors were at
dty hall and he visited
with them. He expects
to hear from them in the
next week or two. "They
don't tell you anything
other than they're just
verifying the numbers."
One of the biggest
matters of the night, the
mayor felt, was the doing
away with compensatory
time for dty department
heads. Watkins said the
practice had nearly bank-
rupted the dty.
He said he and Rush-
ing had met with them
in December and "they
agreed that they were
paid a salary and they
did not need comp time."
He asked each one what
they thought and as they
went around the table it
one noted they'd never
worked any place where
they got it, and that they
get paid to do a job.
"It is going away... that
will come up at our next
meeting." He said no one
would lose any compen-
satory time, and this is
only to do with the de-
partment heads who are
paid a salary and have
been allowed to accrue
comp time. "This does
not apply to hourly em-
ployees."
"Now they're paid to do
a job. And if that means
going to a dty council
meeting then that's part
of their job. But if they go
and spend three hours,
then they can take three
hours off," Watkins said.
"I just think it's a win-
win."
He has also met with
Dr. John Fuller for a cou-
ple of hours on the dvic
center splash park. After
that meeting there was a
joint meeting at dty hall
with Rushing, William
Crump who's over the
dty water department,
Bittner "because there's
going to be a lot of kids
over there, security con-
cerns," and Madsen. Ja-
son Henderson was there
representing the dvic
center and Ron Minatrea
the board.
"So they've been given
money to build this proj-
ect. But they want to do
more than just the splash
park. They want to build
a building, have a con-
cession stand that will
be open with bathrooms.
And so they're just ask-
ing for any help that we
could give. We are obvi-
ously going to work with
them any which way we
can as a dty to help get
this in. "
Among the items
which Watkins, who is
also serving as interim
dty administrator with
Rushing, reported was
receiving a letter from
the Meredith Founda-
tion. The foundation
awarded the dty's re-
quest for $100,000 in
operating funds with
$25,000 a quarter. They
also funded the request
for fire department gear
at $18,300, street repairs
of $34,000 and the mu-
seum operating funds
of $33,000. And a subse-
quent request of money
for the Wood County
Airport was awarded."
Watkins said he also
asked the retired public
works director, Johnny
McCoy, to come back be-
cause he has a lot of ex-
perience in such matters
and "Johnny gradously
came to the meeting and
said he'd be glad to help
when he's here."
He said there will be
some more meetings for
what will be a big park
with a lot of areas. The
water in the park will be
recycled and treated, like
in a swimming pool.
Also, he noted that
Ward 2 Alderman Kevin
White had asked for the
dty to work up a com-
prehensive list of any-
thing that the dty will
have to replace in the fu-
ture such as cars, tractors
of equipment. "So they
would send me this list
and say 'well, we're go-
ing to have to replace this
car or this tractor in three
years'... So we could put
it down and develop a
timeline of when we're
going to have to replace
things." It was discov-
ered the dty had seven
vehides on the liability
insurance that had been
sold in prior years and
never removed from the
insurance, "one vehicle
dating back to 1998."
Also, the dty "evidently
had two vehides that
had not been added that
were on the road. In the
past one person has been
the insurance contact,
now there will be three.
Watkins also sent a let-
ter of support for the Ark-
La-Tex Corridor Project.
He and Rushing met
with the group's leader
who was asking mayors
in towns with Amtrak
stops along the route to
give their support.
"They're trying to get
a train that's running be-
tween here and Atlanta,
Georgia. Which will ac-
tually put four trains a
day through Mineola
instead of two." He un-
derstands it will give two
trains daily to Shreveport
"which that's going to be
big with the casinos."
"I told them I'd support
them any which way I
could," he said. Those
letters were sent to gov-
ernors of Mississippi,
Louisiana and Texas.
"I'm absolutely in sup-
port of this. It would be
good for Mineola."
Additionally he and
Kyle Waggoner are
working on assisting the
dty cemetery in obtain-
ing a 501 (c)3 designation.
He also addressed in-
formation that came
from the state that there
was a complaint against
the city involving open
carry. It was a complaint
filed that had to do with
the Kacey Musgraves
concert. "I think every-
body assumed that it
was to do with the signs
on the building," he said.
The dty's attorney has
advised it was legal to
post the 30.06 and 30.07
(prohibiting concealed
and open carry of guns)
at entrances to dty hall
which also lead to where
municipal court and
elections are held. "We
had that thoroughly
checked out with the dty
attorney." The complaint
originated from the pro-
hibiting of weapons at
the nature preserve, dty
property, during the fun-
draising concert where
alcohol was served.
The mayor has also
been asked to contract
Union Padfic Railroad
about the train park that
the Landmark Commis-
sion has proposed west
of the pavilion on Front
Street. Since that time,
he has had other things
arise which he needs to
discuss with the railroad,
and has plans to meet
today with Union Pa-
dfic Railroad's director
of public affairs, Daniel
Harbeke. In addition to a
request for the train park,
there is some economic
development interest as
well.
A spotlight of the
month will begin in
March of an employee or
dty department. He has
asked for a list of peo-
ple and there will only
be one done a month. If
someone has hit a big an-
niversary with the dty, or
if they have done some-
thing good, "we're going
to get them up and give
them an appredation
plaque, tell them thank
you. I'm sure there's
some dty employees that
have never been to a dty
coundl meeting."
<Ifianff(You
nphe family of Lydia Pfister wishes to express our
A. deepest gratitude for your prayers, calls, cards, the
food, flowers and your support during her illness and
death. To everyone who has shown us kindness and
support, you have no idea of how much it has uplifted
us during this time when our hearts are hurting.
Vickie & David Oyer; Gene Rader & Johnnie Rader;
Doris & Jack Newman, Jeremy & Chris Brooke
and the entire family
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Newman, Doris. Mineola Monitor (Mineola, Tex.), Vol. 141, No. 9, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 2, 2016, newspaper, March 2, 2016; Mineola, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth899369/m1/8/?q=%22Places+-+United+States+-+Texas+-+Wood+County%22: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Mineola Memorial Library.