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Como Mayor Darla Henry sits alone in council chambers during the December meeting, as the other two members were not present. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
Fire department also discussed
Hopkins County | City Government
COMO — The City of Como’s police department may be operational in as little as a month, according to Public Safety Director Andy Lowen’s presentation to the city council on Tuesday night.
At the opening of the monthly meeting, Mayor Darla Henry was “joined by no one,” as council member Sam Smith was ill and council member Jerry Radley had recently been involved in an auto accident.
“It’s a good thing we don’t have anything to make a decision on,” Henry said.
After a prayer for Smith and Radley, she delivered previous minutes and financial reports.
City bank accounts showed an available balance of $282,008. The fire department currently holds $2466.88, Henry said, which is noted on bank statements as “small business.” The city has $14,929 in outgoing bills to be paid for December and “nothing is out of the ordinary there.” The city also published a list of all fire department expenditures, which is available for any citizen who asks, Henry said.
Water Operations Director Craig Vaughn was also not present, so Henry gave his report. Henry noted the city planned to change out locks as an extra safety measure at the wells, lift stations, county barn and wastewater treatment facility, as there had been “a little suspicious activity going on. … It’s like somebody’s down there messing. Might be someone had a key that never turned it in or figured out a way to get in.”
Henry said that as well as a property issue, it was a safety issue.
“There’s pits down there, and if anyone got in there, they could certainly trip and drown,” she said.
Henry and city secretary Mary Doss went to change locks immediately following the council session.
Lift stations are operating as normal and well No. 1 needs a pump anchor but should be completed by the end of the week, Henry said.
“Well No. 1 gives us the most trouble,” Henry said. “It makes off-colored water, which is not dangerous since it’s been testing good, but it’s hard for people to drink if it looks dirty. … We have got to keep that water fresh.”
Lowen presented his report.
“The status on the police department is: TCOLE [Texas Commission on Law Enforcement] was here today and did an on-site inspection. We could have the police department up and running just about by the first of the year,” he said. “It just really depends on the holiday schedule for the state of Texas, and we’re just waiting for the paperwork to be processed.”
The fire department met twice in the past week to go over their county contract, Lowen said. The county documents have been notarized and will make the Friday deadline, he said.
The fledgling department also reviewed their bylaws and will be distributed to members for input, he said. Both building and vehicle insurance have been paid, for which the county will reimburse the city, Lowen noted. Further trainings and health information privacy classes are upcoming, he said.
Lowen’s report also noted in the month of November officers had chased home eight dogs, assisted Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office in responding to a loud party on Smith Street and responded to an intoxicated individual causing a disturbance at Dollar General store.
Henry and Lowen discussed they would like to get a small dumpster for the fire department as well as wood and supplies to build cubicles for volunteer firefighters. Doss estimated a small dumpster might cost $100 per load, and Lowen stated he would meet with public works to discuss the placement of a dumpster.
After the installation of windows at the fire department, Henry stated she would like to review the windows’ cost and classify whether or not the city believed they were a public works budget item or a fire department budget item. Lowen also asked permission to buy backup batteries at a cost of approximately $180 per battery for fire vehicles so “we didn’t have to try to get a battery up and running if we was trying to fight a fire.” City maintenance supervisor Ted Joiner stated he thought he could purchase batteries for much cheaper, and he and Lowen agreed to investigate the cost of batteries.
The meeting concluded at approximately 6:05 p.m. with no further business.