County lifts burn ban after 11 weeks

The Polk County Commissioners Court approved lifting the burn ban during a special called meeting Friday.

“I’ve been in contact with Ricky Holbrook, our contact with the Texas Forest Service, and we discussed the weather patterns and the fact that conditions have improved considerably, so I recommend we lift it,” County Fire Marshal John Fugate recommended. County Emergency Management Coordinator Courtney Comstock agreed.

The county had been under a burn ban since July 19 due to the lack of rainfall and exceedingly dry conditions.

Regular meeting Tuesday

The Court will consider action regarding the bid for replacement of the driveway and creation of a new handicap parking and ramp at the Polk County Memorial Museum located at 514 W. Mill during the regular meeting of the Court at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

A request from the sheriff for a five-year service agreement with Motorola Solutions in the amount of $15,103.66 annually, to include the method of funding, will be discussed and considered.

The Court will consider approval of the 2024 county holiday schedule.

An offer to purchase the following tax foreclosure property, Lot 8 of Block 49 of Section 2 of Cedar Point (Cause No. T13-167) in Precinct 2, will be considered.

In personnel matters, the Court will consider approval of a personnel management system update; review and consider personnel action form requests submitted by department heads since the last meeting and review any authorized emergency hirings; and consider a request from the district attorney to add an investigator position, to be funded by the Rural Prosecutor’s Office salary assistance grant.

The Court will consider approval of fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024 budget revisions and amendments as presented by the county auditor’s office.

Items on the consent agenda include:

Approve minutes of the Sept. 21 and Sept. 26 meetings;

Approve schedules of bills;

Approve order designating surplus property;

Approve amendment to agreement with City of Livingston for LVFD firefighting services;

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Approve resolution supporting the grant application to the Deep East Texas Council of Governments for the fiscal year 2024 regional solid waste program;

Approve cadet training agreement and conditions of employment, as requested by the sheriff, to include reimbursement of TCOLE-related expenses;

Approve update to master street address guide;

Approval interlocal agreement between Polk County and Big Sandy ISD for the county’s provision of election equipment and services for the Nov. 7 election;

Ratify contract renewal with Appriss Inc. to provide a statewide automated victim notification service;

Approve orders designating regular terms for county court at law and justice courts for fiscal year 2024;

Approve Goodwin Lasiter & Strong to advertise and request bids for each American Rescue Plan Act water project, to be approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality;

Approve request from the sheriff for an asset forfeiture expenditure of seized property not to exceed $2,809.32 for K9 school training and lodging;

Receive and record listing of current members of Polk County safety committee; and

Approve renewal agreement with Integrated Data Services for county clerk’s imaging software maintenance for fiscal year 2024.