Happenings in Milam County

In a typical week there are many things going on in Milam County, especially with the end of the legislative cycle going on in Austin. This week I felt like we could begin to use this article to better address some of the items that are going on so folks are better informed about the goings on in Milam County.

In the legislature, last week I made the trip to Austin to testify before the Senate Committee on Water, Agr iculture and Rural Affairs on a bill that Burleson County Judge Keith Schroeder and I worked on that was sponsored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Rep. Stan Gerdes that would allow the Post Oak Savannah GCD better utilize export fees collected to help both counties save taxpayers’ money. Currently, the use of these funds is fairly restricted, and this bill would provide avenues to use this money in a broader manner thereby helping to ease the burden on taxpayers.

We also met with our Sen. Charles Schwertner and Rep. Gerdes to discuss other items that are of concern to the folks of Milam County. Some of those items were the “Stop the Slop” issue, School Choice issues, reimbursements for jail residents housed for transport to mental health facilities, ICE detention, transport to other state facilities, and regulatory use of industrial properties in the unincorporated areas of the counties to name a few. These are always important conversations so that our legislators know we are concerned and involved in the process on issues that affect Milam County residents.

Monday night I spoke at the Rockdale City Council meeting, providing them with an update for improving usage of The HOP in Milam County. I have had several meetings with Hill Country Transit District (HCTD) personnel and with some of the new industrial developers in the county about helping to offset the costs of riding The HOP and we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. It is my hope to have a micro-transit bus in Rockdale to go along with the one in Cameron.

Last year, when the board of directors of the HCTD approved the current format, our representative on that board, Commissioner Henry Hubnik, voted against the current set up as we believed that this would hurt the ridership in the county and not live up to the stated goals of the HCTD of providing transportation to those able to use The HOP and we were right. As a result, the HCTD is reviewing their set-up and working to make changes to fix this situation. Commissioners Hubnik, Denman, and I are also working with businesses coming into the county to help with this funding as part of their public service goals in the community.

This week in Commissioners’ Court we amended the Subdivision Regulations to better regulate the use of individual water wells in new subdivisions, create fire-fighting provisions in the new subdivisions created, and increase the fees associated with the development of new subdivisions to put them more in line with those of surrounding counties. We are still working on an overhaul of the existing subdivision rules, but thanks to the legislature this process has become more convoluted so these amendments will help bridge the gap until we can get through the entire process of passing new regulations.

Later this month we are going to hold some town halls throughout the county. At the moment we have three of them scheduled. All the meetings will start at 6 p.m. at the following locations: May 27 in Thorndale at the County Annex on Main Street, May 28 at Bea’s Kitchen at the Milam County annex in Cameron, and May 29 at the One-Stop in the Workforce Conference Room in Rockdale. I hope you can join us.

Lastly, and arguably most importantly, Saturday, May 17, at 8 am, there will be a memorial celebration in honor of Sgt. Joshua Clouse at the Cameron Police Department. Sgt Clouse was lost to us two years ago and we will meet Saturday morning to give thanks for his service and the sacrifice he made for us all as well as to honor his family. Special thanks to Paul Luckey and his crew at Rockdale Memorial for their work and placement of the monument. I hope you can make it and let Josh’s family know how much we appreciate his service and their sacrifi ce as well.