This week Milam County welcomed our new Veterans Service Officers. Last year, during the county budgeting process, the Veterans Service Office (VSO) was cut from the budget. The reason for this cut was due to the low usage rate of the service. Following this budget cut, and prior to my taking office, I was flooded with calls from concerned Veterans asking if I would reconsider once I took office.
Coming from a family of Vets and as a Veteran myself, I understand the significance to the community of having an active VSO. So, when we took office, the commissioners court set out to correct this error and reinstate the VSO and find someone to take on this position. This week, Alan and Crystal Smith have come on board and will be working for the Veterans and their families here in Milam County.
Alan and Crystal are fully qualified and certified to work in the VA system for our Vets and their families. They both have a great deal of experience in working with the VA and have already hit the ground running. We will be getting their page up on the county website and they will have an office in the courthouse for the first few weeks. We are working on getting them a working space in the Annex in Cameron and in Rockdale as well. Until then you can reach them at 512-760-7170, or you can call my office at 254-697-7000 and we will get the message to them.
STORM RESPONSE— Sunday Evening saw a series of strong storms go through Milam County with circulation prompting a Tornado Warning and Severe Thunderstorm Warning. The storm moved through the county at a quick pace and except for some strong winds and small hail, there wasn’t anything else reported. Thanks to our first responders and law enforcement for their diligence and dedication to the safety and security of the citizens of Milam County.
As usual they did an outstanding job, and we are truly blessed to have such an outstanding group working for us here in Milam County. The past few weeks we have been working with state and local agencies and we will be making some announcements on who will be leading our Emergency Management Program and who the new County Liaison Officer (CLO) will be from the state. The CLO will be assigned to Milam County to help with our Emergency Management Program and to act as a liaison with state and federal agencies and resources during emergency situations.
BUDGETS— This week, we will begin working on the budget for 2024. Our goal is to begin the work now so that when we get to the budget hearings in late June or early July, we will already have a good handle on the budget. Unlike years past, our goal is to have the budget about 90% complete by the time we have the budget workshop hearings so that once the tax numbers are finalized, we can tweak the final budget and take it on the road for budget hearings in the county. These public hearings will be held in the evening to give the taxpayers an opportunity to come out and ask their question and/ or make some suggestions.
In closing, I wanted to thank everyone for the support and kind words since taking office. We are working hard to represent all of Milam County and put in to place the infrastructure and planning to meet the challenges of the future and the coming growth.
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