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County administrator reports ARP obligations, animal shelter progress, road projects and completion of 9-1-1 consolidation
Summary
County Administrator Randy Higgins and staff reported progress on ARP fund obligations, the animal shelter, road maintenance and rebuilding of the county road shop, a grant application for a safety intersection, and completion of the 9-1-1 PSAP integration.
County Administrator Randy Higgins and county staff briefed the Quorum Court on several operational updates, including the near-term obligation of ARP funds, animal shelter construction, road maintenance totals for the year, plans to rebuild the county road shop and the completion of the county’s 9-1-1 PSAP integration.
On American Rescue Plan (ARP) spending, staff said they are working to obligate remaining ARP funds before the end-of-year deadline so dollars are under contract or interagency agreement. An ARP administrator reported that the City of Hope Outreach project has been closed out; staff said other projects are receiving invoices and the office is “doing the math to make sure that we have all the money obligated.” No total remaining balance was specified in the meeting record.
On the animal shelter project, Higgins said parking-lot site work is complete and final door hardware has been installed, allowing staff to begin training once weather and final punch-list items are finished. Higgins also reviewed the county ordinance requiring that fines and fees go to the animal fund and reported that the sheriff’s office had written 54 citations this year that, to date, have brought $962 into the fund; he noted some citations remain pending adjudication.
A county roads presenter summarized the year’s pavement work: 17.71 miles of asphalt treatments, 20.9 miles of chip seal and 24 miles of cape seal, for a total of 63 miles of treatments reported so far this year. The same presenter said the county is roughly 80% complete on design work for a new road shop and expects to have construction documents ready to put out to bid; asbestos abatement on the old shop was reported as starting the following day. The presenter also said Rogers Group has returned as a contractor for the remainder of the season and that weather will determine how much additional mileage can be completed before year end.
The county said it has applied for a highway department safe-intersection grant of approximately $120,000 and is in active documentation discussions with the state. On jail expansion, administrators reported bids look competitive and the target start date is March with an expected construction schedule of 16 to 18 months.
Higgins closed with an operational milestone: “I’m pleased to announce that Mayor Casselberry and Judge Dodson signed off on the document that notified the state that our 9-1-1 PSAP integration is complete and successfully done,” he said. Court members praised staff for the PSAP consolidation work and noted it appears to be operating smoothly.
None of the operational updates required formal action at the meeting; staff were commended for year-end work and were directed to continue finalizing contracts and construction documents so projects can move to bid or be closed out in accordance with ARP rules.
