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Gilmer council directs ordinance on utility-contractor hours after sewer repair, approves dispatching contract and Trunk-or-Treat street closures
Summary
City Council directed the city manager to draft an ordinance governing non-emergency hours and cleanup responsibilities for utility contractors after reporting a sewer line break and contractor cleanup concerns; the council also approved a dispatching-services agreement and street closures for a church Trunk or Treat event.
The Gilmer City Council on Sept. 24 directed City Manager Greg Hutson to draft an ordinance setting work procedures for utility contractors within city limits after members raised concerns about overnight work, roadside debris and a recent sewer line break that cost the city about $25,000 to repair.
City Manager Greg Hutson told the council that Frontier Communications contractors have been working long hours into the evening, leaving work trucks on city streets and leaving mud and other debris at work sites. Councilmember Jarom Tefteller said the city should consider billing an offending contractor for materials and overtime caused when another utility’s main is damaged and must be restored overnight. Councilmember Marty Jordan told the council he had observed contractors dumping mud from boring operations into city streets.
Council recommended that Hutson draft an ordinance to address non-emergency hours for utility field work, cleanup obligations, and procedures to minimize service disruptions. The council’s direction was a next-step request to staff; no ordinance language or deadline was adopted at the meeting.
In other business the council approved routine items and short-term scheduling changes. The council approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from the Sept. 10 meeting and the September 2024 expense report (motion by Mayor Pro-Tem Pete Herrmann; second Jerry Webb; vote 6–0). The council also approved street closures requested by First Baptist Church for a Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 30, 2024, from 5:30–8:00 P.M.; the approved closure covered W. Cass Street between N. Trinity Street and Davis Street and roughly a half-block adjacent to the church parking lot (motion by Councilmember Jarom Tefteller; second Jerry Webb; vote 6–0).
The council voted to approve a dispatching-services agreement for 2024–2025 with Upshur County Emergency Services District No. 2 (motion by Councilmember Marty Jordan; second Jarom Tefteller; vote 6–0). The city manager also reported that asbestos testing in the council chambers returned negative results and that contractor Billy Upchurch will begin water-damage repairs in the chambers on Sept. 25; the chambers are expected to be closed about two weeks and the back door of City Hall will be closed to the public during that work. Because of the repairs the council approved cancelling the regular Oct. 8 meeting (motion by Mayor Pro-Tem Pete Herrmann; second Jerry Webb; vote 6–0).
Hutson told the council the sewer-line break at Sugar Creek—caused when a tree fell—was reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and repaired at an estimated cost of around $25,000. The council adjourned at 5:31 P.M.
The next step announced at the meeting is for City Manager Greg Hutson to draft proposed ordinance language on contractor work procedures for the council’s future consideration; no public hearing or vote on such an ordinance was scheduled at the Sept. 24 meeting.
