Bay City Tribune

County Commissioners approved the 2010 Matagorda County budget with a 2.5 percent employee raise across the board during their regular meeting Monday, Aug. 24.

The total proposed tax rate of .27498 will be slightly lower in 2010 compared to the .27518 tax rate this year.

According to George Deshotels, Commissioner Pct. 2, the only departments that were given any budget increases were those required by state law.

"It's a tough choice and consequently in this particular budget we have no increases in any department other than some capital murder cases coming up that we've got to try by state law," said Deshotels.

He also said that because 2010 will be a general election year, they were required to budget more money to cover the more costly election.

Deshotels said the commissioners felt like it was important to give a raise to the county employees before they lose them all.

"We're losing people because they can go to the city or the school district and make $4 and $5 an hour more," he said.

"We're losing good employees."

"It's the same story in every department with the projects that are on the books, we're going to lose a lot of people to these industries when construction starts up," he said.

"So I think we need to get the salaries up on these employees."

During the public hearing to discuss the budget, one county resident, John McLaughlin, a homeowner in Sargent's Caney Creek Estates, questioned the use of funds in the budget.

McLaughlin, a resident of Deshotels precinct, questioned the commissioner about how much money had been budgeted for infrastructure (road and drainage) repair "in his neck of the woods."

Deshotels said road and bridge maintenance budget for all of precinct 2 is $489,282.

McLaughlin told the court that when the Caney Creek Municipal Utility District began installing all of the water and sewer lines in his neighborhood, he was told that the road would be repaved and the drainage ditches cleaned out.

"I said that John," said Deshotels.

"And we went in there and we started the initial phase of it but because of increased asphalt fuel prices we were not able to complete the whole road."

"We did about 75 percent of it."

"Because we are still operating on basically the same money we've had for the last 20 years, with these increased road prices we just can't go as far as we did," said Deshotels.

Deshotels said he felt like the major part of the drainage work had been done.

"As far as the road work goes, and that's my decision, I've got not only what's in your subdivision but what's in the rest of the precinct to do, which is a little over 200 miles of road and I'm down to rehabbing about one mile a year," he said.

McLaughlin said he doesn't always have the money to pay his taxes that keep going up due to property appraisals.

"I don't have the money to pay my taxes but I come up with it on a yearly basis because if I don't pay then you folks own my property," he said.

"I think the county needs to learn how to do more with less."

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I don't mind paying taxes but I want something in return for the taxes that I spend."

Deshotels said he remembered the drainage district, with help from the county, going in and installing piping at McLaughlin's request a few years ago.

"I remember you made the same statement that you made just now," said Deshotels.

"I went and pulled the invoices that the drainage district spent and it seems like that job cost somewhere around $6,000."

"I also went and pulled your taxes and I don't remember the exact number but you pay roughly around $225 and $250 in county taxes," he said.

"So John, I think you do get something for your tax money because you get law enforcement, you get ambulance, you get fire protection and all of that is paid for out of this budget right here."

In other news, commissioners:

approved a resolution saluting Don Hyett for exceptional public service and dedication upon his retirement from Palacios Community Medical Center;

awarded Bay City Janitorial the contract for janitorial services at county office buildings despite their 3.3-percent higher bid over an out-of-county company in favor of shopping locally;

approved an $11,350 payment to Stevcn Rush to replace the rook and decking on the Blessing Community Center;

approved combined polling place locations for the November 3 Constitutional Amendment election.