Meeting Minutes
The Town of Anderson, Texas
6-16-2016
Members Present: Gail Sowell, Mayor; Alderwoman: Erna Freeman, Carol DeBose, Karen McDuffie; Aldermen: Tom Johanson, Joe Boudreaux
Anderson Attorney Present: Michael R. Casaretto
Visitors Present: Cindy Bell, Ricky Bernard, Greg Blake, Miriah Cunneen
There was a quorum thus a public open meeting was called to order at 7:05 P.M. by Mayor Gail Sowell.
Pledges were recited and Tom Johanson spoke the invocation.
Remarks of visitors:
Cindy Bell commented that Cedar Street is getting bad and is in need of repair. The Aldermen stated that this issue will be addressed later in the meeting under agenda item #8. Mr. Greg Blake will address the board as the Road & Bridge Engineer.
Karen McDuffie stated and signed her statement of office and was then sworn in by Mayor Gail Sowell as Alderwoman of the Town of Anderson, Texas. Joe Boudreaux made a motion to continue having Erna Freeman serve as Mayor Pro-Tem for the Town of Anderson. Carol DeBose seconded the motion. All approved, motion carried. Joe Boudreaux made a motion to elect Tom Johanson as secretary. Carol DeBose seconded the motion. During discussion it was brought up that Joe Boudreaux be offered the position of secretary. Joe Boudreaux declined. All approved, motion carried.
Minutes of previous meeting held on Thursday, May 12, 2016 were read by each board member present. A motion was made by Erna Freeman to approve the minutes as written. The motion was seconded by Joe Boudreaux. All approved, motion carried.
Miriah Cunneen gave an update on the new housing development that she is working on. They are evaluating the lift station. She will be talking with TXDOT, Road & Bridge and Steve Duncan as everything continues to move forward. She will continue to keep the board informed of the progress.
The Mobile Home Ordinance # 113-16 was read by board members and the public in attendance. Tom Johanson made a motion to accept Mobile Home Ordinance # 113-16 as written. Erna Freeman seconded the motion. Mary Bostelman questioned why Section F was omitted. Michael Casaretto stated it was a typographical error and he would fix it and email a copy of the corrected section letters in the morning. All approved, motion carried.
Grimes County Road & Bridge Engineer, Mr. Greg Blake informed the board that the latest storms really hit the county hard. He and his crew have been working diligently and over-time along with Mr. David Lilly to evaluate and repair damages in Grimes County. They have made some progress in road repairs but it is an estimated 1.2 million in damages in Grimes County alone. He stated there is a big task ahead of Road & Bridge and damages are being assessed and prioritized with-in the county, including Anderson. Erna Freeman handed Mr. Greg Blake another copy of the agreed upon quote dated 9-17-15 of all the road work that the board submitted to Mr. Sam Nobles. Mr. Blake will look into the road problems and get back with the board at a later date after the storm repairs are under control as prioritized.
The board tabled Agenda item # 9; Will Ray of TXDOT will be on hand to update us on projects along HWY 90 and any other concern that is related to TXDOT.
The board discussed Agenda item # 10; consider and discuss canceling July meeting, and the July meeting will continue as scheduled on July 14, 2016 @7:00 P.M.
Joe Boudreaux made a motion to pay invoices currently due as presented. Erna Freeman seconded the motion. There was discussion on the increase in the confederate park water bill noting there might be a leak in the irrigation system of the flower beds. Ron Wise will be contacted to look into and fix the repair. Also noted was Michael Casaretto late invoice leaving his amount to be placed on as $390.00. All approved, motion carried.
Mayor Sowell and Tom Johanson are working on getting the street signs replaced/repaired and a list has been given to Katherine Dormak. Tom noted that when he was looking into the sign situations people were blocking roads by parking in the roadways, people were driving way too fast near the Baptist nursery and right-a-ways were being blocked. Mayor Sowell suggested calling the Sheriff’s Department to report them next time. Joe Boudreaux mentioned the stop sign on College & Woodward as well.
Open session adjourned: 8:22 P.M.
Closed session opened: 8:23 P.M.
Closed session closed: 8:36 P.M.
Open Session re-opened: 8:37 P.M.
Ricky Bernard, Anderson Water Representative, gave a report on the TCEQ tri-year inspection stating they got a 100% rating. He also updated the board that Anderson Bank is going to need to bust into the road on Austin and Buffington and it will cause some damage to the roads. Michael Casaretto will make a call to the bank to make sure they will be repairing the road to the proper standards at the banks cost. Mr. Bernard also reported that the old way of determining a waste water fee needs to be updated due to Anderson Water Companies computer system.
Erna Freeman made a motion to use the months of Jan., Feb., and March to determine the average use to set the sewer fee vice Dec., Jan., and February. Tom Johanson seconded the motion. All approved.
Open Session Closed: 8:42 P.M.
Closed Session Opened: 8:43 P.M.
Closed Session Closed: 9:03 P.M.
No need to re-open Open Session.
Next regular scheduled meeting: July 14, 2016 @ 7:00 P.M.
______________________________ Attest: ______________________________
Mayor Secretary