County to pay more for flood debris removal
The county will pay Cahaba Disaster Recovery $14,000 to pay for labor and equipment rental not included in the initial per-cubic-yard contract rate for work related to the Blanco River Debris Removal Project. The Hays County Commissioners Court approved the change order to the contract between the county and Cahaba at its meeting last week.
“These recoveries don’t happen overnight,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell said. “It takes a lot of time.”
Shell said there were complications with private property owners and other factors but that the project was beneficial.
“I know it’s been controversial at times,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe said, “but overall I think it was a great project.”
In other business, the commissioners approved a supplemental agreement witH HDR Engineering for the Centerpoint Road Extension project. The agreement gives the project a time extension from December 2017 to December 2018 for completion of the project. The extension is needed because of delays in right-of-way negotiations with a property owner and coordination with an adjacent development. The amount of the contract did not change.
Commissioners also selected LNV Inc. for engineering services for improvements at the intersection of State Highway 21 and Farm to Market Road 1966. The scope of services includes the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection, and the cost is included in the county’s 2016 road bond program.
“Traffic has increased tremendously on SH 21,” Ingalsbe said, adding that the county should do “anything we can do improve the safety on 21.”
After some public comments, commissioners also approved the lease of a Ford Utility Police Interceptor for the Sheriff’s Office as part of the county’s Fiscal Year 2018 vehicle lease program. The vehicle will replace another unit that was found to be totaled. Initial repair costs for the damaged unit were estimated at $6,357, but then additional damages were discovered.
Hays County resident Dan Lyon told the commissioners that with the number of brakes, rotors and pads the county purchases for the sheriff’s department, “It’s obvious that you’re not taking care of the vehicles that you have. Now we’re supposed to give them an expensive interceptor vehicle to play with?”
Resident Rodrigo Amaya asked if the county had already spent the $6,357 on repairs before deciding to lease a new vehicle; county staff said no.
The commissioners approved the lease for the new vehicle, which will have a financial impact of $1,826 for Fiscal Year 2018.
