Commissioners decide on name for Waelder office

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The Gonzales County Commissioners Court settled on a name for its Justice of The Peace Precinct 3 office in Waelder on Monday, May 10.

The Gonzales County Waelder Annex, as the building shall be known, is set for completion soon, although an exact date was not given. Work on the building began in late 2019, according to Precinct 2 Commissioner Donnie Brzozowski, and was slowed by the arrival of the novel coronavirus in Gonzales County during 2020.

The Commissioners also discussed internet providers for its departments, as some county offices are split between providers Guadalupe Valley Telecommunications Cooperative and Spectrum.

Some department heads were in favor of the switch, such as County Attorney Paul Watkins, who pointed out that his office is very reliant on internet to access client files. However, others are happy with the level of interne they currently have, such as County Auditor Becky Weston, who did not want to have the additional cost alotted from her budget for fiber internet.

The Commissioners approved an upgrade to fiber internet through Spectrum for the Sheriff’s Office, Court House/Justice Center, Randle Rather Building and Sheriff’s Office.

In public comment:

Bill Alder of Cheapside expressed concerns regarding the state of roads near his property to the Commissioners.

“We have property out in the area and we’ve been fighting the roads for umpteen years,” Alder said. “I know these farm to market roads, these county roads, is a sore subject for y’all, but I’ve been talking to Dell (Whiddon) about it for years, because it just seems like nothing is ever done.”

Although Commissioners could not discuss Alder’s statement or take action on it, Judge Patrick C. Davis did inform him that the commissioners had applied for a Transportation Infrastructure Grant to address such concerns in the county.

In other business:

  • The Commissioners approved minutes for its April 26 meeting, as well as monthly reports received from Constables in Precincts 1 and 3.
  • A report of the 2021 Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Commission was received by the court from Tax Assessor-Collector Crystal Cedillo. The county receives a 5% commission on all motor vehicle sales tax, which amounted to $147,816.93 for the previous year.
  • Commissioners approved a contract between the County and City of Gonzales for a voting machine rental service agreement for May 11 through June 4, for the city’s runoff election in District 2.
  • “Option A” was chosen by Commissioners as the method for selection of the Salary Grievance Committee. This means that Sheriff Robert Ynclan, Tax Assessor-Collector Crystal Cedillo, County Treasurer Sheryl Barborak, County Clerk Lona Ackman, District Clerk Janice Sutton, County Attorney Paul Watkins, and a drawing of three names and two alternate names will make up the committee. This committee will facilitate the grievance process for any elected county officer or precinct officer to challenge their budget or salary, as provided by Texas law.
  • The court approved two requests for variances to subdivision rules based on the divvying up of property.
  • An infrastructure plan for River Acres RV park was approved by the Commissioners.
  • A plaque for the Justice of The Peace #3 building in Waelder was tabled by Commissioners.
  • Bills to be paid by the county and budget amendments related to payroll and the capital outlay of the JP3 building were approved.

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