County OKs plan for service
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

The Lampasas County Commissioners Court on Monday voted unanimously to enter into a $289 "advantage plan" with Mr. Rooter Plumbing for service on county facilities.

The agreement allows county officials to call in a technician 24 hours a day at the county courthouse, the annex, the jail and sheriff's offices, county offices on Live Oak Street, precinct barns and justice of the peace offices.

The "lifetime" agreement guarantees the county discounts between 15 and 20 percent on parts and labor when using Mr. Rooter service. The county can call technicians other than Mr. Rooter employees, though, for any repair job.

Recent flooding in the courthouse basement resulted in approximately $1,000 of repairs and service to pipes and a water heater, County Judge Wayne Boultinghouse said. With the discounts available under the advantage plan, the agreement would pay for itself with just about two calls like the courthouse service, he said.

"I think with a lifetime commitment we could end up saving taxpayers money over a long time," Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Vincent said.

Commissioners also voted 5-0 to set up a workshop to draft an order governing homeowner maintenance on secondary septic systems. Adjoining entities -- including Bell, Coryell and Mills counties -- have adopted rules requiring homeowners to register with the county and receive training before they perform maintenance on the septic systems.

Vincent said most homeowners already take care of their systems without a training requirement, and he believes a county order could be unduly burdensome.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Alex Wittenburg made the motion to hold a workshop with the Commissioners Court, representatives from septic installation companies, abstract companies and county septic inspector F.A. Taylor. Wittenburg said the session will allow Lampasas county officials to draft an order that, while not too restrictive, will ensure homeowners keep their septic systems running properly.

To prepare for festivities around New Year's Day, the court unanimously approved an order banning fireworks with sticks and fins. The county judge can rescind the order if he decides the fireworks would pose a low fire risk.

As fireworks already are banned in incorporated areas, most people shoot rockets in rural areas, Vincent said. As a result, the county needed to ban those types that could spark grass fires if they land in dry pastures, the commissioner added.

In other business, the court unanimously approved a motion instructing the county animal control officer to inspect property at 433 County Road 4366 for a possible dog kennel violation.

Alfred Wilson told commissioners a neighbor is keeping seven pit bulls and bulldogs in a kennel within 45 feet of Wilson's back door. The county's animal control ordinance requires that kennels be at least 300 feet from neighbors' residences.

The animal control officer reported only two dogs on the property on Dec. 7, Boultinghouse said.

Vincent reminded dog owners a new Texas law, which went into effect Sept. 1, prohibits chaining a dog overnight -- defined in the statute as 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The law also prohibits chaining within 500 feet of a school and during extreme weather.

"I do have a problem with what they call a 'vicious animal' being on a chain," Vincent said, "because that's just aggravating the critter even more."

In another matter, Wilson told the court he objects to a junkyard on his neighbor Justin McGehee's property at 132 Private Road 4363.

"That junkyard decreases the value of my property, and I didn't buy that piece of property for him to decrease the value of it," he said.

Wilson's deed restrictions prohibit junkyards and require a screening fence, he said. Because McGehee bought his property from the same owner as Wilson, Wilson said the same deed restrictions should apply.

Vincent and County Clerk Connie Hartmann, however, said the deed restrictions on Wilson's property do not apply to McGehee's property, since McGehee's acreage is not part of a platted subdivision.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Lowell Ivey said the issue probably constitutes a civil matter since McGehee's land is not part of a subdivision.

The court tabled the issue to await results of an inquiry into whether McGehee has upheld terms relevant to his property. Commissioners promised Wilson a letter from the county giving him the results of the inquiry.

In another agenda item, the court voted 5-0 to authorize requests for proposals for court system software for the district and county clerks and for the county attorney's office. Because the software will cost more than $25,000, the project requires competitive bidding, County Auditor Jack Clark said.

Commissioners will open proposals Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. and consider them at their Jan. 28 Commissioners Court meeting.

The court took no action on a proposal to convert restrooms at the Kempner Volunteer Fire Department's main fire station and training room to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Neither the fire department nor the county has sufficient funds for conversion of the facilities, Boultinghouse said.

The judge also provided an update on cleanup work behind the county annex. An old stone building has been torn down, and only the concrete floor remains.

Ivey said county officials need to ensure gas and water lines are capped so workers can pull up the concrete. He suggested using rubble to fill in low spots on the U.S. Highway 183 property where commissioners plan to build a new county jail.

An appraisal of the property just east of the annex should be completed by the end of the month, Clark said.

Commissioners will not hold a second meeting in December because of the Christmas holidays. The court will conduct its next meeting Jan. 14 at 9 a.m.