Kempner approves interlocal agreement
By MAT TAYLOR Special Correspondent

Kempner City Council, at its recent meeting, approved an interlocal agreement with Lampasas County for septic tank inspections.

The agreement allows the county septic tank inspector to approve septic systems for homeowners and businesses inside the city limits.

County Septic Tank Inspector F.A. Taylor told the council he is not a county employee but has contracted with the entity to provide assistance for on-site wastewater systems.

"My duties are to review applications for septic systems, make on-site inspections to approve or disapprove the installation of a system and also to inspect the system after installation to confirm it meets all requirements," he said.

"I also investigate any complaints concerning the failure of a septic system."

Taylor said he discovered that even though he was working with septic systems inside the city limits of Kempner, Lometa, Copperas Cove and Lampasas, in some cases no interlocal agreement existed or outdated agreements existed.

The new agreement, prepared by the county attorney's office, gives the inspector the authority to conduct septic inspections in Kempner at no cost to the city. The alternative would be for the city to hire its own septic tank inspector or have the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality conduct inspections, both of which would be more costly to Kempner.

Mayor Gene Isenhour said the agreement is similar to other interlocal agreements with the county, such as for animal control.

In other business, the council approved a city Internal Control Manual. Isenhour said the manual was developed on the recommendation of the city auditor.

"Basically, what the manual does is to specify how the city handles money," said the mayor. "The manual covers financial reports, purchasing and how to maintain files."

Mayor Pro Tem Paul Cook said he was concerned about some wording in the document, such as the phrase that states the council shall not tempt an employee to commit an illegal act. "It seems like this would give an employee an excuse if they misused funds by saying they were tempted, and the city made me steal."

Isenhour said the city should not have any situations that would encourage an employee to be dishonest. "It is the employees' final responsibility for their actions, but there is also some responsibility on the governing body."

The mayor noted that during the life of the city, there have been no problems with any misuse of funds or inappropriate activities.

Also at the recent meeting, the mayor reviewed the calendar for developing the 2008-09 fiscal-year budget and tax rate.

The council will conduct a budget workshop July 24 at 7 p.m., present the proposed budget on Aug. 12 and then file it with the city secretary.

A public hearing will take place Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. to take comments on the budget and tax rate. The 2008-09 budget will be considered for adoption on Sept. 9, with adoption of the tax rate set for Sept. 11.

All meetings will he held in City Hall Council Chambers.

The next meeting of the Kempner City Council is July 22 at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.