Galveston County Commissioners Court voted 4-0 today to request that the Texas General Land Office extend the comment period on proposed new beach and dune regulations and to hold a public hearing in Galveston. Listen: RealPlayer MP3
"I sure wish Commissioner Doyle was here this morning," said County Judge Jim Yarbrough.
"Is he out shopping for a new soapbox, or what?" asked Commissioner Ken Clark.
The exchange was in reference to a quote by Doyle at last week's workshop, "I'm not going to get on my soap box, but, to me, when we get this kind of stuff from Austin, it is like somebody sitting in a tower with their foot up their 'you know what' and don't have a clue about what goes on in the real world."; which led Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson to respond, "One wonders what Commissioner Doyle would have said had he chosen to get on his soapbox?"
Clark attempted to mitigate the dispute.
"I've known Jerry Patterson since the early 90s, late 80s, and he is a reasonable man," Clark said. "And I think when he sees the full impact that this is going to have on Galveston County I think he is going to do something about it."
In the letter to Patterson that had been drafted by Myrna Reingold in the Galveston County Legal Department, it was noted that the rules would also have an impact on Brazoria County, Cameron County, Chambers County, Jefferson County, Matagorda County and Nueces County.
Yarbrough said that he had discussed the issue with Jefferson County Judge Ron Walker.
Galveston County Mitigation Coordinator John Lee reported that the Galveston Park Board of Trustees on Tuesday supported the commissioners court request for an extension and a public hearing.
"It was a unanimous vote," Lee said.
Representatives of West Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula attended the commissioners court meeting to hear the discussion.
The letter offers the Commissioners Courtroom or the Jury Assembly Room at the new Galveston County Justice Center as possible sites for the requested public hearing.
The commissioners court voted unanimously to approve a new indigent health care agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch. Listen: RealPlayer MP3
"The group has been working on this for a couple of years, I think," Yarbrough said to Community Services Director Curtiss Brown.
"Well, I think it was more like three years, Judge," Brown said. "We finally formed a group of counties to go together, along with Galveston County, to meet with them in mass."
The commissioners court voted unanimously to endorse the nominations of Dr. John Konikowski, Scott Bentley, Steven R. Leach, Bob Baylor, Walter Treybig, III and Dr. Bernard Milstein to new terms on the Galveston County United Board of Health and to nominate Charles Scruggs to replace Dr. Milton Howard who has retired from the board. The nominations will be forwarded to the cities in the county for their ratification.
The commissioners court voted unanimously to deny a request for waiver/refund of penalty, interest and attorney fees for the late payment of taxes by Lux Properties on West Galveston Island.
The commissioners court voted 3-0-1, with Bryan Lamb abstaining, to approve a $38,000 budget transfer for Vacek Road Drainage Project expenditures. Lamb's son lives in the area.
The commissioners court deferred action on a proposed budget transfer for a drug court coordinator until next week's meeting.
All other agenda items were approved with 4-0 votes, with Doyle absent.