Commissioners eliminate position

Monday’s Ector County commissioners meetings began with statements from some local tea party members and ended with one department head being thrown overboard.

As part of cuts for the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget, commissioners voted 3-2 to eliminate the public works director position. The position oversees seven departments, including road and bridge, the county cemetery and Schlemeyer Field Airport.

The cuts were part of some $720,000 commissioners eliminated from the budget. They took another $460,000 from a planned $4.6 million debt issuance.

Commissioner Greg Simmons said the position appeared to be “middle management” between commissioners and the departments underneath it.

“We need to engage with the department instead of having a middle man do it for us,” Simmons said after the meeting.

He said that, while it may take extra work, having department heads report directly to commissioners would be better for the county.

“We’ve just got to start looking at ways of how we can make changes and think outside the box,” he said.

But County Judge Susan Redford, who voted against eliminating the position, said commissioners were making a “dangerous decision.”

With the public works director in place, she said the county has seen improved communication and service.

“I think this is a stupid move, to be perfectly honest,” she said before the vote was taken. “We’ve been able to get a lot more done with this in place. I’m absolutely appalled and ashamed we are even discussing this.”

Public works director Fred Crawford moved hastily out of the commissioners courtroom after the meeting ended. Efforts to reach him afterward were unsuccessful.

While Simmons said the public works position was among the highest paid non-elected jobs in the county, Redford said that was far from the case. She said the county’s auditor, juvenile probation, human resources and road and bridge (who reports to the public works director) make more than the $61,654.57 Crawford makes.

“I think it’s a terrible decision,” she said after the meeting. “I think we’re taking a step back to a system of inefficiency.”

Commissioner Freddie Gardner, who voted with Redford against eliminating the position, said commissioners would now have to pick up their workload.

“There are so many departments that are part of that department that now come to commissioners court,” he said.

But Commissioner Dale Childers said the move allows commissioners to be proactive in controlling costs.

“It’s just a lot of money,” he said. “It’s something we can save.”

Redford said the public works director position was created as a “compromise” two years ago, when she wanted to create a full-time county manager position to department heads. Instead the public works director was appointed because it could be done for half the cost.

Now, the county is likely to be in position where they respond to crisis instead of being proactive, Redford said.

“I see a lot of confusion,” she said. “I also see it as a devastating blow to the departments that are affected by this.”

Before the meeting, members of the Odessa Tea Party were sent an e-mail giving the time and location of the public hearing, telling them, “It’s time to quit complaining and get up and do something now.”

Among the four speakers was Jason Moore, who took commissioners to task for putting a road that would connect FM 866 to Summit Power Group’s planned coal gasification plant in Penwell into the debt issuance.

“This project is in the billions, and they really need our $300,000 road?” Moore said.

He also expressed concerns over the county expanding benefits for employees, saying it makes it difficult for private employers.

“Not only are we competing against the oilfield’s high wages, but we’re competing against you guys competing against the oilfield,” he said.

Cruz Montanez said he was concerned about the increasing property taxes residents pay to the county. Although the proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2010-2011 offers a decrease in the property tax rate, many residents will see an increase in what they pay because of higher taxable values of homes.

“Why can we not hold back on any tax increase?” he said. “Texas has been pretty safe so far, but we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, at least that’s what I hear on the news.”

Commissioners made several other cuts to the proposed debt issuance during Monday’s meeting.

After a motion by Simmons to eliminate a planned office building for the county cemetery failed by a 3-2 vote, commissioners did reduce the cost they are willing to spend on the project from $250,000 to $210,000. They also cut out $150,000 to be spent on a road at Schlemeyer Field from the planned debt issuance.

More cuts were made from the budget, including reducing the planned budget for road and bridge from $1.8 million to $1.2 million. Simmons said the cuts made sense because the department has a budget of $1 million for the current fiscal year.

While Simmons went through a list of suggested budget cuts, he didn’t get all of his wishes. A motion to eliminate planned changes to the county’s longevity pay died for lack of a second.

In the end, the budget cuts were largely offset because the county had to spend $565,000 more than anticipated on employers’ costs for health insurance.

A second public hearing on the budget is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday.

Redford said she didn’t know if Crawford would be let go or moved to another position.

“I was just as shocked as anybody,” she said. “They obviously all talked about it and had it worked out. So I guess the commissioners will figure out what they want to do.”

IF YOU GO

>> What: Second public hearing on tax rate.

>> When: 6 p.m. Thursday.

>> Where: Commissioners courtroom in the Ector County Administration Annex Building, 1010 E. Eighth St.