Engineer to tackle various projects
by Brandi Collins, Record News Writer
Cuero City Council met Thursday and accepted a proposal from Young Professional Resources to provide the City of Cuero with engineering services.
Leonard Young, Young Professional Resources, was present at the meeting to address questions from council members.
"I think we are in desperate need of his services," said Interim City Manager Marie Gelles. "We have problems that need to be resolved in a timely manner. We do not have the staff to get it done."
Young visited Cuero recently and toured various sites with Mayor Randy Saenz and Councilmen Brad Hedrick and Bill Matthys.
"I was extremely impressed with his general knowledge," said Hedrick. "Every stop we made he had input.”
Young will assist the city as needed with sewer, drainage, and street projects, as well as other areas, such as preventive maintenance and funding options. Council approved the proposal for a one-year contract.
The City of Cuero recognized Officer Sam Jones with a Lifesaving Award, which was presented by Mayor Saenz and Lieutenant Chris Hernandez. Jones and Officer In Training Brandon Schustereit were dispatched to a medical call last month where Jones performed CPR on a woman who was not breathing. Not only did Jones save the woman's life, he also called the hospital on a daily basis to check on her status.
Rhonda Stastny, Golden
Crescent Regional Planning Commission, attended the meeting to give an update on a public hearing that was recently held regarding the Texas Community Development Block Grant Program (TxCDBG). Stastny stated that no public was present at the hearing to give input, so it was up to council to designate the area for work to be held.
Council approved the submission of the grant applications with water and sewer work to be done on Evers St., which is a project that was put on hold in the past.
Councilman Eric Pena requested that council discuss how increased fuel costs may affect the City of Cuero and what can be done to hold employees accountable for fuel consumption.
“Fuel costs have impacted our budget because we didn't expect it,” said Pena.
Some of the topics touched on during this discussion were ways to cut down on the number of vehicles being used throughout the day, implementing forms to keep track of mileage and fuel consumption, complaints received about city employees speeding through town, and ways to get employees involved in helping cut costs.
It was stated that several complaints have been received about garbage trucks speeding, but that this has been observed with all departments, not just garbage trucks.
After discussion in closed session, council approved the authorization of the Interim City Manager to obtain services from an independent counsel/investigator concerning the alleged incident occurring at the City Administration building on May 18. The expenditure of funds for this inquiry is not to exceed $5,000.
Council approved the extension of June utility payments to Wednesday, July 23 and extended the cut-off date to Monday, July 28. Council also approved the city's returned check fee to $30.
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| Jones receives award Cuero Police Officer Sam Jones, right, earned a Lifesaving Award from the City of Cuero last week recognizing his efforts that saved the life of a Cuero woman. Jones performed CPR on the woman and utilized a portable defibrillator donated to the department by DeWitt Medical Foundation. Presenting the award is Lt. Chris Hernandez. (Record photo) |