FORT DAVIS – Two agenda items became stumbling blocks for Jeff Davis County commissioners during the past week, with one resolved easily and the other causing a potentially significant pause on a major project.

Commissioners met Thursday, August 29, to hold hearings and approve the 2024-2025 budget and new property tax rates, and make several year-end adjustments to the 2023-2024 budget. The adopted property tax rate for fiscal year 2024-2025 is $.064359, an increase of 0.00024 per $100 of valuation with an average homestead taxable value of $164,482, a 10.67% increase over the 2023 value. The tax on an average homestead property will be $1,058.59, up from $956.14 in 2023. 

The first non-budget agenda item of discussing and approving utility expenses related to a road

improvement project on Front Street south of Highway 17 is where things got bumpy. Bart Medley, president of Fort Davis Water Supply, addressed the court to report that the planned replacement of an existing culvert with two larger 36-inch culverts would require the water company to outlay about $10,000 to lower the water line below the new installation.

Medley noted that Fort Davis Water Supply’s funds have been “seriously tapped” due to recent legal expenses and repairs caused by lightning strikes to its wells. County Treasurer Dawn Kitts stated that there are funds remaining in the current budget in the road and bridge fund. 

County Judge Curtis Evans suggested that the county might assist with the water company’s extra costs and discuss relief on county water bills in exchange. At this point, the commissioners voted to table the decision until a special meeting already scheduled for Tuesday, September 5.

Following Medley to the podium was Andy Guzman of the City of Alpine Gas Company, which provides natural gas service along Front Street. He reported that like the water company, the gas company would encounter significant extra costs to lower the gas line to accommodate the larger culverts planned for the road project. He told the court that lowering the 6-inch steel line would cost up to $150,000 and said, “We don’t have the means to do that.”

Hit with potentially more than $160,000 in unexpected additional costs for the project, which is a public-private partnership with a local landowner, the court briefly discussed the idea of creating a low-water concrete crossing instead of installing larger culverts, and it was suggested that the project contractor, Lance Jarratt, could attend the Tuesday special meeting to discuss a course of action. 

After quickly agreeing to a new eye insurance plan and a more affordable emergency air transportation insurance plan for county employees, the court adjourned.

On Tuesday, the court began discussion again on the Front Street improvement project. 

Road Manager Lance Jarratt had a proposed solution to the $160,000 problem. Jarratt suggested that instead of installing two 36-inch culverts, the county consider three 24-inch “squished pipes.” He explained that squished pipes are oval-shaped culverts, allowing him to avoid digging deeper and displacing the water and gas lines, thereby saving both Fort Davis Water Supply and the City of Alpine Gas Company from additional expenses. 

Jarratt said he could achieve this for $4,500 for the culverts, plus delivery costs, and that those three pipes would carry a comparable amount of water to the two 36-inch culverts. Commissioner Roy Hurley quickly moved to accept this solution, using $5,000 from the $15,000 in the existing 2023-2024 road and bridge budget, and the court supplied unanimous approval.

The other item on the agenda was to discuss and take action to approve the contract with Aztec Construction, Inc. of El Paso to complete the remodel of the Jeff Davis Community Center/Shelter.

Before the commissioners began their discussion, they heard from residents Matt and Melanie

Blackman regarding potential missed steps in meeting requirements of the Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) grant being utilized on the project. Matt Blackman stated that he was unable to find evidence of a proper request for proposal (RFP) process of posting for solicitation of sealed bids and opening and reviewing those bids in public meetings. He also said that the HUD grant required a formal environmental review, of which he could also find no evidence.

Both Blackmans noted the penalties, including some criminal, associated with Section 252 of the Texas Government Code as related to this project. Judge Evans recognized County Grantsman Larry Francell who stepped up to state that the county had engaged its architectural firm, Rotenberry Wellen Architects of Midland, to act as its agent in soliciting sealed bids, opening and reviewing them. He noted that three bids received were for $1.9 million, $2.9 million, and $3.5 million, with the recommendation that Aztec Contractors at the $2.9 million cost be selected.

Commissioner Royce Laskoskie commented that in a county of 2,200 people that amounted to $1,700 per person, to which Francell replied that no tax money is being spent on the project. Francell went on to note that a professional estimator had determined the value of the project to be in the range of $2.8 to $3 million.

Laskoskie moved to table the contract approval until the issues of the RFP process and the possible missing environmental review were resolved in light of the potential criminal penalties commissioners could face, and said, “I ain’t goin’ to jail for this. I’m not.”

Melanie Blackman added, “If we (the county) have engaged in any hard costs, we are on the hook for any money spent” if the grant terms were not met. The court voted unanimously to table the contract award until the issues are investigated and resolved.