YFZ Ranch Asks for City's Help
 
The Eldorado Success
 
Ernie Jessop and Lee Roy Steed, representing the YFZ Ranch, came before the Eldorado City Council Monday evening to ask that the city accept wastewater from the ranch on a temporary basis. Jessop noted that inspectors from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality had shut down the ranch’s septic system and that plans were in the works to build a small wastewater treatment plant at the ranch. Jessop asked the city council if they would accept sewage from the ranch at the city’s wastewater plant while a suitable plant could be built at the ranch.

Most questions from the city council involved whether or not the city’s facility could handle the additional wastewater and if safeguards could be put in place to avoid contaminating the city’s plant with pesticides and/or petroleum products.

City Administrator Randy Mankin explained that the city’s wastewater plant could easily handle the additional volume and explained that samples of the wastewater from YFZ could be tested at a lab to protect against pesticides and petroleum.

A crowd of about twenty city and county residents on hand for the meeting, had other questions, however.

"I do not want to help them. They have not been heads up with us, so why help them?" asked Herman Walker, reference to the hunting retreat cover story ranch officials told when they purchased 1,600 acres north of Eldorado and began constructing several buildings that later proved to be owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamous sect from the Utah/Arizona borderland.

Walker’s sentiments were echoed by a number of the audience members.

For his part, Ronnie Mittel encouraged the council not to accept the wastewater and urged them not to look at the YFZ request as a money-making opportunity.

Jessop explained that he expected to transport no more than 150,000 gallons of wastewater per month to the Eldorado sewer plant. Jessop also told the council that he hoped the YFZ Ranch could construct its own sewer facility in six month’s time. "A year at the outside," Jessop said.

When Ronnie Mittel asked how many people were at the ranch now and how many he expected a year from now Jessop answered, "Anticipation is two hundred, but we’re a little bit like Eldorado we don’t know ten years from now but two hundred is the anticipation."

That prompted a question from Joe Christian who asked if Jessop’s projection included women and children. "I think so --- that’s a question I don’t know how to entirely answer."

Council member Bill McCutcheon noted that his primary concern was the protection of the county’s water resources and asked if it wouldn’t be better to assist YFZ and ensure that the ground water wasn’t being contaminated by sewage.

After a lengthy, and sometimes tense discussion, in which several audience members voiced opposition to the city accepting the wastewater, the council voted to table further discussion of the matter.

But, after returning to the meeting after a short break, the council members once again found themselves discussing the issue. They then voted to take the issue off the table and, after several more minutes of discussion, they opted to call a special meeting for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 for further consideration of the matter. City Administrator Randy Mankin was asked to invite a representative of TCEQ as well as Cindy Cawley from the Plateau Underground Water District.

Monday night’s meeting was the regular monthly session for the city council. It was called to order by Mayor John Nikolauk with council members Bill McCutcheon, Toni Sudduth, Dora Bosmans, Tommy Minor, Richard Mendez and Juaquin Rojas in attendance.

Among other business, the council adopted an ordinance prohibiting skateboarding and roller skating on public property. They also amended a traffic control ordinance and lowered the speed limit to 20 mph in the Glendale Addition. The new speed limit will go into effect on Bluebonnet Drive, Dixie Drive, Eldorado Drive and Highland Avenue, as soon as new speed signs are purchased and installed.

Utility Superintendent Floyd Fay then updated the council on activity in his various departments. Fay explained that Tyler Robledo, recently returned from a stint in the Marine Corps, has been hired to work at the city landfill. He noted that street improvements continue and advised that a large gas leak at the regulator station on Warner Street had been caused when shifting soil caused a poly-pipe fitting to come loose. Fay added that his crews continue to deal with leaky water mains in the downtown area.

City Secretary Carolyn Mayo then went over the city’s financial reports and recommended and amendment to the budget. She noted that no additional money is being spent, only that money would be transferred between categories in the budget. She also advised that another amendment or two would likely be needed before the budget year ends on August 31.

Ms. Mayo then distributed a preliminary budget worksheet and asked for input from the council. It was agreed to take up discussion of the budget at the council’s called meeting on Tuesday, July 20.

City Administrator Randy Mankin then advised that an environmental assessment required by the Texas Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) is not yet complete. The study is necessary before ORCA grant funds can be spent to purchase a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit for installation at the wastewater treatment plant. The DAF unit was recommended to the council a few months ago as a way of reducing the amount of algae at the sewer plant.

Mankin also advised that Grant Administrator Kay Howard is working on a "Colonia" grant for Schleicher County. He noted that in the past the city had agreed to help the county with matching funds for the grant in hopes of getting sewer lines installed in the Orient Heights neighborhood, just outside the city limits. Although the county has yet to receive a Colonia grant, it is hoped the new application will be successful. The council tentatively agreed to participate with the county and provide certain services free of charge as an "in kind" match, as well contributing some cash for the matching funds.

Mankin then relayed a request from the school that the city spend some $12,500 to pave the Elementary parking lot. He explained that a search of city records revealed that the parking lot, which was once part of a city street, was turned over to the school in 1979, with the stipulation that the school would pay for all maintenance. With that the council voted to deny the school’s request.

Next, Mankin presented a request from James Kosub that the council vote to ratify action of the 1982 city council, which voted to exchange certain streets and alleyways in the eastern part of town for new streets and alleyways in the Western trailer park. Kosub, whose company now owns the property, asked for the ratification so that language in the deed record could be corrected. The council agreed to the request, voting unanimously to ratify the action of the 1982 council.

The council then voted to call for applications for a two-year depository contract for the city. The applications are to be reviewed at the council’s next regular meeting on August 9, 2004.

It was noted that the city’s cable TV franchise agreement with Cebridge Connections, which has been expired for quite some time, still has not been renewed. Randy Mankin advised the council that he had conveyed their displeasure with the 3 percent franchise fee offered by Cebridge and that he would continue to pursue a deal with the company.

The council then authorized Mankin to make a deal to crush rock along the old railroad right-of-way near the wastewater plant.

The council next approved the minutes of the previous meeting and authorized the payment of the monthly bills. Randy Mankin told the council that Brigitte Rogers, a member of the Silver Haired Legislature, who proposed a property tax freeze for senior citizens at last month’s meeting, could not be in attendance this month for a vote on the issue. Council members discussed the matter briefly but agreed among themselves that a freeze would harm more people than it would help. It was pointed out that any revenue the city lost because of a freeze would necessarily be made up by an increase in utility fees. Bill McCutcheon explained that property taxes are deductible from income tax while utility bills are not. With that the council voted to deny the tax freeze request.

Mayor Nikolauk then issued a proclamation designating July as Fair Housing Month within the city. The proclamation, and two subsequent actions, the adoption of an affirmative action plan, and a resolution designating authorized grant signatories were required as part of an ORCA planning grant.

The council next took up the discussion of pay increases. Randy Mankin explained that 5 percent raises were budgeted for the 2003-04 fiscal year and that only a couple of merit raises were given so far this year. He noted increased competition for from the oilfield and asked the council to consider giving 4 percent raises.

That drew questions from council members including Toni Sudduth who asked to see individual evaluations on the employees. Bill McCutcheon also asked about job descriptions for the individual employees.

Mankin advised that while city employees were generally categorized in a specific department but that there aren’t enough of them to have specific jobs limited to particular departments. He explained that cross-training is necessary and that most times gas department employees are required to work in the water department, or wastewater, or in the street department.

That prompted a lengthy discussion about merit raises versus across the board raises and the need for written job descriptions. It was agreed that the matter would be considered at a future meeting and Mankin said he and Floyd Fay would put the employee evaluations in writing.
 
MyEldorado.net
Originally published July 15, 2004
 
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