Court approves dedication of cemetery bench in honor of Tess Prieto Tomlinson
By Becky Brewster
Culberson County Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, February 11. Jennifer Oliver made a request to the Court to dedicate one of the ten benches at the Van Horn Cemetery in honor of Tess Prieto Tomlinson, a faithful community servant who touched the lives of many in Van Horn. She noted that this would be a way to honor those who made a positive impact on Van Horn during their lives but are buried elsewhere. The Commissioners agreed to place a plaque on one of the benches at the Van Horn Cemetery to commemorate the life and contributions of Tess Prieto Tomlinson.
The recent concession stand project was made possible by a $168,638 Texas Community Development Block Grant through the Texas Department of Agriculture. County officials hope to make additional upgrades and improvements to the park with another TxCDBG grant. -Advocate Photo / DB
The Court passed a resolution authorizing the submission of a 2019-2020 grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) TxCDBG program for additional improvements to the Veteran’s Memorial Park. The grant proposal is for $275,000 in grant funds with a $13,250 in-kind match. Commissioners also heard updates on various other TDA grant programs.
Victor Uvalle, representing the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) gave an update on the Risk Management Pool emphasizing the training resources that are available to the elected officials and county staff. He noted that TAC wants to “build a safety culture” and encourage “wellness.” Uvalle encouraged Culberson County to send representatives to the County Risk Management Conference.
Cody Davis presented the updates to the City/County Emergency Plan noting that the plan has already been submitted to the State for review, but that signatures are required. Under review are the updates to the Basic Plan and Annexes A-W as required by the State. Davis noted that the Van Horn/Culberson County plan is at the “intermediate level” and obtained consensus to attain the “advanced level” which is more favorable for grant funding.
Sheriff Oscar Carrillo presented an extensive list of trainings he has completed in the past 30 days. Carrillo noted that many of the classes are required for grant funding. Carrillo also presented the racial profiling statistics for 2018 summarizing the 380 traffic stops for the year. He informed the County that these numbers will increase in 2019 with the aggressive work in the north end of the County with the new deputies.
County Auditor Mark Cabezuela reported that Records Consultants Inc. completed the entire on-site inventory of records within a week and will provide an electronic copy of the records catalog. Cabezuela reported that 90-95% of the records have been scheduled for destruction.
In other County business, the Court also:
Approved the purchase of a time clock for the Sheriff’s Office.
Approved training hours for Adrian Norman, Commissioner Pct. 4.
Approved a job description for the position of Deputy Sheriff.
Renewed the airport hangar lease with Jackson Farms.
Clarified the policy on the RV rentals at the airport, noting that the residents provide security for the airport.
Modified the lease of property with John DeCoster.
Heard a report prepared by the County Trapper Matthew Purvis with over 100 animals trapped from December 3, 2018 to January 25, 2019.
Heard reports on various County Projects.
Approved monthly reports.
Approved monthly payroll and expenses for January.
