County to consider increase in dispatch, convenience center fees

Jul. 12—WEATHERFORD — Parker County commissioners Monday took no action but heard ideas on possible increases to dispatch services as well as services at the county convenience centers.

Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier noted his department dispatches for a lot of different agencies outside of his own, including Aledo ISD, Reno PD, Willow Park PD and Hudson Oaks PD, with negotiations currently under way for Springtown PD as well.

In reviewing the Memorandums of Understanding, Authier told commissioners this week they're looking to make sure everyone pays their equitable share of those services.

"Presently, Willow Park and Hudson Oaks have one console in our station that is manned 24/7," he said. "It takes between five and six people to man that station."

Both Willow Park and Hudson Oaks are paying roughly $68,000-$70,000 per year.

"They're paying for one dispatcher each, so that's costing Parker County a lot more money than what they're actually paying," Authier said. "And if we bring Springtown and Reno on..."

Precinct 4 Commissioner Steve Dugan asked if law enforcement had the same state requirements, where precincts enter into an agreement with cities to do roadwork and are required to recover those expenses of materials used and labor and equipment. Parker County Attorney John Forrest said it was an option but not requirement.

"I think the county, as the primary entity, does have an obligation to provide public safety to these folks," Authier said, noting his eventual proposal would be to get entities paying the equivalent of three dispatchers each. "Today, that's a little over $220,000, which is a lot for a city to pay that much, but we all know law enforcement is expensive."

Precinct 3 Commissioner Larry Walden asked for a more detailed plan looking at three to five years from now.

"I'm struggling with what that number needs to be," he said, recommending a meeting between the sheriff's office and the neighboring cities to negotiate some type of agreement.

Commissioners were also informed that both convenience centers are costing way more than the revenue they are bringing in. The two permanent collection centers were implemented to offset the estimated $200,000 cost for County Clean-up Day.

Building and Grounds Director Mark Long said the convenience center south of town is gaining in popularity — but also in expense.

"At the end of June, we had $107,000 in expenses and about $35,000 in revenue, so we're $72,000 in the hole," he said.

Long said they do not charge for brush, and the center on the south side is getting about 200 loads a month. He suggested implementing a charge for brush and increasing the cost for tires, as they often receive tractor tires that don't fit in any machines to be able to be cut.

"If we double all the fees and include a charge for brush, that will get us a little closer to not losing so much money," he said. "The alternative is the transfer station on Old Brock Road, but that's going to cost you about $350 to dump anything there."

An increase in brush — the county's burn ban has prohibited the burning for months due to dry conditions — has become an issue, and other commissioners said they've seen people try to take advantage of the situation with mass loads of things like mattresses.

"Last week, a company from Weatherford came with a UHaul trailer with like 40 mattresses in it. We told them we couldn't take it and where they could go," Precinct 1 Commissioner George Conley said. "The very next day, two different people came in that same truck and said it came from their house. We turned them away too."

Dugan said he's seen people drop off carpet and vanity fixtures from complete remodel jobs — a far cry from the idea to provide an avenue for mom and pop families cleaning out their garages of old tires and batteries.

"I do want to provide this service to the people and I think it's going in the right direction, but I can easily see it going south as well," he said. "If we're not careful, we're gonna be a sanitation site down there."

County Auditor Briana Fowler noted that as of Friday, the expenses for both the north and south convenience centers totaled $258,000, with a combined revenue of a little over $63,000.

"I think we've known that it costs, but that was hidden," Walden said. "Now that we've singled it out, it becomes very evident of what the actual cost is and I think it's our job to raise the fees at some point."

Commissioners took no action on the convenience center fees, but did approve the allocation of $8.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to go toward updates and upgrades to the county's communication system.

Richard Heizer, part of the committee charged with reviewing ARPA applications, said $10 million of the $27 million allocated to Parker County is considered "discretionary, which means it doesn't have to meet directly to the ARPA funding requirements," he said.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Larry Walden noted that commissioners had previously voted to purchase $250,000 worth of radio equipment, which would come off of the initial proposal total of $8.7 million.

"This project we're discussing benefits everybody in Parker County," he said, echoed by Dugan who called it a great opportunity to use this funding for that.

Heizer said his committee did discuss looking at water-related applications for the remaining $1.3 million, and will review the 41 applications they received, 15 of those coming from county entities.

The court Monday also:

—Approved use of the property adjacent to White Settlement Road off Farm-to-Market 730 to be used by the contractor for a batch plant.

—Heard an update by Landon Meeker with JRJ Construction on progress of the East Annex, which remains on schedule despite a pile of plywood delivered over the weekend stolen from the site.

Dugan also presented the idea of a cornerstone and time capsule for the building, which Meeker said was doable.