COUNTY JUDGE JOHN BRIEDEN GIVES RUNDOWN ON COUNTY’S TOP STORIES
The year 2015 was a year of change, with a variety of highs and lows, and Washington County Judge John Brieden gives us a review of some of the top stories and issues in Washington County.
One of the topics worthy of note is the received from the Bluebonnet Community Grant in the amount of $26,500 to purchase a Ford Explorer for an Advanced Paramedic to be located in the Chappell Hill area.
Another one of the highlights of the year noted by Brieden was the Community Development Block grant received for a sewer system on Shedd Johnson Lane and Alois Lane.
Also another major topic was the amount of rain the county received during the year:
Also noted by Brieden was the County receiving two awards this year. One for Financial Transparency and the second for their year-end reports. It was the County’s fifth year to receive the award.
The County also renovated the gazebo located in downtown Brenham, and was rededicated back in November.
The Courthouse Master Plan was another highlight noted by Brieden.
Four architecture firms submitted bids for the plan, Boettcher and Associates, VOH Architects, Architexas Architects and Keese and Associates LLP.
After much discussion in the committee, Architexas was chosen due to their years of experience in these types of courthouse renovations. The next step is to negotiate a contract with Architexas, and then for them to them come up with a Master Plan.
Another event worth mentioning was the County operating its own 911 system. The system has been run by County employees, with the system being leased from the City of Brenham. The County is acquiring its own fiber optics and servers, and is a few weeks away from officially starting the project.
Also scheduled to begin in 2016 is E-Filing of cases through the internet only. Appeals of court cases will only be processed electronically. This has already been in effect for larger counties for the past few years.
Some noteworthy items here. However……..as much as EMS needs a presence in Chappell Hill, how much will this cost? So they got a free vehicle-what about manpower, supplies, housing, etc…. Sometimes, there needs to be a bit more thought put into things than jumping at the chance to expand government and catering to the whims of a few people who have more money than common sense. EMS has long run at a deficit in our county and this will put it even further in the hole. When will our county officials wake up and smell the proverbial coffee? If so many cities have privatized these services, why aren’t we looking toward downsizing instead of supersizing?
I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again…….wake up Judge Brieden and commissioners-before it’s too late. And that’s the way it looks to this ChappellHillResident.