County commissioners approve annual road reports, external audit

n By Lindsey Vaculin

General Manager

Milam County Commissioners approved the annual road report, approved the external auditor’s report, and signed proclamations for National 4-H Week and Domestic Violence Month during its meeting Sept. 25.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Richard “Opey” Watkins said that he has 197.4 miles of road and used 18,196 cubic yards of gravel, 9,942 cubic yards of base, and 390 cubic yards of coal patch on the roads this year. 

Watkins listed the amount of money needed to maintain the roads during the next fiscal year as $600,000. His report said that three wooden bridges will need to be replaced in the next year along with roads needing to be resealed and have gravel applied.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Donald Shuffield was not at the meeting. County Judge David Barkemeyer reported that the amount of money needed to maintain the roads during the next fiscal year is $1,625,153. His report said that two bridges and two large culverts will need replacing in the coming year. There are 212.9 miles of roads in Precinct 2.

Precinct 3 Commissioner John Fisher said that he has 194.4 miles of roads in his precinct. During the previous year his office seal coated 32.1 miles and used 18,752 tons of materials. The amount of money needed to maintain the roads during the next fiscal year in Precinct 3 is $1.6 million.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Jeff Muegge said the amount of money needed to maintain the roads in Precinct 4 during the next fiscal year as $1.5 million.

You can read the reports online at milamcounty.net

The court also nominated the following people for the Milam County Appraisal District Board of Directors: Tim Arledge, Don Culp, Lisa Gerthe, Larry Patterson and Travis Yoakum. They will serve for the 2018-19 term.

Commissioners also approved the external auditor’s report for Fiscal Year 2016 presented by Preston Singleton with Singleton, Clark and Company PC. Singleton said the financial statements were accurate and there were no problems with the numbers.

He said that the general fund brought in roughly $9.6 million and the county spent roughly $10 million so there was $350,000 used from the fund balance. The fund balance ended 2016 with about $1.9 million.

Singleton advised the court that the state has passed a law that governmental entities will have to issue their financial statements in a different way beginning in Fiscal Year 2019. There will need to be preparations for those changes beginning in late 2018. 

He also recommended that the county end its Fiscal Year on Sept. 30 instead of ending Dec. 31. He said the benefits of that would be that the county fiscal year would be aligned with the property tax fiscal year and the state fiscal year.

He also advised the court that there are some accounts not being run through the general ledger and those need to be. Milam County Auditor Danica Lara said the county is in the process of fixing this issue, as it was commented during last year’s audit.

Commissioners also signed a proclamation naming Oct. 1-7 as National 4-H Week in Texas and Milam County. Texas AgriLife Extension Agents Micah Holcombe and Floyd Ingram along with Milam County 4-H Council Chairman Neeraj Bhakta spoke to the commissioners about 4-H.

In other business, commissioners also: signed a proclamation declaring October Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Milam County; approved the deputation of Trisha Stojanik; approved the notice of election for Milam County Constitutional Amendment Election on Nov. 7; approved the disolvement of PR 90813; and approved changes to procedures for payroll.