City employees receive service awards during Commission meeting
Seven Breckenridge city employees and one retired employee were presented with service awards during Tuesday evening’s City Commission meeting.
Those presented with awards during the meeting were Retired Meter Reader Darrell Smith (pictured above), 25 years; Police Sergeant Scott Gabriel, 10 years; Code Enforcement Officer Noah Gray, 10 years; City Manager Andy McCuistion, 5 years; Aging Services Coordinator Cheryle Vanmeter, 5 years; Police Department Secretary Morgan Taylor, 5 years; City Secretary Heather Robertson-Caraway, 5 years; Waste Water Treatment Plant Supervisor James Kerr, 5 years.
In order for an employee to be entitled to a service award, he or she must have completed 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years of service with the City of Breckenridge as of Dec. 31, 2017.
Also during their meeting, commissioners renewed the Hotel/Motel Tax Resolution and Contract between the City of Breckenridge and the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce. The two-year contract designates the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce to administrator the funds generated by the Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax to promote tourism to the city.
City Manager Andy McCuistion said the revenue raised from the tax is used by the Chamber of Commerce to fund tourism activities and bring visitors to Breckenridge who will stay overnight.
Commissioners also approved appointments of new members to the Aging Services Program Advisory Committee. The new members, who terms will expire Dec. 31, 2019, are Max VanMeter, Mary Nell Bruce, Ted Robertson, Donnie “Joe” Brown. They also approved three alternative committee members Kathy O’Shields, Karen Robertson and Paulene Pendleton, whose terms will also expire on Dec. 31, 2019.
Additionally, commissioners approved two ordinances for the Parks Street Projects. They approved Ordinance 17-16 authorizing the issuance of the City’s Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2017A, and Ordinance 17-17 and Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2017B.
Both ordinances relate to the funding of the project. McCuistion said the funding for the projects was split into two ordinances, one to fund the water and sewer work and the other to fund the street and drainage work.
They also approved Ordinance No. 17-18 that repeals the old Trade Days Policies and Procedures and replaces them with new revised policies that will go into effect starting in 2018.
McCuistion told commissioners the ordinance contains all the changes to the Trade Business model that have been discussed during the past two commissioners meetings. He said they took the changes and put them into an ordinance so they could be enforced.
Commissioners also approved a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation to allow charitable sales in an R-1 Zone: Single Family Dwelling District at 210 N. Live Oak. The Sis Clark building, located at that address, will be used by the Stephens County Humane Society to operate a retail resale shop to raise funds for the organization.
“I think that’s a good use of the building for sure,” Mayor Jimmy McKay said. “Hopefully that helps them out quite a bit, too.”
During his City Manager’s Report, McCuistion gave commissioners a brief overview of a revised Yield Study on Hubbard Creek Lake Reservoir commissioned by the West Central Texas Municipal Water District at the end of the last drought.
He said although the revised study showed there wasn’t as much water as WCTMWD thought there was, there is enough water available for the four cities that take water out of the lake. The cities that use water from the lake are Breckenridge, Abilene, Albany and Anson.
As a result of the yield study, he said the WCTMWD decreased all the available water, on a percentage basis, to all the cities that take water out of the reservoir.
“The lake was silted in, or there just wasn’t as much water as they thought,” McCuistion said. “After the drought, they did a new yield study and came up with less water. We should not have any problems. I don’t know if we’ve ever come close to using that new amount even.”
Police Chief Larry Mahan presents Police Sargent Scott Gabriel, right, with a 10-year service pin.
Fire Chief Calvin Chaney presents Code Enforcement officer Noah Gray, left, with a 10-year service pin.
City manager Andy McCuistion, left, receives a five-year service pin from City Commissioner David Wimberley.
Public Services Director Stacy Harrison presents a five-year service pin to Aging Services Coordinator Cheryle Vanmeter, left.
Police Chief Larry Mahan presents a five-year service pin to Police Department Secretary Morgan Taylor, right.
City Manager Andy McCuistion presents a five-year service pin to City Secretary Heather Robertson-Caraway, right.
Waste Water Plant Treatment Plant Supervisor James Kerr, left, receives a five-year service pin from Houston Satterwhite, Public Works Director.
Story and photos by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Retired Breckenridge Meter Reader Darrell Smith, left, receives a 25 year service pin from Houston Satterwhite, Public Works Director. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
