|
Local News
| News | Sports |
Business | Opinions |
Columns | Entertainment |
| Science/Technology | Weather | Archives | E-mail Us |
Wednesday, October 13, 1999
City, county officials to discuss mutual concerns
Central police dispatching unit, beach cleaning are among the issues to be addressed
By Jennifer Stump
Caller-Times
City and county officials share many responsibilities, from beach cleaning to hurricane planning, and today they will share ideas on how to better do the work.
During a joint meeting they will talk about issues such as police dispatch, the jail and mental health- mental retardation services.
"I think the main thing is the City Council and County Commissioners Court have not met in a joint session in years, maybe ever," Mayor Loyd Neal said. "We need to look at the big picture and what is best in terms of all county citizens."
Although the agenda includes specific items, Neal said he hopes officials can avoid getting bogged down in the details of contracts and concentrate on large issues like saving money for taxpayers.
"I have general concerns about how we can move this city and county forward," Neal said. "There may be issues we need to come together for in the next legislative session."
Some of the biggest issues the group will tackle include implementing a long-discussed plan to combine the city police and sheriff's department dispatch centers, and how to handle policing and cleaning of local beaches if the city annexes the remaining unincorporated areas of Mustang Island.
Commissioner Joe McComb, a former City Council member, said the radio equipment is in place accommodate a central dispatch center that would handle all the 911 calls and send the closest officer to the scene, whether it's city police, a sheriff's deputy or a county constable.
"Everybody talks about that it's a good idea, but everyone is so territorial," McComb said. "That's the problem. The city wants to be in charge, the sheriff wants to be in charge. No one has been willing to say they will give up the dispatch responsibilities. It's not a matter of not having the equipment and not being able to do it. We've spent millions of dollars so far on gadgets. We could do it now."
Costly cleaning
McComb, whose precinct includes Mustang and Padre Islands, said he also was preparing financial statements for city officials in case they annex the rest of the island and take over the beach cleaning responsibilities.
"I don't support or oppose the annexation," he said. "My concern is that they do it with their eyes wide open in terms of cost."
On Mustang Island, west of State Highway 361, the land under consideration for annexation contains the Holiday Shores subdivision and Packery Channel. North of Mustang Island State Park, the proposed area for annexation includes nine condominium complexes.
The county spends about $2 million a year on beach cleaning and maintaining the island parks. After annexation, the county would still manage Padre Balli Park and the county park in Port Aransas, but the rest of the beaches would become the city's responsibility, McComb said.
It would cost the city $800,000 to $1 million a year to clean the beaches, hire lifeguards and police and maintain the restrooms, he said.
"Beach cleaning has a little bit bigger definition than just picking up trash and plastic bottles," McComb said. "This is our No. 1 tourist attraction."
Eliminating duplication
County Judge Richard Borchard said he wants to make sure the city and county can keep their duties from overlapping - a practice that double-charges the taxpayers. "The city and the county have similar interests and we should do things together to make sure we're not duplicating services," Borchard said.
The City Council and Commissioners Court are likely to find common ground on the issues of hurricane evacuation routes and where to open emergency shelters for residents.
Both city and county officials have been critical of the state's decision not to open all lanes of Interstate 37 northbound during Hurricane Bret.
Some said that if the storm had hit Corpus Christi instead of making landfall farther south, the decision to keep the interstate in its normal state could have been devastating.
Since Bret, some local politicians have complained that a draft evacuation plan was not put into effect by the Department of Public Safety, although DPS officials have said the plan wasn't necessary during Bret.
Staff writer Jennifer Stump can be reached at 886-3778 or by e-mail at stumpj@caller.com
| Talk about this story | Next Story
| Home |
© 1999 Caller-Times Publishing Company, a
Scripps Howard newspaper.
All rights reserved.
|
 |
 |
|
