By Martha Tallent

The Orange Leader

 

Orange City Council proclaimed October to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A representative of the Julie Rogers Gift for Life Program accepted a plaque commemorating the proclamation.

Granger Chevrolet will host their third annual 5k Walk/Run to benefit the United Way of Orange, TX. Registration is $30 and the event will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016. The course will start at Granger Chevrolet and continue through Historic Downtown Orange, and back.

There was a lively discussion concerning the previously tabled proposal of the design and construction of the new Riverfront Pavilion Restroom facility. Staff member Mr Trahan presented the previously proposed architectural design, as well as a new design. The new design takes into account the proposed amenities, however, instead of a new construction it would be a pre-fabricated building. The City of Orange would be responsible for the site preparation as well as pouring the footings and foundation for the concrete facility. A public hearing will be held on this proposal.

The Texas Department of Transportation will be giving the Texas Welcome Center six logs which were originally part of a log cabin at the Welcome Center before it was remodeled. The new facility will display the logs, as well as their history.

An Orange resident presented to the council a proposal to make Orange a smoke free environment in all public indoor facilities including restaurants.

Two ordinances were unanimously passed by the council. The first was adopting the budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2016, and ending on September 30, 2017, in accordance with the Charter of the Coty of Orange, Texas. The second was making a tax levy and fixing the maintenance and operations tax rate, debt service tax rate and total tax rate for the City of Orange, Texas for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2016 and ending September 30, 2017, upon all taxable property in the City of Orange, Texas, on January 1, 2016 according to the laws of Texas, the Charter provisions and the ordinances of the City of Orange, Texas, and providing that the said taxes levied shall be collected.

Resolutions were passed authorizing the City Manager to execute agreements for allocation of hotel/motel tax funds for the fiscal year 2017, beginning October 2, 2016 and ending September 30, 2017 for the following: The Lutcher Theater for the promotion of the arts in the amount of $50,000.00, Friends of the Orange Depot in the amount of $25,000.00, Heritage House Museum in the amount of $30,000.00, Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce in the amount of $48,000.00, Gulf Coast Cajun in the amount of $5,000.00, Orange Trade Days LLC in the amount of $5,000.00, and South East Texas Arts Council in the amount of $10,000.00.

The motions to acknowledge the receipt of the engagement letter for the audit of fiscal year 2016 with the auditing firm of Charles E. Reed & Associates, P.C. and to authorize the President to execute an engagement letter for the audit of fiscal year 2016 with the auditing firm of Charles E. Reed & Associates, P.C. both passed.

Both the motions authorizing payments in the amount of $4,655.64 per month to Jerry V. Pennington, Municipal Court Judge and to Cimron Campbell, Municipal Court Prosecutor in the amount of $2,728.58 per month for the 2017 fiscal year passed. A motion extending the agreement with George B. Barron, Alternate/Assistant Municipal Court Judge, for a period ending September 30, 2017 also passed. These all are for the same amounts as 2016 plus cost of living increases.

Payment in the amount of $33,114.20 to the Texas Municipal League for Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Fiscal Year 2017 passed. Staff member, Cheryl Zeto, said this was a 21% decrease in the amount from last year. A motion authorizing payment in the amount of $251,841.38 to the Texas Municipal League for Property and Liability Insurance for Fiscal Year 2017 also passed.

Ledet MaQuettia, Joe Love, and Michael Smith were all appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a term ending September 13, 2017.

The extension of the current contract for Jackson Street Wastewater Treatment Plant Analysis to Envirodyne Laboratories Inc. through September 30, 2017 with the same pricing and conditions, the extension of the current contract for Machine Shop and Repair Service to Pemsco, LLC through October 1, 2017 with the same pricing and conditions and the extension of the current contract for Chlorine for Water Production with DXI Industries, Inc. for a period of one year, from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, the extension of the current contract for Liquid Polyphosphate for Well Water Treatment to Napco Chemical Company for a period of one year, from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017 all passed.

A motion approving the Orange Economic Development Corporation’s motion of intent to enter into an agreement with Blue Beacon International Inc. for the expenditure of funds for infrastructure improvements at State Highway 62 N and Interstate 10, Orange, Texas in an amount not to exceed $11,630.00 for the purpose of economic development.