Some wanted the board to continue running things but others were clearly unhappy with the current board. In the end, the commissioners gave Edith Collins, elderly services director, oversight of activities at the facility. The building belongs to the county which pays all utilities at the facility.
“We’re trying to walk around without walking on anybody’s toes,” said Commissioner Stanley Tuttle. “I say we resolve this today and get it over with.”
Tuttle then proposed making the director of elderly services in charge of all activities in the center.
Commissioner Gary Bourland also wanted to “do something today,” but suggested working out details at a workshop. The workshop is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m.
After the meeting, many of the seniors went back to the center for lunch and reported a locksmith had been called by the director of elderly services. The locks were changed by Tuesday afternoon.
“At the meeting, the court awarded a veteran of many years service with the county and at the same time, locked out a 22-year veteran from the center, calling my character into question,” Rayburn said after the locks were changed.
Tuesday evening, Judge Rene Mascorro said he was unaware that the locks were changed so quickly after the morning meeting and before the workshop.
“My intention was to get clarification, not to disband, eliminate or undermine an organization but to bring clarity to the supervision over a county building,” Mascorro said. “We are having a workshop on Monday to iron out the details and figure out how we can help continue these great activities while providing supervision over a county-owned building.”
Rayburn said he got a call from the county attorney’s secretary Wednesday morning, asking him to hold off on any action by the board until the workshop.
“I respect the commissioners’ decision but I don’t think elderly services should have oversight over a board of directors,” Rayburn said. “They should have control of the building, I agree with that.”
At stake are free meals offered at the center from food obtained from a food bank in Victoria and two trainee positions from WorkSource, Rayburn said.
“Four of the nine directors said they will resign if the directors have to operate under elderly services,” Rayburn said. “It takes six to make a quorum.”
Members of the senior citizens group had mixed feelings about the court’s decision.
“We had something good but they messed it up,” said Beatrice Guerrero, whose husband Ernest is a board member at the center. “They didn’t appreciate what was being done by the members.”
When retired entrepreneur Judy Williamson donated the building to the county and it was turned into a senior citizens center, no written agreement was penned between the county and the seniors group. Only two commissioners, Rindle Wilson and Bourland, were on the court at the time.
“They should have ironed all this out before they set up the center,” said Leroy Rhoades.
“We enjoyed going to the center, visiting and playing dominoes,” Rhonda Rhoades said in tears.
Wednesday morning the county judge said, “All we’re doing is establish the rules of decorum for a county building and the county’s responsibilities for anybody who uses the building. Mascorro said the differences will be ironed out Monday morning.
Too much money
The commissioners stopped short of approving payment for construction at the DPS office in the basement after the cost overrun was three times the projected cost by the department.
The commissioners approved a request from Sgt. Armando Garza for $1,000 this summer to beef up security in the basement following similar action by the probation department across the hall, which cost $1,000.
The contractor charged $85 an hour.
“Did anyone oversee this project?” asked Tuttle.
Garza said he was there and explained the difficulty of the work.
Tuttle called the construction “a pretty poor job,” explaining that the Plexiglass was set into a piece of routed wood. He also questioned how the carpenter spent 36 hours working over a 48-hour period of time.
“I’ll walk down and show you what I’m talking about,” Tuttle said.
Bourland said the court should have been informed earlier of the increase.
“I wish, during the process, you’d have come to the commissioners court to tell us we’re going to have a problem,” Bourland said. “We need to know it’s going to go over.”
“$85 an hour for one person? I don’t know of any other people in Refugio that charge $85 per hour,” Wilson said.
The judge asked the court to table the item until the work is completed.
In other matters the commissioners:
• Approved the installation video, recording and copying equipment to be installed in the commissioners courtroom; and upgrades in offices of the justices to be paid out of the justice court technology fund.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the indigent defense grant program.
• Renewed the lease agreement between the county and Bee Community Action Agency for the Head Start Program.
• Appointed election judges for the upcoming general election.
• Increased the hourly wage of election workers from $7 to $8 per hour if workers attend training.
• Acknowledged the employment on Oct. 1 of Stan Upton as emergency management coordinator, effective Oct. 1, at a salary of $30,625; Billie Sue Dunnivan as a deputy treasurer in the treasurer’s office at a salary of $21,691; Noel Martinez as animal contand rol supervisor at a salary of $28,000.
.• Acknowledged the employment of Agnes Skrobarcek as a part-time justice of the peace clerk for Pct. 1 and Pct. 2, at a salary of $14,326, effective Oct. 1.
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