Transcript:
The Brewster County Commissioners Court will review and possibly act tomorrow on several
items that involve funding county activities in the coming year.
The agenda has six action items relating to financing including, in the words on the agenda,
“possible action” on the Fiscal Year 2025 proposed budget.
Leading up to that item is a review and possible action on the 2024 certified tax roll and tax rate
and calculations and possible action to approve and publish salaries for elected officials.
Another item would review the 2024 tax rate, another would be a hearing date for the budget and
another would set a hearing date for the 2024 tax rate.
Also on the agenda is a report from Robert Alvarez, executive director of the county Tourism
Council.
That also involves budgets, including the council’s action Monday approving its budget of 1.8
million dollars, financed by the county hotel occupancy tax, known as “HOT.”
And, again relating to finances, the court will consider soliciting a new outside auditor and
replacement of the current accounting system.
The commissioners will discuss and take possible action on several other items, including the
appointment of election judges and alternates for the upcoming General Election.
They will be appointed for one-year terms beginning September 1 in time for the November 5
statewide election. It also is the national Presidential election.
Another action item is possibly appointing replacements for members of the Alpine Emergency
Services Board.
Board member and former Alpine Fire Chief Paul Loeffler died last month and new county
Emergency Management Coordinator James Etchison was also named fire chief.
The Emergency Services Board was created recently when County Judge Greg Henington
oversaw the merging of city and county fire departments to cover north Brewster County.
As always, the commissioners meet at 9:30 tomorrow in the commissioner’s courtroom in the
Brewster County Courthouse.
The Big Bend Sentinel reports the search for a new director for the Museum of the Big Bend on
the Sul Ross State University campus could be resolved this week.
The second of two candidates to replace Mary Bones, who retired, will appear at a forum at 3:10
today at the Espino Conference Center in the University Building.
One candidate, Dr. John Klingermann, visited the campus last week and the other, Bill Mercer,
will be interviewed today.
The search for a new director began in April when Bones retired.
Klingermann is director of the Mayer Museum at Angelo State University and Mercer is an
experienced museum director who last worked at the Panhandle-Plains Museum in Canyon.
The search committee, which narrowed a list of nine candidates to the two finalists, will make its
decision after today’s meeting.
Alpine School Superintendent Dr. Michelle Rinehart’s wrote a guest column this week on the
opinions page of the Alpine Avalanche.
She has pointed out that, despite enjoying record surpluses, the state has neglected its
constitutional duty to adequately fund public education.
As a result, rural schools are systematically starved of the resources they need to thrive and
Alpine is no exception.
She wrote that stagnant state funding has remained frozen since 2019 while the costs of running
a school district continue to rise dramatically.
There are some new funding sources, she wrote. But will it be enough to stave off disaster.
The full column appears near the top of Page Four in this week’s Alpine Avalanche.ach performance with no presale or online sale.
To further participate, you can Buy a Cowboy a Meal. The promotion has been great success and a part of the weekend that these ranch cowboys still are talking about.
Send donation to B.B.R.R., Post Office Box 2140, Alpine, Texas 79831 or drop it off at Big Bend Saddlery or Out West Feed and Supply.
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