JUDGE: What’s going on in Milam County?
There is lots going on in Milam County this Month. May is filled with graduation from college and high school. I love being at these events as our young folks (and some not so young) finish one part of their lives and move on to the next.
As I think about where these young people are, I think about something my Grandfather Whitmire told me when I graduated high school. He said, “we are the now, we are the present, but you are the future so go out and prepare for it and make it a good future.” We send our congratulations to all of those graduating this month and wish you all luck in your future endeavors.
On the county side, we are making progress on all fronts in county government. I know several folks have wondered about the camera system to put Commissioners’ Court back online. As we have talked about before, the equipment used before did not belong to the county and is no longer available for the county to use. So, Monday the Milam County Commissioners’ Court approved the purchase of a camera system to get us back online. We are working with the contractor and will hopefully be back up and recording in the next month.
The construction project on the annex professional buildings is progressing. The Commissioners’ Court had a special meeting on Friday, April 28, in which we met with our engineering representative, R3NDA, to discuss the project, the scheduling issues, the concerns over the cost, the lack of preparation prior to Jan. 1, and the overall cost. After due consideration, much debate, and some serious number crunching, it was decided to continue on with the project under the close scrutiny of the Commissioners’ Court.
This week in Commissioners’ Court we verified that as a resident in the county, you can do the annual inspections on your aerobic septic systems so long as you are certified. Currently, we are putting together a list of credentialing agencies so we can get that out. This will allow property owners out in the county to do their annual septic recertifications without the expense so many folks are paying for a third-party service provider to complete this. We will also be looking to conduct these classes in the county to make it easier for people to get certified right here in Milam County.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I have had multiple conversations with our state and federal elected members of congress to work towards mental health reforms. Since taking office, I have dealt with far more mental health related issues than I thought I would and I truly believe we must do more at all levels of government to improve the quality, and the quantity of mental health resources. Please keep this in mind and reach out to your state and federal congressmen and senators and let them know this is important to us all.
Lastly, thanks to the Rockdale Fair Board and all the sponsors for putting on last weekend’s Jubilee Days festivities in Rockdale. We had a great time complimented by good food, good rodeo, good music, and a lot of good people. Have a great week.