Erath County has officially taken action to form a subregional planning commission with Somervell County otherwise known as a Chapter 391 Commission.
This move will make the Public Utility Commission of Texas have meetings with both counties and the public about the proposed Dinosaur-Longshore 765 KV Transmission line.
“One of the things we are allowed to do by state law is form a Chapter 391 with a government entity that is within our main Council of Governments [NCTCOG],” County Judge Brandon Huckabee said at the Thursday, Jan. 29 Erath County commissioner court meeting. The meeting was moved from Monday due to inclement weather.
“Once we form this board, and have the members, pass the bylaws and do a lot of technical stuff, we will be able to have a public meeting where we can give them our concerns. By state law they are required to work with us on those concerns,” he said. “We think we’ve got a good game plan to have conversations and make them have conversations.”
Huckabee said he has set up meetings with the county’s state representative Shelby Slawson and the PUC, however, the sub-regional planning meetings are a way have a public meeting.
“This will make them hear the concerns from the general public and come back to us with how they plan to address those concerns,” he said. “I think this would be a good step for Erath County and Somervell.”
The forming of the sub-regional planning commission is not forming another governmental body and the purpose of the entity has a limited scope.
Huckabee stated there is no funding needed for the committee.
“We think Oncor will show up, however, they are not mandated,” he said.
The court approved joint election contracts for the March 3 primaries along with the Democrat and Republican Election judge appointments.
The court will also be going out for bids on the Mountain Lakes Overlay project and permission was given allowing precinct 1 to clear fence row on CR 270 for the Golightly Family in order to improve visibility and drainage of the county road.
The court also established Medic 3 ambulance as surplus since a new ambulance arrived and Med 3 was the oldest ambulance by far.
“It’s possible the city of Stephenville may be interested in it,” Assistant EMS Director Colby Swearingen said.