Liberty County Commissioners Court held a quick meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, where a few issues were addressed, including a proposal for Venado Lakes, a 133.5-acre, 172-lot subdivision in the Splendora area of Liberty County.
The proposal for Venado Lakes stirred up some controversy due to a pump detention system being proposed to manage storm water. Although the design has been successfully used by other developers in neighboring counties, Liberty County has little experience with this method and has limited regulations, and therefore, the proposal caused some concerns.
After the preliminary plat for the subdivision was originally tabled on Sept. 12, commissioners decided to seek guidance from LJA Engineering, which performs engineering and plat reviews for Liberty County.
During the discussion, Cody Crawley, an engineer with LJA, highlighted that the system design could work effectively, given its adequacy, but there are no maintenance mechanisms or regulations in place for inspection and upkeep. He recommended that inspections should be done, regardless of whether or not a storm event takes place, as the lack of power can make it difficult to identify a system failure.
“There’s no mechanism in place for annual maintenance, whether it’s annual, bi-annual, quarterly, no inspections, inspection fees, there’s nothing like that in place. Those things would have to be done because during a storm event is not when you want to realize that this thing isn’t working because there’s no power out there. So it would have to be inspected. There’s nothing like that in place right now,” Crawley told commissioners.
Pct. 1 Commissioner Bruce Karbowski said he is concerned as to how the pump detention systems would work during a major hurricane.
“Folks pump the water out and then lose electricity and everything else, and now we’re just sitting there with a lake of water that’s fixing to come over the top and possibly wash it out at the same time,” Karbowski said.
The four county commissioners and County Judge Jay Knight all agreed that workshops would need to be held to discuss pump detention system regulations and other regulations that need updating. They hope to host the workshops in the next couple of months.
Residential developments, and their accompanying challenges, were a continuing theme throughout the meeting. They agreed to an easement variance request for the Moss Ranch Subdivision, a 117-acre, 125 3/4-acre lot development in the Tarkington area. One of the developers, Scott Lambert, told the court that the easement was needed to run behind properties so that the homeowners association (HOA) can maintain a ditch for storm water run-off. The request was approved.
Commissioners also listened to a presentation from Tax Assessor-Collector Ricky Brown regarding Westpointe Villages, a 500-home neighborhood in the city of Dayton. The community is part of a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) as well as a public improvement district (PID).
“We were asked to collect taxes for the PID,” said Brown, explaining that Liberty County is not part of the PID and therefore the county will still benefit from ad valorem taxes on homes in the development.
Commissioners also approved a replat of several lots in the Cypress Lakes community, now known as The Preserve. The owner of the lots has no plans to sell the properties and the re-platting is being done to simplify how they are recorded for tax purposes.
With development discussions out of the way, the agenda turned toward election matters. The court approved the election judges and alternates for the Nov. 7, 2023, election, as well as the non-county election worker pay of $12 per hour. Ross Norwood was also approved as the Early Voting Ballot Board judge.
At the start of the meeting, County Clerk Lee Chambers, who oversees elections in Liberty County, told commissioners that early voting is underway.
“For the rest of this week through Friday, [the polls will be open from ] 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, as of Saturday, it goes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all five early voting locations. On Sunday, it’s from 1 to 7 p.m. We’re going to let everyone go to church before they have to start working,” Chambers said. “Then all next week, from Monday through Friday, it will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at all early voting locations. There are 14 propositions to vote on, as well as the Cleveland ISD bond election, Liberty County ESD No. 2’s tax election, and there are two MUDs (municipal utility districts) and MMDs (municipal management district) that have tax elections.”
Chambers explained that the explanations for each of the propositions are available on the Texas Secretary of State’s website and on the county’s election website.
Early voting locations are:
- Cleveland Civic Center (Curbside voting available)
210 Peach Avenue, Cleveland, Texas 77327 - The Sanctuary Pentecostal Church (Curbside voting available)
100 E. Hanson St., Cleveland, Texas 77327 - Hardin City Hall (Curbside voting available)
142 C.R. 2010, Hardin, Texas 77561 - Dayton Community Center (Curbside voting available)
801 S. Cleveland St., Dayton, Texas 77535 - Jack Hartel Community Building (Curbside voting available)
318 San Jacinto St., Liberty, Texas 77575
Election Day locations are:
- Cleveland Civic Center (Curbside voting available)
210 Peach Ave., Cleveland, Texas 77327 - The Sanctuary Pentecostal Church (Curbside voting available)
100 E. Hanson St., Cleveland, Texas 77327 - Plum Grove City Hall
9485 Plum Grove Road, Cleveland, Texas 77327 - Sante Fe Admin & Activities Building
1680 C.R. 3549, Cleveland, Texas 77327 - Hi-Way Tabernacle
108 C.R. 2250, Tarkington, Texas 77327 - Dayton Community Center (Curbside voting available)
801 S. Cleveland St., Dayton, Texas 77535 - New Life
3056 F.M. 1008, Kenefick, Texas 77535 - St. Anne’s Catholic Church Hall
C.R. 622 & F.M. 686, Eastgate (Dayton), Texas 77535 - Pathways Church
9160 F.M. 1409, Dayton, Texas 77535 - Jack Hartel Admin. Building (Curbside voting available)
318 San Jacinto St., Liberty, Texas 77575 - Dolen Baptist Church Gym
10078 F.M. 787, Dolen, Texas 77327 - Hardin City Hall (Curbside voting available)
142 C.R. 2010, Hardin, Texas 77561 - Hull-Daisetta High School
117 N. Main St., Daisetta, Texas 77533 - Devers Elementary School
201 Chism St., Devers, Texas 77538