White Oak’s council members officially signed off on the Gregg County Hazard Mitigation Plan last week during the final monthly meeting of 2024.
“Us participating in this allows us to receive grants,” City Coordinator Jimmy Purcell noted, “like we did for the generator we’re about to put in at Big Sandy Creek.”
An updated plan is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency every five years, Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Russell noted. Officials across the county have spent months helping craft the $100,000, 500-page strategy.
“Part of that requires each city that wants to be eligible for those funds to participate as well.”
In his monthly report, Purcell noted City Attorney Blake Armstrong is in contact with Ebenezer Investments regarding the city’s legal effort to clawback $150,000 in White Oak Economic Development Corporation funding.
“He offered an agreed-upon judgment that would act as a lien, and it was turned down by Ebenezer,” Purcell said. “That was an attempt to avoid the suit, to save some money. Since it was turned down, now (Armstrong) is planning to file suit in the next several days.”
Regarding the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, Purcell reminded the council the bulk of $1.568 million received was used in work on George Richey and Old Hwy. 80.
For the approximately $260,000 that’s left, “Not only do we have to tell them where that money is going and what it was for, but how it’s going to be used by the end of this year,” he said. With council approval, “It’s mainly going to go for the water meters.”
In other business last week, the council officially banned TikTok from municipal devices per direction from Texas Senate Bill 1893 and advice from Armstrong. The policy went into effect immediately.
The elected officials also cast all of the taxing entity’s 60 votes for Gregg County Appraisal District Board of Directors for realtor and White Oak ISD Trustee Stephanie McKinney. (The WOISD school board did the same in early November.)
The council approved Mays & Associates to perform the city’s 2023-2024 audit and signed off on a General Fund budget adjustment of $90,000 to cover 2020 work on the girls softball field at White Oak ISD, a previously-approved piece of bookkeeping that was overlooked between changing administrative personnel at both entities. The group also accepted Kelly Johnson to replace Chris Wayt on the city’s Board of Adjustments and approved the municipal holiday schedule.
Utility work along Hwy. 42 likely won’t happen until the end of February, Purcell told the council members.
- By James Draper