The transition to the unit road system has had a good start according to Interim Road Administrator Sammy Smith who reported to Commissioners Court at their Nov. 25 meeting.

One of Smith’s first steps was to meet with county road personnel to advise them of the transition process.

"This was a new situation for those men that worked in the road department," said Smith. "That meeting was really to assure those men that their jobs were not in jeopardy and to give them a summary of how the new system was to be implemented."

"I was very positive about that meeting, and I want to say very definitively that I appreciate the commissioners and all their input and participation. Their willingness to make this system work was very appreciated by me," Smith said.

While some employees were reassigned, none have been hired or fired. Smith said he has begun a training program in order to help the men become proficient on additional pieces of equipment. The goal is to use equipment closest to the job site and to move the operator rather than moving equipment.

Smith has also made some organizational changes. The four county precincts have been combined into two road districts. Precincts 1 and 4 form District 1; District 2 is composed of precincts 2 and 3. Each district is overseen by a district supervisor, who reports to the department road supervisor. The department supervisor reports to the county road administrator.

One feature of the new system is a new protocol for handling road complaints. Under the new system, Department Road Supervisor Hilmer Wagner, Jr. will serve as the focal point for complaints. Upon receiving a complaint, Wagner will dispatch the appropriate district supervisor to the site. The district supervisor will evaluate the situation, determine an action plan, and report back to the department supervisor. The department supervisor will consult with the road administrator to set priorities for road work.

Smith also indicated that he is working to inform county officials about the new system and added that residents can continue to contact their commissioners about road concerns as they have always done. While the commissioners no longer have direct authority over road crews, equipment or budgets, they can still relay information to the appropriate party. In addition to responding to complaints, the new county road department will also assess road conditions and set priorities for ongoing maintenance.

Other steps taken include evaluating the condition of county road equipment and vehicles and setting up a record keeping process.

"We will know how many hours we’ve spent on a particular road, how many people were out there, how much equipment was involved in that operation," said Smith. "Hopefully what we’ll have at the end of the day is that if you need to know what’s going on a particular road, we’ll be able to go into the database and retrieve that information."

Smith said that having road information readily available could help prevent future problems.

An additional concern is communication with road crews.

Smith indicated that the current situation is inappropriate. Currently, county employees are using their personal cell phones to communicate while out in the field. This raises a safety concern as cell phones have intermittent or no service in many parts of the county.

"We’re going to have to find a better mechanism of communication for safety," said Smith.

County officials also addressed rumors that the commissioners are not fully behind or even seeking to undermine the implementation of the unit system.

"I have heard people saying that the commissioners are sabotaging the unit system and are not trying to work with it," said Pct. 4 Commissioner Isidro "Stormy" Rossett. "That’s false. Were trying to do the best we can. The people voted for it and we have to make it work."

Smith concurred.

"The commissioners have been very cooperative in this program," Smith said. "They took the initiative to seek me out and be of whatever assistance possible and I greatly appreciate that. We’re in a transitional period and it will take everyone’s cooperation to make it go smoothly."

County Judge Alger Kendall, Jr. said that he appreciated Smith’s time and expertise.

"I feel more and more confident every day that this system is going to be successful," Kendall said.

In other business, county officials moved to ban the sale of certain fireworks within the unincorporated portions of the county.

In accordance with Texas Local Government Code, the sale of "certain fireworks," particularly "skyrockets with sticks" or "missiles with fins" will be prohibited due to drought conditions within the county. Small fireworks and those which produce "visible or audible effects by combustion" are still permitted.