During their April 22 meeting, the Karnes City Council heard a report from Monty Small, CEO of the Atascosa Health Center about progress for the first quarter of the satellite clinic, the Karnes Community Health Center located at 302 N. Butler Street.

"During the first quarter," Small said, "the health center has exceeded expectations regarding the total number of patients served during this time."

"The number of new patients, 326, and these generating a total of 883 visits, underscores the health care needs of the community," he said.

The cost of these services totaled $94,806 with $47,106 discounted through the sliding fee scale showing a 50 percent adjustment in medical costs for the area residents. Plans for the health center include a new module to be located adjacent to the present one to accommodate facilities for the dental professionals and their patients. A dentist is expected to join the center in August. It was noted that they had been looking at dental school graduates and found some who had grown up in this area who expressed delight to return to their hometown area and serve the people here. He stated the health center also has a definite role in the area of mental health and is looking at a doctor of social work who is bilingual to add to the staff.

Small then introduced the members of the staff present at the meeting, including D. A. Ruby and Dr. Carlos Salazar who recently joined the health center. Small asked for the city council’s approval to move the additional module onto the site. Since it was not on the agenda, the council will vote on the addition at their next meeting. But they noted their delight concerning the addition and the progress the Karnes Community Health Center is making.

In other business, the council discussed two items that had recently involved the consultation of an attorney. City Administrator Larry Pippen said the first item was regarding the appropriateness and legality of the rules and regulations to be placed in the Karnes City park. The rules had been considered and discussed in previous meetings and Pippen said that the attorney is now "finalizing the information" and they should be ready for acting upon at the next council meeting.

The second item before the council, Pippen stated was ready to be ratified as the attorney had approved the agreement between P.C. Aquatics L.L.C. (supplier) for water purchase and delivery and the City of Karnes City with some modifications.

The council members discussed the agreement and a call to approve the issue was voted, "yes" by four council members with one abstention by Councilman Jimmy Loya.

A new ordinance numbered 2008-XX about the prohibition of new billboard construction or the changing of existing billboards to a larger size or to electronic variable message signs was discussed. The state is looking into this because of concerns about safety issues with oversized and elaborately lighted signs. This item was tabled by the council until more information and guidelines are available.

Sherry Sommer of the City Park Board gave an update to the council members on upcoming plans for the park. Several student service projects will begin around May 2. These will include planting, redoing the flower beds, upkeeping of the Crepe Myrtles, starting the butterfly and humming bird project, working with the Karnes City Garden Club on some of the projects, and more. She also is conferring with Pippen about installing picnic tables and electrical outlets at the park. Working on the building at the corner of Wall and Browne Street is being planned, and an Eagle Scout project to be done by council member Lillian Lyssy’s grandson John Lyssy, for the construction of a covered sign posting board to hold not only signs, but the rules and regulations of the park, and an information and direction map is to be added. There also is a project to add large white stones and boulders to outline and define the park area. Sommer also said that her board will be working with groups this summer to fix up and beautify the downtown area, notifying the store owners that the groups will help with the upkeep once planting is done. They also plan to update other, older parks in the city like the one near the Community Health Center and Memorial Park. Their thinking is for all of the parks to be kept up. A "Run for the Park" is scheduled for May 10.

She and the council also said "thank you" for the park’s successful part in the April 19 Saturday in the Park with Clifton Jansky.

"It was so enjoyable to see the park full of happy, active adults and children in the park," Councilman Leroy Skloss said.

Pippen then included in his report that he is reworking the Karnes City’s personnel policy, which he said, "has not been updated since the 1970s."

He concluded that most of April had been productive for the city. He shared that at a meeting about the city’s water well, there has been located a separate, free-flowing well with a 150 degree temperature. This will be looked into as to several possibilities for its use. He concluded his report with a reminder that there will be no city elections on May 10.

The Countywide asked Mayor Don Tymrak and Mayor Pro-tem /Councilman Leroy Skloss who presided at last month’s meeting, why the decision was made by the city council to decline the tax freeze on homesteads owned by those with disabilities or 65 and over at the March meeting.

Councilman Skloss said and Mayor Tymrak agreed, "that after looking at the data of those concerned and in particular of the effect on those who would be the most liable for future tax increases, the city council believed it would be in the best interest of all of the citizens to allow them to vote on the proposition in the November elections."