Alderman grant permit reduction request

ANDERSON – Alderman of the Town of Anderson approved a discounted rate for the sewage fee of the Grimes County Animal Rescue Center.

The Animal Rescue sits on property owned by Grimes County; however, construction costs of the building were paid for by The Animal Rescue. During the building process, the sewage was tied into the Anderson Wastewater Treatment Facility without the required permit being filed.

During the regular meeting Feb. 9, council members heard from Grimes County Maintenance Director, Rodney Floyd, who stated it was the responsibility of Grimes County, not the animal rescue, to connect the sewage and apply for a permit. Floyd stated he reached out to Anderson Mayor Karen McDuffie between May and July 2021 to inquire about a permit and connection specifications. He said she instructed him to contact Anderson Water Company.

“The answer we got was Anderson Water Company handles most of that, give them a call and let them know,” explained Floyd. “I gave them a call and they said they don’t handle any of that.” Floyd said he did the research by contacting Navasota to find out the specifications. In July a scope of work that was bid on and they continued the installation process.

Floyd said, “It seems like my department didn’t communicate well, and I apologize severely for that. That is solely on me. I hope we can move forward with the process however we need to get this taken care of.”

At the time, Anderson Town Council was in the process of transitioning to handle permits themselves and McDuffie said that may be the reason for the confusion. Grimes County Judge Joe Fauth requested the connection fee be waived or reduced.

Alderman agreed to reduce the connection fee in half from $1,000 to $500.

Anderson Baptist Crosswalks

Anderson Baptist Church Pastor, Kyle Childress, asked permission to paint crosswalks on Johnson and Fanthorp Streets and install pedestrian crossing signs.

Childress stated there is a lot of traffic in the area and this will hopefully help drivers slow down and be more aware of pedestrians. Grimes County Road and Bridge Engineer, Harry Walker, stated he could provide Childress with specifi cations of how the crosswalk should be painted. Alderman approved the crosswalks.

Anderson proposals to Grimes County

Alderman Marc Benton requested approval to speak with Grimes County Officials during a workshop to operate the historic Grimes County Courthouse as a wedding venue and possibly relocate Anderson Town Hall to the Grimes County Maintenance Building.

Benton stated a request to host a wedding in the courthouse after hours was mentioned at Grimes County Commissioners Court. A workshop is being planned to discuss that option as well as to address plans for other county owned facilities.

During the courthouse discussion, Benton said one of the concerns was who would be in charge of booking the courthouse for weddings as well as who would open and close the facility. Benton said utilizing the courthouse as a wedding venue could help increase revenue in Anderson. He said he would like to propose the Town of Anderson take over booking responsibilities of the courthouse for weddings.

Benton also wants to propose asking if Anderson Town Hall can relocate to the Grimes County Maintenance building on Main Street once the new Maintenance facility is constructed.

Alderman agreed to allow Benton to make those requests on behalf of the Town of Anderson.

Election approved

Alderman approved to contract with Grimes County Elections to host an election May 6, for twoAlderman positions and one Mayor position for 2-year terms.

They also approved adoption of Ordinance #160-23 ordering an election for the purpose of “The reauthorization of the local sales and use tax in the Town of Anderson at the rate of 1/4 of 1% to continue providing revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets. The tax expires on the fourth anniversary of the date of this election unless the imposition of the tax is reauthorized.”

The next regular meeting of the Town ofAnderson is scheduled March 16, at 7 p.m.