Dry vegetation leads to burn ban vote

The burn ban for Orange County is extended until further notice of the county judge as the county continues to be in a drought with windy conditions and grass fires breaking out.

Commissioners Court Tuesday voted to extend the burn ban previously called by County Judge John Gothia. He said Orange County was the first to declare a burn ban in this area, but other counties have joined in.

Other business included awarding a construction contract for the new Public Health Building. G&G Enterprises of Orange is the contractor and had the low bid of $5.6 million. The new building is being constructed by the County Expo Center on FM 1442. The county is using federal ARPA grants given during the Covid pandemic.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor issued Thursday, October 17, has Orange County in a moderate drought condition, along with conjoining parts of Jefferson, Newton, and Jasper counties, plus Calcasieu Parish on the Louisiana side.

The burn ban is for all non-incorporated areas in the counties. The cities have their own ordinances that prevent open burning at all times within city limits.

The county has not had measurable rain for a few weeks as drying north winds have created even more hazards with vegetation, especially as leaves begin to all. Judge Gothia said the burn ban was made at the recommendations of the emergency services districts in the county, which provide paid and volunteer fire protection.

No rain is in the forecast for this week, but the U.S. Weather Service out of Lake Charles reports rain could move into the area by Thursday, October 31, which is Halloween.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Johnny Trahan was not at the meeting, however, Judge Gothia said the commissioner is out of the hospital and making phone calls . Trahan was hospitalized for several days because of an internal infection that began at the site of a hip replacement. Gothia said the commissioner hopes to be back at work soon.

County Engineer Corey Oldbury, who oversees the Road and Bridge Department covering all four precincts, reported his office had 445 new work orders made in September. The Cow Bayou Bridge was opened and closed only 30 times in September, which is down from recent months, he said. The county collection station for residents to drop off trash and recyclables had 570 people during the month.

A lot of the Commissioners Court meeting was used to approved a number of business that is routinely passed early in the annual budget year, which began on October 1.

The routine business included allowing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pass along information to the Orange County Health Department concerning investigations and outbreaks.

Cheryl Warren, a local citizen and chair of the Orange County Republican Party, was concerned about the agreement setting up where the county would share information from the new public health clinic.

Judge Gothia said no local information will be given, but the county can request information from the FDA on any investigations or outbreaks they have. The judge said the exchange could be important for something like a food poisoning outbreak like salmonella. The county could get information to see if the same foods carrying the outbreak in Orange County have been tied to outbreaks investigated in other places to see if the sources could be the same.

The routine agreements also included six related to different grant programs to help the county pay for flood control projects. Different commissioners and county employees were appointed to committees overseeing the grants. One of the grant programs is looking at elevating at least 23 residences in the county with a history of flooding so the houses will be above future flood levels.

Bills paid included $103,600 from the general fund to the Texas Association of Counties insurance program to cover medical, dental, and life insurance for employees under the age of 65. Also, $86,160 from the general und to the Amwins Group Benefits for insurance for retired county employees age 65 and older.

The court approved $38,733 from the general fund to to the city of Orange to cover maintenance on the Orange County Sheriff's Office dispatch console. The radio system under the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission covers the area and the city of Orange oversees the county's equipment.