Burn ban lifted and eyes on Gulf

After a report from County Emergency Management Director Joel Ardoin, County Judge John Gothia said he would lift the burn ban because of recent rains. However, people were still cautioned about outside burning with the high winds and vegetation that is still on the dry side.

The bad news, though, is the county may be getting a bit too much rain this week as Tropical Storm Rafael is predicted to go into the Gulf of Mexico. The system could affect Southeast Texas, but Ardoin said wind sheers off the land mean it will probably not be a hurricane when it hit the U.S.

The National Weather Service Tuesday's forecast had thunderstorms and rain as a cold front is expected to move through from the north.

Ardoin said Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to reach a Category 1 hurricane but as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, the wind sheer from the front will stall it down to a tropical storm, which has winds from 39 to 73 mph.

At this time, the storm's path in the gulf is not pinpointed, but predictions have put the Louisiana coast as a target, meaning it could affect Orange County.

County Tax Assessor-Collector Octavia Guzman reported her office has $4.5 million in delinquent county taxes from 2024 with another $25,134 delinquent from a separate county farm to market account. Tax bills for 2025 are expected to be mailed soon with the taxes due on January 31.

The court approved the appointment of Hillary Gravett to the Orange County Economic Development Corporation board of directors. Gravett currently serves as assistant Economic Development Corporation director to the city of Orange. She will move to become director for the city's group when current director Jay Trahan retires.

Other county business approved by the court included a $100,000 payment from the county's general fund to the county EDC. The countywide EDC is a separate organization supported by fee payments from cities in the county, the county, the port district, and the Sabine River Authority.

The county's EDC board members include two county commissioners along with representatives from the member cities, the port board, and the SRA.

The city of Orange has its own Economic Development Corporation that is funded by a half-cent per dollar sales tax that city voters approved in 2002 to set up the corporation. The income has allowed the city's EDC to give development grants to businesses within the city and pay for extensions of city infrastructure like water and sewer to expand the tax base.

Other bills approved from the general fund included $21,650 to University of Texas Medical Branch to run a health clinic in Orange; $3,450 to Memorial Funeral Home in Vidor for indigent funeral expenses; $84,150 from the records management fund to IDocket.com a website for court records; $255,500 from the Special Grants Fund to the Lark Group for work on the property where the new public health building will be constructed; another $20,800 to the Lark Group for demo work on the public health building site; and $114,700 from the General Fund to the Texas Association of Counties for group medical, dental, and life insurance ffor county emplyees younger than 64.

In the citizen comments, Debra Bednar invited members of the court to an unveiling ceremony at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, at Sunset Grove Country Club. The event is to celebrate the completion of a large mural by local artist Lauren Leigh to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the golf course designed by famed course architect Donald Ross for H.J. Lutcher Stark.

Bednar said the mural has been paid for by donations from the county's hotel occupancy tax, the city of Orange's hotel occupancy tax, the Orange County Historical Society, plus Trey and Ross Smith.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris Sowell thanked the community for supporting a food drive that he and Precinct 2 Constable Jeremiah Gunter started to help a new charity group, Be Blessed, help feed 180 families for Thanksgiving.

The drive lasted a week and Sowell said they collected a truck load of food, plus another $4,000. Be Blessed was started by local philanthropist Rita Ballard.