County applies for auto theft task-force grant
The Burnet County Commissioners approved the joint grant application with Coryell County for more than $378,800 earlier this week. Precinct 2 Commissioner Russell Graeter made the motion to apply for the grant, and the other commissioners approved it unanimously during the Dec. 2 meeting.
“I think it’s a great operation,” Graeter told The Daily Tribune. “(The task force) has shown it can deter theft.”
The joint agreement stipulates Burnet County will contribute fuel, maintenance and other benefits valued at $14,281 to the task force.
During the term of the agreement, which will extend from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31 next year, in-kind contributions from the county will come out of the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office budget, officials said.
The Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority, part of the Texas Department of Transportation, manages the task force.
Thousands of Texans lose their vehicles to automobile thieves at a multi-million dollar cost to car owners every year, according to the TxDOT Web site.
Tips to discourage car theft include several common-sense actions, such as do not leave your keys in the car; lock your car; park in well-lighted areas, and whenever possible, in attended parking lots; and completely close your car windows after parking.
During their investigations of auto theft, the task force will hunt for car vehicle identification numbers in salvage yards, scrap metal bins and various other locations, Graeter said.
“It takes several people to check these places,” Graeter said. “It takes more than one person.”
The task force can also inspect tractor-trailers for stolen auto parts or other merchandise, Graeter added.
Also during the meeting, grant administrator Debbie Carter gave an update on the status of several other grant applications submitted by the county.
Various federal, state and private agencies have approved more than $1.5 million worth of active grants for the county through 2010, according to a document the commissioners received from Carter.
Active grants include $600,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to the emergency management coordinator, according to figures compiled by Carter.
Pending grant applications to the county include more than $18,000 for safety vests and ammunition to the Sheriff’s Office and local constables from the National Rifle Association, as well as more than $11,800 for children’s books in county libraries by the Covey Foundation.
Research is under way for grants to create a county public defender’s office; a law enforcement museum; a permanent location for the Precinct 1 and 2 justices of the peace; the preservation and restoration of historical documents; and other projects.
In other business, the commissioners agreed to lease radio tower space to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department at $200 a month next year.
Upon a motion made by Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery, the commissioners requested bids for a new water truck for the Precinct 4 road-and-bridge maintenance crew.
Outstanding bids include new uniforms for all county road-and-bridge maintenance crews and for fuel-management services.
Turning to another matter, Interface Industries Executive Director Shirley Beaudoin has told the commissioners the recycling center in Burnet, 2421 FM 963 will not accept glass, newspapers, magazines, mixed paper or plastic until further notice, because the recycling market for those items has “taken a nosedive” during recent weeks.
If the recycling market rebounds, Interface may resume accepting glass and other items by February or March, although for now, it is uncertain whether the center will do so, Beaudoin said.
Interface will still accept aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard and white ledge paper, Beaudoin added.
Burnet County has maintained an annual contract of $10,000 with Interface since 2006, according to county budget records.
Last October, the county received a grant of $8,403 for its recycling program from the Capital Area Council of Governments. Also, CAPCOG gave the city of Burnet $21,700; Bertram received $9,826; and Granite Shoals got $18,384 for their respective recycling programs.
raymond@thepicayune.com