Commissioners to get briefing on New Year's fires

Laura Jesse (photo)

Public Information Officer

Commissioner's Court

Commissioners to get briefing on New Year’s fires

Because of the abundant grass fires sparked over the New Year holiday, County Commissioners will receive a briefing on the fires and the subsequent impact on Bexar County’s 9-1-1 system at its regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 8. Orlando Hernandez, the county’s fire marshal and emergency management coordinator, will talk to the court about what the county can do in the future to prevent such fires and the role of his office in responding to and investigating the fires.

Robert Adelman, public safety communications manager with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, will then talk about the system overload experienced during the fires. The Public Safety Communications Center for the county saw a 460 percent increase in calls from the same time last year.

In other business the court will:

Consider a resolution to send to the state comptroller, who will determine that the venue projects to be funded with a visitor tax will not have a negative fiscal impact on the state.

Have a public hearing and consider calling a May 10 election to create Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 12 (St. Hedwig), which would levy a tax of no more than 10 cents per $100 of property taxable by the county.

Discuss setting public hearings to consider petitions to establish Bexar County Emergency Services Districts No. 10 (Gardendale) and No. 11 (Kirby).

The complete agenda can be found online at www.bexar.org, click on the “Public Information” link. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom on the first floor of the Bexar County Courthouse, 100 Dolorosa, Suite 1.20.