Montgomery County commissioners held a Sept. 27 session of commissioners court, with all commissioners in attendance. Here are some approved agenda items from the meeting.
Treasurer’s office relocation pushed back
Montgomery County was set to relocate County Treasurer Melanie Bush’s office within the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court building in Conroe on Oct. 1, but a public comment from Bush and an executive session led to commissioners pushing the relocation back to Oct. 7.
The initial consent agenda item called for the treasurer’s office to relocate to a different suite within the building at a cost of no more than $20,000 from the county’s contingency fund. The date was set for the beginning of the county’s new fiscal year.
However, Bush spoke during the public comments section at the beginning of the meeting, normally reserved for individuals to comment on agenda-related matters, raising concerns that the language of the item indicated she accepted the move.
“This item reads as if I am okay with the build-out of this space,” Bush said. “However, unless something has changed since my conversations with Mr. [Jason Millsaps, chief of staff to County Judge Mark Keough], I am not.”
Bush said the treasurer’s office processes an average of $6.3 million per month through its office, and she had requested additional security for its vault for her relocation. However, Bush said her requests to discuss the matter with county officials and during commissioners court were blocked, leading her to speak publicly at the Sept. 27 meeting.
Commissioners deferred the relocation item to the closed executive session and announced following the session that the relocation had been pushed back to Oct. 7. No specifications were provided at the Sept. 27 meeting.
Bush, who won re-election as treasurer in the March 1 primary, had been stripped of her payroll duties on March 8, with commissioners creating a new county payroll department. During FY 2022-23 budget workshops, Bush had been set to lose all but two of her employees in addition to herself, but following her presentation, was allowed to retain four staff, in addition to herself.
FY 2022-23 salary schedule approved
Montgomery County’s FY 2022-23 salary schedule was unanimously approved at the Sept. 27 meeting, with the county budget office requesting approval ahead of Oct. 1.
The salary schedule presents the titles, pay and position codes for county employees. Positions that are partially or completely funded through contracts with other agencies are also listed, such as Constable Precinct 1 officers covering Lake Conroe.
During August budget workshops and in following discussions, the county approved a $397 million budget funded by a $0.3742 per $100 valuation tax rate, which exceeds its calculated no-new-revenue rate.
Budget Officer Amanda Carter, who delivered the presentation to court, said several highlights in the schedule include corrections to animal services employee pay.
Montgomery County Appraisal District director nomination
Commissioners unanimously approved Misty Perinne to fill a vacancy on the Montgomery Central Appraisal District board of directors, following the resignation of director Adam Simmons on Aug. 22. The appraisal district determines valuations of properties in Montgomery County.
According to a bio attached to the Sept. 27 agenda, Perinne was most recently named as a Precinct 3 representative for the Montgomery County Advisory Committee and Grievance Council, which works with the Montgomery County Community Development office.
As a director, Perinne would not directly affect appraisals, but would hire the chief appraiser and have input into the district's budget, according to the MCAD website.
County commissioners previously criticized MCAD during August budget workshops for failing to meet a July 25 statutory deadline for certifying 2022 appraisal values. MCAD Chief Appraiser Tony Belinoski said ongoing staff shortages were complicating the district’s efforts in certifying values.
Commissioners also unanimously rejected a June proposal to increase MCAD’s budget, which is calculated through levies on taxing entities. In FY 2022-23, Montgomery County will contribute $2.3 million to the MCAD budget.
