On April 23, County Commissioner Ryan Dennard held a Town Hall meeting to review what is going on in Galveston County government relating to issues on Bolivar, and get feedback from residents on those issues. Approx 70 residents were in attendance. Commissioner Dennard will have quarterly meetings this year, and have monthly office hours on the peninsula. Bolivar Issues Update:

Taxes:
The size of county government has shrunk about 1% per year over the last few years in terms of staff. The Commissioners Court wants to continue to shrink government at the same rate and take some of the savings to reduce tax rates. Tax rates have been cut the last two years.

Community Development Block Grant:
CDBG will be spent on culvert replacement to improve drainage and restore to pre-Ike conditions, and to provide back-up generators at water distribution plants.

Buyout Program:
PENDECO will not manage the buyout properties as originally planned. The County is in discussions to develop an alternative program for the management of the buyouts. Some of the issues to consider are maintenance, access, and lease rates.

Wastewater Treatment Plant:
Commissioner Dennard is actively working on this project and a few issues remain to be resolved. “I want to see it happen, and, it will happen in a way that no one in this room will be opposed to it”. An announcement will come in 3-4 weeks.

Rollover Pass:
Litigation was filed against the GLO. The county is not participating in the process, and is waiting to see what happens.

Crystal Beach Fire Station:
Beautiful new building and the FD is in the process of moving in.

Bolivar Road & Bridge Building:
A building to house road maintenance equipment will be built directly behind the new fire station building in Crystal Beach. Engineering and design work will begin very soon.

Emergency Services District:
The county has and will continue to pay for emergency medical services on the peninsula, but future funding will be at a level equal to other unincorporated communities in the county. The additional funds necessary to maintain the current level of service will require the voters to approve the creation of an Emergency Services District (ESD). The key points are:

• An election will be held on May 11.
• If approved, the ESD will have the authority to levy an ad-valorem tax on Bolivar property at a maximum rate of $.10 per $100.
• Five commissioners will be appointed to manage the business of the ESD. Commissioner Dennard: “I will not appoint a commissioner that is not a resident”
• State law requires the ESD to initially implement a property tax.
• A second election can be held to allow the ESD to collect a 2% sales tax. Commissioner Dennard: “I will push for the county to pay for the 2nd election”.
• Money collected from the sales tax will reduce funds required from the property tax.

Beach Sticker Program
Currently, there is over $1.6M in the fund, increasing by about $230K per year, but there are no concrete proposals on how to spend the money. Options are beach cleaning, trash services, amenities, and law enforcement. Commissioner Dennard is in favor of placing bathrooms and showers along Hwy 87, and Parks Director Kelly Snook showed examples of buildings that could be built. Several residents said that keeping these facilities clean and preventing vandalism would be difficult.