Shepherd council to review contract

SHEPHERD — The Shepherd City Council will discuss a contract between the Shepherd Volunteer Fire Department and the San Jacinto County Emergency Services District that could affect property owned by the VFD but was purchased by the city.

City Secretary Debra Hagler said the city doesn’t have a say on whether the VFD goes along with a plan by the ESD to consolidate all the departments, but since Shepherd taxpayers have been providing funds and purchasing equipment for years, and since the department building sits on city property, the will have to be some sort of a contract.

The matter was considered at the Aug. 11 council meeting.

Hagler said the council gave its blessing to the VFD to move forward in creating the contract, and then the city attorney will review it.

In other business, council members:

• assigned the cleaning lady for the city to inspect the Community Center after each use and report to the city, which could result in lost deposits;
• tabled an ordinance to allow the placement of speed bumps for further review;
• approved a variance for Ashley Avery for a manufactured home once the property is cleaned up;
• approved a request from Brenda Myers to add additional concrete at the Impact Center and waive permitting fees;
• ordered an election for November, which will depend on the number of candidate filings. There are three seats up for election, those held by Mark Porter, Curtis Ainsworth and Ray Marrs;
• tabled purchase on playground equipment for more information; and
• set a budget workshop for Aug. 25 at City Hall.