JUDGE: Board members to be selected for POSGD and ESD 1

As the year is quickly coming to a close, we are approaching the last two meetings of the Milam County Commissioners Court. These last two meetings will have the normal assortment of items that we handle; however, there are also two organizations that the Commissioners Court appoints board members to and those will be addressed at the afternoon Commissioners’ court meeting on Dec. 27. 

The two boards in question are the Board of Directors for the Postoak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District (POSGCD) and the Milam County Emergency Services District 1. 

The POSGCD Board of Directors is made up of 10 board members with five being from Burleson County and five from Milam County. Directors are assigned to four-year terms and each county generally assigns one or two a year depending on the expiration of their terms. Each of the five positions represents a particular section of County water use. The five positions represented are an at-large director, industrial director, agricultural director, municipal director, and a director that represents the Rural Water Districts in the county.

This year, there are two positions that will need appointment, the first is the rural water director and the at-large director. Currently, Bob Wilson of Rockdale is the rural water director and Lee Pelzel of Rockdale is the at-large Director. Mr. Wilson has served since 2015 and is on the board of directors of the Southwest Milam Water District. Mr. Pelzel was appointed recently to fill the remainder of an unexpired term.

At this time, both of the gentlemen have expressed interest in being reappointed and they will be considered for such; however, upon coming into office, the current commissioners’ court made clear that we would provide opportunities for service and allow people to apply to be a part of the process. With that philosophy in mind, applications will be taken for these two positions and each person who puts in an application will have an opportunity to appear before commissioners’ court in closed session on Dec. 27 to be interviewed for consideration. 

Also, on the agenda for Dec. 27 will be the selection of the five members of the Milam County Emergency Services District 1 Board of Directors. This will be the inaugural group of Directors for the newly created ESD. There is no breakdown to the makeup of this board; however, the commissioners’ court is looking to make the board up of members from all areas of Milam County with differing backgrounds that will be useful to a board of directors with a varying array of responsibilities. 

That makeup is still fluid due to the newness of this organization, but what appears to be the best makeup is based on the experiences of other county judges I have consulted. That basic breakdown includes representatives with experience in EMS, Milam County fire departments, construction, and finance, as well as an at-large representative. Again, while this list of areas is definitely fluid at this point, the one thing that the commissioners’ court does agree on is the necessity to have good representation from the different areas of the county.

ESD 1 board members will serve staggered two-year terms and the stagger will be broken down by the commissioners’ court after appointment. So, two of the inaugural members’ first terms will actually be one-year terms after the stagger is decided. Following appointment, the ESD board members will be the group with the large task that sets up the ESD along with establishing the outline for the future of the ESD and creating the first budget.

Earlier this year I wrote about public participation and its importance in the process. These board appointments are huge opportunities for members of the public to serve their communities. The commissioners’ court members hope that interested folks will take advantage of the opportunity and put their name in the hat. Public service can be the most rewarding experience a person can have. I hope each of you will consider it – if not now, then in the future.

Applications for both the POSGCD and ESD boards of directors can be found on the County Website at www.milamcounty.net/page/milam.countyjudge. For more information, please call (254) 697-7000.