Life in a growing county
This week, I thought we might look at the future of Milam County and how we are preparing. I know there are a lot of people who fear the future growth and are just looking for things to stay the same here in Milam County. Believe me, I understand that perspective. Having lived in some of the most populated parts of the country while serving in the Navy, my intent was to move back home to a nice quaint rural area and enjoy the quiet countryside for the rest of my life.
When I bought my homeplace, the land was fairly inexpensive as no one lived out here five miles down the gravel road from little old Milano.
For many years there were only a few of us who lived down this old County Road. As a matter of fact, four years ago there were only seven homes within a mile radius of our house. Now, there are 21 homes in that same one-mile radius and many more being bult even now. Point is, the growth is not just coming, it’s already here.
Several years ago, it was suggested that the “threat” of growth in Milam County was heavily exaggerated and even some who said the population would decrease in the coming years. As a matter of fact, there are some who still say this is all an exaggeration and that they’ve heard it all before.
I would suggest those folks take a drive down FM 1712 north of Rockdale and take a look at the Cornerstone Subdivision. They are building and filling homes out there with a total of 660 homes to be built. And the second subdivision approved for the east side of Rockdale will see another 200 plus homes go in as well. And for the county, that doesn’t even include the new developments in Thorndale, Buckholts or the Maysfield area.
Along with these new homes, there is a great deal of new industry coming into the county as I write this. The City of Rockdale is working on a couple of interesting projects for their industrial park on the east side of town. Sandow Lakes Ranch is working on multiple projects and there are a couple developments on the north side of the county near Burlington as well.
When my children were young, I used to set things up for them as though they were headed to the playing field. Before you play a game, you should know how it lays-out in order to be successful - It’s the same with growth. Now, I don’t tell you all of this not to sound an alarm or create any anxiety, but to set the scene so that to better understand why we are making the several county personnel additions.
We reinstituted the Veterans Service Office because we have a large existing number of veterans who need help, and we have a growing group of veterans who need help. I personally never understood why this office was ever cut in the first place. With the increase in veterans benefits we receive due to the VSO’s hard work; the county generates more revenue which helps us all.
We created a Planning and Development (P&D) Office to help manage the growth and create a central point to regulate development and ensure that developers are following the law and our policies. In the past where we used to overwork a single Constable in this job and several other offices tracking various other items, we now have two individuals to handle subdivision permits, development permits, flood-plain permits, septic permitting, and to track other regulatory issues to make sure developers are following state and local ordinances.
The County Fire Marshal works with the P&D office to ensure fire protections are installed correctly in these new developments and that they meet local and statewide safety standards. He will also work with Law Enforcement, our VFDs, ESD, and cities to make sure that each of these are getting their needs met and that each one able to get the necessary equipment and training to meet their needs in dealing with the incoming developments and subdivisions.
We are also working on ways to improve funding for our law enforcement and for our VFDs. This year alone, we will increase funding to our VFDs by approximately 12-15 percent along with continuing to provide money for their fuel costs in order for them to better handle the fire and emergency issues throughout the county. And a new communications system that will also help with response times and coverage. And we have done so to date without having to raise property tax revenues.
Overall, the most important aspect of government should always be the safety and the security of the people they represent, especially in a growing county. That is what we do in our office and what we will continue to do. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office at (254) 697-700 or via email at bwhitmire@milamcounty.net