The Hockley County Commissioners approved a contract with Duro Last Monday as the county prepares to repair their roofs following the May storm in 2024.
The Commissioners returned to a tabled item from their Jan. 13 meeting which dealt with the contract and bonding information with Duro Last, concerning the county’s roofing project.
Insurance issues and clarification resulted in the item being tabled during the meeting. Now returning to the item, Hockley County Judge Sharla Baldridge began the discussion with several questions regarding the contract.
Her first question was directed toward the consequential damage warranty.
It was explained that the consequential damage warranty is an added coverage that the company offers on some of their numbering lines which would include the interior coverage as far as drywall, carpets, drop ceilings and things like that.
The contractor explained that those things are outside of the industry standard. What they offer is just a standard NDL (No Dollar Limit). The NDL is good for 20 years and that's going to be for labor and material. It does not cover any consequential damages.
It was noted that a draw schedule will be put together by Duro Last as each building is completed to help with invoicing. Duro Last will invoice Hockley County for material shipped along with 30% mobilization upon initial shipment and will invoice monthly for additional material shipped and completed.
If there are any surprises once the old roofing materials are removed photos would be taken, shared with the County personnel and sent to the insurance company to see if costs could be recouped before billing the County. Despite that process, the contractor feels there will not be any unforeseen damages when they begin their process.
The last item discussed was a requirement that stated the billing owner was responsible for obtaining any necessary permits, engineering fees or tests needed to meet state and local codes.
Baldridge shared her displeasure with the stipulation stating, “If you are wanting the work and wanting to get paid, you should do that.”
She also added that in previous projects, contractors never made the County responsible for those items.
The contractors agreed to interline that portion of the contract allowing the company to be responsible for procuring those necessary permits and handling any fees. With those issues being addressed, the Commissioners unanimously approved the item.
The roofing project will be spanning 22 buildings with insurance covering necessary expenses. It was noted that the County is only responsible for a $25,000 deductible.
Air Conditioning work will be needed for the hospital and annex buildings but will be addressed in a future agenda item.
A resolution opposing the elimination of the countywide polling place program, electronic poll books and electronic marking devices was discussed.
The Commissioners moved forward with the approval of changing their Irrevocable Letter of Credit No. 91168 to pledged securities with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as the custodian of pledged collateral and approved UMB Bank formerly known as First Bank & Trust as the pledgee. Hockley County Treasurer Kelli Martin explained that the current letter of credit with First Bank & Trust expired Feb. 28. Additionally, she added that First Bank & Trust which is now UMB Bank will not change their name until October but are still operating as UMB Bank.
UMB Bank has requested the County not go the letter of credit route and instead switch over to the security deposit accounts with the Federal Reserve.
Martin did add that in her past banking experience this route is generally better than the letter of credit but either way she feels safe and secure moving forward.
Martin did acknowledge the frustrations of the Commissioners as she shared the same sentiments about the bank switching hands. In the middle of a five-year contract, Commissioner Seth Graf asked if there was any wording or clause within the current contract allowing it to be broken if the bank sells.
Martin shared that she is looking into the matter, however, approving the change was necessary for the short-term.
Hockley County Elections Administrator, Jody Rose provided a brief presentation regarding possible legislation that could affect voting practices within the county and across the state.
Rose explained that the Texas Association of County Election Administrators (TAEA) and Texas Association of County Election Officials (TACEO) are asking counties to adopt the resolution opposing the elimination of the countywide polling place program, electronic poll books and electronic marking devices.
Rose did add that the county is no part of the countywide polling place program. However, he would like that option for smaller counties in the future.
With talks amongst state legislation and several possible bills focusing on the voting process, Rose added that there is a chance of early voting being changed to where all voters within the county would have to travel to the elections office in Levelland.
Additional talks from the state level include doing away with the countywide polling program along with early voting entirely. If the electronic poll books were taken away, Rose explained it would be impossible to track individuals if they voted in multiple cities until the end of the day which sets back the process.
Following the presentation, the group unanimously approved the resolution.