City Department Updates

Monthly departmental updates: The Olney Police Department made 63 traffic stops and 9 arrests in January, Police Chief Dan Birbeck told the City Council. Officers wrote 198 warnings and issued 52 citations, he said. K9 Bond was deployed four times and made four detections for drug cases that were sent to the District Attorney, he said. Animal Control picked up 14 animals. The Olney Volunteer Fire Department rolled out on 5 fire calls and the Texas A&M Forest Service responded to 4 calls, he said.

Challenges continue with the city’s water and wastewater system. Michael Jacoba, Interim Public Works Director, said his department fixed 16 water main leaks and 10 sewer stoppages in January. Customers’ lines were clogged with grease and rags. The water treatment plant produced 11 million gallons of water and billed for 10 million gallons, with about 800,000 gallons diverted to storage, he said. The Public Works Department also picked up four loads of large trash items and 10 loads of tree limbs from residences, deposited 22 loads of base in the alleys and repaired 92 potholes.

The City has earned $285,897.99 since last April on the $13.5 million in revenue bonds it issued for the new water treatment facility. The bonds are earning interest at 4.6103 percent, City Secretary Tammy Hourigan said.