County and City Briefs

OISD accepts superintendent applications

The Olney Independent School District posted a job description for a new school superintendent and will take applications for a full four weeks, until the beginning of April, OISD Board of Trustees president Summer Branum said.

The school board aims to hire a new superintendent to replace Dr. Greg Roach sometime this summer if a suitable candidate is found, Mrs. Branum said. Dr. Roach’s contract expires on Dec. 31, 2025.

According to the posted application, OISD specified that the winning applicant must possess a valid Texas Superintendent certificate and must be “an effective communicator with all stakeholders, an astute financial planner who is knowledgeable of funding sources and the budget process.”

The application also states that the winning candidate must be ”a strong instructional leader” who “possesses an effective management style and strong decision-making skills.”

The board also would like the new superintendent to “possess integrity and strong moral values … small town values, demonstrate strong people skills, be consistent and fair and be civic- minded and active in the community.” The salary range is “negotiable,” the application said.

Citywide Cleanup

The City will hold its annual citywide Cleanup Week from March 15 through March 24, giving residents the chance to do spring cleaning with the help of City workers.

During Cleanup Week, City trucks will patrol Olney’s residential streets to pick up large items for free and without an appointment.

The items must be placed on the front curb or beside dumpsters, city officials said. The City will post on its Facebook page a list of items the Public Works crews will accept. That list will include household appliances, furniture, limbs, debris, bagged leaves and other general junk.

The City will not pick up cement, batteries or paint, and appliances must have freon removed and properly disposed of before pickup, city officials said.

Police Station Move The new Olney Police Station opened its doors to the public on Friday, Feb. 21, about two years after Police Chief Dan Birbeck asked the City Council for permission to convert the former Ranger College building to a public safety building.

The new police station was funded by a grant from a charitable branch of Lowe’s Home Improvement and by local benefactors who donated money and labor to create the 2,400-squarefoot floor plan.

No taxpayer funds were used to build out the police station, which features individual offices for each of the nine OPD officers, a new dispatch center, an interview area, and a holding center for juveniles, as well as a “best practices” evidence room and evidence locker area with cameras.

The plan also envisions moving the existing generator to power the police station and to provide an emergency management center and a public shelter and warming area in case of extended power outages or a mass casualty event such as a tornado, Chief Birbeck said.

The new building will be dedicated and renamed at a ceremony to be announced at a future date, he said.

County tightens rules on custodial defendants

Judge Win Graham informed attorneys appearing before Young County courts that they no longer are permitted to leave the courtrooms to conference with in-custody defendants in the hallway or jury room, he said.

Sheriff Travis Babcock has agreed to provide attorneys with round-the-clock access to their clients via a private and secure Zoom chat room from the County Jail, he said.

“This new policy is a result of Sheriff Babcock doing an assessment of my courtroom and identifying ways we can improve its safety,” Judge Graham said.

Graham lobbies for EMS funding

County Judge Graham officially asked state lawmakers to support a bill that provides a funding bump for rural Emergency Medical Services.

In letters to Rep. David Spiller and Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, Judge Graham pointed out that “the two hospitals serving our county are in financial crisis, as they are severely underfunded and increasingly reliant on county subsidies to meet rising staffing, equipment, and operational costs.”

The significantly smaller call volumes in rural counties makes it impossible to sustain operations through bill alone, he said.

“This necessitates reliance on tax revenues and inconsistent grant funding, both of which fall far short of meeting their needs,” he wrote. “Without additional support from the State of Texas, I fear that the financial strain will force these critical hospitals to shut down rural EMS services. Such a loss would leave our county’s residents without access to emergency medical care—an unacceptable outcome.”

Rep. Spiller said he was aware of the problem and would support funding to shore up rural EMS services. Sen. Hagenbuch could not be reached for comment.

Plug Power makes PILOT payment

Plug Power, which is building a hydrogen plant near Newcastle, made good on its annual Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT payment) shortly after the County sent the company a Letter of Default, County Judge Win Graham said. Young County has a tax abatement agreement with Plug Power, which is about two years behind schedule in building the plant but has agreed to make the payments as it works through regulatory and financial issues.

Judge Graham said he heard from the company shortly after alerting them that the approximately $300,000 payment had not been made. “Within an hour, I received a call from them, assuring me that it was a simple mistake,” he said. “The agreement has procedures for Plug Power to rectify a default and they assured me that this ‘mistake would be cured shortly.’” The County relied on the PILOT funds when drafting its current budget, he said.