Drone purchases viewed

Jun. 22--Long concerned about illegal dumping in the rural areas and specially funded to deal with it in a November 2018 sales tax election, Ector County commissioners Tuesday will consider buying an aerial surveillance drone for use by the county's emergency management environmental services department.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Eddy Shelton said Monday that his jurisdiction has been more plagued by illegal dumping than any of the other three precincts.

"I don't know of another precinct that has had near the amount of issues we have, particularly in West Odessa," Shelton said. "The best way to catch them is by people seeing them and taking pictures and getting their license numbers.

"But a drone can certainly help us sneak up on them and get their license numbers. If they see us coming, they take off."

The commissioners will also hear Sam Brijalba from the county human resources department review a drone purchase application for the sheriff's office from the public sector services office of Travelers Insurance Corp.

In other business in the 10 a.m. session at the county administration building at 1010 E. Eighth St., Health Department Director Brandy Garcia will propose increasing the pay of epidemiologist Amrinder Chahal from $29.89 to $32.33 per hour.

Garcia has reported that the workload greatly increased after the mid-March rise of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An epidemiologist deals with the determinants and patterns of health and disease.

In a health-related matter concerning county jail inmates, the court will peruse a professional services contract for the Ector County Detention Center with the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.

The commissioners will also:

* Consider seeking a refund from the Texas Area Agency on Aging for paper goods and additional items that Summit Food Service is now buying during the pandemic.

* Discuss auctioning surplus materials from the various county departments.

* Consider authorizing Judge Debi Hays to sign any and all documents and approve expenditures related to the pandemic.

* Hear Environmental Enforcement Director Rickey George's request to let a former county employee buy custom-fitted body armor.

* Review a resolution to use the 2020 Help America Vote Act CARES Fund to respond to COVID-19 in preparations for the Nov. 3 general election.

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