Giddings ISD Approves One-Time $500 Stipend
Giddings Times & News
• A resolution was approved by the Giddings Board of Trustees to provide a one-time, $500 stipend to each full-time, contractual instructional staff member who provides both in-person and remote instruction or educational services to students. The employees eligible to receive payment are teachers, counselors, nurses, librarians, social workers, diagnosticians, occupational therapists, and speech/ language pathologists. Employees who will not be included are central office administration, campus administration, and atwill employees. The stipend is for extra COVID duties.
• The Giddings-Lee County Airport is currently undergoing a federally funded improvement project that includes pavement reconstruction and electrical improvements. Brazos Paving, Inc. was awarded the $1.9 million project that is 90% funded by federal grants and 10% funded by local funds. The project will be complete in Feb. of 2021.
The Columbus Banner-Press
• Columbus Oaks Healthcare opened the doors to the Tri-County’s first hospice facility, Cardinal Lane shortly before Thanksgiving. The 17-bed facility utilizes a formerly vacant wing of Columbus Oaks’ skilled nursing facility. Neither Austin, Colorado, nor Fayette Counties had an inpatient hospice before the opening of Cardinal Lane.
The Sealy News
• City Manager Lloyd Merrell delivered a strong reprimand to the city council during a special meeting held Nov. 30 and asked that they “let me do my job or terminate me.” The meeting had been called for two reasons. The first was to review a new evaluation form for the city manager. The second item was a request by Merrell for an executive session with the council to discuss his position with the city. Merrell had a change of mind and asked that the session be public.
He began his remarks by reviewing portions of the city charter that outline the duties of the city manager and the council and alleged violations by members of the council. One was having members of council deal directly with employees without first consulting him. He also replied to requests from council members to be allowed to attend meetings with developers that the mayor attends. He inferred that council members have been dealing directly with developers and bypassing staff. He then listed a number of accomplishments during the nearly two years he has been there, including improving employee morale, paving several streets, completing waterline and drainage projects, economic development projects and more.
Merrell then went on to say that the council not only doesn’t trust him, but his department heads as well. Merrell contract expires on Feb. 1, 2021.
The Bastrop Advertiser
• The St. David’s Foundation is awarding $175,000 to Bastrop County to strengthen community health and wellbeing networks. The grant was approved during the Nov. 23 Bastrop County Commissioners Court meeting. It will be used to create a new “network weaving” cohort in the county and support existing efforts. Officials described the practice as “connecting people to people and networks to other networks.” The grant agreement also specified the three goals it will be used for. The first is expanding the network weaver approach into the Smithville area, where 25 to 30 network weavers will be sought who represent vulnerable populations and trained to become “actively engaged in their communities to create new relationships, new partnerships and new projects to improve health and wellbeing of residents,” according to the grant. This goal also mentioned a potential partnership with businesses and local nonprofits in the Smithville area like the Smithville Public Library and the Smithville Economic Development Corporation. The second goal is to provide continued support for the Bastrop cohort of network weavers, with the mission of innovating and finding local solutions to health and wellbeing problems in the city. This goal includes deepening network weaver relationships in surrounding communities and neighborhoods like Stony Point in western Bastrop County. The third and final goal is continuing to build capacity for Bastrop County Cares.