Laird lease on hold
by KATHRYN MARTINEZ news1@kilgorenewsherald.com

City Council last night postponed action on two Laird Memorial Hospital discussion items slated for approval.

Item two, approval of consent to the sublease of a portion of the hospital's former emergency room to Diagnostic Clinic for operation of an urgent care clinic, was tabled until contract documents can be read by Rob Schleier, city attorney. those documents weren't received by the city until yesterday afternoon.

Item one was discussed in a lengthy executive session after which the council tabled action to approve terms for arrangement by and among the city, Allegiance Health Management Inc., Laird Memorial Hospital Inc., Community Hospital Corp. and Annie B. Laird Trust, pending approval by the Texas Attorney General.

Council heard presentations from Ronnie Moore, director of public safety, and David Hackley, utilities superintendent.

Hackley disclose the water and sewer department's fourthquarter report and year end report.

According to Hackley, Kilgore provided nearly 196 million gallons of water to Kilgore customers last year - down 17 percent from last year's production total.

"You have to consider we had a wet summer and people were not out watering their lawns and gardens as frequently," Hackley said.

Rainfall in 2007 totaled 51.81 inches, well above the normal 44 or 45 inches.

Hackley said the city continues to see unaccounted water losses. In 2007 the city lost approximately 10.3 percent of all the water it treated. According to Hackley, the national average for unaccounted water loss hovers at 20 percent.

Hackley said infiltration and inflow is still apparent because the city continues to treat more water than it produces.

According to Hackley, water and sewer crews responded to 159 water line breaks, 219 sewer problems and 149 water quality complaints last year.

As antiquated lines are replaced, the department is seeing break numbers decrease, Hackley said.

In Moore's report, he disclosed the actual number of police and fire incidents in 2007.

According to Moore 1,029 actual founded police incidents were logged in 2007, including rape, rape attempts, armed robbery, assaults, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft.

Moore said fire departments responded to 898 incidents, including fires, over-pressure ruptures, Emergency Medical Services calls, hazardous conditions, service calls, good-intent calls, false alarms, sever weather and special incidents.

In other reports, Lynda Newsome, with Brown, Bronstad, Habenicht & Rosson, PC, noted a clean audit for the city.

"We noted no matters involving the internal control over financial reporting and its operation that we consider to be material weakness," Newsome said. "The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards."

The report indicates the city's net liabilities are $13,833,835. Net assets are $44,655,602, with $12,105,136 in unrestricted funds.

Governmental activities increased the city's net assets by $3,915,008. Business activities increased the city's net assets by $2,088,480.

In other business council approved adoption of a resolution of support for a wooden-bat baseball league pending indemnification of the city by East Texas Entertainment.