County Report: Interview with Pct. 3 Commissioner Chuck McHam

This podcast was recorded Wednesday, May 26, at the Courthouse Annex.==Pct. 3 Commissioner Chuck McHam was the special guest for this week's County Report podcast. Commissioner McHam is from Chandler and is in the first year of his second term as a commissioner. He received an Ag Education degree from Texas A&M University and taught Ag at both Martin's Mill and Brownsboro.Topics covered in this podcast include:I. On Becoming Commissioner (2:11)"I always knew when I retired I wanted to do something with the community," Commissioner McHam said. "This kind of fell into place. So I decided to run for commissioner of Pct. 3."II. Spending Tax Dollars (4:39)"People want to make sure their tax dollars are being spent wisely and we try and do that," he said. "I wanted that whenever I was in the public. I think that's our big challenge, to make sure we spend the taxpayers' money wisely."III. County Budget Cycle (7:10)"It's a long process," he said, "and I never thought about that when I was running for commissioner. But between the first of July and the first of September, the commissioners will spend a great deal of their time here at the courthouse and not on the roads."IV. Working With Commissioners Court (9:55)"Ever since I've been on Commissioners Court, we've had a great relationship," he said. "We get along well together. There are things we disagree on, but we're able to sit down during court and figure out a way to make it work."V. Roads (12:20) Commissioner McHam said that the hot mix (asphalt) for a mile of road costs about $85,000. "That's just in material," he said. "That's if you don't have to base work and you don't have to replace any culverts. That's just the two-inch layer of asphalt is $85,000 a mile."VI. Weather (16:30)Commissioner McHam discusses the impact of the February ice storm and recent rains on the roads.VII. Bridges (18:00)Pct. 3 is unique in Henderson County because of its bridges."The other precincts have anywhere from two to four bridges in their entire precinct," he said. "I have 22."VIII. Communications Committee (20:57)Commissioner McHam is on the Communications Committee which is working to bring the new digital system online."We've spent a lot of time on it. I think it is going to be an asset for the county," he said.IX. Growth of the County (26:02)"People want to move to Henderson County," Commissioner McHam said. "We can see that with the prices of property."X. Conclusion (27:41)"I want to tell the people of Henderson County that I appreciate the responsibility they bestowed on us," he said. "I hope that they see and recognize the things that we're doing. We're trying to make Henderson County better."==Henderson County Gov podcasts are available on Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, and Spotify (below). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hendersoncountytexas.substack.com