Upshur County Commissioners Court on Wednesday approved an employee health insurance plan which County Judge Dean Fowler said keeps the county's expenses on the matter "basically flat."

Fowler successfully proposed raising the county's stop-loss amount from the current $60,000 to $75,000, saying the county would have to have seven persons "reach that before we would lose any money." All benefits under the plan remain exactly the same, he said.

County Treasurer Myra Harris said the county would save $100,000 by going to the $75,000 stop-loss level, but Fowler said that with inflation, the county's costs should be "about flat" compared to now.

In other business, the court approved negotiating with Arabella Petroleum, the lone bidder for the oil and gas lease on Upshur County-owned "school land" in Baylor and Throckmorton Counties.

The Ft. Worth-based company offered $10 per mineral acre and a 1/8 royalty, but Pct. 4 Comm. Glenn Campbell informed The Mirror Friday that Arabella had agreed to raise the royalty to 1/6 in negotiations, and that Fowler was drawing up lease papers.

When the 1/8 bid was announced, a woman in the audience said she got a 1/4 royalty and asked, "Why shouldn't y'all get that much?"

Fowler said by statute, the county could negotiate and re-bid. Campbell added that 1/6 was the normal royalty rate.

Also Wednesday, the court approved allowing County Clerk Peggy LaGrone to have extended hours for fewer days than she requested for early voting in the November election on proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.

The court approved opening the courthouse for voting from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 26-30. She had requested extending the hours on Oct. 19-30, but Pct. 1 Comm. James Crittenden said only a small percentage of voters participated in the 2007 Constitutional amendment election, and that Oct. 19-30 was sufficient.

Ms. LaGrone said the county was using only four polling places on election day this time, and that her proposal to have extended hours from Oct. 19-30 was intended as a convenience for voters, and to not disenfranchise any voter. Crittenden responded he would "like for her to consider saving the taxpayers some money."

The court also voted 3-2, with Fowler casting the tie-breaking vote, to approve County Extension Agent Joey O'Dowd's request for an unpaid volunteer worker for 18 1/2 hours weekly in the county extension office.

The worker will be someone over age 55 under the STEP program, or a student intern. Commissioners Lloyd Crabtree and Joe (Buddy) Ferguson approved it, with Pct. 1 Comm. James Crittenden and Campbell opposing.

O'Dowd said the office was getting progressively busier, and that people mistakenly thought the two extension agents are "dodging the phones." When the agents are tied up, he said, some persons leave before they are free, and some dislike going upstairs to meet with the commissioners' secretary, Ruth Whiteside, who helps out the extension office.

Crittenden complained that having the volunteer would leave Mrs. Whiteside being paid 18 hours weekly for "doing nothing." He told Mrs. Whiteside, sitting in the audience, that "this is nothing against you, by no means" but that the court needed to consider readjusting her salary if a volunteer worker was approved.

Campbell expressed concern over the county's liability if a student worker was injured. Fowler said the liability would be no more than under worker's compensation, or for someone who walked in the door and got hurt.

Ferguson meanwhile said adding the worker would not "relieve Ruth of anything."

In other business Wednesday, the court:

--In one vote, approved four actions related to a state grant to the Pritchett Water Supply Corp. They included contracting with Amazing Grants, Inc., of Big Sandy for grant management; with Hayes Engineering of Longview for project engineering; designating individuals to sign a contract under the program; and naming Mary Kay Thomas of the grant firm as the grant contract's Labor Standards Officer.

--Approved District Clerk Carolyn Bullock's proposed Record Archive Plan, which she presented to the court Sept. 15.

--Discussed nominating a candidate for the Upshur County Appraisal District Board of Directors. Fowler said anyone interested in serving could contact him or a commissioner.

--Approved county holidays, commissioners court meeting dates, and payroll dates for 2010.

--Approved sheriff's and constable's fees for 2010.

--Declared October as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in the county.

--Took no action on approving a plat for the Timberline Meadows Subdivision since Crabtree said he hadn't received it. It is scheduled to be on the court's Oct. 15 agenda.