North & East Region
Bell County Commissioners Court authorized the refinancing of $13.1 million in 2008 bonds issued for construction of a law enforcement center and courthouse to save about $1.6 million. County Judge Jon Burrows said Standard & Poor’s maintained the county’s AA+ debt rating. “During these economic times, it is rewarding to see the strong financial performance and conservative budgeting practices of Bell County recognized by Standard & Poor’s,” Burrows told the Killeen Daily Herald.
Ellis County Commissioners Court voted to refinance 2002 general obligation bonds to lower the interest rate to 1.39 percent and save $272,663 in four years.
Gregg County Commissioners Court approved funding agreements with Kilgore Rescue Unit, Gregg County Historical Foundation, Upshur-Gregg County Soil and Water Conservation District, East Texas Child Advocates, and Longview Teen Court.
Houston County Judge Lonnie Hunt is resigning, according to the Grapeland Messenger, to move to Austin to become county relations director with the Texas Association of Counties.
Jasper County Commissioners Court accepted the donation of three child’s safety car seats from the child welfare board to be used by the sheriff’s department in transporting small children during crisis situations.
Johnson County completed a new 96-bed corrections building ahead of schedule and under budget, according to a report from LaSalle Southwest, operator of the county jail.
Leon County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with Brazos County’s sexual assault resource center to provide services to residents of Leon County. Commissioners also selected Schaumerg & Polk engineering firm and Sinclair & Wright architects for the proposed expo center.
Madison County commissioners heard a report from Mid-East Texas Groundwater Conservation District. District general manager David Bailey said the water level in some wells had dropped as much as six feet in the past year. “This is not all caused by drought,” he said in a report in the Madisonville Meteor. “This is caused by more straws in the ground. It’s kind of a tight rope you have to walk trying to push conservation with industries that make money.”
Milam County has been selected by the National Park Service for at least six sites along the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail. Signs in rural areas of the county will be the first posted for the 2,500-mile trail.
Nacogdoches County Commissioners Court selected Centurion Security Services to manage courthouse security.
Rockwall County held dedication ceremonies for its new $37.2 million courthouse. The four-story building includes 134,000 square feet and a mural depicting its three predecessors built in 1875, 1892 and 1940.
Smith County Commissioners Court selected Turner/HGR Joint Venture as construction manager at risk for a downtown jail expansion project costing from $25 million to $28 million.
Upshur County Commissioners Court assigned responsibilities for 9-1-1 mapping and addressing temporarily to East Texas Council of Governments until the county 9-1-1 coordinator returns to work after an illness. ETCOG already performs 9-1-1 duties for seven of the 14 counties in the region.
South Texas
Aransas County Commissioners Court approved an additional $25,000 for the spay-neuter program of the Humane Society Adoption Center of Rockport-Fulton and an additional $34,000 from hotel occupancy taxes for the Rockport Center for the Arts.
Bastrop County Commissioners Court voted to waive fees for residential rebuilding for homeowners who had property damaged or destroyed in recent wildfires.
Calhoun County received $153,531 from Texas Forest Service as 90 percent of the cost of a 2012 Kenworth tanker fire truck for the Magnolia Beach VFD.
Colorado County completed construction of a radio tower of 80 feet to improve communications in eastern areas of the county, including Bernardo Fire Department. The county paid $2,500 and used a federal grant of $54,000 for equipment.
DeWitt County Commissioners Court added a “reverse 9-1-1” emergency notification system with a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the $7,200 annual fee.
Gillespie County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with Texas Department of Transportation for repairs to five bridges in the county. A major repair of the Barons Creek Bridge, funded by the county, qualifies as matching funding, according to a report in the Fredericksburg Standard.
Harris County Commissioners Court approved the relocation of 11 bison from Deussen Park, where drought has killed grass and trees, to the Summerlee Foundation’s Medicine Mound Ranch in Hardeman County.
Hidalgo County Commissioners Court approved allocations from a state grant ranging from $5,580 to $140,631 for law enforcement agencies in 14 cities for border security. Hidalgo also received a state grant of $119,016 for a DWI court.
Kendall County Commissioners Court appointed a committee to plan a celebration for the county’s 150th anniversary. The county was formed Feb. 18, 1862, and the first commissioners court meeting was March 8, 1862.
La Salle County has a new commissioner for Precinct 1. Chris Hinojosa IV, a cattleman from Cotulla, was appointed by Judge Joel Rodriguez to fill the unexpired term of his deceased father, Chris Hinojosa III.
Medina County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of electronic voting machines from Hart InterCivic for $80,000. Funding for the total of $180,000, according to the Medina Valley Times, also will include a federal grant of $45,000 and income of $60,000 for administering other elections and equipment lease.
Nueces County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with Coastal Bend Community Foundation for the nonprofit to accept donations for a memorial – the first in the county – to fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders.
Starr County Commissioners Court learned of declining revenue from the county’s international bridge while adopting the 2011-12 budget. According to the Zapata County News, Judge Eloy Vera told commissioners that revenue was down $300,000 in 2010-11 from the past year and down $1 million in 2009-10 from the past year.
West Texas
Andrews County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of a narcotic tracking dog from Advance Canine Academy for $13,500. The cost of the new K-9, which replaces a former county K-9, includes training.
Clay County Commissioner A.J. Peek reported that nearly 12,000 acres in Precinct 4 in the county were burned by wildfires in the first 10 months of 2011, costing the precinct $16,418 in labor, equipment and supplies.
Comanche County received a grant of $13,300 from the Texas Department of Transportation for airport maintenance. A 50 percent local match will come from the airport board.
Crane County Commissioners Court approved a five-year contract with Medical Center Hospital Carestar for EMS response. The county also received a 2011 Leadership Circle award from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for financial transparency.
Eastland County Commissioners Court approved a five-year software subscription with Election Administrators LLC for an electronic pollbook.
Ector County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of 10 vehicles for the sheriff’s office – three Chevrolet Impalas, four Toyota Tundras, and three Chevrolet Tahoes – at an average cost of $21,000.
Gray County accepted a donation of radios from the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission and extended its mineral rights agreement with Boyd and McWilliams Energy Group with new terms of 22.5 percent.
Hale County Commissioners Court approved its 25 percent share of $59,000 to fund digital radios for first responders for emergencies as required by Jan. 1, 2013, by the FCC and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Lamb County Commissioners Court agreed to pay $310,000 for a new air-conditioning system at Lamb Healthcare Center.
Midland County Commissioner Jimmy Smith was appointed to the Texas Juvenile Justice Board by Gov. Rick Perry. In other business, the county’s burn ban has now extended for more than a year – the longest in the county’s history.
Mills County Commissioners Court approved the purchase by EMS of a heart monitor from ZOLL Medical Corp.
Montague County has been recognized as “storm ready” by the National Weather Service. The NWS designation goes to communities that “show a concerted effort to go above and beyond the normal round of preparedness,” according to the Bowie News.
Randall County Commissioners Court recognized Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Jerry Bigham, who was appointed to the Texas Juvenile Justice Advisory Board by Gov. Rick Perry.
Reagan County Commissioners Court approved a policy change to require random drug tests for all safety-sensitive county employees.
Ward County Commissioners Court approved a contract of $136,500 with Tyler Technologies for financial records software with an additional annual service fee of $25,000.
Winkler County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of firefighting equipment of $26,748 by the Kermit VFD. Funding comes from a grant from the Texas Forest Service and $4,918 from the county. – Compiled by Garner Roberts