North & East Texas
Bell County received a state grant of $285,000 for training, mentoring and evaluation of court-appointed attorneys for indigent defense. Commissioners also recognized eight youths who received a total of $28,000 in scholarships from the Bell County Youth Fair Association.
Coryell County Commissioners Court approved $140,000 in jail upgrades by government contractor Corporate Facilities, including boiler, laundry and security projects.
Freestone County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with Texas Department of State Health Services to enable residents to obtain birth certificates from the Bureau of Vital Statistics from any county in the state.
Henderson County implemented a 2 percent hotel/motel tax in the county to support the HC Regional Fair Park, which attracts 90,000 visitors each year.
Hill County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with the 12 school districts in the county to provide juvenile resource officers.
Houston County Commissioners Court assumed responsibility for the senior center in Crockett, reopened the facility, and approved a budget of $33,977. Commissioners also approved plans to bring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall next year during the county’s 175th anniversary and contracted with Pax-Sun Engineering of Lufkin for energy audits on county buildings.
Jasper County Commissioners Court selected Timberline Construction of Lufkin to install generators at water districts and health clinics as funded by state grants.
Johnson County Commissioners Court accepted on loan from the Texas Department of Public Safety a Livescan fingerprint identification system for the Guinn Justice Center. “Law enforcement must properly identify a person in the court system,” County Attorney Bill Moore told the Alvarado Star.
In other business, former commissioner Troy Thompson was appointed to replace John Matthews, who resigned as Precinct 2 commissioner; commissioners agreed to spend up to $1.62 million with LaSalle Southwest Corrections for jail expansion; and the county contracted with Motorola Solutions for $3.6 million for digital public safety communications upgrades.
Leon County Commissioners Court awarded a contract of $107,300 to Water Treatment Construction Co. of Bryan for two emergency generators for Flo Community Water Supply Corp. The county also accepted a donation of $10,875 from EnCana Oil for VFD training.
McLennan County Commissioner Lester Gibson was honored by the Mart ISD for his service to the school district.
Red River County is back on time! The clock in the courthouse tower, originally installed March 18, 1885, but silent for decades, is working again after $17,000 in electrical repairs by The Verdin Co. of Cincinnati funded by the RRC Historical Society.
Robertson County Commissioners Court voted to purchase Edoc Technologies software for computers in each of the county’s four justice of the peace offices for $10,000 each.
San Augustine County Commissioners Court established guidelines for granting tax abatements and reinvestment zones as incentives for businesses to locate or expand their operations in the county.
Upshur County received a grant of $80,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
South Texas
Aransas County has a new commissioner. Russel Cole, former mayor of Fulton, was appointed by Judge C.H. Mills to replace Howard Murph, who died in May.
Blanco County Commissioners Court approved a bid of $283,751 from Sabre Communications for construction of two communications towers in Round Mountain and Blanco. A grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will fund the project.
Chambers County Commissioners Court approved tax abatements for Enterprise Products Operating LLC, Cedar Bayou Fractionators, and ONEOK Hydrocarbon LP, three businesses that plan projects expected to add hundreds of jobs in the area.
Harris County Commissioners Court approved a pilot program in which 10 inmates will serve their sentences from home wearing GPS ankle monitors to help solve jail overcrowding. “Ankle monitors for certain prisoners make a lot of sense,” Judge Ed Emmett told the Houston Chronicle.
Hidalgo County received a state grant of $82,000 to create a court that helps veterans get treatment for combat-related mental health conditions that may have contributed to an arrest.
Kendall County Commissioners Court agreed to purchase a fire truck for $176,000 for the Alamo Springs VFD with reimbursement of $155,000 from the Texas Forest Service.
Kleberg County Commissioners Court approved the purchase for $67,662 of a new backup generator for the jail from Holt Power Systems.
Medina County Commissioners Court adopted a local opportunity plan to use local contractors and sub-contractors for community development grant projects.
Nueces County Commissioners Court voted to retain Philadelphia-based Global Spectrum as the management firm for Borchard Regional Fairgrounds.
San Patricio County received $400,000 in grants for purchase, delivery, and installation of 10,000 new 911 address signs for residents.
Washington County received a grant of $20,072 from the LCRA Community Development Partnership for its EMS to purchase two LUCAS chest compression systems and a grant of $38,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Williamson County Commissioners Court and Round Rock City Council approved $1.75 million in incentives for Austin’s Emerson Process Management to move division headquarters with 750 jobs to Round Rock. Emerson plans to add another 125 jobs in three years. Commissioners also approved $50,000 in state funding for a school-based program to divert first-time truancy offenders from the juvenile justice system.
West Texas
Andrews County Commissioners Court approved $300,000 for an additional fire truck, $50,000 for fire department expenses, and $7,000 for food and water for firefighters on duty.
Brewster County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of a new fire truck for the Alpine VFD and awarded a contract of $155,000 to Roberts Construction of San Angelo for work on the Terlingua spring water line project.
Clay County Commissioners Court approved a contract with Adams Construction of Iowa Park for $207,200 for improvement of the water system in Charlie. A state grant of $179,300 will help fund the project.
Crockett County Commissioners Court approved a bid of $88,710 with Steel Fire Apparatus for a new fire truck for Ozona VFD.
Dawson County Commissioners Court approved funds to send a volunteer firefighter for training in College Station.
Eastland County Commissioners Court created an airport zoning commission and appointed its first four members.
Hardeman County Commissioners Court approved the purchase for $59,000 of a new ambulance from San Angelo Ambulance Sales.
Jeff Davis County Commissioners Court voted to renovate the VFW building, which had been donated to the county, with historic preservation funds from the hotel-motel tax. The contract for the project – that will provide space for the clerk’s office and records storage at a cost of $451,593 – was awarded to High Desert Construction of Fort Davis.
Jones County Commissioner Steve Lollar retired June 30, 2011, after 24-plus years as commissioner.
Mason County received a grant of $300,000 from the Texas Department of Agriculture for flood recovery expenses and another grant of $200,000 for the sheriff’s office to purchase two vehicles, video equipment and radios.
Palo Pinto County Commissioners Court created an elections administration department and moved one employee each from the clerk’s office and tax assessor-collector’s office as initial staff. “We’re not hiring any new people,” Clerk Janette Green told the Mineral Wells Index.
Reagan County Commissioners Court hired at least eight EMT personnel, including four full-time, and started its EMS ambulance service in July.
San Saba County Commissioners Court voted to join the Hill Country Regional Public Defenders Office beginning Oct. 1.
Shackelford County Commissioners Court selected the Precinct 1 yard as the location for its new jail, to be funded after a successful $5.85 million bond election.
Wichita County Commissioners Court authorized the reappraisal of 60 properties damaged in April wildfires.
Young County Commissioners Court approved tax abatements for Gamesa Energy, which is proposing to build the county’s second wind farm. Construction on the first by BP North America began in the summer. H – Compiled by Garner Roberts