County gets over half a million in fed funds

Freestone County has now received the funds from the federal government through Senate Bill 22, and Commissioners Court accepted the funds: $350,000 for the Sheriff’s Office; and $175,000 for the District Attorney’s Office.

The commissioners took that action at their March 25 meeting, when they also agreed not to distribute funds intended for Kirvin’s water supply; discussed how to find out whether the county is owed monies from the sale of properties seized for unpaid taxes; heard more about plans for the April 8 eclipse and made other decisions regarding the county’s finances and well-being.

As for the SB22 funds, they are intended to help rural counties be competitive in paying for law enforcement salaries and criminal prosecutions.

KIRVIN WATER FUNDS WILL NOT BE DISTRIBUTED

On a different agenda item, the court agreed not to distribute $50,000 of designated funds intended for the city of Kirvin’s water supply.

All other county water suppliers have been paid $50,000 each to pay for buying a generator, a new requirement by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The PUC (Public Utilities Commission) shows the city of Kirvin as active, but it is inactive and there is no city council.

“Without the correct documentation, I don’t feel we can give that money to any entity that is not 100 percent on the documentation,” said Precinct 3 Commissioner Lloyd Lane. “This is a big problem. It needs to be corrected, and it’s up to the County Commissioners to do that.”

The court members agreed to put the matter on a future meeting agenda.

OTHER COURT DECISIONS

Also at the meeting, the commissioners discussed how to determine whether the District Clerk had any tax sale funds that the county might be eligible to claim. When a property is sold to pay for unpaid taxes and the sale exceeds the amount owed for taxes, the property owner has two years to claim the excess proceeds, County Judge Linda Grant said. After that, the monies revert to the taxing entity. The District Clerk will provide a list of monies owed the county for a future meeting agenda.

In other business, the court heard plans for the April 8 solar eclipse from Sheriff Jeremy Shipley.

“Ennis is expecting a 500 percent increase in its population; that’s crazy,” Shipley said.

He added that people east of Freestone County will travel west to get a better view of the eclipse.

The court has not yet decided whether to close for the day of the eclipse, but will make that decision at a future meeting before the eclipse.

In other action, the court:

• Approved a request to pay SRM (Smyrna Ready Mix) Concrete the day the concrete is poured for the parking lot at the new Tax Office building, which is the former chiropractic building.

• Approved paying $51,535, which was the HGAC (Houston-Galveston Area Council) buy board price, to buy a Watson console desk for the Dispatch Office, which is a significant amount lower than an estimate received of over $70,000.

• Approved amending the Records Management and Preservation Plan for 2023-24, to move $2,400 to supplement the salary of a new clerk in the County Clerk’s Office, changing the position from parttime to full-time. County Treasurer Jeannie Keeney noted that the insurance for the position must come from the General Fund.

• Approved obtaining a credit card for the county to use in those instances when a credit card is needed, for example when making online purchases.