Court looks into new vehicles

Court looks into new vehicles Brian Smith Tue, 04/02/2024 - 2:15 pm   Jack County Commissioners Gary Oliver, left, and Kenny Salazar listen to a presentation during the Monday, March 25 meeting. Photo/Brian Smith Jack County Commissioners began the process of purchasing new vehicles for the Jack County Sheriff’s Office. Jack County Judge Keith Umphress, who attended the meeting via Zoom, said the county needed to consider getting a transport van with the potential of 20 inmates from Collin County being housed there. Umphress also suggested purchasing new Chevrolet Tahoes at a cost of between $57,000-$58,000 each. He said the turnaround time on new vehicles is about a year with prices going up an average of 10% each year. The vehicles the department received in 2020 are all pushing or exceeding 100,000 miles. The department has lost several vehicles in recent years due to a bad transmission, accidents or “blowing up”, Jail Administrator Scott Simonton said. Chief Deputy Chris Reger said there is one backup vehicle with about 200,000 miles on it. The other vehicles being used all have 160-170,000 miles on them as well, Reger said. Commissioners were not ready to pull the trigger on a purchase during their Monday, March 25 meeting, with Precinct 1 Commissioner Gary Oliver noting he needed more information before making a decision. Umphress also said funds from the Rural Law Enforcement Grant, established under Senate Bill 22, that were expected to be received for JCSO and the county attorney’s office have been received. The new state law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023, provides supplemental salaries for different positions in rural areas. The county attorney’s office received $100,000 for a new investigator position filled by former deputy Michael Francis, with the $250,000 JCSO grant going toward new equipment.