Commissioners move early voting to ROC

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The Hopkins County commissioners court discussed voting, among other items of business at the Sept. 28 regular session. 

The court commenced at 9 a.m. with a prayer by treasurer Danny Davis. 

The court then unanimously approved the following meeting minutes:

  • June 22 regular meeting
  • June 22 work session
  • June 29 work session
  • July 13 regular meeting
  • July 13 work session
  • July 20 work session
  • July 27 work session
  • July 27 regular meeting
  • July 27 work session
  • July 31 work session
  • August 3 work session 
  • August 7 work session
  • August 10 regular meeting
  • August 10 work session
  • August 17 special session
  • August 17 work session
  • August 24 regular session
  • August 24 work session
  • August 31 special session
  • September 8 special session
  • September 8 work session
  • September 9 work session
  • September 14 work session
  • September 21 special session
  • September 21 work session

ACTION ITEMS 

The court then returned to a request from Oncor power company to extend 2450 feet of telephone cable buried along County Road 4592 near Farm Road 1536 in Precinct 4. The court previously tabled this request during their Sept. 21 special session so Pct. 4 Commissioner Joe Price could “work out something there with the trees that are growing.” 

“We’ve discussed it with the people… at this time I’ll make a motion,” Price stated on Sept. 28. 

The court unanimously approved the request. 

The court then opened the floor to citizen comments, but no citizens presented themselves for discussion and the floor was closed. 

The court then turned the discussion to on-site sewage facilities (OSSF). Station 20 chief and emergency management coordinator Andy Endsley presented on Sept. 23 he believed costs associated with OSSF would rise from $260 to $360 for commercial properties, but on Sept. 28 presented the costs would rise to $560 for commercial properties. Assistant emergency management coordinator Kristy Springfield stated the state holds a $500 cap for OSSF costs, and this is what the county will charge. Endsley said this would be effective Oct. 1. 

“Sometimes we get ahead of ourselves, we apologize for the oversight,” Endsley stated. 

The court unanimously approved the OSSF amendment as presented by Endsley. 

2020 VOTING

Hopkins County Clerk Tracy Smith announced that she would like early voting for the 2020 general election moved to the ROC, located at 115 Putman Street in Sulphur Springs.   

“We’re going to move this for this election only, temporarily,” Smith stated. “We want to move the early voting to the ROC so we can have more equipment and do them [voters] socially distancing between them. We expect this is going to be a large election.”

“This is a big deal, as people have become accustomed in recent years to be able to vote early,” County Judge Robert Newsom stated. “They are used to going to the JP Office on Jefferson Street.” 

“We will go back to our normal location, this is temporary,” Smith clarified.

The court unanimously approved the request. 

Texas early voting begins on Oct. 13, although Newsom expressed that there is a lawsuit currently making its way through the courts to push the date back by a week.  

Furthermore, Smith notified the court she had received word on Sept. 26 that the county was a recipient of a $19,952 grant to help with the 2020 elections. The grant does not require any matching funds from the county, Smith said. 

The purpose of the grant is to “help with elections, to get voter information out, help with PPE...  to get voters interested and make them aware of the election,” Smith told the court. Newsom congratulated Smith on her initiative. 

“She [Tracy] jumped right on this,” Newsom said. “Everybody was overwhelmed over here. She jumped in and got the grant in one day… Congratulations Tracy.” 

The court unanimously approved the grant. 

SHERIFF’S BUDGET

County auditor Shannah Aulsbrook presented that the Sheriff’s Office was in need of an additional $140,000 for vehicles. 

“Whenever y’all approved them [HCSO] to purchase the vehicles through American National Leasing, we did not realize that there was a down payment that was to be paid when we approved that contract,” Aulsbrook stated. 

While these funds had already been factored into the fiscal year 2021 budget, Aulsbrook recommended giving HCSO the amount in a lump sum to pay down their vehicles so they could pay the contract with the leasing agency. The payment was due in August, Aulsbrook noted. 

“It’s due right now,” she said. “What I’m asking y'all to do is to go ahead and give them the $140,000 to pay this and it will come out of their 2020-21 budget.”

Pct. I Commissioner Mickey Barker clarified that the county had already budgeted this money, and Aulsbrook said they had. 

“It’s the same money. It’s there. They would just be getting it a few days early. but I need to pay this bill now in this budget,” Aulsbrook said. She noted HCSO already has the vehicles in the possession, so in a legal sense, the court needed to authorize the payment. 

“This is a bill that’s due,” Aulsbrook said. “Legally we need to take care of the down payments.”  

The court unanimously approved the budget amendment. The court further resolved to hold a special session on Oct. 1, in order to make sure all payments have been made before the start of the new fiscal year. 

ROCKWALL COUNTY

Sheriff Lewis Tatum asked the court to consider an interlocal agreement with Rockwall County which allows Hopkins County to house Rockwall County inmates, when space and funds permit. 

“We’re not housing any right now, but just in case in the future,” Tatum stated. “We’d only got nine beds open, and 15 went this morning to Huntsville, so we’re doing good according to CDC.” 

The court unanimously approved the request. 

With no further business, the court was adjourned at 9:18 a.m.