Restroom renovations approved for Courthouse Annex
Hopkins County Commissioners Court considered a number of items during Monday’s regular meeting, dispatching the regular portion of the agenda in quick order, then, spent 40 minutes in executive session discussing an economic development proposal.
They agreed to lower the speed limit on County Road 3523, temporarily; reported on the completion of the LED light conversion at 3 county facilities and a final notice to be published in the newspaper for the Dike special election; and approved line item and budgetary amendments, disposal of equipment from three precincts, a resolution asking the Corps of Engineers to delay completion of a master plan for Jim Chapman Lake and White Oak Creek mitigation area, a contract for inmate psychiatric services and restroom renovations during Monday's regular court meeting.
Speed change
Precinct 3 Commissioner Wade Bartley asked the Commissioners Court to consider lowering the speed limit on County Road 3523 from 35 to 25 miles per hour. He said the change would be temporary, for the remaining months it takes to complete construction of the solar facility in Dike, due to the heavy truck traffic in the area. He noted safety concerns had been raised regarding the issue.
The lowered speed limit would only impact a stretch of roadway about 1 mile long. New signs would be ordered soon after the meeting if the proposal was approved. Once the signs arrived the commissioners said, they would be put up denoting the lowered speed limit.
Bartley made the motion, which Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Price seconded, and the rest of the court approved Monday, to lower the speed limit to 25 on that section of road.
Final plat
The Commissioners Court also approved a final plat for Piper Jay Estates. The plat would be eight lots across from the Noah Joy Estate. To her knowledge, the county clerk said, there were no questions or substantial changes needed from the preliminary plat approved by the court on May 9, 2022.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Mickey Barker said he had not yet had an opportunity to see the final plat before it was presented to the court for consideration April 10. He said he had no objection to that and made a motion to approve the final plat. Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Anglin second the motion, which the court then approved.
Budget
amendments
County Auditor Shannah Aulsbrook presented at least three different items that required adjustments to the budget.
First she reported each commissioner had funds to carry over from 2022 after the audit which would go into a line item. Precinct 1 will receive $62,558; Precinct 2, $239,658; Precinct 3, $125,850; and Precinct 4, $157,965.
An amendment was needed for the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center budget for the skid steer track loader that the court approved in a previous meeting, along with a truck purchased from Precinct 2 and internet installation.
Those items were not budgeted for in the 2023 budget. However, Lonnie Fox had planned to use money available in the Civic Center fund balance to pay for those items. That did not come through before he retired as Civic Center manager. So, the purchases and installation fees were presented April 10 to the Commissioners Court. The overall total was $90,575. The Civic Center fund balance before the proposed amendment was $781,000, plenty to cover the proposed expenses, Aulsbrook noted.
Interim Civic Center Manager Alina Tatum said she approved that plan and asked the court to approve the budget amendment as well. The funds are to be moved within the Civic Center budget, with $9,575 going into the machinery and equipment line.
Precinct 3 received the $159,736.50 from City National Bank to finance an equipment purchase. The funding is to go back into the Precinct 3 machinery and equipment line to fund the purchase.
Price made a motion, which Bartley seconded, to approve the line item transfers and budget amendments as recommended by the county auditor. The court unanimously approved the budget changes.
Psychiatry services
Hopkins County Sheriff ’s Office Chief Deputy Tanner Crump asked the Commissioners Court to consider approving a temporary agreement for month-to-month tele-psychiatry services for inmates at the county jail. The contract can be terminated on a monthly basis, should the county find a company they wish to contract with on a more permanent contract basis for inmate psychiatry services.
“The minimum is $1,200 a month we’ll have to pay. They’ll apply the $1,200 to the additional assessment per inmate and $100 follow up. Based on need, we do not think we’ll exceed $1,200 a month,” Crump said.
The funding for the services will come from funds paid to the inmate commissary fund.
Barker made the motion, which Bartley seconded, to approve the monthto- month contract for inmate psychiatry services.
LED lighting
The court agreed, on a motion by Bartley and seconded by Price, LED lighting conversion at the county jail, Civic Center and probation center it complete. The county was awarded $309,939 to pay for the project. The project cost a total of $303,847.93. The remaining $6,009.07 will be returned. The rest will be paid back as a loan by the county. The project, Aulsbrook noted, is expected to pay for itself in energy savings.
County Judge Robert Newsom noted the project is expected to balance out savings and cost within 7-9 years at most facilities. The savings won’t be as much at the jail, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year round.
Restroom renovation
Barker made a motion, which Bartley seconded, to approve a contract for restroom renovations at the County Annex building. The court approved the motion for RBC to completely redo the restrooms in the hallway in front of the justices of the peace offices inside Hopkins County Annex building. Newsom noted the restrooms are in bad shape. RBC was selected to redo the restrooms, which Newsom said, as he understands i, have not been updated or improved since the building was constructed to house an old bank. The cost will be $29,778.
Asset disposal
Three of the four county commissioner submitted for auction through Auctioneer Express the following, by precinct: Precinct 1 — 1998 flat bed 26-foot, 1993 motor grader, two Rex mixers, 1998 Peterbilt with sleeper, and a mixer; Precinct 3 — a backhoe that caught fire and burned to be sold as salvage material, and a 1-ton steel truck bed; and
Precinct 4 — John Deere maintainer and an International truck.
Lake resolution
The Commissioners Court also approved on a motion by Price, seconded by Bartley, a resolution asking the Army Corps of Engineers to delay approval of the final master plan for Jim Chapman Lake and White Oak Creed mitigation area. The resolution specifically asks the Corps to postpone the decision to give stakeholders and local citizens an opportunity over the next 2 years to work with them and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to study and develop “a strategic plan and recreation blueprint to maximize both the current assets and future possibilities for the lake.”
Newsom noted the lake has not built up to all assets initially outlined in the plan approved 25 years ago. The resolution notes that “design, funding delays and extensive litigation opposing the lake delayed the original Master Plan of 1988 for many years.”
The resolution states that the “ congressionally authorized objectives for Jim Chapman Lake are flood control, water supply, environmental stewardship, wildlife adaptation authorized within the White Oak Creek Mitigation Area while providing regionally important outdoor recreation opportunities throughout.”
Postponing any final decisions on the plan would provide time to “prepare the best plan toward development.”
Other items
Newsom also noted for the official record that a final notice for a special election for Dike for May 6 would be posted in the newspaper; and approved the consent agenda which included minutes of previous meetings, and requests from Farmer’s Electric Cooperative to construct electrical power distribution facilities across County Roads 2436 and 3528 and from Spectrum/Charter to construct and place a meter base pole or ground mount meter or underground conduit and fiber on CRs 3528 3532 and 3531.
The Commissioners Court entered into an executive session, taking EDC Director Roger Feagley with them, to discuss an economic development proposal. After 40 minutes, the court resumed in regular session only to adjourn into a work session.