Bonham -- Two agenda items loomed large as Fannin County Commissioners Court convened for a regular session Monday, August 8: an anticipated lease of the former county jail on County Road 4200 and a discussion regarding the county's EMS options.

Fannin County Judge Spanky Carter announced a pending contract that will allow Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC), the private company that built and operates the 532-bed Fannin County Jail on Silo Road, to house prisoners in the 96-bed former county jail on CR 4200.  Depending upon level of occupancy, the contract should be worth between $200,000 and $300,000 to the county annually.

That amount could come close to paying the county's annual payments on the former jail, a facility that has been vacant since 2009.  Fannin County will send in a principle/interest payment of $173,100 in September for the former county jail. In 2013, that annual payment will go up to $314,550. The note won't be paid off until 2018.  

The contract calls for CEC to begin operations at their satellite facility September 1. This contract will run concurrent with the Fannin County Jail contract, which is in its third year of a three-year agreement with two one-year options.  

CEC will be adding 17-18 new workers to staff the jail.

"This was my number one priority when I came to office," remarked Judge Carter.

Judge Carter's new number one priority will be to find a compromise that allows the county to retain local EMS at a price Fannin County taxpayers would approve.

The county questions why -- if EMS has a $2.5 million budget and gets reimbursed $2 million annually -- why any one entity should be asked to make up the entire shortfall.

However, in the discussion it was pointed out that ambulance runs into the county are more expensive than a typical city run, due in large part to the fact that fewer residents in the county have insurance than their city-dwelling counterparts. 

The old contract apparently had several issues that raised concerns for both sides, as indicated by four years of negotiation during a five-year contract.

"I don't think we've been sharing the true cost," stated Fannin County Auditor Scott Dyer.

"I don't think the way it is structured now is in the best interest of the citizens of Fannin County," added Judge Carter.

The agenda item was tabled to give the county judge time to see if other cities in the county are willing to share the cost of EMS.

With the EMS issue up in the air, the county auditor asked that agenda items regarding the proposed tax rate and proposed budget be tabled.

Another agenda item will make a noticeable change in local county government. At the request of Judge Carter, Fannin County Commissioners Court voted to begin having regular meetings on a weekly basis beginning in October. In order to allow for more time to prepare before meetings, the weekly regular meetings will be pushed back one hour to begin at 10:00 a.m.