2025 will be a year of many changes. At the national level, we will have a Republican president, a Republican congress, and a Republican senate. Additionally, we will have a conservative Supreme Court, a holdover from Trump’s first term as president. Many of Trump’s picks for cabinet positions are very interesting, as they represent subject matter expertise rather than bureaucratic and political experience. I have hope and expectation that we will experience better performance in Washington than we have had in recent history.
At the local level (Fannin County), we have excellent individuals filling vacancies as the 336th District Court Judge, Fannin County Sheriff, and Fannin County District Attorney. The county, however, will be losing two very good Commissioners with good skill sets and experience. They will be replaced by two new commissioners on January 1. There are many important issues being worked by the court, as we move into this next year. We need the new commissioners to work diligently and intelligently with the court to ensure it is working in the best interests of the citizens of Fannin County. I urge all citizens to make it a priority to learn what happens in Commissioners Court and communicate their positions on the issues to their respective commissioners. Commissioners Court proceedings can be attended in-person, attended via ZOOM (link on county website), or the tape can be watched after it is posted on the county website. Too much is at stake to ignore how our county is being managed. Please do not think your opinion doesn’t matter…be informed and be heard.
Key Fannin County Issues for 2025
1. Court House Litigation - County officials are attempting to determine:
A. Why the renovation cost ballooned from an estimated 18 million dollars, when the county went out for bonds, to a final cost of 29 million dollars.
B. Who signed-off on specification changes, leading to substandard workmanship.
C. Identify any individuals, if any, who were involved in nefarious activities involving the courthouse renovation, for possible litigation or remediation of the defects.
The goal is to recover appropriate financial damages and get the workmanship deficiencies fixed at no cost to the taxpayers. This is the county’s opportunity to make right the wrongs that occurred during the renovation.
How will the county get relief for the taxpayers? The County Judge is taking depositions from county officials and appropriate individuals, as well as from various parties who were involved in the courthouse renovation. Information gathered from depositions and other forms of discovery is expected to lead to remediation of substandard workmanship and possible litigation resulting in the return of funds to the county.
What can you do? Contact your commissioner and make sure they know you expect them to support this issue.
2. The new Justice Center. There are indications that there may be county officials and citizens who are encouraging their commissioners to promote efforts to scale back on the buildout of the new Justice Center. My understanding is that these efforts are aimed at freeing up additional funds for road improvements. The problem with this is two-fold. A. Road improvements are short-lived and only benefit a few roads. Example: in 2022, $500,000.00 was allocated to each of the four precincts from ARPA funds for Road and Bridge. Can any reader testify that they received any benefit from these expenditures? I suspect not. B. Money spent on the Justice Center will benefit the entire county for decades and provide convenience to all citizens by having most county services in one location. Moving county offices from their current rented spaces will eliminate approximately $100,000 in annual rental costs.
3. Creating a position for a professional road engineer. This would reduce duplication of equipment and operating costs. This would also allow better prioritization of work and labor utilization.
4. Resistance to support activities that are not good for the county. Do not grant tax abatements or pilot programs to projects like wind farms, solar farms, or battery farms. These projects provide benefits to few, if any, citizens. These projects are typically not feasible without tax breaks, which shift tax burdens to the citizens-at-large. These projects don’t provide jobs to Fannin County citizens because they require special skill sets and require minimal maintenance after the initial startup. In almost all cases, the revenue from these projects goes out of the county and often to foreign companies.
5. Proliferation of RV parks. Personally, I’m in favor of limiting the number of RV parks. I’m also in favor of holding any, and all, RV parks to high standards, as currently specified in the RV park regulations in effect at this time. What is the benefit to you? Maintaining the “country” feel of the county.
6. Overweight sand and gravel trucks. The problem is two-fold. A. The trucks are tearing-up the roads at the taxpayers’ expense. B. Speeding of these behemoth trucks is a constant danger to citizens near the sand and gravel mines. Complaints about this issue are common in Commissioners Court.
In closing, please be informed about these important issues and let your commissioner know how you feel about them. You can’t be part of the solution if you don’t show up.
