Fannin County, Texas -- Fannin County Judge Newt Cunningham presided over a regular meeting of Fannin County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, with Pct. 1 Commissioner Troy Waggoner, Pct. 3 Commissioner Kurt Fogelberg and Pct. 4 Commissioner Doug Kopf in attendance; Pct. 2 Commissioner A.J. Self was absent.
The meeting opened with an invocation by Judge Cunningham and pledges were led by Major James Manis (Ret.).
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Fannin County Judge Newt Cunningham introduced Ladonia Mayor Justin Miller and Savoy Mayor Roger Cada in attendance.
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In public forum, Fannin County Clerk Jenny Garner introduced Palmer Kain, the county's new elections supervisor.
Garner said the county is receiving numerous requests for voter registration lists and charging $120 per request to recoup expenses. She also pointed out that some signage at the Justice Center will need to be corrected.
Ivanhoe resident Molly Goodson told the court that she is grateful for county's effort to maintain transparency and expressed concern at what she feels is a lack of transparency at the City of Bonham. Goodson complained that she can't attend Bonham Public Library Board of Directors meetings.
"I didn't make the runoff," Cunningham said in reference to placing third in the Fannin County Republican Primary race for county judge, but added that he will serve until January.
H. Compton received the most votes in the primary election, followed by John Tynan and the runoff election between those two candidates will be May 26, 2026.
Compton garnered 36.2% of the ballots cast to finish with 1,713 votes. Tynan, a newcomer to the political scene, made a strong showing with 1,112 votes to place second.
Early voting for the May 26, 2026 runoff election begins Monday, May 18, 2026. Early voting ends Friday, May 22, 2026.
Commissioner Fogelberg expressed concern that a lot of misinformation is circulating regarding a petition to hire a road engineer to oversee unitization of road and bridge work.
"People are saying, 'If you want better roads, sign the petition.' That's not a fact and that's not transparent," Fogelberg said. "If we're going to present something for the public to sign a petition on and possibly vote on, let's try to keep it honest."
Routine items
Commissioners court approved payment of bills. Bills on March 11, 2026 were $1,289,439.45. Bills on March 17, 2026 were $661,152.27; payroll for March 13, 2026 was $476,987.54 for 161 employees.
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Commissioners court approved minutes from previous meetings.
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Matt Brown of Allegiance Mobile Health, presented the Emergency Medical Services Report for February 2026.
Brown reported 175 calls in February, with 143 transports.
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Fannin County Auditor Alicia Whipple presented the Auditor Monthly Reports and summaries for January and February 2026.
"At the end of February, General Fund year-to-date revenue was $13,085,541.86," reported Fannin County Auditor Alicia Whipple. "Year-to-date expenses were $8,372,573.77."
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Fannin County Tax Assessor-Collector Amber Sutherland gave a report of Tax Assessor-Collector Continuing Education hours completed as required by Tax Code §6.231(d)
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Report of monies received by Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 office in February 2026; $35,867.60.
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Report of monies received by Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 office in February 2026; $11,885.50.
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Report of monies received by Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 office in February 2026; $8,781.70.
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Report of monies received by County Clerk’s office in February 2026; All Courts, $22,821.42 and Land Records, $34,813.50.
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Report of monies received by District Clerk’s office in February 2026; $21,646.30.
Discussion items
Commissioners court discussed the Constable Precinct 1 Internal Audit for Fiscal Year 2025.
Fannin County Auditor Alicia Whipple said everything was being handled correctly, with improvements possible in how information is entered and the timeliness of papers being served.
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Commissioners court discussed railway safety in Savoy following an incident last week when empty rail cars were stored near Savoy. Texas Northeastern Railroad has said the cars would be leased out and moved
Savoy Mayor Roger Cada said residents are on edge after learning that two power plants are plotted directly behind the grade school and an 1,100-acre data center is in the works with no plan for increased water demand.
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Discussion and possible action items
Commissioners court approved a Memorandum of Agreement between Fannin County Constable Precinct 3 and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement office of the Department of Homeland Security authorizing Constable Precinct 3 to enroll in the State-mandated DHS ICE 287(g) program and to sign the Memorandum of Agreement.
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Commissioners court voted to terminate the August 2, 2016 Multi-Use Agreement with TXDOT concerning State Highway 78, Control Section 0279-02, and authorize County Judge or Senior Commissioner to send a letter to TXDOT confirming this termination.
The county has limited funds to invest and local property owners are concerned that more recreation on Red River would create more pollution and property damage.
Fannin County resident David Keene noted that outdoor enthusiasts with kayaks and canoes could easily access the river without using the area where the old roadside park was located.
"Fannin County is in a position to be a water playground for North Texas," Keene remarked.
Bonham resident Rusty Deets said, "My issue is, since we've had this [agreement] we've done nothing and the State of Texas hasn't even cleaned off the monument that informs travelers that they are entering Texas. It is disgusting and it needs to be taken care of."
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Commissioners court discussed the need for an additional lock at the Justice Center on the Criminal District Attorney side.
"We have an area that needs to be locked to preclude people from coming into our area," John Skotnik, Fannin County Criminal Defense Attorney, advised the court. Skotnik said he has been trying to get a cost estimate for two weeks.
Skotnik also pointed out that water is pooling on the north end of the Justice Center and, if it gets any deeper, the county might consider stocking it with catfish.
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Commissioners court passed on an agenda item regarding county assistance on the conveyance of Lake Fannin.
The 2,200-acre Lake Fannin complex was presented to the county as a conveyance between government entities, but the Forest Service is attempting to sell it to Fannin County for $6 million.
The county decided to lease Lake Fannin at no cost, rather than spend thousands of dollars to determine the feasibility of purchasing the historic site.
Sarah Richardson asked for help from the county to accomplish tasks the Lake Fannin Volunteers, a 501(c)3 organization, can't handle, such as clearing and mowing the dam and right-of-way, and restoring campsites.
Richardson told the court that volunteers have recently cleared the hiking/biking trail and regularly receive requests for campsites.
At the current time, the gates can only be open if a county employee or Lake Fannin Volunteer is present
"The Forest Service has treated the county horribly," remarked David Keene.
"It is just frustrating," Jarrett Tucker said. "We've been working on this for 20 years."
Tucker and Keene both complained that Congressman Pat Fallon has been no help at all.
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Commissioners court discussed public safety and air quality concerns related to commercial vehicle traffic on CR 2135 in Telephone.
County resident Shawn Fulton has repeatedly brought this issue to commissioners court.
Primarily due to heavy truck traffic, Fulton said he has to wear a mask when working outdoors.
"We need some help out there," Fulton said.
Cunningham said the best course of action would be to pursue a private lawsuit and ask for redress.
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There is no need for a Fannin County burn ban at the current time.
Call the non-emergency phone number at the sheriff's office at 903-583-2143 to find out if outdoor burning is permitted.
A county judge can implement an overriding burn ban if dangerous conditions exist.
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Commissioners court passed on an agenda item regarding junkyard bonds.
A bond could be used to maintain proper fencing and ensure clean-up when the business closes.
As long as a junkyard is in business, it must maintain the bond.
Ravenna resident Andy Walker agreed that the county needs something in place to prevent junkyard owners from moving and leaving a mess.
Andy Garner, Fannin County Civil Attorney, and Di Hopkins, Fannin County Director of Development Services, will formulate the bond package.
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Commissioners court approved the Property Renewal Questionnaire for submission to the Texas Association of Counties.
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Commissioners court approved a Zoom meeting setup at the Derrell Hall Education Center for various Fannin County committee meetings.
There would be a slight cost involved ($16-$17) per month to have a separate account, if necessary, for the Derrell Hall Education Center.
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Commissioners court passed on an agenda item regarding the name of the fossil park located on FM 904 in Ladonia. The park was originally named Pete Patterson Fossil Park, but for years it has been advertised as Ladonia Fossil Park.
The late Pete Patterson was a state representative who was responsible for originally designating the area as a fossil park, but many current Ladonia residents prefer the name Ladonia Fossil Park.
Doug Janeway, Lake Ralph Hall Reservoir Manager, noted that Upper Trinity owns the property but he offered to take the county's suggestion to the Upper Trinity Regional Water District Board of Directors.
Ladonia Mayor Justin Miller said it has been called Ladonia Fossil Park since 2011.
Pct. 4 Commissioner Doug Kopf pointed out that Leon Hurse, Pete Patterson and Ralph Hall were the three principals involved in establishing the fossil park. The lake was named after former Congressman Ralph Hall, the lake dam was named in honor of former Ladonia Mayor Leon Hurse, and it would seem only fair to honor Patterson, as well.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Troy Fogelberg came up with a promising compromise -- work with TxDOT to possibly dedicate the bridge over Lake Ralph Hall to Pete Patterson -- the Pete Patterson Memorial Bridge.
The Ladonia mayor approved that idea.
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Commissioners court voted to create a position in order to hire an additional part-time court clerk for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1.
Judge Louise Goodwater, Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1, said the revenue has tripled, resulting in increased workload that has forced significant overtime and creating a situation that isn't sustainable.
With only $116,000 remaining in contingency, options were discussed.
Cunningham is the first Fannin County judge to require two administrative assistants and he was asked if he could go back to only having one assistant, but he said no.
Commissioners court approved hiring a part-time clerk beginning in May for approximately $11,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year.
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Open discussion item
Open discussion items may be passed on unless discussion requested by a member of the court or a citizen.
In regard to courthouse repairs and the Justice Center, Cunningham repeated his complaint about finding water in the courthouse basement after a rain.
Commissioners pointed out that they had allocated money two years ago to improve drainage when water seeps into the basement, but the work was never done.
Commissioners court examined photos of water pooling on the north side of the Justice Center. Apparently, the architect said he followed data from the survey. The county's civil attorney will examine the matter to see who is at fault.
Waggoner said he met with City of Bonham staff regarding easements and entryways to the Justice Center will need to be taken out and reworked.
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In regard to county roads, Galen Bennett discussed a petition that is being circulated regarding the possibility of placing unitization on the November ballot. Bennett, Cunningham and Richard Glaser have been proponents of the petition.
"I look at this as a major change in county policy and we need to know what it will cost the taxpayers to switch," Commissioner Kopf spoke up. "I have heard people speak about how it will save the county money. I want to know how it will save the county money because the same amount of work will have to be done and I think we are misleading the public by not telling them what the cost will be."
"You have to have the funding to work on the roads to start with and we barely do," Waggoner chimed in, adding that an experienced road engineer will expect a salary of $180,000-$200,000.
Bennett contends that a road engineer can be hired for $85,000-$95,000.
Waggoner countered that only an apprentice would consider working for that sum.
By comparison, the local district court reporter has an annual base salary of $124,107.74.
"We don't have the funding to do what the roads need," Kopf added.
Clay Clemons wrote in to ask if commissioners have submitted weekly reports for the past two weeks.
Fannin County Commissioners Court had no need for executive session and adjourned at 12:13 p.m.
