Fannin County, Texas -- All five members of Fannin County Commissioners Court were present for a regular meeting Tuesday, September 5, 2023. The invocation was given by Fannin County Judge Newt Cunningham and pledges were led by Major James Manis.
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In public forum, David Keene presented newly appointed Pct. 1 Commissioner Dale McQueen with an engraved writing pen made from local bois d'arc wood.
Troy Waggoner, a resident of Ravenna, addressed the court regarding the topic of the county hiring a road engineer, calling it a bad idea in light of the current budget.
"It is my understanding this would be an appointed position," Mr. Waggoner stated, adding that he would prefer to get this on the ballot so taxpayers get a say in whether or not they have to pay for another appointed position.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court approved payment of bills.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court passed on an agenda item regarding an Interlocal Agreement between Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and Fannin County to utilize the SCOFFLAW Program to flag and hold vehicle registration renewals of vehicle owners who have unresolved violations in Fannin County.
Fannin County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Louise Goodwater asked commissioners to table this agenda item for one month to allow the county's justices of the peace ample time to discuss this subject and proceed only after appropriate due diligence.
"I think taking a month to take a closer look at it is a good idea," agreed Judge Cunningham.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Jerry Magness suggested two weeks would be enough.
Fannin County Commissioners Court voted to table this agenda item for two weeks and encouraged the JPs to meet during the next two weeks and reach a consensus.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court passed on an agenda item regarding distribution of the 2023 Capital Credits received from the Texas Comptroller’s Office in the amount of $120,880.75.
In 2021, commissioners spent $7,000 on courthouse benches and made donations to Fannin County Childrens Center, public libraries, Fannin County Child Welfare, chambers of commerce and Creative Arts Center.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court approved a Preliminary Plat for Bois d'Arc Shores on CR 2900 in Dodd City; 136 lots on 197.8 acres ranging from 1.01 acre to 10.55 acres.
Pct. 4 Commissioner Doug Kopf expressed concern that one of the roads providing access to the new development has a narrow one-lane section and noted that landowners are unlikely to give away additional right-of-way.
"Why should we buy right-of-way for developers?" Judge Cunningham asked. "I don't think that is a cost the county should bear."
The developer urged the court to consider the eventual revenue stream created by this development; he estimated that 10-12 homes would be built annually once infrastructure is in place.
"We have $125,000 budgeted for rollback taxes," he told the court.
The discussion revealed that there are actually three entry points to the development, with only one road that bottlenecks down to one lane.
Richard Smith addressed the court to suggest that the developer submit detailed plans in writing for the county to approve or disapprove.
Fannin County Commissioners Court voted to approve the Preliminary Plat for Bois d'Arc Shores, with the addendum that the developer will fund any rerouting of power and water to the development.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court voted to revert back to a 100-participant limit on Zoom with increased cloud storage.
The county currently has a more expensive 500-participant cutoff, but rarely has more than 30 participants.
The county will transition to a 100-person cutoff with 30 gigabytes of storage for $25.99 per month.
One citizen expressed appreciation for the county's transparency by using Zoom and voiced concern that the City of Bonham does not provide that same level of transparency.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court voted to approve the Office of the Attorney General Maintenance Grant Contract through August 31, 2024 with regard to the SAVNS (Statewide Automated Victim Notification Service) program.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court approved a modification of an Intergovernmental Agreement between Fannin County and the United States Marshals Service, Mod No. 6, incorporating the Department of Labor Wage Determination Number 2015-5273 (Rev 24).
The county is required to pay federal wages due to federal detainees being housed at Fannin County Detention Center.
Approximately 80% of detainees are federal detainees; the county draws down corresponding federal funds that help pay for the county's detainees.
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By a 4-1 vote Fannin County Commissioners Court approved a Fannin County Paid Time Off policy with a change of the accrual increased to two hours per pay period for full-time employees.
At the beginning of each year, an employee accrues 6 1/2 days of paid time off for illness, appointments or vacation.
At the end of each fiscal year, employees are paid for time remaining on the books.
If the employee quits, he or she doesn't get paid back for paid time off accrued. Vacation time gets paid when an employee quits.
Newly hired employees accrue paid time off per pay period.
Commissioner Kopf cast the opposing vote, with Judge Cunningham and commissioners Dale McQueen, A.J. Self and Jerry Magness voting to approve the agenda item.
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In a discussion regarding Fannin County Subdivision Committee and the detailed subdivision policy being developed, Judge Cunningham said an effort is being made to determine that appropriate engineers are available and then ensure that engineer services are paid for by developers.
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The county judge briefly delved into unitization, a system where all county road and bridge vehicles and employees are under the direction of one supervisor, theoretically allowing the county to maximize equipment and increase production by specializing employee duties. For example, the best mechanics would be responsible for working on all county vehicles, instead of only working on one precinct's vehicles.
"It should go to a ballot," suggested Troy Waggoner.
"That's not one of the things on our horizon at the present time," responded Judge Cunningham in reference to unitization.
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Judge Cunningham said he is scheduled to meet with engineers this week to discuss sub-par code work at the courthouse.
Rusty Deets asked about blinds to limit early-morning sunshine in the commissioners courtroom and was told that something will be done eventually, but more serious issues are at the top of the priorities list.
Mr. Deets questioned why commissioners court is asking for volunteers to assist with a fire watch whenever the courthouse is occupied.
"If someone wants to volunteer their time, I'm delighted for them to step forward," Judge Cunningham replied.
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In the weekly discussion regarding Fannin County road issues, Molly Hayes, a resident of Tulip, Texas, in Pct. 1 said she attended the precinct meeting Saturday and felt like the suggestion to allow people who are not county employees to use county equipment is a terrible idea.
"They will use it like a borrowed mule...use it until it falls in the field," Ms. Hayes predicted.
She also alleged that sand and gravel truck drivers have been littering, including apparently even tossing out cigarette butts during a severe drought with hayfields on the road.
Judge Cunningham said the state won't certify constables to begin checking for overweight trucks, so the county representatives will have to go to a police academy to get certified to operate scales. The county judge believes that once constables are certified, the county can encourage better compliance.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court entered into executive session at 10:50 a.m. for consultation with an attorney - a closed meeting will be held pursuant to Section 551.071 of the Government Code to (1) seek the advice of its attorney regarding:
(A) pending or contemplated litigation; or (B) a settlement offer; or (2) on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to the governmental body under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with this chapter.
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No action was taken in Executive Session.