Shelby County Today

March 14, 2021 - As Shelby County continues its quest for reliable communications for emergency personnel, the commissioners are now faced with an even larger price tag than before of potentially $206,000.

Sheriff Kevin Windham was accompanied by Tracy Rook, Texas Premier Communications, LLC, who presented a proposal for the Sheriff's Department radio system and the volunteer fire department radio system which is dispatched out of the Sheriff's Department. 

The proposal for the system dispatching deputies in Shelby County is $117,304 and the separate estimate of cost for the volunteer fire department radios is $88,696. Sheriff Kevin Windham reminded the commissioners around $55,000 was invested in the communications system at the end of 2020 to replace the communications console as the system was not functioning at that time.

"We knew that would not fix the entire radio problem, at the current time we still have no radio service in Timpson. Once you get about just north of FM 1645, we have no radio communication," said Sheriff Windham. "You get into Tenaha, Joaquin, same issues."

Sheriff Windham mentioned a roadway called Hawthorne Road in the south end of the county where he was recently unable to utilize communications. He stated a solution to the problem has been being sought for quite some time and most recently Texas Premier Communications has been working to develop a solution.

"They have found a solution to the problem, so I have asked them to put together the information and let them speak to you because I'm not qualified to answer the questions that could be asked regarding the radios and how this is going to work," said Sheriff Windham.

Sheriff Windham remarked the cost is great; however, he reminded the court the system affects officer safety and those in the public they seek to protect. He stated how glad he is the commissioners also want the officers and members of the public to be safe.

According to Rook the proposed project includes three tower sites which will interact at the same time. They would be outfitted with three microwave antennas for a VHF system to extend the signal further and simulcast. No longer will the radio signal from officers have to travel all the way to the tower on State Highway 7 before reaching the Sheriff's Department.

"We've done some research and I could never find microwave paths between the water tower in Tenaha and the one in Shelbyville to Highway 7," said Rook. "I sent it off to the manufacturer in Israel that builds the microwaves and they found an issue with our software that was giving me the wrong calculations."

Rook said the manufacturer said there is a path, and he proposes installing the microwave antennas with the addition if it doesn't work Texas Premier Communications will take the antennas back and it won't cost the county. Installation and removal would still be an expense. 

County Judge Allison Harbison asked about additional cost to use the towers and Rook said he didn't think there would be any. The City of Tenaha owns one water tower and the other tower in Shelbyville used to have equipment on it and he didn't expect there to be a cost.

"This will rebroadcast everything, it's going to give them a whole lot more coverage, a lot more portable coverage. Is this going to fix every spot in the county? No ma'am," said Rook.

Commissioner Stevie Smith asked about the possibility of using a tower in the Joaquin area.

In response to Judge Harbison, Rook explained the work done to the Sheriff's Department radio communications will not improve the fire department communications; however, it could be added on to and would be at a lesser cost. If the equipment for both were done at the same time, it also would reduce overall expense to the county.

"The time servers are what's expensive, and the microwaves. The time servers are about $10,000 each, so you've got three time servers that you can share," said Rook. "So you knock out close to $30,000 right there."

Roscoe McSwain, Commissioner Precinct 1, brought up the possibility of utilizing some of the COVID relief funds Ann Blackwell, County Treasurer, and Clint Porterfield, County Auditor, were able to get reimbursed to the county to go toward the radio work. Porterfield had originally recommended the commissioners set those funds aside to go toward possible Shelby County Jail work in the future.

Discussion continued on the radio system and the commissioners decided to table the item until the next meeting to consider each proposal. 

A motion carried to table the discussion of the radio system for the Sheriff's Department until the next meeting.

Judge Harbison presented the commissioners with needed repair to the foyer of the Courthouse Annex (District Attorney's office) to complete the elevator installation project.

"We need to build some barriers at the top of the elevator where they had to cut the railing. There needs to be some solid walls put there," said Judge Harbison.

She proposed putting a wall up even with the top of the elevator to provide an added safety measure for children and to prevent anyone falling over. Since the project is expected to be under $50,000 Judge Harbison sought bids from two separate contractors and received a bid for one.

The bid was for $17,447 to build finished walls/railing ap the stairwell and around the new elevator, floor covering on stairs, and floorcovering on the second floor at the top of the stairs/elevator.

"I am a little bit queasy about jumping out and burning all of our building maintenance and digging into our contingency pretty hard," said Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4.

With there being so many large expenditures recently the county has had to face, Bellmyer initially wanted to wait until the year progressed further due to unknown possible liabilities in the future. Porterfield mentioned another contingency fund available to the county of compressor litigation which wasn't used last year and was budgeted for this year.

"We could amend the budget with the grey public necessity clause, because of the danger of the handrail and the elevator that's been installed," said Porterfield.

Bellmyer said he doesn't want the county to take the chance of someone getting injured and he is in favor of getting the repairs completed as safety is more important.

"We are out of money because it was unforeseen that we was going to pay $186,000 to settle a lawsuit (Morrow v. Tenaha), so if we need to fix this, we need to fix it," said McSwain. "It sounds like we've blown through a lot of money, we ain't blowed through nothin'. We blowed through our contingency, because we had to pay off that lawsuit."

During the discussion, Bellmyer indicated he wants to make the repairs and he made a motion to move forward with the repairs and a budget amendment per recommendation of Porterfield.

Judge Harbison clarified a budget amendment to courthouse repair of $18,000 to move forward with having the repair done due to the safety nature of the needed repair, and for TNT Construction to handle the repair.

Commissioner McSwain seconded the motion.

Judge Harbison presented the commissioners with a proposal to replace the courthouse sign which was damaged during Hurricane Laura in 2020. She stated a bid of $15,000 was received to repair the sign as-is, and that estimate has been submitted to FEMA for possible reimbursement.

"What I am proposing is that we do a digital sign out here. A digital sign that allows us to put messages up like 'Burn Ban in Effect,' 'Early Voting Starts This Day,' 'Courthouse Closed for 4th of July,' I mean things like that, 'Jury Duty Cancelled,'" said Judge Harbison.

The sign could then also flash a date, time and temperature and has a projected cost of almost $30,000. The main portion of that cost is $27,380 and includes the manufacture and installation of a 41"X99" double pack electronic message center. The viewing area is 3'x8' with 16mm RGB pixel pitch, EMC capable of up to six lines 28.8 characters at a 4" type. The electronic message center can also play clips up to 30 frames per second, imports Window Video AVI, animated text and graphics, 4G Wireless with a life-of-sign cellular data plan.

Additionally $2,260 of the total cost goes toward a 3'x8'.3" lighted double sided sign with customer approved artwork, and the electronic message center would be mounted beneath with a 1.5" reveal and 3' ground clearance and the structure to be mounted on two posts.

"Replacing it as-is is going to be $15,000, so really and truly for what you're getting it's not that much more," said Judge Harbison.

A motion carried to table the item and wait for an additional quote to consider at the next meeting on March 17, 2021.

Joe Johnson addressed the court about his desire of Private Road Bussey Lane to be made into a county road. 

"I live out there at Bobo and I stay on 4657, a county road, I stay off I'm on the corner of Bussey Lane and 4657," said Johnson. "It's so rough going up through there and Bussey Lane, it needs repairing it needs some road work and they say they can't come down there because it's a private road."

No action was taken so the commissioners and County Judge can further investigate who property owners are around Bussey Lane.

Judge Harbison opened sealed bids on road maintenance materials for Shelby County. A motion carried by the commissioners to accept all of the bids.

The commissioners considered the racial profiling report presented by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. As they were reviewing the documents, Sheriff Windham elaborated on the report to explain for anyone unaware for what the report is needed. 

"TECOLE (Texas Commission on Law Enforcement), they require us to file an annual report with the commissioners' court and bascially what it is, it documents all of our traffic stops, people that we contact and it tells you the reason they were stopped, if citations were issued, their ethnicity, it just records all of that and all of that is sent to the state. Just so they'll make sure we're not profiling," said Sheriff Windham.

A motion carried to record the report.

The meeting was adjourned.

Related Articles:

• Analog Radio System Shutdown Affects Local Fire Departments
• County Enters into Long-Term Lease Agreement for Radio Tower Use
• Commissioners Grill Ambulance Service on Procedures; Have Round-Table Discussion on Radios
• Commissioners Consider Potential $70,000 Emergency Expenditure
• Commissioners Upgrade Sheriff's Department Dispatch Equipment

Agenda items approved during the meeting include:
1. Approve the minutes of the February 10, 2021 Regular meeting, February 24, 2021, Special meeting of the Shelby County Commissioner’s Court.
2. Pay weekly expenses.
3. Officers Reports.
4. Repair the foyer of the Courthouse Annex which will complete the elevator installation project.
5. Open sealed bids on road maintenance materials for Shelby County.
6. Record Racial Profiling Report for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.
7. Participation in the TAC CyberSecurity required annual training for 2021. This training is mandatory under state law, Texas Government Code 2054.5191, effective June 14, 2019, for all Elected County Officials and any local government employee who has access to a local government computer system or database.
8. Appoint Ann Blackwell as Course Administrator(s) for TAC CyberSecurity required annual training for 2021.
9. Adjourn.

Agenda items tabled during the meeting include:
1. Take action to replace the Courthouse sign that was damaged during Hurricane Laura.