July 10, 2017 - The Shelby County Commissioners chose to appoint Melissa Crouch to the office of Justice of the Peace Precinct 1. The office was recently vacated following the resignation of Maxie Eaves.
After a 25-minute executive session, the meeting returned to open session and a motion made by Roscoe McSwain, Commissioner Precinct 1, carried to temporarily appoint Crouch temporary Justice of the Peace of Precinct 1 until the public can elect a permanent JP whether that be the primary or general election, the temporary appointment will run until the public has chosen a duly elected Justice of the Peace through the election process. The appointment was set to take effect July 17 at 9am.
Jake Metcalf, Precinct 4 Constable, presented the commissioners with a proposal for a new vehicle for his precinct. The 2011 truck and even older model Dodge Magnum are reported to be in disrepair and in need of replacement.
"He inherited two vehicles that have needed a lot of work," said Judge Harbison.
She shared for the court the transmission and the motor in the truck are no longer functional and the Dodge has many needed repairs. A bid was received of San Augustine Motor Co. in the amount of $9,000 for the truck and $6,000 for the Dodge toward a trade-in.
Metcalf explained the Dodge sat for 10 years before he took office and it was actually sunk into the ground.
"The pickup truck had not been maintained or maintenanced in I can't tell you how long. When I took it, I took it and the oil changed and they said it was bad oil," said Metcalf.
He elaborated the Dodge is currently a safety hazard as everything underneath it is rusted.
Metcalf has looked at a 2017 Ford Explorer which a lot of law enforcement agencies are starting to use due to economical fuel mileage. The asking price on the vehicle is $34,180 and with a discount for the county it became $29,805. The trade-in allowance of $15,000 on the two vehicles then brings the price down $14,805.
Factoring in the Precinct 4 Constable office remaining budget of $3,800, a motion carried to approve $14,000 to be paid out of the county contingency fund, which currently has $142,115.
Bridge work has been ongoing on CR 4293 at Chicken Bayou Creek and as a result of the work, some tree clearing has occurred. A brother and sister own property on either side of the bridge and in exchange for trees removed and "property damage," the siblings request $1,000 each to cover their loss or they will not sign the right of way easement; thus, preventing the project from moving forward.
A motion carried to approve issuing a check for the siblings out of right-of-way funds in the amount of $2,000.
Precinct 3 and 4 commissioners are seeking to purchase a portable asphalt zipper.
"Bradley [Allen] and I have watched a couple of these machines work. The portable type machine, so they can be moved from one job location to the other. These come on a dual tandem axle trailer, they do as good a job as far as grinding and reclaiming the road," said Charles Barr, Commissioner Precinct 3.
Barr explained they would like to seek bids for a new or used with low hours machine.
A motion was carried to seek bids on the asphalt zipper. (Related article).
The meeting was adjourned at 10:27am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include:
Minutes of the June 12, 2017 Regular Meeting, the June 19, 2017 Special Meeting, and June 27th, 2017 Special Meeting of the Shelby County Commissioners’ Court.
Pay the monthly expenses.
Officers’ reports.
Purchase of a new vehicle for Constable Precinct 4, Jake Metcalf.
Payment for timber and damages for bridge work on County Road 4293 Chicken Bayou Creek.
Advertise for bids on an asphalt zipper for Road and Bridge Precinct 3 & 4.
Appoint Melissa Crouch Justice of the Peace Precinct 1.
Adjourn meeting at 10:27am.
Officers' report
Fees collected per office for June:
Deborah Riley, Tax Assessor/Collector, office: Property: $108,886.07; Motor Vehicle: $30,229.47 for a total of $139,115.54
Jennifer Fountain, County Clerk: $37,329.16
Lori Oliver, District Clerk: $13,607.99
Maxie Eaves, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1: $14,294.00
Marla Denby, Justice of the Peace Precinct 2: $1,206.10
Margie Anderson, Justice of the Peace Precinct 3: $6,900.00
Jenny Hicks, Justice of the Peace Precinct 4: $2,794
Mike Crouch, Justice of the Peace Precinct 5: $4,316
Zach Warr, Constable Precinct 1: $715
James Hagler, Constable Precinct 2: $0.00
Roy Cheatwood, Constable Precinct 3: $90.00
Jake Metcalf, Constable Precinct 4: $170
Robert Hairgrove, Constable Precinct 5: $270.00
Grand total: $219,562.79
Money Market CD#1 generated $245.79 total market value of $427,451.55
Money Market CD#2 generated $245.36 total market value of $426,714.60
Money Market CD#3 generated $244.95 total market value of $425,978.93
Money Market CD#4 generated $279.21 total market value of $485,566.21
Shelby County Money Market generated $5.15 for a total value of $25,043.21
Total Interest earned on investments $1,020.46
Total investments of $1,790,754.50
