Shelby County Today

May 11, 2022 - The Shelby County Commissioners granted the purchase of a new Chevrolet Tahoe for the Sheriff's Department Wednesday, May 4, 2022, during their meeting.

Shelby County Sheriff Kevin Windham presented two purchase options to the commissioners for consideration.

"I'm no more pleased to stand before the Commissioners' Court today than any of y'all are to have me standing here once again coming before the court asking for a patrol unit," said Sheriff Windham. "As you well know, we lost another one of our patrol units in a pursuit."

He elaborated further on the Tahoe which was totaled being one of the older units in the fleet and that no one was injured during the incident. According to Sheriff Windham, the insurance settlement to be received on the totaled Tahoe was $17,700.

One quote presented to the commissioners was for a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD from a dealership in Houston in the amount of $36,327.37 with an additional cost of $8,234 to install the vehicle with the necessary equipment for a patrol unit. Sheriff Windham said the total projected amount would then be $44,940. The offset with the insurance would then be $27,240.12.

The Tahoe would take around three weeks to be outfitted.

A quote for a Ford F-150 4WD police pursuit vehicle came to $39,500, not including equipment installation. The installation of equipment to the truck was projected at $8,000, which doesn't include a camera.

Roscoe McSwain, Commissioner Precinct 1, confirmed with Sheriff Windham the equipment in the totaled vehicle was being stripped out for later use.

Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4, asked if there is a preference in vehicle and Sheriff Windham did say that would be the Tahoe, because they make a better patrol unit overall. Jimmy Lout, Commissioner Precinct 2, asked if the 4WD would be necessary, and Sheriff Windham said it wouldn't because the county roads have come a long way.

"And I'm not saying that to gain any points," said Sheriff Windham, as the courtroom erupted in laughter.

He said 4WD really used to be more of a necessity; however, there are enough units on the fleet with 4WD that if it's needed they have several which could be utilized.

A motion carried to purchase the Tahoe taking $27,240.12 from the Covid-19 fund coupled with the $17,700 from the insurance.

"This is out of that $907,000 we got from this, nearly $600,000 has been invested in law enforcement in the last year and a half since we've had it," said McSwain. "We've tried to make sure every bit of that money went back to where we got it from."

McSwain explained the county has been very conservative with the funds and that money will eventually be gone. He remarked the court has been more than generous in helping the Sheriff's Department upgrade its units and anything it has needed in helping to get the jail in better standards.

"On behalf of the Sheriff's Department, we are very, very appreciative of what the court has done," said Sheriff Windham. "Some things are beyond our control, but I do want the court to know that we really appreciate what y'all have invested in us."

McSwain further stated how blessed the county has been to have the Coronavirus funds to facilitate helping.

Lori Oliver, Shelby County District Clerk, spoke with the commissioners on the use of funds for the purchase of a laptop for the District Clerk office.

Oliver explained the laptop that is normally used by the District Clerk staff won't stay charged unless it remains plugged in. A Surface which they also use has crashed and their computer technician has gotten it running tentatively; however, he said that it would cost more to fix it than to just buy a new one.

"The reason why I asked for this fund, because normally I'd just pay it out of my records management, is because of the way they have changed the fees and the way we collect them on civil and criminal," said Oliver. "It affected criminal in January 2020, it affected civil January 2022. There's not going to be anymore money to speak of added to this account anyway."

According to Oliver, the funds are available for expenditures such as the laptop and it's required for the commissioners' court to approve such expenses.

"They called it District Court Technology Fund, which that is dedicated to just the purchase of computer items," said Oliver. "On the civil side it was a $10 fee, and on the criminal side it was a $4 fee, on the civil side that $10 could only be used for the restoring or the restoration of old records. On the criminal side it can be used for the purchase of computer technology."

A motion carried to take the funds as allowed by Code of Criminal Procedure 102.0169.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:55am.

Agenda items approved during the meeting include:
1. Pay weekly expenses.
2. purchase of a new patrol vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office.
3. Extend the date to bid on renovating the Adult Probation building.
4. Extend the date to bid on updating the records building.
5. Expend approximately $1,500 in funds out of the District Court Clerk Technology Fund/Records Archive Account for the purchase of a new laptop for use by the District Clerk's Office in Court.
6. Adjourn.

Agenda items tabled during the meeting include:
1. Darin Borders to address the Court regarding a new subdivision on CR 3736.

May 10, 2022 - Sheriff Kevin Windham reports Leray Afton Phillips has been located in Houston. Phillips is in good condition.

Sheriff Windham stated he appreciates everyone that assisted in searching for Phillips and Constable Cheatwood who put a lot of work into this effort.

November 23, 2021 - The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is seeking the whereabouts of Leray Afton Phillips. Phillips is describes as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 240 pounds.

Phillips was was seen approximately one month ago at the Quick Stop in Joaquin. Phillips is often seen in the vicinity of the Logansport bridge and is normally seen riding a bicycle.

If you have any information on his whereabouts or if you have seen him recently, please contact the SCSO at 936-598-5601.

May 6, 2022 - Today, May 7, 2022 is election day for many cities and schools around the county. Also, there is a Constitutional Amendment Election for two propositions and a Special Election for Center ISD Bond Propositions with both having the potential to affect property taxes.

All polling locations will be open from 7am - 7pm.

Polling locations for the Constitutional Amendment Election is a follows:

• 1 North, 1 South, 1 Southeast, 1 Southwest, 1 West (Center) - Center Community House, 425 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 2 (Excelsior) - Center Community House, 425 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 3 (Sardis) - Center Community House, 425 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 4 (Huxley) - First Baptist Church – Shelbyville, Fellowship Hall, 5030 SH 87 South, Shelbyville, Texas 75973.
• 5 (Joaquin) - First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 175 Faulkville Road, Joaquin, Texas 75954
• 6 (Dreka) - First Baptist Church – Shelbyville, Fellowship Hall, 5030 SH 87 South, Shelbyville, Texas 75973.
• 7 (Shelbyville) - First Baptist Church – Shelbyville, Fellowship Hall, 5030 SH 87 South, Shelbyville, Texas 75973.
• 8 (Tenaha) - First United Methodist Church, Schiede Hall, 256 N. George Bowers Drive, Tenaha, Texas 75954
• 9N, 9S (Timpson) - Timpson School Gym Foyer, 836 Bear Dr., Timpson, Texas 75975.

Constitutional Amendment Election:
Click here to view the sample ballot for the Constitutional Amendment Election and the Special Bond Election.

State of Texas Proposition 1 - “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”

State of Texas Proposition 2 - “The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”

Special Election:
Click here to view the sample ballot for the Constitutional Amendment Election and the Special Bond Election.

• Center ISD - Bond Election voting For or Against two Propositions listed below. Click here to view the Bond Election Notice with more information. Click here to view the Bond Election Notice in Spanish.
  Election Day polling for Bond Election is from 7am - 7pm at Center Community House, 425 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935

  Proposition A - “The issuance of $8,000,000 of bonds by the Center Independent School District for the purpose of constructing, renovating, acquiring, and equipping school buildings in the district to wit, a multipurpose gymnasium/auditorium and the acquisition of land and levying taxes in payment thereof. This is a property tax increase.”

  Proposition B - “The issuance of $4,000,000 of bonds by the Center Independent School District for a multipurpose covered athletic practice facility and levying the tax in payment thereof. This is a property tax increase.”

Cities and School Elections:

• Shelbyville ISD - Three positions on the ballot with Joey Lawson, Chris Koltonski, Arvis (Sneaky) Moore, Keni Bradshaw, Bryan Swindle, and Carriston Hendricks as candidates.
  Election Day polling is from 7am – 7pm at First Baptist Church – Shelbyville, Fellowship Hall, 5030 SH 87 South, Shelbyville, Texas 75973.
• City of Tenaha - Mayor is on the ballot with O’Neal Jones, Jr. and Michael D. Baker as candidates. Two council positions are on the ballot with Lee Gibbs and Linda Vickery as candidates for Council Place #2; and Florance Adams, Durand Steadman, and Megan Hodge as candidates for Council Place #3.
  Election Day polling is from 7am – 7pm at First United Methodist Church, Schiede Hall, 256 N. George Bowers Drive, Tenaha, Texas 75954
• Tenaha ISD - Two positions for 3-year terms on the ballot with David G. Fallin, Aaron Roland, Eugene Bowden, and Orinthia Johnson as candidates
  Election Day polling is from 7am – 7pm at First United Methodist Church, Schiede Hall, 256 N. George Bowers Drive, Tenaha, Texas 75954
• City of Timpson - Two council positions on the ballot with George Grace, Teri Alexander, Tuffy Green, and Kenny Walker as candidates.
  Election Day polling is from 7am – 7pm at Timpson School Gym Foyer, 836 Bear Dr., Timpson, Texas 75975.

Cities and Schools without elections or unopposed elections:

• City of Center - No election. Elections held in November.
• Center ISD - School Board elections held in November.
• Excelsior ISD - No election. School Board elections held in November.
• City of Joaquin - No election.
• Joaquin ISD - No election due to unopposed positions. Candidates elected Jason Harvey, Matt Lawson, and Jeff Cater.
• Timpson ISD - No election due to unopposed positions. Candidates elected Cody Beckham and Justin Timmons.

May 6, 2022 - The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a theft that occurred at Borders Cemetery on CR 1023 in Center. On or about May 4, 2022, groundskeepers over the property noticed that a metal carport had been removed from the property. The carport is blue in color with metal legs and will hold two vehicles.

Anyone with home security surveillance in this area is asked to please review their devices for vehicle identification of the material being carried out. If you have any information regarding this theft, please contact Investigator Chad Hooper at the SCSO by calling 936-572-5045.

Leah Chase, Public Relations