Shelby County Today

September 9, 2020 - The Shelby County Commissioners chose to abandon a portion of CR 2020 and to lease a location for the Justice of the Peace and Constable for Precinct 5 during their meeting held September 9, 2020.

Discussions have been ongoing at previous meetings over CR 2020, and many instances of trash being dumped along the road. The most horrific circumstances were that of the body of a man being burned and dumped on the roadway.

Roscoe McSwain, Precinct 1 Commissioner, wanted to make clear the property owners on either side of the roadway that is being closed are Hawkeye Hunting Club and East Texas Asphalt. Jimmy Lout, Commissioner Precinct 2, remarked a small portion of Tammy Warren's property touches the road, but she has access on another road.

Once the portion of the road is abandoned, dead end signs will be placed at either end to prevent people driving through the area. McSwain stated it will be up to the property owners to close the roadway with fencing.

Although the commissioners moved in a previous meeting to close 6 tenths of a mile, a motion carried to abandon one mile of CR 2020.

"It'll be full of garbage before long anyway. We've been moving it everytime we have to go through there" said Lout. "We've done hauled off eight or 10 bobtail loads of garbage over the years; they just keep dumping it out."

McSwain stated the road has been heavily used for drug traffic.

"By people from San Augustine and other places, that's where they found that dead body burned not long ago and it's been a trash problem for years," said McSwain. 

He elaborated there are a lot of roads that might have trash problems in the county, and notably County Road 1000 near the baseball park, which he says has stopped.

"We don't need to get into a situation where there's individuals everywhere that's got problems with the road and start running to abandon the road or close it, because if the road needs abandonment or closed the commissioner should have foresight to see that and have that as his own idea," said McSwain. "We don't need the public telling us to start closing roads everytime, because there's going to be a lot of hard feelings."

The commissioners discussed the lease of a building on Austin Street directly across from the Timpson Public Library for the use of Tracy Broadway, Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, and Josh Tipton, Constable-Elect for Precinct 5. 

When Judge Mike Crouch took office as Justice of the Peace for Precinct 5 in 2015, the office of the Justice of the Peace was moved to the former library location on Bremond Street.

March 9, 2015 the commissioners met and the contract for that lease was reviewed by County Attorney Gary Rholes and it was determined the lease was not a benefit to the county. At that time, in relation to the contract, the idea began for the county to purchase a structure and the City of Timpson had offered to provide the property for it to sit on at no cost. By March 27, 2015 the commissioners decided to purchase the building.

The new plan is for the Justice of the Peace to move out of the current structure and it will then be moved to the courthouse where it can be utilized by the treasurer, auditor and county judge for storage. Judge Harbison also plans on the porch currently attached to the structure to move.

"The only thing is we're not going to be able to rent it until October 1, but they're needing a deposit to hold it," said Judge Harbison. "So they're asking that we do a security deposit of $650 on it."

Judge Harbison suggested to Blackwell, the funds for the deposit could be taken from the current year budget of the Justice of the Peace and the Constable equally because the owner of the building has someone else interested in the space.

"I am going to go ahead and let the JP go ahead and start moving over there on October as well as the constable if he wants to," said Judge Harbison.

A motion carried to approve the lease agreement and approve the security deposit for the new Justice of the Peace and Constable location.

Rholes confirmed with Judge Harbison the new lease space is replacing the building the Broadway is currently using and Judge Harbison explained why.

"It's not large enough for a constable. Whenever we purchased that building and put it over there the constable was working out of the city PD office," said Judge Harbison. "The one that's coming in office in January, they would like to have an office together."

Judge Harbison said the new office location would be large enough to hold court and provide an office for the Justice of the Peace and constable.

"The city I believe is going to put in a handicap entrance to be able to get up onto the sidewalk," said Judge Harbison.

Judge Harbison opened and presented to the commissioners a bid from DGJD Inc. for delivery and installation of a 10 row, 106 foot long elevated bleacher seating for 700 people, with aluminum steps and seats, aluminum foot planks, materials delivered and installed for $54,400. Owner, Shelby County, will provide a level compacted pad for the bleachers.

A motion carried by the commissioners to accept the bid of $54,400 from DGJD Inc.

Judge Harbison presented a bid from ThyssenKrupp for a savaria lift elevator in the amount of $44,170, which is less than was expected.

"It is going to be kind of an open lift, with the gates and a cage and everything," said Judge Harbison.

Charles Barr, Precinct 3 Commissioner, and Commissioner McSwain said they have considered other possibilities, including renting space for the District Attorney's office, and one option for rent would cost a minimum of $36,000 for rent according to McSwain.

They also stated the annex building isn't up to code, and never has been.

"If somebody's handicapped, they have to meet them outside, a handicapped person can't go up to the DA's office," said McSwain.

A motion carried to approve the bid from ThyssenKrupp in the amount of $44,170 for the Annex Building, contingent upon Gary Rholes inspection of the contracts.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:12am.

Agenda items approved during the meeting include:

1. Minutes of the August 5, 2020 Special Meeting, August 12, 2020 Regular Meeting, August 19, 2020 Special Meeting, August 26, 2020 Special Meeting, August 26, 2020 Public Hearing, August 26, 2020 Special Meeting of the Shelby County Commissioner’s Court.
 
2. Pay weekly expenses.
 
3. Abandon a portion of CR 2020.
 
4. Office Lease for JP/Constable #5 and authorize a security deposit for said lease.
 
5. Award bid of $54,400 from DGJD Inc. for bleachers.
 
6. Award bid for elevator to be installed in the Courthouse Annex to ThyssenKrupp in the amount of $44,170.
 
7. Adjourn.