Public hearing on 30 mph limit for County Roads 4330 and 4331 draws residents' complaints but ends with no action

Henderson County Commissioners Court held a public hearing on a proposal to set the speed limit at 30 miles per hour on County Road 4330 and County Road 4331 in Precinct 4 but took no action after residents and the county attorney raised enforcement and legal concerns.

The hearing, convened by the county judge, brought three residents to the podium to oppose the 30 mph proposal. Melody Bletcher Belcher, who gave her address as 3104 County Grove 4330 in LaRue, said enforcement is the core problem: "there's no enforcement. There has never been, as I understand it, any enforcement or any tickets written in that area for speeding. ... It won't do any good. You can put up signs and they'll be pulled down." Sandra Carroll, who identified her address as 13265 County Road 4331, told the court she believes the issue is a lack of signage more than speed itself: "I think the problem is we don't have enough signs. ... I think the speed limit is already 35 or even 40." A third resident representing neighbors reported about 40 names on a petition opposing a 30 mph posting.

County Attorney (County Attorney's Office) told the court that setting or enforcing a posted speed limit on county roads requires several formal steps, including publishing notice, entering an order into the minutes, setting the limit by court action and then posting signs. He explained that in the absence of a lawfully posted limit, drivers are subject to the state "prima facie" default for unposted county roads — generally 60 mph — and that a Texas Department of Public Safety road study is required if the county seeks to set a limit below 30 mph. "In the absence of a lawful posted... setting of a mile per hour, you're gonna use what's called the prima facie, speed limit ... generally that's going to be 60 miles per hour," he said.

Commissioner Richardson, who introduced the agenda item, said he had discovered 35 mph signs already installed along the road but that those postings had not been authorized by the court and therefore would be vulnerable in court. He said the court could reopen the process to lawfully post a different speed if it chose, but warned of legal and enforcement constraints: "If we turn it down today... the minimum speed limit is 60 miles an hour if it's unposted."

The court moved into and closed the public hearing by unanimous votes. No member moved to adopt the proposed 30 mph limit during the subsequent agenda item; the chair announced, "Not receiving [a motion], we will allow this motion to die for lack of motion." That left the roads at their current, informally posted condition and the unposted-state default described by the county attorney.

Residents told the court they preferred either leaving the informal 35 designation or posting a higher limit (35–40 mph) rather than 30, and emphasized noise from trucks and ATVs and the theft or removal of signs as ongoing problems. Commissioners noted the road's curves and hills as factors in determining an appropriate safe speed, and the county attorney said the court could legally set a limit between 30 and 70 mph with the proper process, but that lowering below 30 would trigger a DPS study.

The court did not set a new hearing date on the record during the meeting. If commissioners want to adopt a different posted speed (for example, lawfully post 35 mph), the county attorney advised the court to republish notice and set a new public hearing to avoid legal challenges.