Titus County court votes to seek State Infrastructure Bank financing terms for proposed weigh station after months of planning

Judge Kent Cooper on Oct. 27 asked the Titus County Commissioners Court to authorize the county to obtain financing terms from the Texas State Infrastructure Bank for a proposed commercial motor vehicle weigh station.

The court voted to request formal rate information so the county can assess whether to proceed with constructing a facility that proponents say would include weigh-in-motion technology, license-plate readers and expanded inspection pits.

Darryl Estes, a former Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) sergeant who worked at the Mount Pleasant scales, told the court "This has always been a dream of mine" and urged the county to pursue the expansion, saying it would let troopers and inspectors detect more violations and improve safety. Lieutenant Crooks and Sergeant Kaufman, both identified as CVE personnel in the record, described staffing plans and equipment the state would operate if the project moves forward.

Daniel (county staff) told the court the work would add civilian inspectors and require a trooper to be present for inspections. He said the state'paid staffing model would mean the county would not directly employ those inspectors but would cover some related costs such as vehicle fuel and insurance. "We're responsible for their gas, their units, their insurance," Daniel said in explaining county obligations if the facility is built.

Judge Cooper read three written letters supporting the project into the record: District Attorney Chuck Bailey pledged criminal forfeiture funds to help support the development; Franklin County Judge Scott Lee described the long history of enforcement at the Mount Pleasant site and urged modernization; and Kent County Judge A.J. Mason wrote that a weigh station would increase highway safety and protect infrastructure. Cooper said the project had been in discussion for several years and emphasized that the vote that day was only to obtain a financing quote from SIB, not to commit county funds.

Court members discussed traffic and revenue projections. Using TxDOT and local counts, Cooper cited sample math suggesting that a modest number of enforcement citations per week could cover a projected monthly payment; he also acknowledged uncertainty in those figures and said workshops with TxDOT, DPS and county staff would be appropriate before any final decision. "This is a vote for knowledge today to get more information so that we can make a good decision," Cooper said.

Commissioner Mitchell moved to pursue SIB financing rate information; the motion was seconded and the court voted to seek the formal financing quote so officials could make a later determination about proceeding.

The court did not authorize construction or borrow funds on Oct. 27. The action was limited to requesting an interest-rate quote and related financing terms from the State Infrastructure Bank.

Provenance: court discussion and public testimony on the SIB financing matter appear throughout the meeting transcript, beginning with public comment by Darryl Estes (tc 00:12:39) and the judge's reading of support letters (tc 00:26:22).