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Harrison County commissioners approve routine transfers, accept sheriff donations and authorize LESO, AWOS agreements
Summary
At a June 2, 2023 meeting in the Historic Courthouse, the Harrison County Commissioners Court approved routine budget transfers, payments and payroll, accepted two private donations for the sheriff’s emergency response team, and approved participation in the LESO surplus program and an FAA AWOS maintenance agreement. Auditors and department heads provided updates on finances, roads and public‑safety activity.
The Harrison County Commissioners Court met June 2, 2023, at the Historic Courthouse and approved a slate of routine fiscal and operational items while hearing administrative updates from the auditor, road and bridge and the sheriff’s office.
Auditor Haynes told the court the county will begin a payroll modernization project with Tyler next week to map current versus future payroll processes and will run parallel payrolls for about 20% of staff during the transition. "We officially kick it off on Monday," Haynes said, and the county aims to finalize the plan by the end of the fiscal year. Haynes reported an April 2023 fund balance of $37,428,458 and said general‑fund collections stood at $22,300,000 compared with $21,000,000 in 2022. She also summarized the road and bridge fund and reported zero debt on the county ledger.
The court approved a line‑item transfer of $11,390.08 and payment of regular bills after a $58.78 adjustment; the adjusted bills total requested was $723,030.19. Commissioners also approved the payroll for May 26, 2023. All three routine fiscal motions passed unanimously.
Road and Bridge director Davis reported issuing 67 road permits during the May 3–30 reporting period and described active projects including work on Carolyn Veil (West side), Boggy Road (East side), and contractor progress on Old Town and Page Road. Davis said the department has 46 full‑time employees, seven open full‑time positions and three temporary summer slots. The court approved personnel changes for the Road & Bridge Department by unanimous vote.
Sheriff Fletcher presented an activity summary and described operational pressures: the department logged 2,404 calls for service, filed 208 criminal reports (33 assigned to the criminal investigation division), and made roughly 64 arrests in the reporting window. He reported the county jail population at 229 as of June 2, and noted the county is housing contractual inmates for neighboring jurisdictions. Fletcher also highlighted the sheriff’s office and fire marshal work on illegal‑dumping cleanups.
The court accepted two private donations of $5,025 each from Tom Whaley Junior Investments and Harry W. McGee IV to buy a scope and ammunition for the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team. "Obviously, a very generous donation," Fletcher said; the acceptance passed 5–0.
The court also approved the county’s annual plan of operation to participate in the LESO federal surplus property program — the sheriff noted the county’s MRAP and other equipment came through that program — and authorized the county to remain in the program for the year.
Purchasing agent Sadie Harkins presented a proposed uniform‑service contract with Centos, noting the county would save roughly $40–$50 a month compared with the prior vendor, add scrubs for cleaning staff and include county emblems on uniforms. The court approved the contract and a $5,000 bond for Harkins required by her position.
The court authorized execution of an already‑awarded contract (Bid No. 2023‑13) with Raeford Truck and Tractor, approved a set of annual, budgeted contracts for FY 2022–23 as listed in the agenda, and approved corrections to a TxDOT‑related resolution and AFA for the 8 Mile Creek bridge project (County Road 1301) following TxDOT staff edits. Finally, the court approved an operations and maintenance agreement for the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at the county airport with the Federal Aviation Administration; staff reported outreach to FAA contacts in Washington, D.C., to meet a filing deadline.
Votes at a glance - Line‑item transfer of $11,390.08: approved 5–0 (moved by Commissioner Timmons; seconded by Commissioner Malden). - Payment of regular bills (adjusted to $723,030.19): approved 5–0 (moved by Commissioner Hatfield; seconded by Commissioner Ebarb). - Payroll (05/26/2023): approved 5–0 (moved by Commissioner Hatfield; seconded by Commissioner Timmons). - Road & Bridge personnel changes: approved 5–0 (moved by Commissioner Timmons; seconded by Commissioner Hatfield). - Eastex Telephone Cooperative utility permits (CR 1202, CR 1214): approved 5–0 (moved by Commissioner Hatfield; seconded by Commissioner Timmons). - Donations ($5,025 each) to Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team: approved 5–0. - Annual LESO participation plan: approved 5–0 (moved by Commissioner Ebar; seconded by Commissioner Timmons). - Centos uniform/service agreement: approved 5–0. - $5,000 bond for Purchasing Agent Sadie Harkins: approved 5–0. - Contract execution for Raeford Truck and Tractor (Bid 2023‑13): approved 5–0. - Annual FY22–23 contracts and budgeted payments: approved 5–0. - Corrections to resolution/AFA for 8 Mile Creek (CR 1301): approved 5–0. - AWOS O&M agreement with FAA: approved 5–0.
The court adjourned at approximately 9:31 a.m.
(Reporting note: all quotes and figures are taken from the meeting transcript. Where the transcript included inconsistent numeric text for an expense line, the article uses the clear fund‑balance and revenue figures the auditor provided and treats the corrupted expense string as unclear rather than asserting a corrected value.)
