Newton County commissioners approve RJ Services settlement, appoint interim JP and sign grant closeouts and payments

The Newton County Commissioners Court on Sept. 26, 2024 approved several routine and substantive items, including a compromise settlement with RJ Services over county salvage equipment, the appointment of an interim Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2, the closeout of a water-line grant, and payment of a final bill for the historic courthouse restoration.

Settlement with RJ Services: Court members discussed long-stored county salvage equipment located at RJ Services. Staff said the company presented an invoice for storage reported in the record as $110,000 for equipment kept for decades; county staff and the district attorney’s office reviewed applicable local-government rules for disposal of salvage equipment and recommended disposing of the equipment at the county’s discretion in exchange for forgiveness of the invoice. Misty (county staff) recommended approval; Commissioner F moved to approve the compromise settlement and release agreement and Commissioner Benson seconded. The motion passed with all members voting in favor.

Appointment for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2: The court considered the resignation of the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 (the transcript identifies the outgoing official as "Miss brend smwi"). The record shows the court appointed a county office worker identified in the transcript as "car Brooks" to fill the vacancy effective Jan. 11, 2025 and serve until the next election cycle. Commissioners asked whether the appointee could attend required orientation and confirmed continuity of services for voters. The court approved the appointment by unanimous vote.

Grant closeout and courthouse payment: Staff briefed the court on closeout documents for a TDA/CDBG grant (listed in the record as CDV 21-0101) funding water-line work north of the city of Newton. The meeting record lists grant funding of $350,000 plus a local match of $17,500 and indicates the project came in under budget after change orders; the court approved the closeout documents and will submit paperwork needed to request any remaining reimbursements pending completion of audits. The court also approved the historic courthouse restoration closeout and payment #7 in the amount of $52,393.12.

Other business: The court extended disaster declarations for Hurricane Laura and for COVID-19 through Dec. 18, 2024 and approved an extension related to a separate April 2024 event. The court reviewed and approved routine budget amendments and the payment of bills after questions about several large line items and facility repair costs.

Votes at a glance: The meeting minutes record unanimous approval for the compromise settlement with RJ Services (motion: Commissioner F; second: Commissioner Benson); the records preservation-to-payroll budget amendment (motion: Commissioner F; second: Commissioner White); obligating remaining ARPA funds to payroll (motion: Commissioner Benson; second: Commissioner White); the TDA/CDBG closeout (motion: Commissioner White; second: Commissioner Benson); appointment to fill the JP Precinct 2 vacancy (mover and second recorded in minutes); approval of courthouse closeout payment #7 (motion: Commissioner White; second: Commissioner Benson); extensions of disaster declarations; and payment of bills. The transcript records votes as "all in favor; all against" with no roll-call tallies included in the spoken minutes.

What’s next: Staff will finalize paperwork for the grant closeout and ARPA documentation and will implement the appointed JP’s transition on Jan. 11, 2025. The court did not indicate additional hearings on these items at this session.