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Newton County weighs public access and leasing of county lands, approves appeal of federal grant deobligation and a corrected property appraisal
Summary
Commissioners discussed establishing policy for public access and leasing of county‑owned properties, authorized the county judge and attorney to appeal a federal grant deobligation involving demolition of 68 properties (an estimated ~$800k), and later approved a corrected second appraisal for a buyout property after executive session.
The Newton County Commissioners Court spent substantial time debating whether and how to grant public access, leases or hunting rights on county‑owned parcels, and took two formal actions on federal grant and appraisal matters affecting county land holdings.
Several commissioners described requests from residents to fence, graze or hunt county property and raised liability concerns if someone is injured on county land. One commissioner asked, "what is the County's liability if someone ... gets hurt on the property?" Commissioners discussed options including posting signs, leasing parcels (potentially via sealed bid), requiring lessees to carry insurance or a liability release, and handling requests on a property‑by‑property basis rather than as a blanket policy.
The court did not adopt a formal countywide policy during the meeting; members asked staff to compile a list of county properties and recommended individualized review along with development of a web form or written policy to guide residents interested in using specific parcels.
On a separate but related set of items, staff reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA/FMA) had closed out a Hazard Mitigation Grant (related item cited as HGMP 4266 d 0011), potentially creating a 60‑day appeal window and an obligation to return roughly "800 and something thousand" dollars. The judge asked for authority to pursue an appeal; Commissioner Pal moved that the county judge and county attorney be authorized to file an appeal, and the court approved the motion.
After recessing for an executive session on pending litigation, the court returned to open session and approved a corrected second appraisal for 208 County Road 4205 tied to a 2016 buyout program (GLO 18‑533 d‑b277). Commissioner Pal moved to approve the appraisal after confirming legal and contractual compliance; that motion passed.
The meeting record shows the court agreed to post notice on Newton County's information page indicating the appeal is being pursued and that staff will work with the county attorney on the process.
Next steps identified by commissioners included preparing property lists, drafting a policy/process for public access and leases, and moving forward with the appeal and the corrected appraisal as authorized by the court.
