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Harrison County commissioners handle routine business, award tax-system contract and approve small opioid settlement
Summary
In a 17-minute meeting Dec. 17, the Harrison County Commissioners Court unanimously approved routine bills and payroll, awarded an RFP for a property tax collection system, accepted a small Kroger opioid-settlement payment stream, and approved multiple fire district appointments and hangar improvements.
The Harrison County Commissioners Court met Dec. 17 in the historic Harrison County Courthouse in Marshall and took unanimous action on routine fiscal and administrative items, awarded a contract for the countyproperty tax collection system, approved a small portion of a statewide opioid settlement and handled multiple fire district appointments.
Judge (presiding) opened the meeting at 9:03 a.m., led an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, confirmed a quorum (Commissioners Hatfield, Timmons and Malden present; Commissioner Ebarb absent) and moved through the agenda with brief discussion and unanimous votes on each item.
Purchasing agent Darla Haynes asked the court to approve a $15,000 transfer between line items in the sheriffs budget to cover vehicle repairs; the motion passed 4-0. Haynes also presented the payment run of $424,717.02 for approval and the court approved payroll for the Dec. 8, 2024 period; both motions passed unanimously. On a separate budget amendment, Haynes said the county received insurance proceeds for FY24 hail damage and that vehicle repairs are ongoing; she described the amendment as netting to zero. The court approved that amendment 4-0.
Road & Bridge director Mr. Davis updated the court on cleanup and repairs from Hurricane Burrell, saying the department was "still trying to clean up after Hurricane Burrell, trying to meet that deadline, which is January 10, before we can get any kind of reimbursement" and that crews were performing patching, overlays and ditch work. The court approved a personnel item for Road & Bridge after Davis said there had been no personnel changes since the last meeting.
The court approved a CenterPoint Energy utility application for a residential single-service gas line on County Road 1026 and approved enterprise management quote No. 8135827 for a 2025 Chevy Silverado that had been intended for Constable Hickey but was mistakenly listed under the sheriffs office. A county lieutenant explained the vehicle had been missed during turn-in and the purchase was approved 4-0.
On procurement, Haynes recommended awarding RFP 2024-05 and the associated contract to "Harrison Governed, an unincorporated business unit of the North Harris Computer Corporation," for the Harrison County property tax collection system; the court accepted the recommendation 4-0. The judge noted the countys chosen software aligns with the software used by HCAD.
Under new business the court accepted the resignation of Randy Grodifant as a fire commissioner for ESD No. 1 and appointed Kevin Stacy to fill the unexpired term effective Dec. 17, 2024 through Dec. 17, 2025. The court also approved a slate of reappointments across multiple emergency services districts (ESD Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) and approved one additional resignation and appointment (Billie Jean Collins resigned from ESD 7; Amber Birdwell was appointed). All personnel-related items were approved by unanimous votes.
The court reviewed an agreement with Motorola to equip the Smyrna tower but deferred action until the court's Dec. 31 meeting to collect additional information.
On settlements, the court approved an order authorizing acceptance of Harrison Countys portion of a statewide opioid settlement involving Kroger. Those present discussed the countys allocation as "$14,000 divided over 10 years" (about $1,400 per year); the court approved the resolution 4-0.
The court approved several 2024-25 annual contracts and payment authorizations, including with the historical society and ESD No. 3, and approved a corrected contract amount so the Womens Center of East Texas and the Waskom Public Library receive their full budgeted payments. The court also approved submission of plans and specifications for improvements to Hangar No. 10 at the Harrison County Airport, noting the lessee Central Jet Services tore down the old structure and plans call for rebuilding in the same footprint; the court approved the submission 4-0.
The court adjourned at 9:20 a.m.
What happens next: Deferred items — notably the Motorola Smyrna tower agreement — will return to the court at the Dec. 31 meeting for further consideration.
