The Hill County Commissioners Court met in a regular session Tuesday, February 13, and reviewed bids for foundation repairs at the Hill County Cell Block Museum and roof repairs at the Hill County Support Services Building.
The Cell Block Museum Board of Directors has been working with consultants to develop a plan to reopen the museum to the public for the past year. The building, which served as the old county jail (1893-1983), was awarded a Texas Historical Marker in 1981 and is entered in the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2009, the county raised the northeast corner of the building to stabilize the foundation. The south side now needs to be stabilized.
Du-West Foundation Repair and Olshan Foundation Repair submitted bids to perform the work, with Du-West’s bid coming in at $166,766.60 and Olshan’s bid at $72,768. County Judge Justin Lewis explained that there was a significant difference in the plans, with Olshan planning to cut holes in the floor and Du-West planning to tunnel under the building. Du-West also had better references. The court determined that Du-West had the best bid and voted to allow the judge to begin contract negotiations with the company.
“I do believe we have a duty to protect certain history of Hill County, one of those being this particular building,” said Lewis. “I think it tells a story about our history that we need to tell future generations.”
The court also considered bids for roof replacement at the Hill County Support Services Building on Waco Street. Four bids were received, with LD Tebben Roofing of Waco selected as the best bid at $250,000. The court voted to allow Lewis to begin contract negotiations.
Commissioners discussed an issue with the county’s former provider of inmate medical services at the county jail, Southern Health Partners (SHP). The county changed companies last March, but Lewis said that the county continues to receive bills from medical facilities for inmate care provided when SHP was managing services.
The county received an old bill from an inmate’s trip to Providence Health Center in 2022 that was never paid, which amounted to around $8,000 at the Medicaid rate that the county pays.
Commissioners discussed whether to set a precedent for paying bills that should have been handled by SHP without knowing what other bills may be outstanding.
It was decided to reach out to Providence Health Center and determine if there are any other unpaid bills so the county can determine how to move forward.
Commissioners discussed a problem that they are having obtaining road base for county roads due to the number of solar and wind projects ongoing in the county. The county uses three rock pits, but Lewis said that rock grinders are often down, and the first challenge is finding an open pit. When commissioners do, they have to line up and wait for rock due to the number of trucks waiting to be loaded.
Commissioner Scotty Hawkins said that the county went through a similar problem when crews were in the county working on the Barnett Shale.
Lewis reiterated that the court has no legal authority to stop the solar and wind companies from coming to the county but tries to manage the situation by contractually obligating them to meet certain requirements through tax abatement agreements.
The judge said that citizens have suggested the county operate its own crusher, but that is not a financially viable option when considering the costs of purchasing, maintaining and staffing the operation.
No action was taken, but the court may look into soliciting bids from different rock providers at its next meeting.
The court approved a joint election agreement between the county elections office and the Hill County Republican and Democratic parties for the March 5 primary election. Election judges and alternates were also approved.
An annual agreement between the county and the City of Bynum was approved. Under the agreement, the county fills depressions in the city’s roads at least twice each year, prepares roads near the school in July or August and replaces and repairs culverts. In return, the city waives the water and sewer bill for the Precinct 3 barn.
Public hearings were set during the court’s regular meeting Tuesday, April 9, on proposals to close HCR 1131 from HCR 1136 to Farm Road 2488 and to close Tidwell Road in Precinct 1.
Commissioner Jim Holcomb, who was not in attendance due to illness, submitted information to the court stating that Precinct 1 has had requests to close this portion of HCR 1131 due to excessive use during late night and early morning hours. Holcomb’s constituents complain of having to rescue stranded vehicles at all hours of the night and being asked to pay damages. Holcomb said that there are no residences on the road. “It appears the road only serves as a ‘mudding’ road when it rains and an inconvenient and hazardous cut-thru for those following Google Maps,” Holcomb wrote.
The closure of Tidwell Road was requested for similar reasons, and Holcomb said it is a non-passable and hazardous route for those following Google Maps.
A preliminary plat was approved for the Skyline East Subdivision, which involves a total of five lots on HCR 4307 in the Itasca area. The county’s review committee determined that the plan meets all requirements.
The annual interlocal agreement between the county and the Texas Department of Public Safety for the Failure to Appear Program was also approved. The program allows the county to report those who fail to appear for Class C misdemeanors to the system, and they must pay their fees before renewing their driver license.
Commissioners observed and recorded the Hill County Child Protective Services (CPS) Board’s January report, which showed donations of $735 for the month.
In other action, the court approved per diem and hotel rates for county employees traveling to training and events as required by their position in accordance with current typical rates for meals and lodging. A Xerox copier lease agreement was approved for the Hill County Covington Street Annex in the amount of $1,908.84 per year. An agreement with AT&T was approved that will allow the county to increase bandwidth at the courthouse and sheriff’s office at a lower cost than the county’s current bill.
The court set a workshop to streamline job descriptions between the precincts.
Commissioners will convene following the regular meeting set for Tuesday, February 27.
Hill County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hemrick reported that the FCC has approved the license for the radio tower in the Blum area that will increase public safety radio coverage in that area. It is expected to go live this week, and radios will be reprogrammed.
Hill County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Scott Robinson reported that a jail inspector visited the jail and reported a few issues, several of which he said have already been corrected.
In open forum, Alvin and Travis Kaddatz of Kaddatz Auctioneering spoke to the court to thank commissioners for using the company to sell surplus property in the past and ask for the county to consider using its services in the future.
The court’s next regular meeting will be Tuesday, February 27, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom of the courthouse.
