The Hill County Commissioners Court accepted its portion of state grant funds set aside to help law enforcement agencies attract and retain employees during a regular meeting held Tuesday, February 27.
The court accepted $350,000 in rural law enforcement grant funds made possible by Senate Bill 22 last year. The legislation set aside $330 million for grants to increase minimum salaries and provide equipment for counties with populations of under 300,000.
The county built its law enforcement budget around the grant funds this year to fund pay increases for employees. Applications for additional funding will open in 2025, when the remaining money in the pool will be distributed.
The court also held several public hearings and voted to install speed limit signs and traffic control devices on roads in Precinct 1 and Precinct 3.
Speed limits of 35 miles per hour were approved on Mohon Drive, Sharon Drive, Juniper Cove Road and Timberline Drive in the Whitney area. No residents spoke against the proposals during public hearings.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb also presented a proposal to install speed bumps or rumble strips at regular intervals along Timberline Drive due to problems related to speeding in the residential area.
After discussion, the court agreed to place rumble strips due to the county not having a speed bump policy in place and concerns about potential liability.
There was also no public opposition to 35 mile-per-hour speed limits on HCRs 3278 and 3214 in Precinct 3, and the court approved posting the speed limits.
A public hearing was set for Tuesday, April 9, during the regular meeting of the court on a proposal to close Wharf Street between Pinto Ridge and Palamino Loop off Farm Road 1713 in the Whitney area.
An agreement was approved between the county and the Texas Department of Transportation allowing the county to access traffic cameras on Interstate 35. County Judge Justin Lewis said that the state’s policy allowed cities, private companies and the media to request access but did not include counties.
TxDOT has now approved the county’s request for access, which will be used for emergency management purposes and population estimates. “It’s another tool to be able to observe conditions around us and react to them effectively,” Lewis said.
Commissioners voted to accept annual bids for county supplies, with contracts going into effect April 1. Every year, the county must seek bids on supplies and services it expects to spend more than $50,000 on throughout the year. Bids will be accepted for: offsite and onsite fuel, oil, road materials, corrugated steel pipe, petroleum supplies and emulsions, treated lumber, road base, contracts for crushing services, concrete and corrugated bridges, box culvert construction, and contracts for hauling, scrap metal bids and other supplies and services.
The court discussed maintenance projects at the courthouse that Lewis said he would like to have completed before the April 8 solar eclipse. A $4,950 expense was approved to clean the exterior of the courthouse. The judge said that the limestone building cannot be pressure washed, and certain chemicals must be used to properly clean the mildew that accumulates on the lower portion.
Lewis will bring additional proposals before the court for small exterior projects, including welding and repairing stairs and repainting them with anti-slip paint and repairing and painting the fence.
Commissioners approved a proposal from Azbell Electrionics of Waco for audio/visual equipment in the new courtroom at the Covington Street Annex. Three options were presented, and the court chose the mid-tier proposal at the recommendation of the county’s Information Technology Department at a cost of $34,694.
A contract was renewed with GovOS, a company the court first contracted with in 2022 to help the county collect hotel occupancy taxes on the growing number of home-based lodging options.
GovOS offers a lodging tax portal designed to simplify filing and tax collection for jurisdictions and taxpayers. They also identify locations that should be collecting occupancy taxes and then collect and remit the taxes to the county.
Hill County adopted a hotel/motel occupancy tax in 2008, with proceeds supporting efforts to attract tourism.
With the increase in private property owners opening homes to guests through services like Airbnb and Vrbo, ensuring that all hotel/motel occupancy taxes are collected had become challenging. Bed and breakfasts, houses, apartments and other private properties leasing space to visitors must collect taxes in the same way that a hotel or motel collects taxes from its guests.
The court’s action renews the contract for 12 months, from May 2024 through May 2025, at a cost of $22,445.76.
In other action, the court approved the county’s employee handbook and policy on promotions, demotions and transfers. A proposal to allow Kaddatz Auctioneering to auction surplus equipment in Precinct 3 was also approved, and a budget amendment was made to make an adjustment for the previously approved part-time position in the treasurer’s office.
The court’s next regularly scheduled meeting is set for Tuesday, March 12, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom of the courthouse.
The Lakelander 