The resignation of the county auditor was announced when the Hill County Commissioners Court met in a regular session Tuesday, May 14.
While approving employee status changes, the court reviewed an order from District Judge Lee Harris appointing former auditor Susan Swilling as interim county auditor after Sahib Rao reportedly resigned the previous day.
Rao replaced Swilling in November 2022 after she retired from her full-time position with the county. Swilling had served as county auditor for 19 years prior to her retirement.
In other action, commissioners approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Hillsboro outlining which entity will handle regulation of subdivisions if a portion of the development is in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and a portion is in the county.
Under the agreement, the city has the authority to regulate if the majority of the subdivision is in its ETJ, and the county has authority if most of it is in the county. If the split is 50/50, the city will have authority to regulate.
The court also held a public hearing on a request from Republic Services that the county support its effort to obtain $50 million in new bonds as part of a finance plan to issue up to $133 million in bonds for capital improvements at eight facilities in Texas. The project would include the Hill County landfill in Itasca.
The county will have no financial obligations, liability or responsibility associated with the project.
There were no comments during the public hearing, and the court approved the request.
Commissioners authorized County Judge Justin Lewis to apply for unclaimed property capital credits for counties from State Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office.
When electric cooperatives lose contact with a previous customer, they can report capital credits to the comptroller’s office as unclaimed property. Texas law allows counties to apply for some of these funds originating from their county and use them to support efforts like economic development and children’s advocacy centers.
The court approved the county’s quarterly investment report for the quarter ending September 30, 2023, which showed cash management earnings of $136,523, certificates of deposit interest earnings of $64,982 and a total Hill County investment funds balance of $17,136,776.
The Child Protective Services Board treasurer’s report for April was observed and recorded by the court. It showed income of $10,100 and expenses of $8,051 in April.
The court authorized Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb to have property that he would like to sell in his precinct appraised and seek sealed bids to sell the property.
An agreement with the Heart of Texas Council of Governments was approved that will allow the county to be reimbursed $2,567 for mental health counseling services provided by the juvenile justice department during fiscal year 2024.
A Voyager Fleet Card agreement was approved with US Bank that will provide a secondary fuel card for county employees when they are out of the county.
The county treasurer was also authorized to enter into an agreement with Citibank through the State of Texas Payment and Travel Card Program.
Commissioners reported that they have been battling wet weather and trying to repair roads due to recent flooding. Lewis pointed out that commissioners are doing the most they can with limited resources. “We ask for the public’s understanding and want them to know we’re working toward a resolution,” he said. “It’s going to have to dry up a little bit.”
Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hemrick reported that the state has now met its threshold to seek federal assistance after Governor Greg Abbott’s disaster declaration. He encouraged anyone with uninsured or underinsured damage due to recent severe weather to report it. More information is available at hilloem.com.
The Lakelander 