The Hill County Commissioners Court heard an update on the local 4-H program’s activities, declared June Elder Abuse Awareness Month and considered other county business in a meeting held Tuesday, June 11.
County Extension Agent Angie Nors reported that there are 12 4-H clubs in the county with 189 members. Hill County has three members serving the state as a Texas 4-H Water Ambassador, a Healthy Texas Youth Ambassador and a Texas Youth Livestock Ambassador.
Since the start of the program’s year in September, 194 educational sessions have been held reaching over 7,000 people. Of those programs, 2,200 benefited school children in pre-kindergarten to fifth grades.
Nors also thanked the 4-H program’s volunteers, noting that 281 adult and youth volunteers have created a valuable support system for the program.
The court declared June Elder Abuse Awareness Month in the county due to the abuse of older adults and people with disabilities affecting thousands of people across the state. There were 120,069 reports of older adults and those with disabilities being abused in Texas in 2023.
The proclamation states that this abuse commonly goes unreported because of social stigma, embarrassment or fear. It encourages everyone to strengthen efforts to prevent, report and address abuse.
The court accepted donations totaling $26,500 from multiple property owners for road construction on HCR 1414. Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb said that the donations will be used to finish 1.9 miles of the road after previous donations covered initial work.
Commissioners voted to issue a request for proposals for medical, dental, vision, life and related insurance coverage for the fiscal year beginning October 1. Anco Insurance Managers, LTD will be negotiating the premiums, and proposals are due in the county judge’s office by 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 25.
An agreement with Tyler Technologies was approved that will allow the district clerk’s office and all four justices of the peace to accept court cost payments through a new online portal. There is no cost to the county, as a convenience fee is passed along to the customer making the payment.
A bid was accepted for a used pickup to serve Precinct 1. The bid from Jeff England Motor Company for a 2018 Ford F-550 at a cost of $49,995 was approved.
The annual Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) application submitted by the sheriff’s office to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) was approved. The program allows law enforcement agencies to obtain excess DoD equipment to serve their communities.
In other action, a contract with HID Global for software upgrades related to the fingerprinting machine at the county jail was also approved, the Child Protective Services Board’s May treasurer’s report was observed and recorded, and the court approved a replat of one lot off of HCR 1241.
In commissioners’ comments, discussion continued about each precinct’s effort to catch up on road work due to the extensive damage caused by recent flooding.
Lewis reported that issues have come to light at the Covington annex due to the rain, and work is underway to get those resolved.
The judge also said that rain had caused issues at the courthouse, where water had entered the building near window panes.
The county has been required to keep the original-style windows in the courthouse because of its historic designation, but Lewis said that he is requesting permission to update them to maintain the same appearance while increasing the building’s efficiency and cutting costs for taxpayers.
If the Texas Historical Commission doesn’t approve of the plan, Lewis said that he will have to find someone who can address the leaks, but he warned this could be an expensive process.
In open forum, the court heard from a resident of Lake Whitney Estates off of Farm Road 2604 in the Whitney area. He expressed concern about deep ruts and pot holes in roads that could damage vehicles.
A Hillsboro resident spoke to the court, saying that he is a licensed firearm instructor and would like to see the county develop a public gun range.
An Abbott resident also approached the court with concerns about the county’s election machines and said that she would like votes to be hand counted.
The court’s next regular meeting date is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25, at 8:30 a.m. in the county courtroom of the courthouse in Hillsboro.
The Lakelander 