The Hill County Commissioners Court accepted the upcoming resignation of Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Shane Brassell and appointed his replacement during a regular meeting held Tuesday, December 10.
Brassell is leaving his position effective 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, December 31, to begin serving the county as jail captain under Hill County Sheriff-Elect Hunter Barnes.
Brassell first took office as Precinct 2 justice of the peace in 2015 after Judge John Milburn retired. He ran for that office after having served as a sheriff’s deputy in Hill County since 2006.
County Judge Justin Lewis said that Brassell has done an incredible job in his position. “He leaves office with my full support and nothing but praise,” Lewis said.
Lewis presented Aquilla resident Mark Hammonds for the court’s consideration as Brassell’s replacement. He was unanimously appointed to serve until the office is back on the ballot in 2026.
Hammonds served Hill County as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Game Warden before rising through the ranks at TPWD and retiring as a captain in the Executive Office of Internal Affairs.
In other action, the court voted against a proposed tax abatement agreement with solar company Hill PV.
The 70.37 megawatt solar project is proposed north of Highway 81 on a 745-acre reinvestment zone in the Hillsboro area. The company’s total capital investment for the project is expected to be $95 million, putting it at the low end of the county’s tax abatement percentage.
There were no comments from citizens during a public hearing, but a company representative spoke to the court and asked commissioners to consider approval.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb questioned whether it was worth offering the company an abatement — which the county uses as a mechanism to get companies to sign a road use agreement to protect county roads — because only about one-third of a county road would serve the area.
“What’s the cost-benefit analysis on that little amount of county road as opposed to taking full taxable value of that property?” asked Holcomb. “We’re losing money on that deal.”
After discussion, Precinct 4 Commissioner Martin Lake made a motion to approve the abatement. There was no second, and the motion died.
Commissioners also discussed updates to the county’s subdivision rules and regulations. Lewis asked the court for direction as he works through proposed updates, including a change that would help the City of Hillsboro qualify for funding from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).
The city is seeking $30 million from TWDB to update its aging water infrastructure, which has contributed to frequent water outages and boil water notices. For the city to be eligible for the TWDB funding, the county has to adopt model subdivision rules. The main change to the platting process involves eliminating certain exemptions for family subdivisions, Texas Veterans Land Board purchasers and other situations.
Other updates the judge has proposed include regulation of high-density tiny home and RV park projects. While the county’s regulatory authority is limited, it can make rules regarding septic and lot size requirements to address issues with a developer attempting to place too many homes in a small area.
The court voted to give Lewis authority to work on amendments, which will not be implemented until the court reviews the proposals, public hearings are held and commissioners vote on any changes.
GrantWorks presented information to the court as the county considers seeking a firm to handle grant applications and project implementation related to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and TWDB funding.
Lewis said that the county has had a lot of success bringing in grant funding, but the process has become more complex in recent years. A GrantWorks representative said that the company has a FEMA services team comprised of subject-matter experts and former FEMA employees. If selected, GrantWorks would identify and notify the county of potential funding opportunities and direct the process.
Commissioners voted to issue a request for proposals from companies providing these services.
The court also approved new security software from CrowdStrike to help protect the county from cyber threats. Upgrades are needed to keep the county in compliance with Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) requirements.
Information Technology Director Phillip Cantrell told the court that the Department of Public Safety has expanded its CJIS requirements, and Hill County has some deficiencies. Compliance is necessary to keep the county eligible for grant funding and allow law enforcement to access the system, which includes running driver licenses and license plates.
Cantrell recommended a three-year agreement with CrowdStrike, which is an existing software vendor in the county. The service includes real-time monitoring, detection and remediation of the county’s IT systems, which Cantrell said are under threat multiple times each day.
The court approved the proposal at an annual contract price of $37,449 with a $16,500 incentive for accepting a three-year agreement.
A right-of-way easement agreement was approved along HCR 3412 for the construction of a bridge. Kenneth Schulz and Danny Schulz conveyed an easement to assist with the construction of a new bridge at White Rock Creek.
Commissioners also approved a preliminary plat for Cleveland Estates, involving eight lots off of HCR 1446 and 1449 in the Blum area; approved a road bore permit for Rise Broadband to place underground fiber cable in the area of HCR 3124 near Hillsboro; approved requesting sealed bids for the sale of the former Precinct 1 yard at 115 Avenue A in Blum; and renewed an interlocal agreement with the City of Aquilla that allows the county to use a portion of city property for parking near the precinct yard.
The court was expected to hold its second December meeting Tuesday, December 17, as the usual meeting date fell on Christmas Eve.
The Lakelander 