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[Commissioners Court on December 27, 2022.]
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, UH, A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE KAUFFMAN COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT COMMISSIONER BARBER, UH, EMAILED ME AND SAID HE WAS NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE HERE, BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE OTHER TWO COMMISSIONERS FROM COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS AND COMMISSIONER HUNT.UM, SO WE CAN'T CONS, WE CAN'T DO ANY CONSIDERATION CUZ WE'RE, WE'LL HAVE A QUORUM AND I GUESS WE'RE, THEY'RE NOT COMING.
I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM 'EM, BUT I, I DID PROMISE TO READ THIS STATEMENT.
UM, IT'S, UH, FROM THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION REGARDING THE REMOVAL OF A SECURITY VESTIBULE FROM THE HISTORIC KAUFFMAN COUNTY COURTHOUSE.
IT WAS DATED DECEMBER 27TH, 2022.
ON MARCH 7TH, 2006, KAUFMAN COUNTY ENTERED A SIGNED WRITTEN AGREEMENT TO REMOVE A SECURITY VESTIBULE THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE ENTRY COURTYARD OF THE 1956 KAUFMAN COUNTY COURTHOUSE WITHOUT COMPLYING WITH SECTION 4 42 0.008 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
IN THAT AGREEMENT, KAUFMAN COUNTY AGREED TO REMOVE THE SECURITY ADDITION FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE AND CONDUCT REPAIRS TO RESTORE ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE ADDITION WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT ON MARCH 7TH, 2009.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE DIDN'T MAKE THAT DEADLINE.
SEVERAL EXTENSIONS WERE GRANTED BY THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION.
THE LAST WRITTEN AGREEMENT BETWEEN KAUFFMAN COUNTY AND THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION STATED THAT THE COUNTY WOULD SUBMIT THE NECESSARY CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE VESTIBULE BY MAY OF 2016 AND COMPLETE THE REMOVAL BY NOVEMBER OF 2016.
IN 2018, A MEETING WAS HELD WITH TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK WOLFE, FORMER COUNTY JUDGE.
ACTUALLY, HE WAS THEN CURRENT COUNTY JUDGE, YOUR SITTING COUNTY JUDGE BRUCE WOOD, AND THE SOON TOBE ELECTED COUNTY JUDGE HAL RICHARDS TO DISCUSS OPTIONS.
IN NOVEMBER, 2019, A KAUFFMAN COUNTY FACILITIES BOND PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A NEW JUSTICE CENTER AND PERFORM REPAIRS ON VARIOUS COUNTY FACILITIES PASSED.
AND NOW THE NEW JUSTICE CENTER HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND IS BEING OCCUPIED BY THE COUNTY.
THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION IS SEEKING A NEW COMMITMENT AND TIMELINE FOR REMOVAL OF THE SECURITY VESTI VESTIBULE FROM THE 1956 KAUFMAN COUNTY COURTHOUSE.
IN ADDITION TO PROPOSALS FOR USE OF THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE.
WE APPRECIATE COUGHIN COUNTY HONORING ITS AGREEMENT TO REMOVE THE SECURITY VESTIBULE.
PLEASE NOTIFY THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION IN WRITING ABOUT WHEN THE SECURITY VESTIBULE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE HISTORIC FACADE RESTORED.
UM, ALL RIGHT, SO JUDGE WOOD AND I WENT DOWN AND TALKED TO THEM AND BASICALLY ASKED THEIR FORBEARANCE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, I BELIEVE CAN SANCTION THE COUNTY A THOUSAND DOLLARS A DAY, WHICH THEY DID ONE TIME.
SO I'LL, UH, I'LL RESPOND BACK TO THEM AND TELL 'EM THAT I READ THIS STATEMENT, THE COURT WAS NOT IN SESSION, AND IT'LL BE UP TO THE NEW COURT NEXT YEAR TO MEET THAT COMMITMENT.
WELL, JUDGE, UH, I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD TO YOUR, TO YOUR READING AND YOUR COMMENTS THAT, UH, I HOPE THAT, UH, THIS PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEM IS NOT WHY WE ARE NOT ABLE TO HAVE A QUORUM TODAY.
UH, I HAVE CERTAINLY SENSED, UM, AN INITIATIVE WITHIN THE CURRENT COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO DELAY AND PERHAPS EVEN DIVERT SOME OF THE COMMITTED BOND MONEY, UH, FACILITIES MONEY THAT WAS, UM, THAT WAS CLEARLY SLATED FOR THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE RENOVATION TO TAKE PLACE.
UM, I THINK IT'S NO SECRET THAT FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS REALLY, UH, OVER WELL OVER A YEAR, UH, THE COURT HERE HAS DELAYED AND, UH, CIRCUMVENTED MAKING, UH, UH, TAKING ANY ACTION TO, TO FULLY INITIATE THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE RENOVATION.
I'D JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT TO THE VOTERS THAT THIS, UH, THIS COURTHOUSE RENOVATION WAS IN FACT APPROVED IN THE FACILITIES BOND.
IT IS A COMMITMENT THAT KAUFMAN COUNTY MADE TO THE VOTERS.
IT WAS, UH, INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL APPROVED PRIOR TO THE FACILITY'S BOND, UH, BEING, UM, VOTED ON AND APPROVED AND THE BONDS ISSUED.
SO, UH, I THINK IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT THE COUNTY, UH, MEET ITS OBLIGATION IN ITS COMMITMENTS TO THE CITIZENS
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OF THIS COUNTY TO RENOVATE THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE.WE'VE, UH, WE'VE EXPENDED LOTS OF MONEY WITH ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS.
WE HAVE A VERY, VERY, UH, REASONABLE PLAN AND, UH, ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY FUTURE COURT TO DIVERT FACILITIES BOND MONEY TO ANOTHER PROJECT OR A PET PROJECT OF ANY COMMISSIONER, I THINK WOULD BE EGREGIOUS AND A VIOLATION OF BOTH THE TRUST, UH, AS WELL AS OUR COMMITMENTS.
SO, UH, CLEARLY WE NEED TO, UH, FOLLOW OUR, OUR OWN INTERNAL COMMITMENTS AND OUR EXTERNAL COMMITMENTS REGARDING THE SECURITY VESTI VESTIBULE REMOVAL, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE PROMISE THAT WE MADE TO THESE CITIZENS TO RENOVATE THIS HISTORIC COURTHOUSE, UH, AND, UH, IMPROVE ITS FUNCTIONALITY AND APPEARANCE HERE IN THE CITY OF KAUFMAN.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT CAME UP, AND ALSO THIS LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THE CONCERN AND A LOT OF THE CONCERN ABOUT THE PARKING FOR CITIZENS THAT HAVE TO ACCESS THE TAX OFFICE.
IT IS FEWER STEPS IF, UH, HANDICAPPED PARKING WAS MADE AVAILABLE WHERE THE SHERIFF'S PARKING IS NOW, IT IS FEWER STEPS TO WHAT WOULD BE THE TAX OFFICE THERE THAN IT IS HERE.
SO I GUESS WE BETTER CLOSE UP.