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THETODAY WE'RE MEETING AT THE, UH, SOUTH CAMPUS.
UH, IT'S NINE O'CLOCK AND I'D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU HERE TO THIS MEETING AGAIN.
IF YOU, UH, IF THERE'S AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT YOU WISH TO ADDRESS, UH, THERE'S A FORMS HERE THAT WE ASK YOU TO COMPLETE.
AND, UH, WE'LL, UH, GET THROUGH THAT JUST AS SOON AS WE, UH, UH, UH, GET THROUGH THE OPENING, UH, CEREMONIES.
AND PLEASE TURN THOSE IN, UH, TO MS. HUGHES, OUR COUNTY CLERK.
SO WE WILL BEGIN THIS MORNING WITH THE INVOCATION, UH, BY COMMISSIONER ALLEN.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVEE ALLEGIANCE TO BOTH FLAGS.
AND I WAS JUST CHECKING TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE FLAGS HERE SO WE DO IN THE COURTROOM.
SO IF YOU'LL PLEASE STAND WHILE WE'RE THANKFUL FOR TODAY, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR LIFE ITSELF AND FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE BLESSED US WITH, ESPECIALLY THAT WE ARE IN A COUNTRY WHICH WE HAVE THE FREEDOM THAT WE DO.
AND I PRAY THAT WE NEVER TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED.
THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT WE'RE ALWAYS THANKFUL FOR, BUT TODAY, ESPECIALLY TO BE WITH THE FAMILY OF THE BEAVERS AND THE LOSS OF FAITH, AND ALSO WITH TERRY AND THEM AS THEY TRAVEL BACK FROM A LOSS OF A FAMILY MEMBER.
ALSO, YOU'VE BLESSED US MORE THAN WHAT WE DESERVE AND WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR THAT.
AND TO YOUR SON WHO DIED FOR US, UH, THAT WE CAN HAVE AN ETERNITY WITH YOU WHEN IT COMES TO OUR TIME.
BE WITH THOSE WHO PROTECT US EACH AND EVERY DAY AND WATCH OVER THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES.
FORGIVE US ALL IN YOUR SON'S PRECIOUS NAME, AMEN TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR JESUS STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL ON HONOR TEXAS FLAG, PLACE OF AGENTS TO THE TEXAS ONE SITE UNDER GOD AND ANY IN, DON'T HAVE ANYTHING, UH, IN THE WAY OF ROUTINE CORRESPONDENCE OTHER THAN JUST AN ANNOUNCEMENT, UH, THAT I BELIEVE THE KAUFMAN COUNTY HAY SHOW IS TOMORROW NIGHT, UH, TOMORROW NIGHT.
UH, AND, UH, IT HAS BEEN POSTED IN CASE ALL THE COMMISSION SHOW UP JUST TO CASE.
UH, AND SO I BELIEVE IT STARTS AT AROUND FIVE O'CLOCK.
SO THAT'S JUST THE MORE THAT I HAVE.
AND WE, I WOULD FORM THE ANNOUNCE THAT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AND THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER BARBER HAD A DEATH IN THE FAMILY AND HE'S, UH, BE TRAVELING BACK FROM, UH, OKLAHOMA, UH, TODAY.
OKAY, OUR, UH, CONSENT AGENDA, WE HAVE TO ITEM MAY DISCUSS, CONSIDER APPROVING AN INSURANCE, UH, POLICY FOR JUDGE ROBBIE RICH AND LIEU OF BOND AS REQUIRED BY SENATE BILL PARTY.
UH, ITEM B IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER APPROVING THE ATION AS JOHN DODEN, JOHN BRODY, RYAN J RIGBY, MARK MIDDLETON, AND WALTER DYAX AS DEPUTY SHERIFF'S FOR TON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN ITEM C IS, UH, TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACCEPTING THE, UH, COMMISSIONER'S COURT SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER THE 21ST, 2017, AND SEPTEMBER THE 29TH, 2017.
GENTLEMEN, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THOSE ITEMS? ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS TO ACCEPT A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER HUNT.
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER APPROVING THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR'S MONTHLY REPORT FOR, UH, SEPTEMBER, 2017.
GENTLEMEN, I'M SURE YOU GOT A COPY OF THE, UH, RECEIPT THAT WE SENT OVER.
WE'RE STILL COLLECTING LAST YEAR AND WE WERE COLLECTING FOR THIS YEAR AS WELL.
UH, WE'VE GOT A ROLLBACK IN 20 OF 32, 32 0.77 ACRES.
AND, UM, IN SEPTEMBER WE, UH, COLLECTED $53,346 AND 54 CENTS.
STILL HAVE 35,712, BUT WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 89,000 THAT WE COLLECTED WITH, UH, DEFERRALS OF 40,000.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE TAX COLLECTED? I MENTIONED OUR TAX WENT OUT THIS YEAR.
YEAH, THEY DID, WHICH IS GOOD.
THE TAPE WENT OUT MAYBE AROUND THE 15TH.
I THINK YOU SAID YOU'RE ALREADY GETTING A, A HEALTHY RESPONSE.
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THREE WEEKS EARLIER OR MAYBE LONGER THAN WHAT DONE LAST YEAR.ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS? AND THIS DOES MEET OUR BUDGET WHEN YOU, IT SHOWS LIKE 98.5%, UH, UH, 98.58%, BUT WHEN YOU ADD THE PENALTY INTEREST TO IT, IT DOES GIVE US TO THE UH, HUNDRED PERCENT, WHICH IS WHAT WE DO.
A LITTLE, LITTLE MORE THAN THAT.
THAT'S A GOOD THING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU THROW IN ALL THE ROLLBACK TEXT AND STUFF.
SO, DO I HAVE ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR I'LL? NO.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER ALLEN SECOND.
UH, ACTUALLY THE NEXT TWO ITEMS WILL MOVE ONE AT A TIME.
IS, UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR, DISCUSS, CONSIDER APPROVING TREASURER'S MONTHLY REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 27TH.
GUESS, UH, THE SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2017 TREASURER'S REPORT WAS IN YOUR PACKET.
UH, WE STARTED THE MONTH, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, WITH ABOUT 8,000,381.
WE RECEDED 1,000,400 35 0 64 99.
UH, THE RECEIPT IN THE TEXT POOL PRIME CASH IS THE MONTHLY INTEREST OF 5,000 926 24.
WE DID TRANSFER THREE FIVE $3 MILLION FROM TEXT POOL PRIME TO THE GENERAL FUND AND THEN WE HAD DISBURSEMENTS OF 3 MILLION 4 23 2 39 7 FOR ENDING A GENERAL FUND BALANCE AT AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK, 3 MILLION 388 9 10 25 AND TAX POOL PRIME OF 3,009,000 988 43.
YOU CAN SEE, UH, AT TPO PRIME, WE HAVE THE, UM, SECOND ISSUANCE OF THE ROAD BONDS.
THOSE ROAD BONDS ARE 27,000 266 31 IN SEPTEMBER.
INTEREST, THE ENDING BALANCE THERE IS 26 MILLION 264 281 42.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE, UM, GENERAL FUND INTEREST EARNED AT AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK OF 3000 258 33, THE FIRST ISSUANCE OF THE ROAD BOND 8 26 0 1, AND THEN ALL OF THE OTHER INTEREST BEARING, UH, ACCOUNTS THAT ARE IN THE POOLED CASH OF 3 87 15.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, GENTLEMEN, YOU MIGHT HAVE ANYTHING? NO.
IF NOT, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ACCEPT HIS REPORT AS PRESENTED.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
THOSE OPPOSED? AND THEN THE NEXT ITEM IS, UH, ITEM NUMBER FIVE TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER APPROVING THE TREASURER'S QUARTERLY INVESTMENT REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER.
AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THAT, UH, IN THE SAME, UH, PACKAGE.
RIGHT? AND WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE QUARTERLY TREASURER'S REPORT ON THE AGENDA ALSO, IF THAT GOT DROPPED.
UH, I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT I JUST READ.
UH, I HEARD INVESTMENT JUDGE QUARTERLY INVESTMENT BEFORE MAYBE I LEFT OUT THE WORK QUARTERLY.
NO, AGAIN, WE HAVE HAVE THE QUARTERLY TREASURER'S REPORT TODAY ALSO.
WELL, I THINK WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I AND THERE STARTING JULY 1ST.
AND, AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT, UH, UH, DOCUMENTS SO THAT WE CAN SEE HOW THE REST OF THE YEAR MAY PLAY OUT IN TERMS OF ADEQUACY OF CASH.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THERE BETWEEN AMERICAN NATIONAL AND TEX POOL PRIME, WE HAD, UH, 12,000,003, UM, IN CASH.
WE'VE RECEDED FOR THE QUARTER 4 MILLION 716, 828 99, UH, RECEIPTED 22,000 172 17 IN INTEREST AT TPO, UH, WE DID TRANSFER 6 MILLION FROM TPO TO THE GENERAL FUND AND WE HAD DISBURSEMENTS OF 10 MILLION 748, 7 54 63.
SO THAT AT SEPTEMBER 30 WE HAD ENDING BALANCES OF 3 MILLION 3 88, 9 10 25, AND 3,009,000
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988 43, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY 6 MILLION.SO OUR, AS WE'VE SHARED AND TALKED MANY TIMES, YOU KNOW, OUR DRAW DOWN RATE IS ABOUT 2 MILLION A MONTH AND WE'RE SITTING HERE AT THE END OF, UH, SEPTEMBER WITH 6 MILLION.
SO IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THERE'D BE NO NEED TO BORROW ANY FUNDS TO, UH, TO GET TO TAX RECEIPT FOR THE YEAR, ESPECIALLY PROPERTY TAX STATEMENTS ARE ALREADY OUT, FUNDS ARE ALREADY STARTING TO FLOW.
THEN YOU CAN SEE, UM, UH, THE, THE ROAD BOND FUND THERE AT TEXT BULL PRIME HAS PRODUCED 80 1007 74 23 IN INTEREST FOR THE QUARTER, UH, FOR THE FIRST ISSUANCE OF ROAD BONDS, IT'S AT AMERICAN NATIONAL.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE DRAWN DOWN THOSE FUNDS BY MILLION 1 79 393 25.
YOU CAN SEE OUR QUARTERLY INTEREST AT AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK WAS 14,000 606 0 3.
AND THE COMBINED TOTAL INTEREST EARNED FOR THE QUARTER AT TEX POOL PRIME, 103,000 947 98.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, GENTLEMEN? OKAY, NO QUESTIONS.
I'LL ENTER PLAN A MOTION TO, UH, ACCEPT AND APPROVE THE TREASURER'S QUARTERLY INVESTMENT REPORT FOR THE MONTH SEPTEMBER, 2017.
COMMISSIONER ALLEN MAKES THAT MOTION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS SECOND MOTION.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
THOSE OPPOSED? THANK YOU, SIR.
I'LL PASS THIS AROUND SO Y'ALL CAN SIGN IT.
ITEM NUMBER SIX IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACCEPTING THE COLLECTIONS MONTHLY REPORTS FOR 2017 SEPTEMBER, 2017.
UM, OUR TOTAL DEPOSITS FOR SEPTEMBER WERE 55,000 626 47 AND DISBURSEMENTS DUE FOR 5,000 286 12 DISBURSEMENTS MADE, WHICH WERE MOSTLY FROM THE, UM, AUGUST.
UM, PAYMENTS WERE 44 86 12, AND THEN TOTAL OUTSTANDING ON 52 41 12.
ANY QUESTIONS? ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UH, COLLECTIONS REPORT? I, I HAVE A MOTION FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS THAT WE ACCEPT THE COLLECTIONS REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER, 2017.
HAVE A SECOND COMMISSIONER HUNT SECOND'S MOTION.
THOSE OPPOSED? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ITEM NUMBER SIX IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ENTERING INTO A LEASE EXTENSION AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF KAUFMAN REGARDING THE COUNTY'S SOUTH CAMPUS PROPERTY.
AND UH, REBECCA, DO YOU, UH, I DUNNO WE HAVE ANYBODY HERE WITH THE CITY OR NOT, BUT, UH, I GUESS WE COULD RUN DOWN THE HALL.
YEAH, I THINK THEY ARE HAVING THIS ON THEIR AGENDA TONIGHT AT THEIR MEETING, I BELIEVE.
WELL OUR CURRENT LEASE AGREEMENT IS UP AT THE END OF THIS MONTH AND SO WE KIND OF NEED TO WORRY ABOUT EXTENDING IT.
THE CITY HAS ASKED US TO EXTEND IT, BUT ON A MONTH TO MONTH BASIS BECAUSE THEY'RE UNSURE OF THEIR TIMELINE, UM, FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS LEASE AGREEMENT DOES.
UM, AND THEN IT ALLOWS FOR TERMINATION 14 DAYS NOTICE BY THE TENANT, WHICH MEANS THE CITY OR, UM, AS OF JANUARY 1ST, 2019.
BUT MIKE'S REASSURED ME THAT HE DOESN'T SEE THE PROJECT GOING THAT LONG.
SO ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? WELL, IT, HE ALSO SAID LAST YEAR THAT IT WAS, UH, I KNOW.
NO, THAT'S WHY I PUT THE DEADLINE JUST KIND OF WANTED.
I'M SURE THAT ANYBODY HAVE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE.
HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER ALLEN.
UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.
COMMISSIONER HUNT SECOND A MOTION.
UH, AND UH, THIS WILL BE ON MONTH TO MONTH BASIS, AN AMOUNT $1,550 MONTH.
AND THAT'S BASED ON WHAT WE WE'RE PAYING ABOUT 10% MORE MONTH.
MR. ALLEN MAKES A MOTION SECONDED.
THERE'S ANOTHER SHOT OF COFFEE OR SOMETHING.
ALRIGHT, DISCUSS NUMBER EIGHT IS TO
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DISCUSS AND CONSIDER COMMISSION TO SOLICIT AN RFQ TO OBTAIN ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE FM 1641 PROJECT.AND LISA, I BELIEVE YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON
UH, I WAS CONTACTED BY THE VENDOR ABOUT THIS AND SAID THAT SHE HAD ALREADY BEEN IN CONTACT WITH COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS AND UM, I BELIEVE SHE SAID SHE BEEN CONTACT WITH YOU ABOUT NEEDING TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE THIS, THIS PARTICULAR PART THAT THIS WAS CUT FROM THAT GROWTH BOND THAT WE DID OR THE, THE BIG INITIAL PROJECT THAT WE DID THAT THIS WAS LEFT OUT.
AND SO NOW THEY'RE READY TO GO OUT AND DO THE RFQ FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM.
I THINK MR. FOSTER CAN COME FORWARD.
FOR WHAT AHEAD? SO WE DID THE BOND PACKAGE.
PART OF THE BOND PACKAGE, UH, WAS TO INCLUDE MONEY FOR ASSISTING FORNEY WITH THEIR 1641 PASS THROUGH TOLLING PROJECT, UH, THAT PASS THROUGH TOLLING PROJECT EXTENDED PASS THEIR LIMITS INTO TTE AND AN UNINCORPORATED COFFMAN COUNTY TEXAS THAT SUBSEQUENTLY DECIDED THAT, UH, 40 COULD NOT MOVE FORWARD, THAT PASS THROUGH TOLLING PROJECT AND CANCELED IT.
SO WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO AS A GROUP WAS GO AHEAD AND USE THE MONEY THAT WE WERE GONNA PUT ON 1641 AS UH, AN ADVANCEMENT IN THE ENGINEERING ON THIS PROJECT TO GET IT STARTED.
KIND OF FAITH-BASED ENGINEERING LIKE WE'RE DOING ON SEVERAL OF THESE OTHER PROJECTS.
AND, UH, THIS IS THE STEP IN GETTING 1641 STARTED.
NOW THIS IS THE ACTUAL DOLLAR AMOUNTS THAT WERE ALLOCATED FOR 1641.
THERE ARE NO FUNDS THAT WE HAVE SAVED FROM OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING, UH, ALLOCATED TO THIS PROJECT, WHICH WE'LL DO THAT NEXT.
ONCE WE GET A FIRM SELECTED AND WE NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT, THEN WE'LL COME BACK WITH THE LINE ITEM AND WHERE THOSE FUNDS COME FROM.
BUT IT'S INTENDED TO COME FROM THE FUNDS THAT WE'RE MARKED SPECIFICALLY FOR.
I'VE ALSO, UH, WE'LL BE GETTING IN CONTACT WITH YOU GUYS SET UP MEETINGS TO GO OVER YOUR PROJECTS AS WELL HERE IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS OR SO.
PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT, BUT AT THE MEETING YOUR OWN RECORD.
SO, UH, BEST WE'LL USE THE SAME PROCEDURE WE DID WHEN WE DID, SIR.
SO THE REASON WE DIDN'T INCLUDE IT INITIALLY IS BECAUSE INITIALLY WE THOUGHT WE WERE SIMPLY GONNA BE WRITING A CHECK TO FORNEY FOR THEIR PROCESS TO PASS THROUGH TOWING.
AND WHEN THAT FELL THROUGH, WE DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND PICK UP THE, THE ENGINEERING SERVICES AND WE DID NOT HAVE A, UH, WHAT I CALL A EVERGREEN OR A ON CALL LIST OF FIRMS. SO WE HAVE TO GO OUT ANEW AND I EXPECT TO GET SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT BECAUSE A LOT OF FIRMS HAVE BEEN ASKING WHEN IT'S COMING OUT.
WE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD QUALITY VERDICT.
I HAVE PLENTY WAS GONNA GET FOR RIGHT.
THIS IS QUALITY NOT A PROPOSAL.
LISA, DOES THAT GET YOU WHAT YOU NEED? YES SIR.
ALL I NEED IS PERMISSION FROM YOU GUYS TO BE ABLE TO SOLICIT THE ADVERTISE TO SOLICIT THE BILL.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS.
WE HAVE A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ALLEN.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM IS NUMBER NINE AND THAT IS TO DISCUSS, CONSIDER APPROVING A REQUEST BY ATMOS ENERGY TO INSTALL A NEW GAS LINE ACROSS LAKE RAY HUBBARD DRIVE AT THE TRAVIS RANCH BOULEVARD LOCATED IN COFFMAN COUNTY PRECINCT.
NUMBER TWO, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS REQUESTED THAT THAT'S, UH, THAT'S WHERE THIS GOING ACROSS THE TRANSPLANT WAS A GAS LIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD, WHICH IS ALREADY TORN UP.
ANYWAY, WE GOOD SHAPE THAT AND YOU PRESENTED A MAP WITH IT.
WE ALL PROVIDED A MAP, WHICH IS ALWAYS HELPFUL, UH, FOR THAT.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, THIS ITEM? OKAY, MOTION.
COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS MAKES THAT MOTION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER HUNT.
THOSE OPPOSED? ITEM NUMBER 10 IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER AMENDING AN ORDER DESIGNATING A DAY OF THE WEEK IN WHICH THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT SHALL CONVENE IN FISCAL YEAR 20 17 20 18 REGULAR TERM.
AND, UH, I THINKS SOME CLARIFICATION, UH, SOMEBODY MAY NEED TO HELP ANGIE.
UH, WE FIGURED IT WAS BETTER TO JUST SET THE SECOND, FOURTH AT REGULAR MEETINGS AND THEN HAVE SPECIAL MEETINGS ON THE WEDNESDAYS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR THE BILL PAIN BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALWAYS FALL ON THE FIRST OR FIFTH WEDNESDAY.
CORRECT? THURSDAY AND FRIDAY YOU'LL, UM, MEETING NEXT, UM, NOVEMBER, MONDAY AND WEDNESDAYS WILL
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BE IN THE SAME WEEKS TO BE YOU MORE TWICE.SO FOR THIS YEAR THERE'S BEEN QUITE A BIT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS.
UM, NOT ONLY IN OUR COUNTY BUT IN OTHER COUNTIES TOO.
BUT YES, I BELIEVE THIS WILL REMEDY THE ISSUE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
IF WE JUST STICK WITH OUR REGULAR MEETING ON SECOND AND FOURTH AND THEN WE'LL HAVE SPECIAL ONES ON ALL THE WEDNESDAYS THAT ARE, THERE'S A LIST IN THERE OF ALL THE WEDNESDAYS THAT WE'LL NEED TO HAVE SPECIAL MEETINGS TO PAY THOSE CLAIMS. I THINK I DID.
AND YOU HAVE ALL THE LIST OF THE DATES THAT ARE IN THERE.
THE DATES IT IN, THE EMAIL WASN'T, THIS WASN'T ATTACHED.
IT MIGHT BE IN A DIFFERENT PACKAGE.
MONDAYS ARE GONNA BE TIED NOT ON THE AGENDA.
WE PUT ON THE AGENDA IF YOU'D LIKE.
I JUST NEED TO KNOW, WE EXPECT THE WEDNESDAY MEETINGS TO BE VERY SHORT, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT'S JUST FOR THE APPROVAL OF PAYROLL AND I JUST DON'T WANT SPEAK, BE UPSET WITH YOU.
DON'T
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO AMEND THE, THE DAYS, UH, FOLLOWING, UH, THAT, UH, THIS, UH, ORDER AND THE DATES THAT ARE LISTED HERE.
HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS TO HAVE A SECOND, SECOND COMMISSIONER ALLEN SECOND MOTION.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ITEM NUMBER 11 IS TO DISCUSS, UH, AND CONSIDER APPROVING AIR SERVICE.
DISTRICT NUMBER IS REALLY ABOUT BUYING MATERIALS FOR, UH, SD TWO FOR THE TRAINING FACILITY THERE IN MAYBANK CSD TWO OR NOT IN, UH, MAYBANK.
THIS WILL JUST ALLOW THEM TO, TO BUY THE MATERIALS THROUGH US, RIGHT? OKAY.
NO, THEY'RE GOING TO THEIR CD GOING, NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO DO THAT.
THAT, THAT'S A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYONE, EVERYBODY PITCHING IN TO DO IT.
IT'S, DO YOU HAVE A MOTION ON ITEM NUMBER 11? I'LL MAKE THE MOTION.
COMMISSIONER ALLEN MAKES A MOTION TO HAVE SECOND COMMISSIONER HUNT SECOND MOTION.
AYE OR APPROACH? ALRIGHT, ITEM NUMBER 12, UH, IS TO PRESENT A STATUS FOR PENDING FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM.
BELIEVE OR NOT, WE STILL HAVE SOME THAT ARE PENDING AND I ASKED, UH, STEVE TO KIND OF GIVE EVERYBODY AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE WERE PENDING RECEIPT.
I THINK THEY'VE APPROVED, UM, THE LIST THAT YOU JUST GOT IS BASED ON THE PROJECT WORKSHEETS AND, UH, KAREN AND HER
I DIDN'T, UH, TALK TO THEM, MAKE SURE IT ALL MATCHED UP.
I THINK MOST OF THE FIGURES ARE FAIRLY ACCURATE.
UH, THE DR 4 2 2 3 WAS THE MAY, 2015, UH, FLOOD.
AND I THINK ALL, ALL OF THOSE HAVE BEEN PAID.
I THINK WE RECEIVED, UH, APPROXIMATELY $257,343 AND 75 CENTS, UNLESS I DIDN'T ADD RIGHT.
UM, THE R 4 2 5 5 WAS THE DECEMBER, 2015, UH, TORNADOES AND FLOODS.
UM, THE ONE PW, WHICH WAS THE LARGE PROJECT FOR PRECINCT ONE WE'RE AWAITING ONE FINAL PAYMENT OF 14,000 438 80 OR 47 APPROXIMATELY.
UM, AND I'M BEING TOLD THAT IT SHOULD BE COMING IN REAL SOON.
OTHER THAN THAT ONE PAYMENT, EVERYTHING ELSE SHOWS TO HAVE BEEN PAID.
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UM, THE 4 2 5 5 WAS ABOUT 299,000 399 57.UM, AND IF, AND I, AND I APOLOGIZE, JUDGE, I WENT LL HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY DID THE BEST THEY COULD WITH MY MATH.
UH, BUT IF, IF IT COMES CLOSE, WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AROUND 856,000 A HUNDRED FORTY TWO EIGHTY NINE.
AND THERE WERE SOME, UH, UH, ISSUE YOU WERE HAVING WITH 'EM, UH, WHERE THEY WOULDN'T PROCEED BECAUSE WE HAD ALL THIS HAD BEEN COMPLETED.
AND I BELIEVE YOU INDICATED THAT YOU SAID, WELL, WE CAN'T COMPLETE IT UNTIL YOU PASS THE MONEY.
IS THAT, UM, THERE WAS, THERE WAS AN ISSUE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS, BUT, UH, I THINK WE'VE, WE GOT PAST THAT AND OKAY, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN APPROVED.
UM, AND I'M HOPE HOPEFUL THAT HERE VERY SHORTLY WE'LL HAVE EVERYTHING DONE.
UH, TALK TO OUR CONSULTANTS AND THE ENTIRE PROJECT SHOULD BE CLOSED OUT, AT LEAST ON OUR PART OF IT BY THE END OF THIS MONTH.
UH, THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE A, A BINDER FOR EACH PROJECT WORKSHEET TO EACH COMMISSIONER.
AND THEN I WILL HAVE A MASTER COPY OF ALL OF THEM TO, TO KEEP FOR OUR RECORDS.
THAT WAY EACH PRECINCT WILL HAVE A COPY AND THEN I'LL HAVE A COPY TO PUT BACK IN STORAGE JUST IN CASE THEY COME BACK AND AUDIT US IN THE FUTURE.
MORE OR LESS, THIS WAS JUST AN FYI REPORT, JUST SO YOU'D HAVE WE WRAP THIS ONE UP AND THEN THAT'LL BE ALL THE REIMBURSEMENTS THAT WE WILL, THAT WE'RE ENTITLED TO.
AND HOPEFULLY WE WON'T HAVE ANOTHER FEMA EVENT.
THEY'VE GOT PLENTY OF, PLENTY OF WORK IN SOUTH TEXAS AND PUERTO RICO AND WHEREVER.
I DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT ANOTHER ONE.
THIS DOESN'T REQUIRE VOTE OR ANYTHING.
PARDON? I I'M SORRY STEVE, I NEED TO COMPLETE COPY BECAUSE THE, UH, OUTSIDE AUDITORS WHEN THEY DO THE FEDERAL AUDIT, I WANT SEE ALL THIS.
BRENDA, DID YOU NO HAND WELL FOR HER.
STEVE, WHAT DID H2O COST US? I DON'T KNOW.
IS IT A PERCENTAGE? YEAH, WHAT THEY GOT, MAJORITY OF THEIR FUNDING WAS REIMBURSED THROUGH DIRECT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS THROUGH THESE THINGS.
I DON'T HAVE A TOTAL NUMBER ON THAT, KAREN, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
YOU'D HAVE HAVE, WE'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND LOOK IT UP.
WE'D HAVE TO PULL IT FOR LIKE, TO KNOW WHAT COST IS.
I KNOW WHAT MY SECRETARY, I MEAN THERE WERE AND NEEDED A CONSULTANT WE COULDN'T DONE WITHOUT.
I THINK WE ACTUALLY, WE APPLIED FOR IT IN PRECINCT ONE AT THE TIME.
WE ACTUALLY WOULD'VE PROBABLY BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR SOME MORE FUNDING AND THAT'S CORRECT.
UH, THERE WAS SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, UH, SOME PAPERWORK GOT DROPPED OR MISPLACED OR WHATEVER.
UH, THE TOTAL FOR THE LARGE PROJECT, IT, EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DONE.
UH, THERE'S PROBABLY ONLY GONNA WIND UP WITH ABOUT 80,000 OF THAT.
NEXT ITEM IS NUMBER 13 AND THAT IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER REVIEWING, UH, MEMBERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS CONFERENCE OF URBAN COUNTIES AND PAYING ANNUAL VIEWS.
AND THIS IS A GROUP THAT WE HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND THEY PROVIDE US, UH, A LOT OF, UH, THERE'S I BELIEVE 33 COUNTIES, 34 COUNTIES ARE ELIGIBLE.
THAT'S PRIMARILY, UH, LARGER COUNTIES, WHICH WE ARE PART OF NOW.
AND IT'S A VERY, I THINK, VERY PRODUCTIVE GROUP FOR US TO CONTINUE MEMBERSHIP IN.
WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER ALLEN.
WE HAVE A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ITEM NUMBER 14 IS TO DISCUSS AGREEMENT FOR TAXES, UH, COLLECTION SERVICES WITH LINE BARTER AND THAT'S THE GOGGINS BLAIR, THE, UH, DELINQUENT TAX, UH, ATTORNEY.
AND THIS IS FROM MRS. SAMPLES? YES, SIR.
THE AGREEMENT THAT WE'RE UNDER NOW, UM, FOR TAX COLLECTION SERVICES BETWEEN LINEBERGER GOGGINS, BLAIR SAMPSON, LLP, THAT WAS SIGNED IN, UH, DECEMBER OF 2011.
[00:30:02]
IT EXPIRED IN 2014 AND WE'RE RUNNING NOW ON A, AN AUTOMATIC RENEWAL.AND I FIND IT, I FEEL THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THE DELINQUENT TAX SERVICES TO GO OUT FOR OUR FP TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITIZENS AND THE TAXPAYERS OF KAUFFMAN COUNTY GET THE BEST SERVICES AT A COMPETITIVE COMPETITIVE PRICE.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE AGREEMENT WE HAVE HAS NOT BEEN REVIEWED.
WELL, I GUESS IT'S BEEN REVIEWED, BUT IT'S THE SAME AGREEMENT WE, UH, DID IN 2011.
AND YOUR FEELING IS, IS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME BACK AND, UH, BID THIS OUT TO, UH, AND UH, ASK FOR A PROPOSAL ON THE, UH, OTHER FIRMS AND THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH THE PROCESS LIKE WE DID BACK IN 2011.
I FEEL THAT THAT I, THAT WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT ELSE IS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE AND THE TAXPAYERS, YOU KNOW, I, I'M, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? I HAVE SOMETHING Y'ALL DON'T SEE AND Y'ALL NEED TO BE AWARE OF IT.
LAST YEAR WE GAVE THEM A 10 99 FOR OVER 1,000,006.
YOU SEE THE CHECKS THAT I WRITE BECAUSE IT'S OUT OF THE JP ACCOUNTS FOR THEIR COLLECTIONS.
AT THAT TIME WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON
'CAUSE I HAVE TO INCLUDE ON SO WANT YOU BE AWARE THAT'S A BIG CONTRACT.
NOT SAYING THEY DON'T DO A GOOD JOB.
I JUST WANT YOU TO REALIZE THE MONEY VALUE YOU SITTING THERE.
THIS WASN'T A DISCUSSION NOW I'M NO, THAT'S FINE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE CITIZENS OF KAUFMAN COUNTY AND THE TAXPAYERS YOU ARE GETTING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY DESERVE.
THIS IS A DISCUSSION ITEM AND IT DOESN'T, UH, REQUIRE ANY KIND OF APPROVAL THAT THE NEXT ITEM WOULD BE, UH, AN ACTION ITEM.
BUT DO YOU ANYBODY HAVE ANY UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN YEAH, I, I KNOW THERE WERE SOME OTHER FIRMS THAT THERE COULD DO THIS AND, AND IN 14 WHEN WE DID THE EXTENSION ON IT, OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS A GOOD REASON WHY IT WAS DONE.
IT DIDN'T GO OUT FROM RQ THEN.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA? NO, I WASN'T HERE IN 14.
I DIDN'T THINK SO, BUT NO, I KNOW SOMEONE HAD FILLED YOU IN ON SOMETHING.
ALL I KNOW IS WHEN I CAME IN AND I NOTICED THAT THIS CONTRACT WAS SIGNED IN 2011, I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME FOR US TO RENEW.
I THINK IT'S A GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICE TO GET IT LOOKED AT.
AND AS KAREN SAID THIS, THIS IS A BIG CONTRACT.
UH UH, AND SO IT GENERATES LOTS OF, UH, LOTS OF MONEY FOR THE COUNTY AND UH, ALSO A CONTRACT FOR THE, UH, TAX, I MEAN FOR THE DELINQUENT TAX.
THERE'S ABOUT THREE, THREE OR FOUR MAJOR ONES THAT I'M AWARE OF.
AT LEAST WHEN THEY COLLECT THEIR MONEY, IT COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING THE PAST.
MAKE SURE NO, IT DOESN'T COME OUT OUR, WHAT MAKES IT SO WE COLLECT FOR, WE GET, WE GET THE MONEY SO WE TURN AROUND AND WRITE THEM.
COLLECTION AND, UH, WHAT MAKES OUR COUNTY AND OTHER COUNTIES WE COLLECT FOR EVERY SINGLE TAXING AGENCY, UH, IN THE COUNTY.
AND WE DO FORNEY, BUT I BELIEVE IS DIFFERENT.
FORNEY, ISD HAS ANOTHER GROUP THAT THEY USE FOR THEIR TAX AND THEY CHARGE US AN EXTRA FEE FOR THAT TOO.
YEAH, BECAUSE OF THAT THEY DO CHARGE US.
SOFTWARE ON THE SOFTWARE SIDE OF IT.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT.
YOU MEAN WE PAY, WE PAY FOR 20, WE PAY EXTRA BECAUSE WE'RE BILLING FOR ANOTHER COMPANY.
WHAT, WHAT IT IS, SHE BROUGHT ME THE PAPERWORK AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE DON'T COLLECT 20 ISDS STUCK.
I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MANY ACCOUNTS THERE WERE.
COST WAS 36 OR 38 CENTS A PIECE.
[00:35:01]
A SOFTWARE FEE THAT WE'RE CHARGED AND SHE, WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT UNTIL SHE STARTED DIGGING INTO IT.SO THEY REIMBURSE US FOR THAT.
NO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF REIMBURSEMENT FOR THAT.
YOU MEAN REIMBURSEMENT FROM SOMEBODY
WE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT.
NO, NOT THERE'D BE A LOT OF TAX STATEMENTS OUT FOR YEAH, GO AHEAD AND FOR ME WORKS.
ITEM NUMBER 15 IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER SUBMISSION OF A NON-RENEWAL NOTICE FOR LINE BARER REGARDING CURRENT AGREEMENT FOR TAX COLLECTION SERVICES.
AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE A, UH, COPY.
NO, PROBABLY, I DUNNO IF THERE'S Y'ALL MS. SAMPLES AND I EXCHANGED SOME EMAILS ABOUT THAT.
AND YOU GUYS VOTE TO DO THAT? WE CAN CERTAINLY, YEAH.
WE'LL GET THEM ANOTHER, WE HAVE TO LET BERG KNOW BY BEFORE UH, NOVEMBER THE FIRST THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO AUTOMATICALLY RENEW.
DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET TO KEEP THE CONTRACT.
BUT IT'S JUST NOT GONNA, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO AUTOMATICALLY RENEW.
SO WE'RE JUST SENDING THEM ON NO RENEWAL.
ON THE AUTOMATIC RENEWAL, RIGHT? YES SIR.
THAT'S WHAT, SO IT DOESN'T SAY THAT, BUT I MEAN THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE RECEIVING.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION REGARDING ITEM NUMBER 15? COMMISSIONER HUNT MAKES THAT MOTION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? THANK MR. PHILLIPS SECOND MOTION.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
AND, UH, THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT WE'RE STILL DEALING WITH THIS WILL BE NOW TALKING ABOUT, DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ADVERTISING AN RFP FOR THE DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTION SERVICES.
I, I'M JUST ASKING FOR THE COMMISSION TO SOLICIT THIS RFP THAT THEY WANT PUT OUT AND WE'LL GET TOGETHER AND HAMMER OUT.
UH, PROBABLY NEED TO, UH, OBVIOUSLY REVIEW WHAT THE OLD CONTRACT WAS AND THE OLD RFP WAS.
AND, UH, REBECCA HAD SUGGEST HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT WE DO, UH, LIKE A PRE-BID, MANDATORY TYPE PREBI WANTS TO, TO DO THAT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF ANY COMMISSIONERS OR OF COURSE MS SAMPLES WOULD BE AVAILABLE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TELL 'EM WHAT YOU EXPECT OR DON'T EXPECT OR WHATEVER.
MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER ALLEN.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, ITEM NUMBER, UM, 17 IS TO CONSIDER NOMINATING A REPRESENTATIVE TO SERVE ON THE 20 18 20 19 POLICY COMMITTEE C OF THE TEXAS CONFERENCE SUBURBAN COUNTIES.
AND I PUT THAT INFORMATION IN YOUR, UH, PACKET, OR YOU SHOULD HAVE IT IN YOUR PACKET.
AND, UH, OUR NUMBER IS, UH, OUR, OUR GROUP, UH, B IS, UH, UP AND COFFMAN COUNTY NEEDS TO SELECT SOMEBODY TO SERVE, UH, UH, AS A MEMBER OF THIS URBAN COUNTY POLICY COMMITTEE.
JUST SO Y'ALL KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
UH, I KNOW COMMISSIONER ALLEN HAS ATTENDED A, A, A TIME OR TWO WHENEVER.
APRIL
AND I BELIEVE THERE'S 38 MEMBERS OF THIS URBAN COUNTIES GROUPS.
MOSTLY LARGE, WELL ALL THE LARGER COUNTIES.
AND, UH, IT'S A VERY, UH, BENEFICIAL ORGANIZATION, AS I SAID WHEN WE JOINED IT EARLIER.
UH, BUT THIS POLICY COMMITTEE IS VERY, UH, UH, IS, IS VERY, IT'S A GOOD, IT'S, IT'S A STRONG COMMITTEE TO BE ON.
THEY REALLY REPRESENT THE INTEREST OF OUR COUNTIES VERY, VERY WELL.
ONE, PUT EVERYTHING ON THE, I PUT A REPRESENTATIVE, WELL THEY DO.
AND SETTING IN ON THE MEETING FROM BRUCE NOT BEING AVAILABLE, YOU REALLY FIND OUT WHO, WHO THE PLAYERS ARE.
'CAUSE IT KIND OF GOES BEHIND THE SCENES AS TO WHO'S PUSHING WHAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT DIRECTION WE NEED TO BE GOING.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT PLACE TO BE.
NOT, I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU NEED.
IF YOU WANT ME TO SERVE DURING 2018, UH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
THAT'LL BE THE TIME WHEN THEY'RE LEG, THEY'RE DEVELOPING THE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL.
OR IF YOU WANT ATE, I'D RATHER YOU STAY ON IT BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEEN GOING THE LAST
[00:40:01]
TWO YEARS.YOU COULD STAND THAT FINE HOTEL YOU PUT ME IN.
BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.
WE HAVE A MOTION TO, UH, TERMINATE UH, THE COUNTY JUDGE AS THE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE 20 18 20 19 POLICY COMMITTEE FOR THE, UH, TEXAS CONFERENCE OF URBAN COUNTY TO HAVE A SECOND, SECOND, UH, COMMISSIONER ALLEN SECOND'S MOTION.
UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
NOW, ADAM, ITEM NUMBER, LEMME GO AHEAD AND DO THE, UH, YOU CAN LINE ITEM, UH, TRANSFERS, UH, KAREN.
AND WE, WE HAVE OUR REPRESENTATIVES HERE FROM, UH, THE ARCHITECTS THAT'S BEEN LOOKING AT OUR COURTHOUSE.
AND SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND WE'LL SKIP ITEM 19.
UH, THERE WERE NO LINE ISLAND TRANSFER.
UH, THE FIRST, SO WE WILL TABLE THAT.
I HAVE A MOTION TO TABLE, TABLE TABLE.
THE COMMISSIONER ALLEN, COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS SECONDS.
AND THEN TO DISCUSS CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT, UH, YOUR CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT FOR THIS TIME IS $418,082 AND 63 CENTS.
AND I NEED TO MAKE A CORRECTION FROM LAST WEDNESDAY'S MEETING.
MR. CHUCK WAS KIND OF NERVOUS AND HE GIVE YOU THE WRONG FIGURE FOR THE PAYROLL TRANSFER.
INSTEAD OF THE 2 MILLION 87 0 5 0 8, IT WAS 1,040,000 352 54.
AND HE, HE ASKED THAT I CLARIFY THAT AND APOLOGIZE TO Y'ALL FOR HIS MISTAKE, JUST SO YOU KNOW.
ANY QUESTIONS, UH, ABOUT THE, UH, PAYMENT? NO, I MOTION.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS.
DO YOU HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER HUNT.
OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, WE'LL NOW GO BACK TO ITEM NUMBER, UM, 18.
AND THAT IS TO HEAR THE PRESENTATION FROM, UH, QUIMBEE, UH, AND MCCOY ARCHITECTURE, LP, UH, ON THE COURTHOUSE MASTER PLAN.
AND BRENDA, I MEAN, NOT BRENDA, BUT, UH, PAM, I'LL LET YOU, OKAY.
SO, UH, TODAY THEY'RE JUST GONNA GO OVER, UH, THE INFORMATION THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE COURTHOUSE.
IT IS A VERY ROUGH DRAFT, AND, UM, I'M GONNA TURN IT RIGHT ON OVER TO NANCY AND NIKKI.
I WANT TO SAY THEY'RE A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH AND HAVE WORKED SO HARD FOR OUR COUNTY.
UM, I'M NANCY MCCOY WITH QUIMBEE MCCOY PRESERVATION ARCHITECTURE, AND WE WERE COMMISSIONED TO PREPARE A MASTER PLAN FOR YOUR HISTORIC COUNTY COURTHOUSE, UM, AS REQUESTED BY THE TEXAS HISTORICALS COMMISS.
UM, WE HAVE DONE THAT, AND THIS IS A DRAFT OF THAT PLAN THAT WE'RE PRESENTING TODAY.
UM, BUT WHILE WE'RE PRESENTING A PLAN, I WANT YOU TO, AS YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE PRESENTATION, KEEP IN MIND THAT WE, AND SOMETHING YOU ALREADY KNOW, THE COURTHOUSE IS WAY TOO SMALL TO FUNCTION THE WAY IT REALLY SHOULD.
UM, EVEN IN THE PRESENT DAY, UM, WE DISCOVERED THAT WE COULD ADD 5,000 SQUARE FEET BY BUILDING OUT MORE BASEMENT SPACE.
AND EVEN WITH THAT EXTRA 5,000 SQUARE FEET, EVERYTHING YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE IN OUR PLAN IS CRAMPED.
THERE ARE SMALL THINGS MISSING BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE SPACE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT'S NEEDED.
SO OUR CONCLUSION WITH THIS MASTER PLAN IS, ALTHOUGH WE'RE SHOWING YOU A PLAN AND IT SHOWS THE FUNCTIONS IN THE BUILDING AND GENERALLY WHERE THEY'RE, WHERE THEY MIGHT GO, THE CONCLUSION IS REALLY THAT THIS BUILDING IS TOO SMALL.
UM, AND THAT THE, OUR RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE COUNTY, UM, CONDUCT A OR PREPARE A STRATEGIC MASTER PLAN FOR ALL THEIR FACILITIES TO SEE HOW THIS BUILDING MIGHT FIT INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE.
UM, BUT, UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SPACE IN THIS BUILDING TO SERVE THE COUNTY, UM, EVEN NOW, BUT IN THE NEAR FUTURE, IT'LL BE EVEN MORE OF AN ISSUE.
SO I WANTED TO INTRODUCE NIKKI EMERY.
UM, SHE'S GOING TO MAKE THE PRESENTATION.
UH, THANK YOU JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS AND EVERYONE WHO WORKS AT THE COURTHOUSE WHO HELPED US AS WE WALKED THROUGH.
THANK YOU MONIQUE, FOR SHARING ALL OF THE WONDERFUL RECORDS.
[00:45:01]
WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN, UM, HELPING US ORGANIZE ALL OF THE, UH, WORK.SO I FIRST WANNA JUST GO OVER BRIEFLY A BIT ABOUT HOW WE'VE GOT TO THIS POINT AND A BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF YOUR COURTHOUSE.
THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF IT COMPLETED JUST RIGHT AFTER IT WAS BUILT.
UH, BUT JUST TO KIND OF LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY, WE'RE GONNA GO OVER A FEW OF OUR GOALS WHEN WE PUT OUR, TOGETHER, OUR MASTER PLAN, A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE FOUND AND HOW, UM, MAIN IDEAS OF PRESERVATION WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE.
AS YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, IT'S A HISTORIC COURTHOUSE.
AND, UM, SO THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS OF THE COURTHOUSE THAT WE NEED TO, UM, FOCUS ON PRESERVING WHERE WE CAN.
AND THEN WE'VE COME UP WITH TWO CONCEPTS FOR, UH, RECONFIGURING THE COURTHOUSE AS NANCY MENTIONED, BUT WE'RE STILL VERY SHORT ON SPACE REGARDLESS.
AND THEN WHERE WE GONNA GO FROM HERE? SO, UM, YOUR FIRST DISTRICT COURT WAS HELD IN 1848 UNDER A TREE.
UM, WE'VE MADE SOME STRIDES SINCE THEN, BUT, UM, BUT THAT WAS AT MULBERRY STREET, AT THE HOME OF WH BARNES, YOUR SECOND COURTHOUSE, YOUR YOUR SECOND COURT HA COURT SITE.
AND THE FIRST ACTUAL COURTHOUSE WAS IN A FORMER BLACKSMITH SHOP THAT WAS PURCHASED BY THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT IN 1861.
YOUR SECOND COUNTY COURTHOUSE WAS, UH, CONSTRUCTED AND IT WAS A TWO STORY BRICK HOUSE OR BRICK COURTHOUSE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, AFTER JUST THREE MONTHS, THE CONSTRUCTION STARTED TO FAIL AND THEY HAD TO MOVE BACK TO THE BLACKSMITH SHOP.
IN 1872, YOU BUILT A TWO STORY FRAME COURTHOUSE ON THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE WHERE THE COURTHOUSE IS RIGHT NOW.
UM, DURING CONSTRUCTION, YOU HELD COURT AT THE METHODIST CHURCH AND AT THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
AND THEN IN 1887, UH, THAT FRAME COURTHOUSE GOT MOVED TO CHERRY AND WASHINGTON STREET, AND YOU BUILT THE STONE COURTHOUSE, WHICH SOME PEOPLE, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR OLDER RESIDENCE WOULD PROBABLY STILL REMEMBER THE SECOND EMPIRE STONE COURTHOUSE THAT WAS BUILT ON THE SQUARE.
AND, UH, THAT WAS DESIGNED BY WESLEY CLARK, CLARK DODSON, WHO DESIGNED MANY, MANY COURTHOUSES IN TEXAS, INCLUDING THE ONE IN WEATHERFORD.
AND YOUR COURTHOUSE WAS ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY JUST LIKE THE ONE IN WEATHERFORD, BUT YOUR CLOCK TOWER WAS SIX FEET TALLER.
UM, AFTER CONSTRUCTION, THAT FRAME COURTHOUSE WAS MOVED OUT TO THE FOR FARM AND IT WAS MADE INTO A, UH, A COUNTY HOSPITAL AND THEN LATER A GARY BARN.
AND THEY PUT TWO SHED ROOFS, UM, ADJACENT TO THE COURTHOUSE.
AND THERE'S ONE LITTLE BIG PART OF THAT SHED THAT'S STILL LEFT.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE COURTHOUSE ITSELF IS, UM, HAS LARGELY BECOME A RUIN.
AND JUST SOME LITTLE FUN ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BLACKSMITH SHOP AND THE POORLY CONSTRUCTED TWO STORY BRICK.
AND THEN THIS IS ACTUALLY THE, UM, PRIOR TO, UM, IT FALLING INTO DISREPAIR THE COURTHOUSE OUT OF THE POOR FARM WITH THE TWO SHEDS WHO BECAME A DAIRY BARN.
AND THEN THIS IS THE SECOND EMPIRE STONE COURTHOUSE THAT WAS ON THE SQUARE.
AND THAT IS THE ARCHITECT WHO DESIGNED THAT FIRST COURTHOUSE.
AND YOU, AS YOU SEE, HE, HE DESIGNED MANY, MANY COURTHOUSES IN TEXAS AND WAS QUITE RENOWNED FOR THAT.
AND THEN 1922, THE FOUNDATION OF THAT STONE COURTHOUSE WAS FOUND TO BE SUBSTANDARD, AND THEY UNDERPINNED IT WITH A CONCRETE FOUNDATION.
SO EVEN BACK AS EARLY AS 1922, THAT STONE COURTHOUSE WAS STARTING TO FAIL.
IN 1941, THE COUNTY GOT A GRANT FROM THE WPA TO ERECT A NEW COURTHOUSE WITH A STONE FROM THE OLD COURTHOUSE.
BUT LO AND BEHOLD, WORLD WAR II BROKE OUT AND THOSE PLANS WERE SHELVED.
BUT IN 1954, THE COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR, UH, IN AN ARTICLE WE FOUND, SAID THAT THE COURTHOUSE WAS SOUND FROM THE OUTSIDE, BUT THERE WERE MANY, MANY CRACKS IN THE WALLS.
THE BUILDING WAS BASICALLY CRUMBLING.
AND, UM, IRONICALLY, THEY ALSO SAID THEY JUST HAD TOO MUCH ROOM IN THAT COURTHOUSE AND THEY NEEDED SMALLER COURTHOUSES, SMALLER COURTROOMS THAT WERE MORE EFFICIENT.
AND SO THEY DECIDED TO DEMOLISH THE COURTHOUSE AND BUILD A NEW ONE.
UH, THIS IS THE NEW COURTHOUSE OR THE, THE EXISTING COURTHOUSE WHILE IT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION, UH, PRIOR, RIGHT THERE ON THE SQUARE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE BASEMENT THAT THEY WERE EXCAVATING FOR AND BUILDING THE FOUNDATION WALLS.
AND THEN THE STEEL GOING UP AND THERE IT IS COMPLETED.
AND THAT IS THE ARCHITECT OF THE COURTHOUSE THAT YOU HAVE NOW.
[00:50:01]
ALSO WORKED WITH ANOTHER ARCHITECT NAMED ARTHUR WARREN MOR JR.BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM, THEY CONSTRUCTED MANY, MANY, UM, SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS THROUGHOUT TEXAS, INCLUDING SEVERAL COURTHOUSES.
THE LONE STAR GAS BUILDING IN FORT WORTH WAS ONE OF HENDRICK'S PROJECTS.
HE ALSO WAS THE ARCHITECT OF THE TEXAS AND PACIFIC TERMINAL AND WAREHOUSE IN FORT WORTH THAT WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE WHEN WE DRIVE THROUGH FORT WORTH.
HE DESIGNED FORT WORTH CITY HALL AND THE UM, UH, SHAMROCK HOTEL IN HOUSTON, WHICH WAS VERY SIGNIFICANT.
WHO IS THE ARCHITECT WHO WORKED WITH HIM, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR TWO NOR TWO 11 NORTH
SO YOUR COURTHOUSE IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT.
UM, ARCHITECTURALLY IN 1956, IT WAS COMPLETED.
UM, ONE FUN FACT THAT WE UNCOVERED WHENEVER WE WERE RESEARCHING THE COURTHOUSE IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WOMEN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SERVE ON JURIES UNTIL FAIRLY LATE IN TEXAS.
UM, AND DURING DESIGN, THAT DECISION WAS, UM, CAME DOWN AND SO THEY KNEW THEY WERE GONNA HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE FEMALE JURORS.
SO IN THE COURTHOUSE, THERE ARE BATHROOMS AND THERE WERE ORIGINALLY BEDROOMS THAT ARE NOW OFFICES THAT WERE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR SEQUESTERED WOMEN JURORS.
SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE.
UM, BY 1999, IT STARTED BECOMING OVERCROWDED.
AND THE FIRST OF VERY, OF MANY, MANY STUDIES WERE UNDERTAKEN TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE TO ACCOMMODATE ALL OF THE FUNCTIONS THAT ARE IN THE COURTHOUSE.
AND THEN IN 2005, KIND OF GET US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, IS WHEN THE SECURITY VESTIBULE WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THE SOUTH FAC.
NOW, UM, THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION DID, UM, OBJECT TO THE SECURITY VESTIBULE, AND THAT IS KIND OF WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY.
AND WHAT PROMPTED A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TRYING TO, UM, DETERMINE WHAT CAN BE DONE IN LIEU OF THE VESTIBULE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, BUT STILL BE VERY AWARE OF THE SECURITY NEEDS WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE, THE SPATIAL NEEDS WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE, AND THE FACT THAT IT IS JUST, IT'S VERY FULL.
SO OUR GOALS WERE TO EVALUATE AND DOCUMENT THE BUILDING THAT'S INCLUDED THE SITE AND EVERY SPACE WITHIN THE BUILDING, ALL OF THE OFFICES, ALL OF THE BACK OF THE HOUSE SPACES, ALL OF THE SYSTEMS. WE HAD A CIVIL ENGINEER, MEP ENGINEER, UM, AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEER JOIN US ON OUR EVALUATIONS.
SO WE'VE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING FROM, FROM THE PLUMBING TO THE CARPET.
SO EVERYTHING HAS BEEN EVALUATED.
WE ALSO NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION'S CONCERNS WITH THE VESTIBULE.
AND WE ALSO EVALUATED THE, UM, THE PREVIOUS REPORTS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE REGARDING THE COURTHOUSE, INCLUDING THE ONE FROM THE US MARSHAL SERVICE THAT WAS, UH, PUT FORTH AFTER THE INCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED IN 2013.
WE ALSO STROVE TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY, IMPROVED SECURITY, AND LIFE SAFETY.
AND WE HAVE TO DO ALL OF THIS WITHIN THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR STANDARDS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION SINCE YOU ARE A HISTORIC COURTHOUSE.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE ON OUR HANDS.
AND WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS THAT OVER THE YEARS, THE COURTHOUSE HAS BEEN ADAPTED MANY TIMES, UH, TO CONTAIN THE PERSONNEL AND THE COURT FUNCTIONS THAT HAVE, UM, BEEN PLACED WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE.
ORIGINALLY, IT ONLY WAS DESIGNED TO HAVE TWO COURTROOMS, NOW WE'VE GOT FOUR.
UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE THOUGH, REGARDLESS OF THAT, IT'S VERY, VERY INTACT.
THE HISTORIC SPACES AND THE CORE PUBLIC SPACES LIKE THE LOBBY, THE RESTROOMS ARE ALL VERY INTACT.
THE FINISHES ARE THERE, AND SO THEY DO RETAIN A LOT OF THEIR HISTORIC INTEGRITY.
THE SECURITY VESTIBULE MUST BE REMOVED.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS, UM, BEEN, UH, UH, ISSUED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
IT WAS, UM, REMOVAL OF THAT AND THEN ALSO THE RESTORATION OF THE FACADE WHERE IT WAS ATTACHED.
SO THE RESTORATION OF THE FACADE SHOULDN'T BE TOO MUCH OF A CHALLENGE, BUT WE MUST ACCOMMODATE THE SCREENING ELSEWHERE.
THE ACCESSIBILITY AND LIFE SAFETY OF THE BUILDING NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED.
IT CURRENTLY DOES NOT MEET STANDARDS FOR AMERICANS WITH ACCESSIBILITY, EXCUSE ME, AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT.
THERE ARE ALSO ISSUES WITH FIRE PROTECTION AND, UM, EXITING.
SO THESE, THIS IS JUST A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY OF OUR TOP PRIORITY ITEMS AND, UM, OUR LIST IS MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE THAN THAT
[00:55:01]
AND WE HAVE THAT IN OUR REPORT SO WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.BUT JUST FOR TODAY'S DISCUSSION, THE PRI THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY ITEMS ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE, UM, ADDRESSED VERY QUICKLY.
THEY ARE LIFE SAFETY AND CODE VIOLATIONS, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY SECURITY.
WE HAVE TO ADDRESS ACCESSIBILITY TO THE SITE.
AND WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE ITSELF, THERE IS RIGHT NOW, UH, A CITY AND TDOT JOINT EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE SIDEWALKS AROUND THE SQUARE.
AND SOME OF THAT WILL ADDRESS THE SIDEWALKS OF THE COURTHOUSE, BUT IT DOESN'T ADDRESS, UM, FROM THE SIDEWALK INTO THE BUILDING.
AND OF COURSE, IT DOESN'T ADDRESS THE BUILDING ITSELF.
WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT THE REMAINDER OF THE, UH, MARSHAL SERVICE RECOMMENDED IN THEIR 2013 STUDY, INCLUDING THE VESTIBULE.
WE NEED TO UPDATE THE FIRE ALARM SYSTEM AND INSTALL A FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM.
THE COURTHOUSE CURRENTLY DOES NOT HAVE A FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM.
WE ALSO NEED TO SEPARATE DEFENDANTS AT THE COURTHOUSE.
RIGHT NOW, EVERYBODY SHARES SPACE.
EVERYBODY MINGLES, AS Y'ALL KNOW, IN THE PUBLIC RESTROOMS, THEY MINGLE IN THE LOBBY, THEY MINGLE IN THE COURTHOUSE OR IN THE COURTROOMS THEMSELVES.
UM, THERE'S JUST PHYSICALLY NO SEPARATION AND THAT OBVIOUSLY CREATES A VERY SERIOUS SECURITY CONCERN.
AND THEN, UM, WE DO HAVE A DEADED CORRIDOR IN THE BASEMENT, BUT WE CAN ADDRESS THAT HOPEFULLY WITH THE, UH, WITH THE BUILD OUT WITHIN FIVE YEARS.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS A FEW AREAS ON THE EXTERIOR THAT HAVE BRICK DAMAGE, WHICH IS NOT, UM, IT'S NOT SEVERE AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST PART OF THE AGE OF THE BUILDING.
UM, WE NEED TO CREATE A BUILDING WIDE SPACE AND STORAGE PLAN.
WE NEED TO UPGRADE THE ELECTRICAL AND HVAC SYSTEMS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ELECTRICAL CAPACITY WITHIN THE OFFICES THROUGH OUTLETS.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS STORM WATER MANAGEMENT DEFICIENCIES AND DRAINAGE.
THE ROOF NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THE DRAINAGE ON THE ROOF ADDRESSED.
AND THEN WITHIN, UM, WITHIN ABOUT 10 YEARS, WE HOPE THAT RESTORATION OF SIGNIFICANT HISTORIC SPACES CAN OCCUR, UPGRADING THE PLUMBING SYSTEM AND THEN EXPANDING INTO THE UN EXCAVATED BASEMENT SPACE.
NOW OF COURSE, THAT CAN BE MADE A HIGHER PRIORITY AND ADDRESS A LOT OF THE OTHER THINGS WHILE THAT HAPPENS.
SO WE LOOKED AT THE EXISTING SITE AND OF COURSE WE FOUND THAT, UM, SOME OF THESE ISSUES WILL BE ADDRESSED AS FAR AS ACCESSIBILITY WHEN TDO IN THE CITY'S PLANS FOR, UM, REDOING THE SIDEWALKS.
AND, AND, UH, COURTHOUSE SQUARE WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO SHOW YOU THE PRESERVATION ZONES, IS WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL THEM.
THE, THE IMPORTANCE SPACES WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE THAT ARE, UM, HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND ARE, UM, TYPICALLY THE SPACES WHERE WE LIKE TO SHOW A PRIORITY ON RESTORATION.
AND, UH, IN THE BASEMENT, OH, WE'RE GONNA GO FROM BASEMENT TO TOP FLOOR ON, ON ALL THESE SLIDES.
SO IN THE BASEMENT, THAT'S REALLY JUST THE PUBLIC STAIR.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE, ALL OF THAT AREA IS UN EXCAVATED RIGHT NOW AND PROVIDES US ABOUT 5,000 SQUARE FEET FOR FUTURE EXPANSION.
AND THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ARE CONFIDENT THAT THAT CAN BE DONE ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
THE GREEN THAT YOU SEE IS THE PRIORITY ONE SPACE.
THOSE SPACES THAT LIKE, UM, THE, THE PUBLIC CORRIDORS, AS I MENTIONED, THE RESTROOM OR THE, UM, AND THE, AND THE COURTROOM ITSELF.
SECONDARY SPACES ARE THE, UH, ARE THE JUDGE'S OFFICES AND SUPPORT SPACES AND THE RESTROOMS. SO THOSE ARE KIND OF SECOND PRIORITY.
IF WE HAD TO MAKE A PRIORITY ON WHAT SHOULD BE RESTORED AND KEPT, UM, HISTORICALLY INTACT, THE GREEN IS WHERE WE WANNA FOCUS THOSE EFFORTS.
ON THE SECOND FLOOR, YOU CAN SEE IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE FIRST WHERE WE HAVE OUR ORIGINAL COURTROOM AND THAT LOBBY SPACE.
SO TO GET INTO OUR DRAFT CONCEPTUAL PLAN, WHICH, UM, THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE IN, UH, IN HAND, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE PROPOSED BUILDING THAT BASEMENT OUT.
AND WHAT THAT WOULD DO IS PROVIDE US WITH AN ADDITIONAL COURTROOM.
AND WE'VE BEEN VERY HIGH LEVEL ON THIS.
WE HAVEN'T ASSIGNED SPECIFIC OFFICES TO ANYONE.
SO WE CAN JUST GET A VERY BROAD PICTURE OF WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE.
SO THAT BROWN AREA IN THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER IS A PROPOSED NEW C COURTROOM.
AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS IN THE ORANGE AREA, THAT IS AN AREA WE HAVE COMPLETELY REMOVED DEFENDANTS SO THAT THEY WILL BE ISOLATED FROM STAFF AND FROM THE PUBLIC.
SO THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MINGLE WITH ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD PROVIDE, WE WOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL RESTROOMS SPECIFICALLY FOR THEM, AND THEN ALSO ADDITIONAL RESTROOMS IN THE, UM,
[01:00:01]
BASEMENT SPACE.BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE SIMPLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESTROOMS IN THE COURTHOUSE AS IT IS.
WE WOULD HAVE TO REORGANIZE SOME OF THE SPACES AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, YOU'LL SEE AS WE MOVE UP IN THE PLAN, KIND OF GETS, UM, MOVED AROUND THE COURTHOUSE A LITTLE BIT.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND SHERIFF'S OFFICES ARE, UH, THEY'RE VERY CONCENTRATED AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, WITH THIS PLAN, MOVE, MOVE PEOPLE AROUND JUST A LITTLE BIT.
ON THE FIRST FLOOR, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED CREATING A NEW ENTRY ON THE WEST SIDE THAT GOES DIRECTLY INTO THAT ORANGE AREA, WHICH WOULD BE A SECURE AREA.
AND THAT WAY ONCE THE DEFENDANTS ENTER THE COURTHOUSE ON THE FIRST FLOOR, THEY CAN EITHER GO UP OR THEY CAN GO DOWN, BUT THEY'RE ALWAYS ISOLATED IN THAT ONE CORNER.
AND WE'VE PROVIDED NEW PATHS SO THAT THEY CAN GO DIRECTLY INTO THE COURTROOM, UM, IN EITHER INTO THIS COURTROOM OR THE COURTROOM IN THE BASEMENT OR ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
CURRENTLY IN THIS BLUE AREA THERE IS A COURTROOM, BUT WE PROPOSED REMOVING THAT COURTROOM AND DEDICATING THAT SPOT JUST FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE MOVED SOME, UM, A FEW OF THE OFFICES IS TO ALLOW THAT.
AND THEN ALSO ADDING ADDITIONAL RESTROOM HERE, THIS IS A SECOND OPTION.
SO THIS WAS, THIS WAS A FIRST OPTION.
THE OTHER THING I NEED TO MENTION BEFORE WE MOVE ON IS THIS OPTION PROPOSES REMOVING THE VESTIBULE THAT WE HAVE NOW AND INSTALLING A NEW VESTIBULE, UM, WHICH WOULD BE A GLASS ENCLOSURE.
AND THEN STAFF WOULD ENTER, UM, WOULD I HERE AND THE PUBLIC WOULD ENTER HERE.
AND AS I MENTIONED, THE, UM, THE DEFENDANTS WOULD, WOULD ENTER INTO A NEW AREA.
THIS JUST BASICALLY PRESERVES THE, UM, THE PUBLIC, UH, ENTRANCES AS THEY ARE, BUT RECREATES THE VESTIBULE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE SENSITIVE TO IN THE SECOND OPTION.
ESSENTIALLY, THE INTERIOR FUNCTIONS ARE SIMILAR WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT IF WE AREN'T ABLE TO BUILD A NEW VESTIBULE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FROM THE, UM, SECRETARY OF INTERIOR STANDARDS IN TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION, IF THAT IS NOT AN OPTION FOR US, THAT SIMPLY RESTORES THE ORIGINAL FACADE AND INSTEAD THE PUBLIC WOULD NEED TO COME IN THROUGH THE ENTRANCE ON THE BACK.
UNFORTUNATELY, JUDGE, THIS MEANS WE WOULD, WE WOULD TAKE SOME OF THESE OFFICES AND THAT WOULD BE BECOME THE SECURITY VESTIBULE ON THE INTERIOR.
AND SO WE WOULD RE, WE WOULD NEED TO RELOCATE SOME OF THE STAFF THERE INTO ANOTHER AREA.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ALL VERY HIGH LEVEL AND, UM, WOULD NEED TO BE LOOKED AT IN MUCH MORE DETAIL.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT IN THE ORANGE AREA, THE, THE DEFENDANTS ARE COMPLETELY SECURE AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC.
WE WOULD, UH, YOU KNOW, KEEP THE COURT COURTROOM AS IT IS.
WE WOULD ACTUALLY ADD OFFICES THOUGH WEST OF THE COURTROOM AND THAT WOULD PROVIDE A SECURE ENTRY AND THEN STAFF ENTRY, WE WOULD, UH, RECONFIGURE THE, THE, THE WEST SIDE SO THAT WE HAVE A NICE LARGER COURTROOM IN THAT CORNER.
AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S STILL TIGHT, DON'T GET ME WRONG.
BUT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE A COURTROOM THEN ON THE BASE IN THE BASEMENT AND THEN ON THE SECOND FLOOR IN THAT QUADRANT, UH, THIS AREA WOULD BE RECONFIGURED AS WELL.
THE, I SHOULD SAY THE DISTRICT CLERK.
AND THE COUNTY CLERK WOULD NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY.
WE WOULD, UH, ALTER THESE RESTROOMS A LITTLE BIT AND RECAPTURE SOME OF THE SPACE TO, TO, UM, ASSIST WITH THE SPACE ALLOCATION HERE.
SO OUR NEXT STEPS IS TO FINALIZE OUR MASTER PLANS, SO COMPLETE, UM, THE ANALYSIS AND THEN PRE PREPARE A COST ESTIMATE FOR THE PROPOSED, UM, THE PROPOSED PLANS BASED ON WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THE CONSULTANTS AND THEN ALSO ANY TYPE OF SPACE OUT REALLOCATION AND BUILD OUT THAT WE WOULD HAVE IN THE BASEMENT.
SO ANY QUESTIONS, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED A MASTER PLAN FOR THE FUTURE,
[01:05:01]
WHICH WE DON'T HAVE, AND WE NEED TO GET A FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTY CITIZENS.AND THERE WAS, UM, IN 2013 THERE WAS A CITIZENS COMMISSION THAT DID LOOK AT ALL OF THE COUNTY BUILDINGS AND WE DID LOOK AT THAT WHENEVER WE, UH, WHENEVER WE PREPARED OUR MASTER PLAN AS WELL.
UM, THAT DID LOOK AT HOW THE OTHER COUNTY BUILDINGS AND THE COURTHOUSE THEMSELVES ARE CURRENTLY BEING USED.
BUT, UM, UNFORTUNATELY IT SIMPLY COULD NOT ADDRESS THE, THE, THE EX TO THE EXTENT THAT WE GET THE, THE NEED SPECIFICALLY OF THE COURTHOUSE.
UM, MANY OF THOSE HA UH, RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THAT 2013 PLAN HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
BUT, UM, BUT THE FACT THAT THE COUNTY HAS GROWN AND THAT, THAT THERE, THERE MAY BE A NEW COURTROOM NEEDED SOON, REAL SOON, IT JUST SIMPLY COULD NOT ANTICIPATE THAT.
SO YOU'RE CORRECT THAT, THAT A LARGER PLAN NEEDS TO BE UNDERTAKEN.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS WE WANTED TO DO THIS STUDY ARE THAT WE NEEDED TO DO THIS STUDY.
UH, THERE ARE, THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF FUNDING FROM THE STATE FOR, UH, COURTHOUSE RENOVATIONS, BUT TO DO THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS STUDY COMPLETED, UH, BEFORE WE'RE EVEN ABLE TO GET IN LINE FOR THAT.
AND SO THAT MAY BE YEARS IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT? BUT, UH, MANY OF WHAT THE COST HERE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WOULD BE ELIMINATED IF WE DID COME BACK AND, UH, TRY TO BUILD A COURTS FACILITY OUT AT THE JAIL OR WHEREVER AND, UH, THAT WOULD FREE UP MUCH SPACE, A LOT OF SPACE IN THE COURTHOUSE.
YES, AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE, THE THINGS I THINK THAT HAPPENED TO US LAST TIME, THAT, UH, THE PEOPLE DIDN'T FELT LIKE THE COURTHOUSE WAS JUST GOING TO BE VACANT.
WELL, IT'LL BE, IT WON'T BE VACANT.
IT'LL BE FULL WITH, UH, UH, LOTS OF ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE THERE TOO.
SO, UH, YEAH, THERE ARE, THAT'S CORRECT, JUDGE.
THERE ARE SO MANY USES THAT, UM, WE CAN ACCOMMODATE WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE IF, IF SOME OF THE MORE SECURITY INTENSIVE FUNCTIONS DO LEAVE THAT WOULD HELP WITH, UM, RELIEVING SOME OF THE PRESSURE ON THE COURTHOUSE RIGHT NOW AND SOME OF THE COSTS THAT WE WOULD PROPOSE IF WE DO KEEP ALL OF THE FUNCTIONS HERE WITHIN THE COURTHOUSE THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, AND ADD SECURITY ON TOP OF THAT, WHICH AS YOU CAN SEE, BY TAKING ALL OF THAT AREA AND TURNING IT ORANGE, THOSE FOLKS HAVE GOTTA GO SOMEWHERE.
AND RIGHT NOW THERE'S JUST SIMPLY NOWHERE FOR THEM TO GO.
SO, UM, UNLESS SOME OF THOSE FOLKS CAN GO OR IF THE SECURE FUNCTIONS ALL CAN GO THAT WILL REALLY HELP OFFSET SOME OF THE SECURITY COSTS.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN IS NOT GONNA SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF OF, OF JUST HAVING TO LITTLE CELLS.
RIGHT? IT, IT, THERE'S NO, IT'S JUST A BANDAID IS KNOW, IT'S IF YOU MOVE THEM, I GUESS HE MOVED THE COURTS OUT, THE COURTS OUTTA IT FROM THE, JUST A RECORD BUILDING IN A SENSE.
NOW, A LOT OF THE, A LOT OF THE COURTHOUSES THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE COURTHOUSE MASTER PLAN OR COURTHOUSE RESTORATION PROGRAM FOR THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION, THEY'LL KEEP ONE OR TWO COURTS.
UM, AND, AND, AND GENERALLY THEY'LL KEEP, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THERE AT THE COURTHOUSE.
SO THEY STILL MAINTAIN THAT PUBLIC FUNCTION.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE CLERKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT STAY, THEY JUST REALLY TAKE THOSE SECURITY PRESSURE OFF OF THE COURTHOUSE IS THE WAY THAT SEVERAL OF THEM APPROACH IT.
BUT SOME OF THEM HAVE STILL MAINTAINED THEIR, THEIR MORE INTENSIVE COURT FUNCTIONS WITHIN THEM AS WELL.
BUT WITH THE LAYOUT OF A COURTHOUSE AS IT IS RIGHT NOW, IT'S JUST VERY TIGHT.
AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN, EVEN IMPLEMENTING THE SECURITY THAT WE DO HAVE, WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO SOLVE THE ISSUES OF TIGHT, UM, LOBBY SPACES AND CORRIDORS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE JUST TOUGH TO DEAL WITH FOR A, THE BUILDING ITSELF IS JUST ONE MOMENT EXISTING.
WE HAVE ABOUT USABLE GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE.
WE HAVE ABOUT 27,500 SQUARE FEET AND THIS WOULD ONLY, THIS PROPOSAL WOULD ADD ABOUT 5,000 TO THAT.
THAT'S, THAT'S PLACE DIG UP AND PUT SOMETHING AND THERE'S WELL, YEAH.
THE, THE, THE BASEMENT AS IT IS, WE CAN BUILD THAT OUT AND ADDRESS SOME OF THE, UH, SECURITY ISSUES.
[01:10:07]
YOU KNOW, YOU LIZABETH, WE HAD ACTUALLY PROPOSED A LIGHT WELL LIGHT WELL THAT'S WHAT, YEAH.SO SEE THERE ON THE LEFT SIDE, WE ARE PROPOSING A LIGHT WELL, SO YOU CAN GET A LITTLE BIT OF NATURAL LIGHT.
IT'S NOT IDEAL, BUT, UM, BUT IT HELPS, IT HELPS A LITTLE BIT.
RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY THE, THE COURTS, THE COURTHOUSE HAS VERY LITTLE NATURAL LIFE BECAUSE THEY JUST DOESN'T DO THAT.
WELL NO, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GAIN THAT MANY SQUARES FEET.
YOU COULD, BUT, BUT WHAT YOU GOING TO DO? BUT THAT'S ALREADY BUILT OUT IN THE COUNTY CLERK.
CRIMINAL DIVISION RIGHT THERE.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, UM, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE SHOWING THIS PLAN, UM, WE REALLY THINK THAT YOU NEED TO DO A STRATEGIC PLAN IN ORDER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THIS BUILDING.
YOU NEED TO LOOK AT ALL YOUR FACILITIES AND THE JUSTICE CENTER, WHICH IS PROBABLY INEVITABLE.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A BETTER, THEN WE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS BUILDING.
RIGHT NOW WE'VE JUST KIND OF WORKED WITH THE FUNCTIONS THAT ARE THERE BECAUSE WE WERE, WE WERE REQUIRED TO DO A MASTER PLAN.
UM, BUT ULTIMATELY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THIS BUILDING, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE AND DO A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE COUNTY AND ITS GROWTH.
SO, I MEAN, NOT TO SAY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS PLAN, BUT UM, AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, IT'S REALLY TOO TIGHT.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE, UH, WITH THE SECURITY RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, IF WE'RE FORCED TO TAKE THIS OFF AND MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT WE HAVE BECAUSE THERE'S NO MONEY OR WHATEVER, IT GOES TO THE BACK CORNER.
I MEAN, THAT IS ONE THAT'S ONE, TWO OPTIONS.
UM, AND ONLY ALLOWED TO PUT SOMETHING ON THE OUTSIDE OR IT ALL HAS TO COME INSIDE THERE.
WELL, WE'VE PROPOSED AN OPTION FOR BOTH OF THOSE SITUATIONS.
UM, AND OF COURSE ALL OF US WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION TO HAVE REVIEWS.
IF THE FUNCTION DOES GO COMPLETELY WITHIN THE BUILDING AND NO OTHER CHANGES ARE MADE, THEN WE HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE FOLKS.
IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING? ARE WE UNDER, UNDER A TIME LIMIT TO DO AWAY WITH THE BEST OF YOU? YES.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT TIME LIMIT HAS EXPIRED AND UM, I HEAR THAT.
WELL, I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE IN A PARENT HERE SINCE WE ENGAGED THEM TO DO, UH, A PLAN FOR US.
THEY'RE, WE'RE KIND OF ON BOARD TIME.
THEY, THEY REALIZE WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD.
THEY'VE BEEN HISTORICAL COMMISSION.
THEY ALSO REALIZED WE'VE TRIED TO BUILD THIS IN THE PAST OR A COURTS FACILITY TWICE AND IT'S NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOULDERS.
AND SO THEY'RE, AND THEY ALSO REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED IN 2013 HERE AS WELL.
SO THEY'RE GIVING US A LITTLE BIT OF A, UH, TIME.
I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT WILL CONTINUE.
UH, BUT UH, IT'S THE BEST VIEW AT SOME POINT IN TIME WOULD, WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY QUESTION ABOUT THAT BECAUSE OF THE HISTORICAL, UH, DESIGNATION OF THE BUILDING.
BUT YOU SAY THE GLASS HAVE A MORE SENSITIVE BILL TO MAKE IT ALL GLASS.
WE, WE THINK THAT IT REALLY, UM, IT JUST WORKS BETTER AT THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING.
WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THE ENTRANCE FOR THE PUBLIC AT THE FRONT.
WE DON'T LIKE THE IDEA THAT SOMEBODY WALKS UP TO THE BUILDING, EXPECTS TO GO IN AND THEN FINDS OUT.
'CAUSE THERE HAS TO BE A SIGN THAT THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE BACK.
SO WE, WE'VE OFFERED TWO OPTIONS RIGHT NOW.
WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION TO CONCLUDE THAT CONVERSATION.
BUT
BUT WE HAVE MET WITH, UH, ONE OF THE, UM, MEMBERS OF THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION.
UM, BUT WE REALLY HAVEN'T DEL GOTTEN INTO THE DETAIL OF THIS.
SO WE, WE THOUGHT WE'D COMPLETE THE MASTER PLAN, SHOW TWO OPTIONS, PRESENT IT TO THEM, AND HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
AND AT LEAST TRY TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE ISSUES.
WE, YOU HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THEM, UH, AFTER THIS MEETING.
IF, IF YOU ALL SAY WE SHOULD GO FORWARD.
WELL, SOMETHING, WELL, AND I, I'M, AND YOU MAY BE AS WELL, BUT I'M HAVING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE SAY WE REALLY NEED TO GO BACK AND, AND LOOK AT, UH, THE BOND PROGRAM THAT WE HAD BEFORE TO BUILD THAT COURSE BUILDING.
BUT, UH, I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
WE REALLY NEED A MASTER PLAN OR A STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, TO SEE WHAT WE'VE GOT.
PEOPLE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE, YOU KNOW, AND WHAT ARE
[01:15:01]
WE GOING TO DO? UH, MAKE SURE DON'T DO SOMETHING.YOU MAY DECIDE NOT TO BUILD UP THE BASEMENT.
YOU MAY NOT NEED TO SPEND THAT MONEY.
'CAUSE THAT'S NOT AN INEXPENSIVE THING TO DO.
SO WITHOUT STUDYING THE WHOLE PICTURE, IT'S HARD TO MAKE THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS.
IS THERE NOT A LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THE STATE'S GIVING RENOVATION RESTORE FOR BUSINESS? 2,000,020 MILLION.
THIS, THIS ROUND IS ABOUT 20 MILLION, BUT THERE MAY BE ANOTHER REVENUE ALREADY.
THEY'VE GOT PROJECTS ALREADY INTO THE FUTURE.
SO WE'RE WE'RE WAY DOWN THE LIST.
BUT TO GET ON THE LIST, WE HAD TO DO THIS.
AND THOSE SPENDING LEVELS CHANGED FROM PROGRAM TO PROGRAMS SOMETIMES.
I MEAN, IT'S BEEN AS LOW AS 6 MILLION AND IT'S BEEN AS HIGH AS 50 MILLION.
SO YOU JUST HAVE, WE HAVEN'T PRICED IT.
WE WANTED TO KIND OF FINALIZE THE PLAN AND THEN PRICE IT, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE SUBSTANTIAL.
AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL SHORT OF SPACE AND YOU'RE STILL SHORT.
WHATEVER IT IS, IT WON'T SOLVE ALL THE ISSUES AND IT WON'T GIVE YOU THE COURTROOMS THAT YOU NEED.
WE DO HAVE PLANS FOR THE REPLACE THE ROOF THIS YEAR.
UH, AND THE COPING, YOU KNOW, THE LEAKS THAT WE HAVE THERE.
AND SO, BUT THAT, I MEAN, THAT'S GOT TO BE DONE.
WE'VE GOT A LEAK BUILDING, WE'VE, OKAY.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT WE HEARD TODAY? OTHER THAN THERE? WE JUST KNOW IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME AND, UH, BUT IT'S THE FIRST STEP AND REALLY GOING BACK AND REVIEWING THIS AND THIS, WHATEVER WE DO FOR THIS WHOLE BUILDING, IT'S NOT GONNA BE CHEAP EITHER.
BRING IT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL GRANDER.
AND THE WAY, IF I'M, THEY'RE STILL HERE, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND THE, UH, FUNDING ON FROM THE STATE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA PAY FOR THE ENTIRE RENOVATION OF THE COURTHOUSE.
SHOULD WE BE GRANTED ONE OF THOSE, UH, UH, PROGRAMS OR WE MAKE THE CUT LIST? THEY WILL PAY FOR A PORTION OF IT.
THEY EXPECT THE COUNTY TO PAY FOR IT.
DO WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF PORTION 95 THAT USUALLY IS ON OTHER COURTHOUSE.
UM, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S SOME VARIETY.
AND WHAT THERE'S, IT'S ESSENTIALLY A COMPETITION.
SO DEPENDING ON MULTIPLE COUNTIES WILL SUBMIT A PROPOSAL.
SOME OF THEM WILL BE AT 50%, SOME OF THEM WILL BE CONTRIBUTING 60 OR EVEN MORE.
AND THEN THEY SELECT THE ONES, DEPENDING THE BEST, UH, PROPOSALS, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FOR THAT PROGRAM.
I THINK PANIN COUNTY HAS RECEIVED ONE.
AND I THINK CARS COUNTY, UH, LAVERA COUNTY, I THINK THEY MOVED IN ACTUALLY.
AND I'M NOT SURE ABOUT ELLIS COUNTY.
IF THEY GOT UP ONE OF THE GRAND THEY DIDN'T UHHUH, BUT I MEAN THEIR COURTHOUSE.
IT REALLY IS A BUT AGAIN, ELLIS COUNTY HAS MOVED A LOT OF THEIR OFFICES OUT OF THEIR COURTHOUSE AND THEY HAVE A JUSTICE CENTER.
THEY HAVE OH, A SEPARATE AREA TO MAKE THEIR COURTHOUSE MORE FUNCTIONAL.
I NEED A MOTION UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANYTHING ELSE.
UH, WELL I DIDN'T HAVE THAT ON THE AGENDA, SO NOTHING DO IT.
JUST, JUST BE AWARE OF WHERE THEY ARE IN THE, UH, STATE A I'LL MAKE A MOTION MOVE.