Commissioners cover packed agenda

CROCKETT – The Houston County Commissioners’ Court met on Tuesday, March 28, to take action on twenty-nine agenda items. Highlights of the meeting included:

•Acceptance of equipment from the Deep East Texas Council of Government (DETCOG) to the Office of Emergency Management.

•Resignation of the current Houston County Veterans Service Officer and appointment of Mike Maiden as the new Service Officer.

•Acceptance of a donation of $1,250 from B&N Logging for improvements to County Road 4035 in Precinct 3.

•Receive as information the FY 2022 Houston County Juvenile Probation Audit as prepared by Todd, Hamaker & Johnson

•Approval of the submission of the County Attorney’s Office request for the FY 2024 - 2025 Crime Victim Services Grant through the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

• Approval of a contract with Total Restoration to clean air conditioning ductwork and vents in the Old Jail and approve payment terms per contract. • Total $11,844.98

• Approval of a contract with Lucus Roofing to remove the old smoke purge system and cap remaining penetration holes on the roof of the Old Jail and approve payment terms per contract. • Total $10,000.00

• Approval of the purchase from Southern Computer Warehouse for (1) Dell PowerEdge R650xs Rack Server and supporting software for the Houston County IT Department.• Total $22,990.19

The court adopted several proclamations during the meeting – The designation of March as “Red Cross Month,” April as “Fair Housing Month,” and also designating April as “County Government Month” with a date of April 28 for the annual county picnic.

Approval was also given for requests for Hotel Occupancy Funds from Pineywoods Fine Arts Association for the Little Texas Concert to be held on April 15 at the Crockett Civic Center and Blues in the Pines to be held at the outdoor Sallas Auditorium at 101 1st St. in Crockett, on April 22. County Auditor Melissa Jeter also presented a revised application process form for the Hotel Occupancy Tax funds. Revisions were made to help deliver more information about using and tracking the requested funds.

Approval was also given to accept the direct share of the Opioid Settlement Allocation. Houston County was awarded $78,648. Currently, the county has received $24,689 from opioid settlements.