County expends Capital Credit monies

By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — While the Trinity County Commissioners Court approved the disbursement of funds to several entities at its last meeting, not every commissioner was in a giving spirit.

The court approved requested funds to three entities at its regular meeting on Dec. 13.

The Nigton Historical Development Project received $5,000, and $1,000 each to Circle B Farm and Wildlife Rehab and the Trinity Boys & Girls Club.

Commissioner Steven Truss said that NHDP and Circle B should get the funds in the interest of fairness, since similar entities received funds. He also said that in the future, the county needs to come up with a better plan to disburse funds, such as an application process and a committee to evaluate them.

However, Commissioner Neal Smith said he disagreed that Circle B should get any funds since it was an organization run by a county official, namely County Clerk Shasta Bergman, on her private property.

Bergman said the land was deeded over to the rehab, which is now overseen by a board.

Smith also said he was against donating funds to the Nigton organization, as it was to purchase bicycles for needy children and to have a Christmas meal. He explained that the funds given to Groveton and Trinity were for beautification.

Smith claimed his concerns with giving funds to the NHDP was that it wasn’t going to be spent on specified uses, which in turn would make the county liable for those funds. He said that there needs to be stipulations on any disbursed funds.

“If they said they would put up lights and Santy Clauses and such out there, then I’m all for it,” Smith said. “I’m not for providing bicycles and I’m not for providing a Christmas dinner for $1,500. That’s what was presented to this board.”

Smith also said he would prefer to vote on each item separately, but as a group, he voted against the measure.

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In other business, the county:

•approved personnel action forms;

•approved budget amendments;

•approved renewal of copier leases with Texas Document Solutions;

•tabled bid openings to get clarifications on a bid from one interested contractor;

•tabled extending loan agreements with Cadence Bank/Bancorp South for leases on vehicles, since new vehicles will not be available for a year, until information on warranty and buybacks can be obtained;

•approved separating Trinity County from the umbrella of the Polk County emergency management plan;

•approved submitting a bid request for software for the county’s Justices of the Peace;

•approved the $1,600 purchase of two self-contained breathing apparatuses; and

•approved the receipt of surplus material allocations from TxDOT.