Monday morning in regular session at the courthouse, Hopkins County Commissioners Court approved several line item moves to assist various departments as fuel costs rise, approved a realtor to list the county annex building at 110 Main Street, heard a request for a resolution to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding natural obstructions on the Sulphur River and reappointed Mike Matthews as Hopkins County Fire Marshall.
Commissioners approved RE/MAX as the realtor to list 110 Main Street, a county annex building, as the county seeks to sell the property. RE/MAX will not charge the county a listing fee and the buyer will pay any commissions in buyers fee to their agent according to the agreement approved. Commissioners attempted the sell the building in the past using a bid method but no bids were received.
Each commissioner’s precinct will received $50,000 in a line item move from the Road and Bridge Special Account. Increases in fuel cost and now that road repair will increase with warmer weather, the additional fund will assist in fulfilling current plans.
Volunteer Fire Departments will be receiving $20,000 and the Sheriff’s Office will receive an additional $5,000 in a line item increase taken from the general fund balance. These additions were also motivated by rising fuel costs.
In public forum, Commissioners were asked to draft and approve a letter to the TCEQ regarding natural obstructions on the Sulphur River. The river is not flowing except in time of flooding. When not flowing the water is stagnant and produces a health hazard and when flooding, affects farmland, FM 71, and the Commerce Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to Marna Martinez, who addressed commissioners. Ms. Martinez stated that the city of Commerce was preparing a letter and that she was asking Hunt County to also write a letter. Commissioner Precinct 1 Mickey Baker noted that the river must be a navigable river to be cleared. Martinez said that she was addressing that fact and noted that it is navigable at the Red River/Franklin County line. Commissioners and County Judge Robert Newsom stated that a resolution would be presented to the court in their July 9, 2018 meeting.
