County Commissioners hear from highway officials
The Parmer County Commissioners Court met in special session on Tuesday, November 13th at 10:00 a.m. in the County Courtroom of the Parmer County Courthouse in Farwell, Texas. The meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and the Texas Flag.
In the first item of business, the Commissioners heard from State Highway Department representatives Steve Perez and David Harper. The state plans to realign FM 145 with CR 3 and add a new railroad crossing. This new route would allow for the closing of the old underpass. This underpass has been hit numerous times by trucks in the past few years and the collisions were threatening the integrity of the railroad tracks and therefore the safety of everyone. The project is slated to be completed in 2020. Also discussed was plans to begin work on Highway 60 starting at Bovina and going west to the state line. The work would begin in March 2019 and the westward progression of the project would be contingent on state funding.
The Minutes from the previous meeting were read and approved and approval was given for payment of the accounts payables as presented by County Auditor Larry Johnston. Accepted a donation from Mighty Vac, which provided the port-a-potties for the Sheriff’s National Night Out event. The Commissioners reviewed the Treasurer’s presented by Altha Herington and approved the calculated payroll and disbursement for all county employees and elected officials.
The Commissioners canvassed the votes from the November 6, 2018 General Election and approved the results. They next voted to adopt the 2018 updated Parmer County Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan must be updated and approved every five years.
The Court next approved a Lawn Maintenance Contract for the Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center. The contract is with Andria Griswold and the cost is $700 per month which is divided equally between the Courthouse and Law Center. The agreement also includes the application of ice melt during the winter months.
Next, the Commissioners approved Larry Kelsay, Farwell Chief of Police, as Parmer County’s rabies control authority. They also designated approximately $19,211 of state donated surplus road materials to Precincts 3 and 4. This annual benefit, which is rotated between the four precincts, will provide around 40 dump truck loads of “RAP” to be used at the discretion of the two precincts.
Sheriff Randy Geries reported that the Law Enforcement Center was currently housing 43 inmates and that 16 of those being held are from other counties. He also stated that there were numerous accidents due to the recent snowstorm but that none of them involved serious injury.
All meetings are open to the public. The Commissioners Court reserves the right to go into Executive session at any time. Meeting agendas can be found on the Parmer County website. Information in this article is only an overview. Any questions concerning specific actions should be directed to the Court.
