County Judge Jim Lovell Provides Update
Concerns Raised about Census
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – With the rapidly changing world we live in – due to the COVID-19 disease – Houston County Judge Jim Lovell was contacted on Wednesday, April 8 for an update on where the county stands in the battle against the virus.
“On a positive note, we don’t have any cases. There have probably been 26 (recent) tests using nasal swabs which have come back negative,” the judge said.
The tests referred to by Judge Lovell were conducted at the Aurora Concepts clinic. Attempts to contact Aurora Concepts were unsuccessful.
“It’s always positive when we don’t have any, but is that a false sense of security? I don’t know,” he said.
The judge said he had received information from Gov. Greg Abbott earlier in the week indicating all state parks were being closed.
“I got a call from the forest ranger at Davy Crockett National Forest and he said they would be closing the campgrounds. The forest is open but to keep people from congregating they are going to close the campgrounds,” he said.
As to how the county government is doing, Lovell said it is working well but operating on a limited basis.
“Everything is getting done. The tax office is running but the doors are locked. You need to call and set an appointment if you need something, but otherwise, there is a drop box. A lot of things can be done online like auto registration, but I don’t think the DPS is going to stop anyone for expired registration. Titling on vehicles can also be extended for 60 days from what I understand,” he said.
He added while individual offices may be locked, to reach a specific department in Houston County, please call 936-544-3255 and follow the prompts.
Aside from COVID-19, one thing Lovell said concerned him was the 2020 Census.
“With everything that is going on – we have a Complete Count Committee in place – but we can’t meet. We can’t get together to discuss what needs to be done. The people who go door-to-door, can’t. It can still be done over the phone or online, but we can’t really promote this because the other news is in the way. It has taken center stage,” he said.
“I was really hoping to get a good count for our county this time, but now I don’t know what is going to happen with the Census. It has me troubled that we might not get a very good count,” he added.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
