Houston County Commissioners Extend Burn Ban, Renew Program to Spay and Neuter Pets
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – The Houston County Commissioners Court met Tuesday, Oct. 11 to extend the county burn ban and vote on a number of other issues.
Commissioner Gene Stokes joined the meeting by video conference due to being ill. After hearing his raspy voice, Houston County Judge Jim Lovell told Stokes to save his voice and the commissioners would take his vote as “yea” unless he said otherwise.
After receiving county reports and approving the minutes from the previous meeting, the court received information about the new street names in the Buckhorn residential area west of Crockett. The court confirmed that already 35 of the 70 properties had been confirmed as sold. The court was told how the residential development had strict zoning rules to protect the residents and their investments in the new development.
The court voted unanimously to extend the county’s burn ban until further notice. There were rumors of possible rain next week, but for the time being, Lovell told the court to, “Pray for rain.”
The court voted to continue the Houston County Spay and Neuter Program where residents of Houston County can get a $50 discount for dogs or cats spayed or neutered by any Houston County veterinarian. Residents must reside in Houston County, must go first to the county offices and request a voucher. The vet will give them the discount and be compensated by the county. The court set $5,000 as a maximum to spend on the program. They will allow one voucher per household and have 30 days to use the voucher. The program is first-come, first-served.
Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Roger Dickey informed the court he had found an acceptable vendor to provide the sheriff’s office with pepper guns and the training to use them properly as previously approved by the court. Dickey told the court non-lethal measures are important in a time when they see, “increased problems with mental health issues and drug-related mental issues.”
Houston County Sheriff Randy Hargrove sought and secured the court’s approval for a new boiler system for the jail and to flush out the lines of sediment. He said the boiler has been an issue for a long time and the county may save money on energy costs in the long run by replacing the pump and purging the lines.
The court received the 2023 operating and collections budget from the Houston County Appraisal District. The commissioners discussed this issue amongst themselves and seemed unhappy with some of the information provided to them in their information packet. The commissioners agreed to receive the information but said they would meet with the district at a later time to resolve some questions about the new budget.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
