Commissioners Court Works to Move Offices Due to Safety Concerns

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY –  The Houston County Commissioners Court met Tuesday, April 4 to discuss the reassignment of several county offices caused by safety concerns on the third floor of the Houston County Courthouse located in downtown Crockett. The third floor does not have fire escapes and until a plan can be created to remedy that, the court has been making decisions on how to relocate certain offices to other county properties. 

Justice of the Peace Precinct Two Judge Ronnie Jordan and his office recently made the move to their new offices to 110 East Houston Avenue, although work in the new office is far from complete. The court officially designated the building as an annex to the courthouse in Tuesday’s meeting. 

The county clerk will be moving into new offices within the courthouse itself, with the third floor to be used for the time being as a storage area, with Houston County Clerk Terri Meadows telling the commissioners her office will be losing a lot of storage space for records in the move. She told the court not a lot of work would need to be done to make the transition but Houston County Judge Jim Lovell offered to table any decisions on the matter until Meadows could get a plan and some bids for the work so the court could make a decision at the next meeting. 

At this time it is unclear how or even if the county can renovate the third floor of the courthouse in such a way that would not be a hazard for employees. 

The court adjourned into an executive session with no public or press access to discuss the county’s potential purchase, lease, exchange or sell real estate. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]