County Commissioners Finalize Purchase of Crockett Building

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – Houston County Commissioners Court met Friday, Dec. 22 to finalize several projects before the Christmas holiday. The commissioners added several private roads in Precinct Three and voted to finalize the purchase of the former Sunflower Bank building in downtown Crockett.

Houston County Judge Jim Lovell announced the county was supposed to close on the bank property later that day, which would add valuable office space and parking for county offices. The court approved the money for the purchase and the closing, authorizing Lovell to sign the closing documents.

“The long awaited purchase of this property is here!” Lovell said.

Houston County Sheriff’s Office was looking to transfer an employee from dispatcher to records clerk/part time dispatcher, with County Auditor Melissa Jeter informing the court there is no budget for this, with Sheriff Randy Hargrove joining the meeting to discuss the matter with the court. Hargrove believed there was money available for the transfer and a small increase in pay, but promised to consult with Jeter about how to fill the positions. The court voted on the proposal, allowing the employee to transfer, but without any change in pay, which Hargrove said would be fine, thanking the court.

Jeter told the court there would not be raises after six-months for the sheriff’s office, asking the department to hire employees at the pay and position, and avoiding giving them a bump in pay after they complete their training, which Hargrove said was correct and agreed.

Houston County Search and Rescue (SAR) was represented by Gene Kellum, who gave his report for the group’s activities for 2023. 14 call outs were reported in-county, with two assists outside of the county. Kellum reported there were trainings involving nine different agencies, with several of the group involved in rescue training during the year. There are 27 members, all outfitted with appropriate gear, with SAR receiving much needed equipment thanks to local donations. Kellum thanked the court for their support, promising to continue their training and collecting supplies and equipment.

“Thank you, Mr. Kellum, we appreciate the service you provide,” Lovell said.

The court also approved the primary elections set for March 5, 2024, with several races in the Republican races and the race for Party Chair on the democratic side. Elections Administrator Cindy Lum told the court she had agreed with the two parties to sign a contract for the county to run these elections, to which the court agreed. The primaries are expected to cost the county around several thousand dollars to administer, with additional costs should there be a need for a runoff.

The court approved a contract with Financial Intelligence to provide the county with web-based accounting services, allowing the county to be more flexible in paying bills and saving paperwork and tons of printed files, with many files being available to county employees. Jeter gave the court an example of a recent day when she could not do payroll or pay bills due to a power outage in Crockett. Commissioner Willie Kitchen noted he was surprised by this, admitting he can login to his own business’s accounting software through his phone. He said this would be more effective in the long run than purchasing a generator to use the current system during any future blackout. He moved to approve, with Commissioner Gene Stokes seconding, saying, “It’s time this county take a step into the modern times.”

Houston County Tax Assesor-Collector Laronica Wooten Smith submitted a review from Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TXDMV), which reporter the county had no discrepancies in their inventory and gave the county a low-risk of operations in the department, recommending strengthening title examinations before the titles are sent out.

“You and your staff are to be commended,” Lovell told Smith. “This is an excellent report.”

The court approved the addition of several private roads in Precinct Three to the county map: