Brown County Commissioners met Monday morning, February 14.  County Judge Paul Lilly presided and all commissioners were present along with the County Clerk, County Attorney and County Auditor.

No action was taken on the Burn Ban meaning the current ban on outdoor burning continues to be in effect in Brown County until further notice.

Commissioners approved purchase of new computers and equipment for Brown County Sheriff’s Department patrol units at a total cost of $25,325.  The money to pay for the upgrade will come from the equipment budget.  The new mobile tablet PC’s will replace 10 year old equipment.

Commissioners heard a presentation from Mr. Russell from Rite of Passage, The Oaks Academy concerning plumbing and structural issues in the Ray West Juvenile Justice Center.  He described major cracks down walls and hallways and a main plumbing line being eroded.  He received an estimate of $34,000 to fix the plumbing issue followed by $3,500 for a structural inspection once the plumbing issue is fixed.  Commissioners wanted time to look at the contract, and insurance requirements in the contract, prior to proceeding.  They will likely address this issue again at their next meeting on Tuesday, February 22.

Commissioners approved the treasurer’s/auditor’s report showing county cash and assets as of January 2022 being $21,710,141.41.

County Judge Lilly provided the latest update on COVID 19 by reading the report issued on Friday by the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department.

Commissioners also approved a request by Sheriff Vance Hill to declare as surplus dilapidated equipment such as old computers and appliances.  Commissioners also authorized the Sheriff to dispose of the dilapidated equipment.

Sheriff Hill reported a total of 157 inmates in Brown County Jail at this time with 10 of them being from Hood County.  Sheriff Hill also reported no COVID cases currently in the county jail.

Sharon Ferguson, County Clerk, presented Commissioners Court with a Certificate of Continuing Education for 2021 for her and for Cheryl Jones, District Clerk.  It required no action on the part of Commissioners and consists of 20 hours of continuing education for both clerks.

Commissioners also approved signing an Inter-Local Agreement between Sulphur Springs Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Brown County for Net Data.  This is a requirement since law enforcement data is being stored in a cloud-based system.

The next meeting of County Commissioners will be Tuesday, February 22, at 9:00 am at the county courthouse as opposed to the normal Monday meeting due to the President’s Day holiday on Monday.