At today’s meeting of the Brown County Commissioners, approval was given to the appointment of Eric Hicks as Interim Emergency Coordinator.  The former Emergency Coordinator, Darrell Johnston, retired at the end of 2024, and Hicks will serve until a new person can be hired for the job.  Hicks is the Chief of the City of Brownwood Fire Department.  Brown County will pay him for eight hours per week at the rate of $56.41/hour.  His appointment is for no more than six months, through July 14 at the latest.

In other business:

*** Commissioners voted to reinstate the Burn Ban in Brown County

*** After a long discussion with Sheriff Vance Hill, Commissioners approved a plan for the use of two road maintenance crews made up of County Jail inmates who are eligible and available.  One crew will be shared by Precincts One and Three, the other crew will be shared by Precincts Two and Four.

*** Commissioners approved a request from Sheriff Hill to purchase a cell phone application known as Tango Tango.  This app, according to Hill, effectively turns a cell phone into a two-way radio, enabling the phone holder to connect into the County’s emergency radio equipment.  With the app, any County law enforcement officer, even if off-duty, can instantly be in communication with other officers in an emergency situation.  The Tango Tango app will also be made available to the Brownwood Fire Department and all ten volunteer fire departments in Brown County.  The cost will be $10,485 for three years, and will be paid for with money from the County Jail inmate phone charges.

*** Commissioners approved a proposal from the County’s information technology consultant, Goldsmith Solutions, for the destruction of obsolete hard drives and tablets.  This proposal was on the meeting agenda a few weeks ago at a cost of $2,974, but the Commissioners tabled the request at the time, citing concern over the cost.  The cost was reduced to $1,914.90, and the Commissioners approved.

*** Commissioners approved an advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for maintenance of a railroad crossing on County Road 271 near Zephyr.  TexDOT inspects railroad crossings for safety considerations, and found this particular crossing in need of improvements.  TexDOT will pay for the improvements, while Brown County agreed to provide routine maintenance in the future.