Commissioners vote to keep burn ban off, fees the same
During their meeting on Monday, Sept. 24, Stephens County Commissioners voted to keep the burn ban off for two more weeks, because of all the recent rain in the area. After having the ban in place for several months, commissioners originally lifted the ban on outdoor burning at their Sept. 10 meeting.
They also voted to keep the 2019 Constable and Sheriff’s Office fees at the same rate they were this year. The fees are charged by the two departments when they serve civil paperwork. For example, if somebody is being sued and they are served with paperwork telling them they’re being sued, there is a fee to serve the notice. Other examples include eviction notices, writs of execution, and notices to vacate. The fees are paid by the people or entities arranging to have the paperwork served, and the rates for the fees are set each year by the Commissioners Court.
Commissioners also approved a request by Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt to transfer a $500 check received from Law Enforcement Magnets to the Sheriff Office’s K9 budget.
Holt told commissioners that the magnet company works with law enforcement agencies to create refrigerator magnets that have all the local emergency numbers printed on them. He said the company finds local businesses to sponsor the cost of producing the magnets by putting their logos or advertisements on the magnets. Once the magnets are produced, they will be shipped to the Sheriff’s Office and will be handed out to the public at community events.
As an incentive to participate in the program, Holt said, Law Enforcement Magnets donated $500 to the Sheriff’s Office. Most checks written to the Sheriff’s Office are deposited to the county’s general fund, and Holt requested the money be transferred to the K9 account in this year’s budget.
He said that since they are just getting started with the K9 project, they don’t have a K9 expense line in the budget for this year. He said by putting the money in the K9 account, they can pay for expenses like dog food and vet bills without having the take funds out of another line item in the Sheriff’s Office budget this year. He said with next year’s budget, the K9 program is fully funded.
Story by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt talks to commissioners during their meeting on Monday, Sept. 24. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
