The Sheriff’s Office needs patrol vehicles. The county says it does not have the money to buy new cars for the Sheriff’s Office. After half an hour of discussing the problem Tuesday the result was the Commissioners Court voted to take no action on getting more patrol vehicles for the Sheriff. The Court was split 3 to 2 as both Commissioners John Banken and David Dubose expressed desire during the discussion to purchase some vehicles for the Sheriff even if it was not the full total of 15 requested by Sheriff Keith Merritt during budget workshops. Sheriff Merritt says it is a question of priorities the Court needs to address, asking the Commissioners and County Judge Brint Carlton to consider what is more important: a voting machine and a machine to pave roads; or the safety of the citizens in the county and the effectiveness as well as the safety of his deputies which are forced to drive old and worn out patrol vehicles. The Court earlier this month approved using close to $500,000 to purchase a new vote counting machine and a machine for paving roads which used up most of the capital outlay contingency fund which might have been used for purchasing the vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office. County Judge Carlton suggested Sheriff Merritt could use some drug forfeiture money the Sheriff’s Office has to purchase the vehicles, but Merritt disagreed saying it was not allowed under the federal guidelines for those funds.
The Commissioners voted unanimously to take no action at this time on a request from Parkwood Land Company in Vidor to implement a flood damage prevention order. Sonny Stevenson with Parkwood Land Company made the request to have Orange County help him get permission to proceed with repairing an existing levee on his property along the Neches River. Stevenson says the Corps of Engineers have ignored his efforts, and he was hoping the influence of Orange County might get some movement on the repairs. An expensive study was part of the request which would cost in excess of $100,000, plus possibly another $100,000 to get FEMA to change their flood maps. The Commissioners Court did not rule out considering the request at a later date.
The Commissioners Court approved a resolution Tuesday endorsing a new tollway of approximately 10 miles extending from the intersection of FM 105 and Interstate 10 in Vidor westward to the intersection of State Highway 105 and U. S. Highway 69 in Beaumont. The toll road would include the installation of a new elevated crossing of the Neches River which would be very useful in the case of emergency evacuations. The Texas Turnpike Corporation asked for approval of the resolution as a show of support which will help them get public funding from the Texas Department of Transportation. Scott Young a consultant for the Texas Turnpike Corporation said they are seeking resolutions of support from both Orange and Jefferson Counties as well as the municipalities of Vidor, Beaumont and others that the toll road will run through. No firm date was given as to when construction would start. Judge Carlton predicted it would probably be at least three to four years before the project is done and added it will not cost Orange County any tax dollars of the estimated $150 million to build.
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