The Terry County Commissioners Court had its regular meeting Monday morning Feb. 27, 2023. The Court heard from a couple of those who made presentations. The first four items of business were quickly gone through and then the Court would hear from Terry County Tax Accessor/Collector Rexann Furlow. The purpose of her presentation was to show the Court what consists of the office duties, plus she thanked the Court for allowing one more employee into the office.
The purpose of adding an additional employee in the near future is for the Tax Accessor/Collector Office (CTAC) to renew Texas driver’s licenses. According to Furlow, there is not a definitive date, but it will be soon. The CTAC serves the community’s needs in motor vehicle titling and registration, boat and motor titling and registration, beer and liquor licensing, hunting and fishing licensing along with a variety of other services. Such as registration renewals (License Plates and Registration Stickers), vehicle title transfers, semi-truck, trailer, and seasonal registration, non-fee license plates such as Purple Heart and, disabled veterans license plates, disabled parking placards, copies of registration receipts for verification of residency, temporary registration for trucks, trailers, vehicles, out of state haulers, and out of country haulers, mechanic & storage liens, salvage, and non-repairable vehicle, collection of fees for over 200 beer, wine, and liquor licenses.
However, it doesn’t just stop there. The CTAC also verifies US IDs, passports, Texas Ag and Timber cards, insurance, and child support. Registration for boats and jet skies, boat title transfers, the office is an agent for the Texas Parks and Wildlife. With that comes the responsibility for the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, permits, endorsements, and distribution of those monies, plus specialty and personalized license plates.
Something else the Terry CTAC office does that those other offices in the county don’t do is their own accounting. Most offices in the county government use the County Treasurer and County Auditor when sending and receiving funds. However, because CTAC is an extension of the State Comptrollers Office, the county CTAC is responsible for maintaining and accounting for the offices’ bank accounts that hold the funds to be distributed to the different government agencies. Furlow (CTAC) is responsible for collecting and reporting the sales tax to the Comptroller’s office. CTAC is also responsible for the daily, weekly, and monthly distribution of the state, county, and other government agencies’ funds. The CTAC is audited by the comptroller, Texas Parks & Wildlife, TXDMV, and county auditors
Furlow told the court that her office sees an average of 70 customers a day, which is roughly about 17,500 a year. Furlow also stated to the Court, “I believe the taxpayers are not only our customers but also the owners of the tax office. Every employee is committed to serving the citizens with the utmost respect, and they will be served in a manner that is as pleasant and efficient as possible.”
The next item of business was a quick presentation by Terry County Clerk Kim Carter about the completion of required hours of continued education as prescribed in section 51.605 of the Texas Government Code. Carter told the Court on top of her continuing education, the Texas 88th Legislature is still cleaning up some issues from the 87th Legislature.
Up next was a presentation from the South Plains Association of Governments (SPAG) and Caprock Business Finance Corporation on small business loan programs, which was presented by Kelly Davila Director of Regional Services /Economic Development SPAG/Caprock BFC. Other team members with Davila were Cindy Castillo and Ashlyn Brown. They all three took time to discuss what each of them does for SPAG/Caprock. They spoke about the eligibility of small business loans, through Caprock, plus SPAG’s two different small business loan options, which SPAG has a revolving loan fund program and the “CORE Economic Impact Relief” loan program.
On the next item of business, the Court approved the 2023 Certified Cybersecurity Course as required by Tx. Govt Code 2054.5191. Any county employee that uses a county-owned computer is required to take the certified cybersecurity course, and must be done each year.
The Court then went into Executive Session. County Judge Tony Serbantez, Commissioners Mike Swain, Richards Cavazos, & Martin Lefevere, County Clerk Kim Carter, and Couty Auditor Sabrina Bandy were present on the Court. Commissioner Ernesto Elizardo was absent.
