The Terry County Commissioners Court met Monday morning, Sept. 9th and took action on some important items of business by cutting funding and adopting the budget and tax rate. After the call to order, the invocation and pledges the Court moved to approve the previous meeting’s minutes and approved paying the bills.
Next the Court approved the monthly reports from the County Clerk, District Clerk, Justice of the Peace, County Judge and Agri-Life Extension. There will be more to come on those reports. The Court moved to approve a “Mutual Cooperation Mutual Agreement” with South Plains Auto Task Force and Terry County. This agreement is a monetary grant for equipment needed to counteract and detect possible theft, smuggling, and other illegal actions.
Item #6 was next and it was to review and consider approving the interlocal agreement with the City of Brownfield for the maintenance and management of the parks within the City of Brownfield. In the August 26th meeting, the same item of business was on the agenda and Brownfield City Manager Jeff Davis handed the Court a three-page briefing. In the briefing it described the contributions the City of Brownfield makes to the county which include:
- Utility Contribution: $9,447.09
- Ambulance Contribution: $295,000.00
- Museum Contribution: $3,959.00
- Terry County Senior Citizens Contribution: $15,000.00
- Probation Officer Contribution: $15,000.00
- Library Contribution: $13,150.00
- Law Enforcement Center Contribution: $56,000.00
- Volunteer Fire Department Contribution: $12,000.00
- 1/2 Cent Sales Tax (estimate): $610,000.00
Also in the briefing, Davis added the history of the agreement between the City of Brownfield and Terry County, which “Outlines a longstanding partnership for the maintenance and operation of local parks.” Davis added some key points, which were:
- 1953 Agreement: Terry County assumed responsibility for all park operations in exchange for an annual cash payment from the City of Brownfield. The City purchased land for Terry County, which would revert to the City if the park operation ceased. Coleman Park, though owned by the City, was also operated under this agreement.
- Payment Terms: Initially, the City agreed to pay 5 cents on the hundred- dollar valuation of its taxes, calculated based on 35% of the valuation. Even after laws required 100% valuation, the City continued to pay under the old system to avoid a significant increase in costs. The most recent payment was $27,226.
- Additional Contributions: Since 1999, the City also provided $7,000 annually to support prison labor in parks and repairs at the Alamo Event Center. Additionally, the City covers half of the utility bills for the parks, totaling about $25,000 in 2024. Overall, the City’s contributions exceed $60,000.
- New Parks: Jake Geron Park, the Mini-Park behind the museum, and Windmill Park have been added since the original agreement. These parks are owned and operated by the City.
- Park Board: The original agreement included a Park Board with private citizens overseeing the parks. However, in the 1980s, the Commissioner’s Court abolished the Park Board and assumed its duties.
- 2004 Interlocal Agreement: Terry County requested the City to take over the parks and agreed to pay 3 cents per hundred-dollar valuation of its taxes. A new interlocal agreement was established for ten years.
- 2013 Revision: The interlocal agreement was revised in 2013, extending it for three years with automatic one-year renewals unless either party provides a 90-day written notice of termination.
After Davis spoke and asked if there were any questions, there was no reply from the commissioners or county judge for almost 30 seconds until Commissioner Mike Swain made the motion to table the item saying, “Judge I move we table this to discuss it by ourselves at a later date.” Commissioner Martin Lefevere seconded the motion. The Court voted in favor of tabling the item. According to Davis at the time of the August 26th meeting, the county had not rendered a 90 day written termination notice to the city. 90 days from the beginning of the 2024-2025 City of Brownfield fiscal budget, which begins October 1, 2024 would have been July 3, 2024.
Fast forward to the latest meeting, the Court needed to bring the item off the table to discuss and consider the interlocal agreement with the City of Brownfield. The agreement was for the County to pay $300K for the maintenance and management of the parks. According to the Terry County 2025 proposed budget, in the expenditures summary, on the parks services line item, there was $11,000.00 budgeted, compared to the current 2024 budget of $312,800.00, 2023 budget of $311,800.00, and the 2022 budget of $312,800.00. Also under the Park Services departmental expenditures, the line item for city park maintenance the proposed budget is $0.00.
The item was officially brought off the table and discussed among the commissioners. Swain began the discussion saying, “Judge… nobody wants to talk about it because it’s one of those kinda things. We have a park of our own out there (Enoch Stewart Park, by the county show barn) We have a show barn, a rodeo arena, and a park… we could spend $300,000.00 a year on that for the next few years to get it back in shape. Swain continued talking about the shape of the show barn and rodeo arena, “We were left with one park and it’s a train wreck and it needs the help.” said Swain.
Commissioner Martin Lefevere followed Swain, saying, “I’ve heard a lot of comments on Coleman Park, and there’s a lot of people who think it’s not being kept up. It’s just got stickers… not being watered. I got a fella that I drink coffee with that’s down there a lot, and he’s not satisfied with it.” Commissioner Ernesto Elizardo also chimed in saying,”I don’t think there’s anything against the city in particular or anything… it’s just the numbers over here on the county side, we to take care of what we to take care of.”
Swain would state again, “Y’all go down there and take a look… it’s a train wreck, and it needs help bad. Like I said we have place to with that money. We’ve had people asking about it for a long time… they’ve been waiting in line for a long time for some help out there. Judge, I move, we terminate the interlocal agreement with the city for the maintenance and management of the parks within the City of Brownfield.” Lefevere seconded the motion. All four commissioners voted to terminate the agreement.
After the public hearing for the Terry County Clerk 2024-2025 Records Management & Record Archive Plan (IGC 118.025), the Court would move to go into the public hearing for the proposed 2025 budget. City of Brownfield Mayor Eric Horton was granted to speak. Mayor Horton said, “As Mayor of the City of Brownfield, I want to put out my displeasure on this idea of taking away the $300,000.00 in y’all’s budget to help pay for the maintenance for the parks and recreation of the City of Brownfield. At no time was there a good faith effort, I dont think, to come and negotiate… come to the table. There was plenty of time to do that… technically had before July 1st to do all these things. July 1st to now, actually before now you had a 90 day written termination notice the city did not receive from the county. With that I think it would be in y’all’s best interest as the county to continue with this $300,000.00… at least for one more year.” Mayor Horton reiterated to the Court he didn’t think it was right the County did not let the city know about the taking out the funding. Mayor Horton finished saying, “So I’m asking you during this public hearing that you please add that $300,000.00 back to your budget before you adopt the budget… thank you.”
After Mayor Horton spoke, Davis was granted to speak as well saying, “I just want to reiterate what the mayor talked about. You do understand that we’ll have to make up this money from somewhere… you know there will be other services cut, so the people who will be hurt is the community. I just want everybody to understand that we’ll make cuts in other areas that affect the community. y’all’s decision today will affect the rest of the community.”
The Court came out the public hearing and moved to approve the 2025 budget as proposed. After the approval of the budget, the Court would have another public hearing, this time on the proposed tax rate. Davis again was granted to speak, saying, “I know y’all will be adopting a tax rate that was below the voter-approved rate… y’all think about that money could go back to the city. Y’all think about every tax-paying citizen inside the City of Brownfield pay county taxes too, so y’all are cutting from the citizens of Brownfield.”
Swain said to Davis, “Jeff, they’re welcome to come to the park when we get it fixed up… we’re really trading, we’re not denying the trade. Let us fix up the park, and they’ll be welcome to come there.” Swain went on to make the point that the county’s main revenue stream is from property taxes, and the city has services that help it operate.
Elizardo also chimed in, saying, “We give $2.4 million a year… the county gives and we don’t get nothing in return. We support all the other entities in the city, we support the library, we support the juvenile… we support everything… we give money to everybody. We’re not just cutting off the city or anything… we give money to everybody around the county. Like I said it is $2.4 million. If we don’t have money in our budget to make ends-meat, we can’t sell anything. Elizardo also reiterated Swains comments about having the county property taxes as its main revenue stream.
When the Court came out of the hearing they moved to approve the tax rate at $0.7155. Last year’s tax rate per $100 valuation was $0.705537. The new “No-New-Revenue” tax rate would be $0.690041 which would levy $6,686,666.00. One percent above the no-new-revenue would be $0.696941 and would levy $6,753,528.00 or $66,862.00 more. If the Court chose to go with a one cent per $100 tax increase at $0.700041, it would levy $6,783,586.00. Under the “voter-approved” tax rate, which is $0.726605, the levy would be $7,040,980.00, an increase of $354,314.00 from the no-new-revenue rate. Also, this is the highest the tax rate can go without triggering an election. The Court moved to propose a $0.715500 tax rate which would levy $6,931,640.58, an increase of $244,974.00 from the no-new-revenue and an increase of $94,814 from last years tax rate.
Next the Court would review and consider approving sealed bids for the Terry County Law Enforcement Center’s (TCLEC) roof. According to Sheriff Tim Click, the hail storm that took place in June of 2024 damaged the roof of the TCLEC. The Texas Association of Counties has been out to adjust the damages and bids were needed to repair the roof. The Court approved the advertising of bids for the repair of the TCLEC roof. The Court accepted D&J Holdings bid for $153,000.00
Next the Court opened sealed bids for the Terry County Show Barn electrical repairs. There was only one bid, and it was Marty’s Total Electric Company for $93,447.06. There was one more seal bid needed approval and it is for the Terry County Agri-Life Extension Ag truck. The bid went to Sames Auto Group. The next item of business was to review and consider approving the Terry County Subdivision and Manufactured Home Rental Community Regulations. In the previous meeting the Court tabled this item, and they decided to table it one more time. So no action was taken on this item.
The final item of business was for County Judge Tony Serbantez to state and sign the Terry County Annual Farm Tour Proclamation. The Tour will be held on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.
