WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – Wichita County leaders got several projects moving today at the courthouse’s monthly Commissioners Court meeting, improving energy, law enforcement, and more for the Wichita County area.
Wichita County Judge Jim Johnson said the agenda included a variety of programs in criminal justice, transportation, and more.
The Wichita County Commissioners Court approved a number of agenda items today, including a tax abatement agreement for a new solar farm project located west of Iowa Park and east of Electra, north of 287.
And in other technology developments, the county judge signed Amendment IV today, modifying a service agreement with Global Tel Link Corporation.
“It’s a little confusing because this is not a new project; it’s not a new agreement. It’s one that the court approved back in December, but there needed to be some modifications to that agreement. The public could be informed, and we did a public hearing, and we talked about that modified agreement today,“ Judge Johnson said.
Its main impact is on communication options for inmates in jail. Johnson said a federal law change requires this amendment.
“I think federal law changed and required that amendment to happen, and so basically that’s us getting in line to the federal line change to how those amendments and what funds are used to pay for them, what the costs are. I think there was a federal law change late last year that required that amendment to bring us into compliance,“ Johnson said.
Johnson said today also got the ball rolling on a request for recycled base material from the Texas Department of Transportation, which will be used for road construction projects in Wichita Falls.
“TXDOT has a great program where if they end up with extra materials, counties are able to apply for it. That’s road material we are going to have to use for our road maintenance and construction projects this year. If we can get it for free from TXDOT, that’s obviously a great thing for our taxpayers because the funds that would be spent to do that are going to go to other things or, hopefully, even to tax cuts,“ Johnson said.
Johnson said the court also authorized grant funding for the City of Wichita Falls, set to fund training equipment for the police department.
“We partnered with the city for a long time, but every year our needs change. The Sheriff’s office this year saw a need for that and for the breaching equipment and the training around it, and so that’s what it will be used for,“ Johnson said.
Johnson emphasized that it is exciting for the court to show that Wichita County wants to see economic vitality happen with the beginning of so many projects.
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