Under advice from county fire departments and emergency management, Freestone County Commissioners voted to lift the burn ban March 16.
County Clerk Renee Reynolds presented a plan from the Enduro Recycling Program, which will deduct $1,000 from the county’s bill if it recycles file cabinets. Commissioners approved of recycling two file cabinets.
Also approved was an amendment to an agreement between the County Clerk and Vanguard Records Management & Imaging Systems.
Reynolds reached out to the company to negotiate a reduction in the county’s bill from the current $7,000 a month.
The company also charges five cents per document for microfilm storage, for an average of $150, which the company will waive. Reynolds said that lowers their bill to around $4,950 a month, and preserves the county’s 50 cents on the dollar revenue for documents purchased online.
“The reason this costs so much is that we’ve been leasing the equipment,” Reynolds said.
There are twelve pieces of equipment at roughly $600 a month per item, however, at the end of the contract next year, the company will give the county the equipment.
“We’re going to take on indexing all these documents,” Reynolds said. “We can do it in house. Other counties do it. We’re going to give it a shot.”
Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between the County Clerk and eCoding Partners Network, SIMPLIFILE, LC and Corporation Service Company.
This is a free service to the county, offering a national electronic recording service to act as a third party between title insurance companies, bankers, and other organizations to submit documents to government entities for reporting.
An agreement between HOTCOG and the county was approved, giving the county use of equipment purchased with state and federal grant funds.
The court again tabled discussion of an agreement for microfilm storage between Avenu Enterprise Solutions and the District Clerk.
Also tabled was discussion of a service agreement proposal from Guardian Security Services.
Commissioners approved the county’s investment policy and the purchase of a new Massey Ferguson 4WD for Pct. 2.
A replat was approved for September Sounds Lots 1 and 2 for Final Plot 1-R, as well as a transfer of .25 acres and .27 of acres of unused easement in Teague to the adjoining property owner, reserving the mineral rights.
The court also approved budget transfers, amendments, payment of bills, payroll, employee bonds and certification and reports from county departments and organizations, including a report from Sanderson Farms, certifying it has met its employment requirements under the existing tax abatement agreement.
