Firefighting items and stray dogs finish out the Monday, September 16, 2020, Freestone County Commissioner’s Court meeting.
The discussion over Freestone County’s problem with stray animals, especially stray dog, started during the meeting.
Judge Linda Grant discussed how this would be county wide animal control, and that the, “Cities hopefully participate in the expense.”
Judge Grant did say that this has not been discussed with every city in the County, but she plans to bring this to each city.
Freestone County Sheriff Jeremy Shipley added, “It is a huge problem here in the County, the stray dogs are,” as he pointed out that this is not simply a matter of a picking up the animals, but the plan on what to do with them afterward.
The details and options will not be discussed till a later meeting.
Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department’s Assistant Chief Laney Newman discussed the need for new gear as they have grown from only eight members to an impressive twenty-two, only four members short of a full roster of twenty-six.
As of right now they only have twelve sets of gear, due to some gear ‘expiring’ around two years ago.
Firefighting equipment only has a ten year lifespan from time of purchase.
Because this request came at the end of the fiscal year, the County was unable to act on it, but will be revisiting once the new fiscal year starts in October.
The Commissioner’s Court was able to approve the purchase of a lift assist that is battery operated. Not needing to use a power outlet allows the Fire Department far more versatility in where the lift is used.
The Fire Department already has the lift in their possession on a trial run, which will soon be a purchased item.
Other topics covered during the meeting were:
–Plan to archive the 1960-1969 District Clerk’s records
–Set the annual salary of the Official Court Reporter of the 87th and 77th Judicial District at $13,306 and $33,936
–Appoint Loren Ansley as the Election Judge for Precinct #12 Liberty
–Agreement to give both Fairfield Library Association, Inc. and the Teague Public Library the agreed upon funds
