The Freestone County Commissioner Court was well attended, including recent Republican candidates primary winners, Lloyd Lane and Richard McGowan, on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

During the meeting, a motion was made with a second, and then passed to make Freestone County a sanctuary county for all businesses.

This means that Freestone County considers all businesses inside the county to be Essential Businesses.

This movement began in Texas Counties during the beginning of June as a response to the economical damages that the lockdown’s have caused the citizens of Texas.

A purchase for search and rescue gear for the Fire Departments in the County of Freestone was approved for $3,000.

After fighting floodwaters back on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, a need was seen, and it was brought before the commissioners who not only saw the need, but also showed their appreciation for what the Firefighters of Freestone County do.

A mandate requires every jail to have psychological services was discussed and voted on during the meeting.

Normally, any form of medical/mental case is sent to the Limestone County Detention Center, regardless the State of Texas requires Freestone County Jail to have someone available.

The service from Taft Services of Corsicana, Texas will be offered on an as needed basis, with 10-12 hours a week that can rollover to the next week.

The services cost approximately $30,000 a year as opposed to the other options that are significantly more expensive.

Additional names were drawn for the Salary Grievance Committee:
–Sharon Lopes
–Charles Gibson
–Walton West
–Melanie Hemingway
–Dee Lynn Chap
–Karen Albright
–Karen Nowaski
–John Abraham
–Jerry Moore

Freestone County entered into an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the County Transportation Infrastructure Fund (CTIF) Grant of approximately $361k.

They voted, and decided, to apply for the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Grant, but at this time the amount is unknown.

If approved this will allow the County to claim back some (or all) of the monies spent on necessary purchases to help fight against COVID-19.