County road maintenance is a concern for both residents and Commissioners alike. But an agreement made between a private individual and a Commissioner back in 2006-7 has put a whole new spotlight on the issue and put some residents in the lurch.
Storie Road, in Northern Marion County, was formally adopted as a County Road in 2006. However, the County stopped maintaining the end of the road to make a property owner happy. That individual no longer owns any property along the road, and new owners are calling for maintenance being restored. The original dispute had to do with school busses turning around in the individuals driveway.
“We have to take an ATV to get to our property,” said property owner Shannon Taylor.
Since the road was adopted, a new spur has been created and homes have been built along it.
County Commissioners, and Assistant County Attorney Bill Gleason, appeared to understand that the portion in question was beyond the adopted road, and asked the owners to meet with the County Judge and Pct. 2 Commissioner Jacob Pattison to determine a course of action moving forward as State law prohibits the use of public funds for private use.
In other business, Commissioners:
-Approved financial obligations for April
-Approved CEU hours for County Auditor BJ Westbrook
-Requested Unclaimed Property Capital Credits from Texas Comptroller
-Ratified purchase of a Kubota M9540 from Fisher Hay & Feed for $27,500 for Pct. 4 from Self Insurance fund
-Approved additional costs associated with handwritten records preservation for $5,461.50
-Appointed Terry Thompson and Scott Clark to the Cypress Valley Navigation Board
-Combined the DA and County Clerk part time positions into one full time position, shared by the offices. This allows the employee to receive benefits.