V Hugh Lewis II
Jefferson Jimplecute
TPS reports were the order of the night during Tuesday’s City Council meeting as various departments and organizations gave their quarterly reports to Aldermen.
Jefferson Police Chief Florentino Perez provided his year-end report to Council outlining the status of the department, how they performed as compared to 2023, and their racial profiling report.
Overall the calls for service were down compared to 2023 (805 to 674) but the total number of offense reports were up 178 vs 141. Perez said now the department is fully staffed, they have been focusing on traffic related instances which has resulted in fewer traffic stops as well as accidents and incidents as compared to 2023. However, Code Enforcement has seen a slight rise against 2023 numbers as the department now has a part time officer dedicated to code enforcement. The officer is taking a pro-active approach instead of waiting for calls/complaints. He indicated most of the incidents are nuisance grass length reports and that most had complied after being notified by the department.
Vehicle wise the department is planning on retiring one vehicle and repurposing a second due to mileage and engine hours.
Perez said he is also approaching officer training a little differently this year and is encouraging them to pursue an intermediate or higher peace officers license. This would allow them to do more focused training in the future instead of repeating the same courses year after year. The department also hosted a Sexual Assault Family Violence Investigator Course for area officers. Officers from Texarkana, Marion County, Van Zandt County, San Augustine and JPD all attended the course.
Lastly, Perez provided the revenue collected from fines over the last 5 years. From 2020-2025, $491, 074.38 has been collected with $63,982.34 being collected in 2024.
The Friends of Jefferson Animals provided their quarterly update reporting that 84 animals have been spayed or neutered in 2024 via Animal Protection League and paid for by FOJA. They said they could not break down those into City vs County as APL does not have a way to separate the locations. However, FOJA did spend $9,514.59 on vet fees and $4,421.43 in food and supplies for City animals. FOJA also let Council know there is a new pack of dogs attacking some of the feral cat colonies in town and have been active between 2-2:30 in the morning.
JEDCO provided a summary of their activities in Q4 2024 which included a $47,000 grant to Queen Horse Bedding to relocate a water main to assist with a request from the County for Queen to relocate their entrance to help with road maintenance issues.
JEDCO has also committed to $540,000 in sewer projects for the City, which are either under construction or pending start.
JEDCO has a fund balance of $1,655,113 as of December 31, 2024, after the committed funds are removed.
Planning and Zoning informed Council their public hearings are currently underway, and they hope to have revised zoning proposals, and a revised building permit and processes for review later this summer.
The Marion County Community Center updated Council on their work and activities during the last quarter including updating and expanding parking areas, grants to go towards replacing flooring, and various repairs and upgrades to the facilities.
Tourism stated they were on track budget wise with revenue and expenditures both near 25%. They also provided Council with a copy of the latest edition of the Visitors Guide, Discover Jefferson and Marion County. Board president Colleen Taylor asked Council to start thinking about Christmas lights and how to fund them in the coming year and that she had several companies looking at lighting options for Polk and Austin streets. She also said volunteers are needed to examine the existing lights and do necessary repairs before the holidays.
Ward 3 Alderman Robin Moore suggested Taylor speak to Rotary as they are “always looking for service projects.”
Taylor also indicated she had heard of several complaints about the lighting and other issues from this last Christmas season, but through various sources, not directly. She asked people who had concerns to come to a meeting and tell the board their concerns directly.
Additional presentations from the Jefferson Fire Department and the Quiet Zone were on the agenda, but no one was present to make a presentation.