Local Weather Forecast
Today: Current:89	Friday: 95/75	Saturday: 96/74
Complete Forecast for  Jul 24 2008

By ROY MAYNARD
Staff Writer

Smith County commissioners on Monday will continue their long-range planning process, and will discuss last week’s announcement of tentative plans for a November jail bond election and other steps toward solving the county’s infrastructure needs.

“We’ll be talking about some of the ideas we have,” said County Judge Joel Baker. “I don’t think there will be much action taken, because we’re still working on some pieces of the puzzle for all of this to really happen.”

Last week, Baker revealed that a scaled-down jail project could be put before Smith County voters in November.

He confirmed that in recent months he’s been meeting with Bobby Curtis, who led the “vote no” group that helped defeat the last jail bond proposition, with Commissioner JoAnn Fleming, and with state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler.

Baker said it’s been “an effort to develop consensus in finding the right jail plan for Smith County.”

But that’s not the only infrastructure need the court will discuss on Monday. Baker wants to press commissioners on the status of the decaying Smith County Office Building (the old Carlton Hotel), which houses several county departments.

“I really want us to talk about moving folks out of the Carlton,” Baker said. “I want to hear what the court thinks about a schedule, and about how quickly we can move people out of there.”

Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. Monday on the first floor of the Smith County Courthouse Annex, 200 E. Ferguson St. Their long-range planning workshop will take place at 1:15 p.m.

Other items to be considered for approval on Monday include:

Payment of bills and payroll, transfers of funds, health claims and budget transfers and amendments.

Utility and pipeline installation requests.

Easements and plats.

Bids for janitorial supplies.

Contract modification with AVS Food Services.

Contract for flex base materials.

Auction of unneeded items.

Receive report from environmental officers on trash removal from county property.

The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority project priority spreadsheet.

Commissioners will also hold an executive session on the county’s lease agreement with the Republican Party.