All county vehicles will soon have tracking devices on them in order to prevent theft and add a level of security.
At the Monday, June 23 commissioners court meeting Auditor Kent Reeves presented a proposal from Quartix that would allow all vehicles to have tracking devices on them, primarily to aid the Erath County Sheriff’s Office with tracking deputies for officer safety reasons.
Reeves said he had looked into per requests and it would cost $5,400 for the first year with no long-term contract.
The devices not only track location but can also tell speed, hard braking and other things about the drivers. This information could be gathered at the county’s discretion, but is not a requirement.
The devices would also help commissioners determine which employee was closest to aid with downed trees etc. and would benefit if a county vehicle was stolen. The commissioners would also have devices on their vehicles.
“I personally think it’s a great tool,” County Judge Brandon Huckabee said.
Geofencing can also be done with the company, alerting when a vehicle leaves a certain area, like the county.
“I think it’s a good idea, but we have got to have rules,” Commissioner Albert Ray said.
Huckabee said there was already a county vehicle use policy and that it was up to the elected officials to enforce it.
“It would be tied into the emergency dispatch system in order to know where the units are,” Huckabee said about the deputies. “We need consistency, I agree.”
Devices can also be placed on large equipment the county may be wary about being stolen.
Reeves also presented information for establishing an Enterprise Business county for renting vehicles people can use for county business travel, if they choose not to use their own.
The option would be presented for conferences and would cost the county approximately the same as reimbursing people to drive their own vehicles.
“We would give them a choice,” Reeves said. “It simply saves the effort of reimbursement.”
The needed reservations could be made through the auditor’s office.
Approval was given for the county to get two tire disposal trailers for tire recycling events to be held in Dublin and Stephenville. Though city of Dublin recently held a tire recycling event, Ray said they could utilize another one due to the speed in which the tire trailer filled up. The tire recycling events will be publicized once they are set up by the county. The trailers and recycling cost $3,000 per trailer.
County Tax Assessor-Collector Valerie Stephen asked the court to change the credit card processing company they utilize for payments.
Stephen said they have been having some issues getting payments in a timely manner with the current company. With the current company it is 3.2% of whatever the payment is, except for American Express which is 4%. With Gov-Pay Services, rates are lower with 2.5% for credit, 1.95% for debit, 2.5% online, $2 online with an e-check and only 3.5 day turn around to get funds.
There is also a flat-rate for larger tax payments instead of a percentage, she said.
“We are trying to save our taxpayers some funds,” Stephen said.
Stephen also asked for court approval for the Dublin Tax and Motor Vehicle Office to have a fully functioning cash drawer. Currently, only a nominal amount of cash is kept in the drawer, and Stephen said with the construction in town it can be difficult for them to get any change. The commissioners approved up to $250 for the Dublin location.
The sheriff’s office was denied approval to travel to North Carolina to get a tracked skidsteer. The court denied the request since ECSO could utilize the county’s equipment.
“We were honestly just trying not to have to bother you guys,” Lt. David Southerland said. “We’ve been looking for about a year and haven’t found one closer.”
Since a lot of times the conditions are unknown until they arrive to get the item, the court had reservations about the money it would take to get the skidsteer in working condition, and transport costs.
The skidsteer would be utilized to clean out livestock pens for estray animals and they would get a ballistic attachment that could be used as protection for the SWAT team in the event they have to make entry against an armed suspect.
“I don’t see the need for this, when you guys can utilize our equipment,” Commissioner Sherman Edwards said.
“I would rather see you guys spend the money on the attachment,” Commissioner Dee Stephens said.
In other business the court:
■ awarded a bid to DFW Pavers at a cost of $ 250,900
■ allowed the county clerk to enter into a software service agreement with Tyler Technology for land records
■ approved the resolution for HAVA funds in relation to the Erath County Elections Office
■ allowed Kim Johnson with the Sheriff’s Office to travel to a class in Durango, Colorado for a equine investigations academy. She also received a $1,850 scholarship for the class. The class will provide education to allow her to become an expert witness for animal cruelty cases.
■ approved an interlocal agreement with North Central Texas Emergency Communications District for the county
■ accepted a donation valued at $2,344.68 from Roger Williams and Jackalope Customs for a suspension lift kit for the 2025 Jeep Gladiator for the ECSO