Erath County is set to open its new County Annex building next week and the brand new building will accommodate the growth the county is needing for now and in the future.
The building currently known as County Annex No. 2 is located at 222 E. College Street, right down the road from both the current courthouse and current annex.
Voters registration, county voting, the County Clerk land records office and the tax assessor collector’s office will all be located in the new building.
“I am so excited,” County Clerk Gwinda Jones said. “It’s finally time to move, I can hardly believe it. This has been discussed and worked on at different locations with different properties for twenty years. My whole office is just thrilled. We are grateful to everyone that helped make it possible. We are excited to show it off so everyone come vote. Early Voting starts Oct. 23.”
Jones’ office will be closed Friday, Sept. 22, moved completely over during the weekend and is anticipated to be open at the new location Monday, Sept. 25. The office will be closed and online records will be unavailable Friday while moving.
Tax Assessor-Collector Jennifer Carey said she is also excited for the move, though there are still items that have to occur before her office can move completely over.
“It will be nice to have more room for my employees. It will be even more exciting for the elections to be held in the big conference room. We have done way too many elections cramped in the courthouse foyer. Moving everything in and having access to all of our information will definitely be a big plus,” Carey said.
The 23,000 sq. ft. building has been a work in progress the old building was demolished in 2020 and was paid for with county financial reserves at a pricetag of $7.2 million.
The open air space of the building will be showcasing art exhibits from Cross Timbers Fine Arts and photography exhibits from local 4H kids.
There will also be a space furnished with a kitchen for Texas Agrilife classes.