Texas M.O.R. has filed for a Specific Use permit for an oil well labeled “Chapman 3” to be located on SECR 0070.

The recommendation to deny the permit was made by Lake Planning and Zoning, and placed on the consideration portion of Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting.“We’ve moved the well three different times to satisfy surface owners,” Wilson said. “We’ve never paid road bonds anywhere in the state of Texas, and we’ve drilled all around the state, and permitting wells inside the county … we’ve never done that before either.”Wilson told Judge Davenport, and commissioners, that these are both rather strange rules, and that they are placing people under restraints that he doesn’t believe need to be there or should be there.

“We are meeting the requirements of the county,” Wilson said, “much to our objection.”Judge Davenport, in his rebuttle, addressed some of what Wilson had to say.“Not every county is like Navarro County,” said Judge Davenport. “There’s a lot of counties in Texas wherein the county commissioners have not taken the time to put forth those road bonds to protect their property.”

Judge Davenport said he has been in touch with Dallas based attornies Allison and Bass, concerning whether or not the county can impose such regulations.“I will say that the … attornies did e-mail us back, me specifically,” Judge Davenport said, “saying that we are indeed operating within the auspices of our county and under the appropriate statues to protect our road system.”I think if we don’t look out for our taxpayers, and our money that we have to spend to keep our roads up, he said, then we are in trouble.

Judge Davenport said attorney Allison wrote back saying that the small operators in Texas are doing the most damage to our roads.“It hadn’t been done here before I came in,” Judge Davenport said, referring to the road bonds, “but guarantee it’s going to be done now because my interest, and our (commissioners) interest is in the best interest of the taxpayer.”Wilson said they are in the interest of trying to keep things moving in their business, and decided to go along with what the county has requested.“We just wanted you to take note that we don’t believe you have the right to do what you’re doing,” said Wilson.

Also noted, by Wilson, was the fact his company has made Corsicana it’s home, and has set up office here.He requested that this information would be taken under consideration since other companies are located elsewhere around the state.Judge Davenport told Wilson he liked the fact his company was drilling in Navarro County, that he liked to have people making money, and he had no problem with that at all.“We want to see you prosper,” said Judge Davenport. “We just want to cover our own bases instead of spending the taxpayers money to keep replacing a road or culvert.”

Judge Davenport told Wilson that if his company didn’t want to abide by the regulations then that was his right, but reiterated that the county is operating under the appropriate guidelines of the state, and it is within their rights to do what is being done.“No one else has taken that right and gone forth with it as we have in this county,” said Judge Davenport, “so that’s what we are doing.”Commissioners voted to approve Special Use permits for three oil wells, and three injection wells all submitted by Texas M.O.R., including the one well that had been relocated on three separate occasions, moving it an appropriate distance from a residence.Commissioners approved a final plat for Grandview Deux and Baybridge, and tabled a consideration for a petition in the creation of a Fresh Water Supply District for Southport Marina, Inc.

On the regular agenda, commissioners approved budget ammendments for Precinct’s 3 & 4, to cover increased fuel expense since the budget was passed back in October.The county also had to refund collection of property taxes on Trinidad Drilling, LP, based out of Harris County, due to the fact it was rendered incorrectly in Navarro County.The county refunded a little over $48,000, while Kerens ISD had to refund approximately $96,000.

According to Navarro County Tax Accessor Collector, Russell Hudson, the change came from the Appraisal District.

“What happened was,” Hudson said, “the company, Trinidad Drilling, voluntarily rendered that property on January 7, 2007, and put it on the tax rolls. For that one year, the Texas Legislaturure had changed stating that if a property was not their immobile property, and not there for 365 days following the first of the year, it was to be rendered in the home county from where the parent company resided, which was Harris County.”

Hudson went on to say that Trinidad Drilling rendered it in Navarro County, and it was certified on the tax rolls on July 25, 2007, but Harris County caught it and threatened to sue the company. The appraisal review board denied a request by the company to take it off the tax rolls. At that point legal action was taken by both sides, but the final ruling was that the Texas Property Tax Code was that Trinidad Drilling should be rendered in Harris County.Commissioners tabled a request to add a truck to the county subsidy for Richland Volunteer Fire Department.

Commissioners met briefly near the beginning of the meeting in Executive Session to discuss real property and personnel, but no action was taken.

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