Navarro County Commissioners met in regular session Monday morning at the Navarro County Courthouse to discuss a number of topics, including prolonging the current burn ban due to continued dry conditions.

County Judge H.M. Davenport told commissioners that he received an e-mail from Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Meyers, informing him that the index is still considerably high.

“Despite the fact that it’s cloudy,” Judge Davenport said, “and some people may think it’s raining somewhere, we are still waiting that opportunity to get some rain.”

Davenport added that, normally, July and August are usually hot, dry periods for Navarro County, and rain is usually the result from hurricanes that might hit the coast of Texas, or other abnormal weather systems that come up.

He made the motion to leave the burn ban in place with no changes made at the present time, based on the recommendations of Meyers.

In unrelated news, the Richland Volunteer Fire Department made a presentation to the commissioners asking for help in obtaining a new 1000-gallon tanker truck.

The vehicle is not replacing an existing truck, but is only an additional that will be added to their arsenal.

RVFD has the second largest coverage area, next to Kerens VFD who ranks first in that particular category.

Representatives from RVFD also cited problems in communication with the Streetman VFD when dispatched to fire calls.

They told commissioners that SVFD is not communicating with Navarro County dispatchers making it difficult for responding VFD’s to know the status of the Streetman volunteer firefighters at fire scenes, or who may be in route to a call location.

Although SVFD is not contracted with Navarro County, they still receive funding from the county.

The representatives told commissioners they have discussed the problem with SVFD on numerous occasions but are not receiving the cooperation that is expected from the border town department, which is located more so in Freestone County than Navarro County.

Judge Davenport said his opinion on the subject of SVFD is to put an agenda item for the September meeting to exclude funding for the department since the county has no contract with them.

“Apparently,” said Judge Davenport, “they have no intention to cooperate with you guys (RVFD) in responding to fires. I think that should be an agenda item for the next meeting or at some point … if they don’t have a contract with us then we shouldn’t be paying them.”

Commissioners approved RVFD’s request for a new 1000-gallon tanker truck.

The most controversial item’s on Monday’s agenda were in regards to the consideration of a resolution of the commissioners court electing to become eligible to participate in granting tax abatement, and establishing an effective date, and adopting guidelines and criteria for granting tax abatement in reinvestment zones created by the county or other authorized taxing jurisdiction, and establishing an effective date.

The items also sparked controversy from opposition groups against power plants, and groups and individuals in favor of giving tax abatements to the proposed power plants.

The opposition group COPPS (Citizens Opposed to Power Plants), led by Vicki Prater, again reminded commissioners as she has previously done during past meetings, the ill-effects of having power plants, and giving tax abatements to companies that will only produce just a handful of employees.

“The County has granted tax abatements for years,” Prater said. “I don’t know if you had a guidelines, criteria, and a resolution in place before now … I do know, until now there was no reason to do these guidelines. The power plants are the reason to do these guidelines. They’re the reason you have changed your normal way of business now.

Prater asked the commissioners if they had a chance to look over the papers the lawyer had drawn up, and if input was given by the commissioners in preparation for the tax abatements. 

A group called Navarro County First, who are in favor of the proposed power plants locating in Navarro County, and led by local realtor Ronnie Willis said the information his group has received is different from COPPS, as far as air quality and any respiratory illnesses related to the plants. 

“We all have things at stake here,” Willis said, referring to the people connected with his group.

“What we’ve tried to do is think outside of ourselves. What is best for Navarro County?”

Comments were received from several members of the business community, voicing their support for tax abatements to bring in the power plants and other new industry possibilities.

Commissioners heard from City of Corsicana’s Economic Development Director Lee McCleary, attorney Terry Jacobson, and another attorney, Betsy Elam – who works with approximately 45 municipalities and is also an expert in tax abatements – concerning the last two items on the agenda.

Jacobson reminded commissioners that they indeed knew the facts concerning the tax abatements, and also made the comment that the public doesn’t.

“I can tell from some of the comments here this morning,” said Jacobson, as he turned and looked back in the direction where Prater was sitting, “there’s a good deal of misperception, rumor, innuendo and the fact that I have a hard time not coming up here and defending you against some of the silliness that I hear. I mean I realize that you have to sit there and take it, but I don’t.”

Jacobson said he would avoid that part of the presentation in order to bring some sort of context to the public so they’ll understand what’s going on.

He explained that the commissioner’s court started talking about tax abatements in January of this year, and to think those talks were tied in to the proposed power plants was just wrong and silly.

“When it came time to get into the power plant issue,” Jacobson said, “it was discussed legally and politically whether or not it was wise for the county to give a tax abatement to a power plant.”

Jacobson said the decision was made to delay a resolution until more information and facts could be gathered before any further action took place.

According to him, the two issues were put on the agenda for the commissioners to vote in a resolution saying, in a nut shell, that if you wanted to do business in Navarro County that tax abatements were available, and to put in a policy regarding the outlines of applying for a tax abatement.

Commissioners voted to table the resolutions at the present time.

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