Court approves grant application for DA
San Jacinto News- Times - April 2009

COLDSPRING – Application for a Victim Coordinator and Liaison Grant for the criminal district attorney’s offi ce and a monetary donation to the sheriff’s department was approved by San Jacinto County Commissioners’ Court last Wednesday during a regular session of court. Commissioners gave San Jacinto County Criminal District Attorney Bill Burnett authority to apply for a grant, which would pay the salary of a victim’s coordinator and a laptop computer. “It’s a required position in the district attorney’s offi ce,” Burnett told commissioners. The district attorney’s offi ce is currently on a two-year grant which ends in August. According to Burnett the grant decreased the county budget by about $17,000. If the grant is approved the district attorney’s budget for 2008-09 will be $826 more than in 2006. If it’s not approved, the money will have to come from the county. An $800 donation from Crystal’s Patio and Grill to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Department for the purchase of a patrol vehicle was approved by commissioners’ court. The $800 donation will be added to released seizure funds for the patrol car, which will be purchased from a government approved vendor. The court approved an agreement for removal of disaster generated debris between the county and Cape Royale pending an opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s offi ce. Advising the court, Burnett said federal law gives authority for the county to remove debris from private property representing a hazard and threat to public safety following a disaster. “Federal law supersedes state law,” Burnett said. Concerned with how state law reads and wanting to make sure the county is repaid for debris removal from private property, San Jacinto County Judge Fritz Faulkner requested an attorney general’s opinion. At the request of San Jacinto County Sheriff James Walters commissioners approved a motion to accept a bid from Lone Star to provide inmate commissary service in the jail. “Lone Star is a better system of checks and balances,” Walters told the court. A proposal from Bullock Incorporated of Shepherd was approved for the installation of telephones in the visitor’s area of the county jail. The six telephones are located in the visitation area of the jail and are used between the inmates and visitors. “The jail population is going to increase at least twice its current size. I’ve asked Bullock to recess the telephone boxes into the wall for safety purposes,” Walters said. Cost for installation and for fees that will be paid to a service provider is $8,535. According to Walters, more than 70 inmates will be added in the future. An agreement with Bancorpsouth Equipment for the financing and purchase of four 2009 Ford police interceptors for the sheriff’s department was approved by commissioners. Commissioners proclaimed the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention and Neglect Month and gave members of the San Jacinto County Child Protective Service to place windmills on the courthouse lawn to represent victims of child abuse in Texas and San Jacinto County. According to San Jacinto County Child Protective Service volunteer Jean Walters, 213 children died in Texas last year as a result of abuse. One of those was from San Jacinto County. More than a month after approving the new county roadmap, commissioners approved a resolution last week adopting the county roadmap. Classified run-over 3 x 9 “The resolution will give us something to send to Deep East Texas Council of Governments,” Judge Faulkner said. District Attorney Burnett was asked to check on the legality of donating lumber found on the side of a county road to Habitat for Humanity. According to Judge Faulkner, after seizing the lumber the county has used it on several county projects including the county jail expansion. “Habitat for Humanity is a very worthy cause but I’m not sure the county can donate to an organization,” Faulkner said.