WOODVILLE – On a lengthy agenda for Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Tyler County Commissioners Court, the county’s governing body approved the resignation of long-serving Pct. 3 Commissioner Mike Marshall.
Marshall, who has served the county for 30 years, with 18 of them as an elected official, announced his retirement at the end of September. In a prepared letter that County Judge Milton Powers read to those in attendance, Marshall expressed gratitude to his colleagues, staff and constituents for allowing him to serve for so many years.
“As I move on to the next chapter, I look forward to watching Tyler County continue to grow and prosper,” Marshall’s statement read.
Marshall spoke briefly, and said that he was anticipating spending time with his father, Joe Marshall, who preceded him as Pct. 3 Commissioner. “This was a hard decision to make,” he said. “I appreciate all of y’all.”
“You will truly be missed in a big way,” Judge Powers told him.
Following the approval of Marshall’s stepping down, the court approved the appointment of Pct. 1 Commissioner Joe Blacksher to serve as Judge Pro-Tem for the Commissioners Court. Judge Powers explained that the appointment has historically gone to the longest-serving of the four commissioners.
MOU approved between Hospital District The commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Tyler County Hospital District for the Rural Texas Strong Initiative, the “Make Rural Texans Healthy Again,” which is funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Tyler County Hospital CEO Sondra Williams spoke before the commissioners about the project, which will help improve access to nutrition, education, fresh produce, chronic disease prevention measures and related support for county residents. The emphasis will be on obesity, diabetes and older individuals who face transportation issues or other barriers toward care.
Williams said that the Nutrition Center, owned by the county, will be the hub to offer these services. The county’s role is that of a community partner, and will allow the use of the Nutrition Center.
Presentation given on delinquent tax accounts John Thomas of Linebarger Law Firm gave a presentation concerning the county’s delinquent tax collections. The period of reportage Thomas spoke about covered July 2025 to June 30 of this year, during which the firm sent out warning notice letters.
Thomas outlined the process, stating that the letters continue, with most delinquent taxpayers eventually paying their in arrears taxes.
He said the county has filed 142 new lawsuits, in attempt to collect $753K in late taxes, with 317 pending suits, representing $1.4 million.
Thomas said that in his report Tyler County has a slightly lower amount of deferrals on property taxes than many other counties, but with bankruptcies about average, he noted. Collections have been at 41% for the period.
