Navasota State of the County

In his State of Grimes County address Wednesday, Jan. 12, County Judge Joe Fauth described a phenomenal year for the facilities which house county government. Fauth kicked off the annual State of the City program with an update on the restoration of the historic 127-year old courthouse followed by a “tour” of the new Grimes County Justice and Business Center. The rest of his address focused on activities within the Environmental and Law Enforcement departments of the County.

The seats of justice

The historic courthouse restoration project began in 2019 and was funded by $1.3 million in insurance payments from Hurricane Harvey damage, $250,000 from the Texas Historical Commission and $300,000 from County reserves.

Fauth said, “It’s absolutely gorgeous, it’s beautiful! People come from all around to get married on our front steps or go up to the second floor to our historical courtroom and get married there. It’s still a functioning property and we’re going to use it on a regular basis.”

Moving on to the new 32,000 square-foot Grimes County Justice and Business Center, Fauth said, “We had our ground breaking Dec. 31, 2019. We had our ribbon cutting Dec. 31, 2021. That’s after 159 days of rain, about a six-week delay because of the freeze and our contractor having to deal with Covid.”

Addressing the $12 million price tag, Fauth said, ”Here’s the good news for the citizens of Grimes County. No bonds were sold for this project. No loans were made for this project. No tax was initiated for this project. This facility is yours and is debt free.”

The Justice Center has a secure entry and contains dedicated courtrooms for the District Court, County Court at Law and Commissioners Court. Fauth added that courts hosted include the 12th and 506th District Courts, Attorney General Court at Law, Juvenile Court and Child Protective Services Court.

Citing the limitations of the current facilities, Fauth said, “It’s like having a family of eight living in a two-bedroom house.”

The Business Center has a separate entry which doesn’t require going through courthouse security but a plus for law enforcement, court staff and inmates, is the secure corridor from the jail to the courthouse.

Environmental

Fauth reviewed the services provided by the Environmental/911 Department under the direction of Kat Lee. Those include solid waste management, septic tank permitting and inspections, 911 Addressing and county road sign management.

In 2021, there were 22,368 addresses in Grimes County, 322 septic permits were issued and 1,181 tons of solid waste was disposed of. Beautification grants helped dispose of 2,117-plus tires.

While Covid was a major hindrance to census data gathering, there were documented gains in population. The population grew from 26,604 to 29,268, a 9.1% increase which added 2,664 residents.

Law enforcement

Fauth announced the Grimes County jail recently passed its 23rd consecutive jail inspection, and said, “For most of you, it might just be a number but it’s a big number, and an important number for Grimes County. If we don’t pass jail inspection, they can literally say ‘Shut down the block,’ so our option is to house our inmates in another county at their facilities and pay a hefty fee or turn them loose like California or New York and put them back on the street.”

Since the Grimes County jail has the capacity to house more than the county average, the County has contracted with another county to house 20-25 of their inmates for $55 per day per inmate. With the possibility of a 5-year contract, the potential income is $2.2 million.

Other highlights shared included the $3 per hour pay increase for law enforcement personnel, the successful search for young Christopher Ramirez which lasted four days and involved 44 law enforcement agencies, and the $2.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the County has received of the $5.6 million it’s eligible for.

Fauth added that construction of a county animal shelter is on the horizon, and commissioners will be “taking a close look” at county properties not being utilized.

Fauth closed saying that the County’s goal is to provide the citizens “with the services you expect, for the taxes you pay, to return value in the form of a County that is a safe and secure place” to live, work and play.