Stephens County accepts a grant administered by TxDOT; takes no action on grant writers

Stephens County accepted a grant from the county’s transportation infrastructure grant program administered by the Texas Department of Transportation for the amount of $1,091,575.

The grant was approved on Monday, July 13 during the regularly scheduled County Commissioners meeting at the Stephens County Courthouse.

The grant is pursuant with Chapter 256 of the Texas transportation code, which states:

“Money in the road and bridge fund of a county may be used only for working public roads or building bridges, except as otherwise provided by law. Money in the fund may be spent only by order of the commissioner’s court of the county. The court may make the necessary orders for using the money for the purposes provided by this section. The comptroller shall distribute to the counties on or before October 15 of each year the money appropriated from the county and road district highway fund for that fiscal year. On its own motion or at the request of a county, the commission may have a survey made of the county’s lateral road mileage.”

Following the passage of this agenda item, the commissioners also took no action on funding a grant writer for the county.

A grant writer previously worked with the county to provided the new fire trucks from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Stephens County borrowed $500,000 from the USDA and along with funds in the county’s reserve, the USDA matched the County’s truck purchase. The county paid for one fire truck, and the USDA paid for the second truck and the county saved over $50,000 on the two new fire trucks.

County Commissioner will continue to meet every other Monday of the month inside the Stephens County Courthouse with the next meeting occurring on Monday, July 27.