County moves toward sale of Nav annex acreage
Potential sale of seven of the 12-acres comprising the Navasota Pct. 3 annex property was a predominant topic amongst Grimes County commissioners during their March 1 workshop. The workshop slated to update the County’s Strategic Plan and review plans for County properties and real estate followed a lengthy Regular Meeting of Commissioners Court taking commissioners and staff well past the lunch hour into the afternoon.
Department heads, elected officials, the Navasota Grimes County Chamber of Commerce (NGC) and representatives from nonprofits approached the court related to space considerations during the meeting.
Navasota annex
The idea behind selling county property is driven by commissioners’ contemplation of building another business center behind the existing Justice and Business Center. The purpose of a new building is to consolidate county offices currently dispersed throughout Anderson and to get out of old buildings which Pct. 4 Commissioner Phillip Cox described as “money pits.” Such a move would also bring Adult Probation back to Anderson from Navasota and relieve the County of approximately $36,000 per year in rent.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Barbara Walker is based at the Navasota annex on Veterans Memorial Drive and advised the court that Blackrock Builders has indicated interest in the back acreage at the annex currently used for baling hay. According to Walker and NGC chamber Executive Director Lucy Ybarra, Blackrock is interested in constructing duplexes and townhomes. It was clarified the homes would not be low-income housing but would be in a range affordable to local teachers commuting from outside of Grimes County because of lack of available housing locally.
Navasota discussion also included relocating the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office from its Veterans Memorial location to one of the County buildings at the Grimes County Fairgrounds. Walker and Cox were both opposed. Walker cited the extensive renovations made to the AgriLife facility in the last 10 years and suggested added security features would solve some current problems. Cox pointed to the loss of fairgrounds rental revenue if AgriLife moved into one of the buildings.
Anderson annex
Anderson Mayor Karen McDuffie and uncontested Anderson mayoral candidate Marc Benton stressed the City of Anderson’s need for more office space to be more effective in bringing business to Anderson. McDuffie had approached the County several years ago about the possibility of the County gifting or leasing vacant property after the move to the Grimes County Justice and Business Center.
Benton pointed out that the City of Anderson has little tax base since the County is exempt from paying property tax and a property that was on the tax roll was recently donated to the GCHC, exempting it from property tax.
Benton said, “My preference, and some of the council’s preference, is if you are looking to release properties, sell it to a commercial group so we can get taxes on it.”
Benton said if the County does keep the Anderson annex, the City of Anderson would be interested in sharing that space or the county-owned property at 112 S. Main Street with Elections Administration and/or Pct. 2 Commissioner David Tullos. Tullos is requesting relocation of his office from the FM 2455 maintenance barn to Anderson.
Other Anderson properties
The GCHC and Elections both continue to be interested in occupying the old county clerk’s building across from the historic courthouse. Elections Administrator Rachel Walker has estimated her space needs based on anticipated growth while the GCHC has an interest in the building based on its historic significance. To bring the building up to ADA standards for public use will require significant and expensive repairs, according to Building Maintenance Manager Rodney Floyd.
GCHC vice president Andrew Duncan asked the court to keep the historical commission in mind when making property decisions.
The property discussion ended with County Judge Joe Fauth directing the authorization for appraisal of the Navasota property be placed on the next agenda. Floyd will move forward with obtaining RFQs (Request for Quotes) to aid in determining feasibility of an additional business center.
391, county manager Strategic Plan items
Commissioners also reviewed the County’s Strategic Plan. The primary action taken was the reassignment of responsibility for items in progress and items requiring annual review. Several items which were previously considered complete were reassigned to requiring annual review.
Two items which prompted the most discussion were the reactivation of a 391 Commission and hiring a county manager.
Tullos said of the 391 Commission, “It’s a sub-regional planning commission which can be utilized for a wide range of planning discussions and ways to facilitate cooperation between municipalities and the County. Historically, in Grimes County what it’s been used instead is as an obstacle of last resort to thwart projects that were being planned to come through the County but that’s not really the legislative intent of the 391 Commission as it was written.”
He continued, “I’d just like to restart that conversation.”
Judge Fauth reminded of the need for the appropriate number of government entities and County Attorney Jon C. Fultz described 391’s as “a seat at the table” with no “final authority.”
Addressing the hiring of a county manager, Fultz said five counties already use the county manager model and pointed to the ability of a county manager to meet with people without it “constituting a meeting” and violating the Open Meetings Act.
Fultz said, “Its time has not come in Grimes County. I think you would be trailblazers to consider it. Obviously, it would take money. It’s something that works, and I think makes county government more efficient and effective because you have one person you all instruct with a vison to go out and carry the ball.”
Meetings may be viewed in their entirety at https://grimescountytx.granicus.com.