Jones County to house prisoners

A brief commissioners court meeting in Fisher County this morning yielded a tidbit of information when Sheriff Tom Pohlman reported a problem transferring incident tracking numbers. 

"We've had some issues with our TRN numbers, and getting numbers, because of the transfer of the jail to Jones County, and we seem to have a plan now in place to resolve this," Pohlman stated during the meeting.

Fisher and Jones County Commissioners agendas and meeting minutes do not mention an agreement for housing inmates between the two counties, but evidence points to there being one.

Cross-referencing between the Fisher County inmate list and VINE records, six of the nine inmates were shown to have been transferred from Scurry County on Sept 11. VINE does not say where they were transferred to, but the sheriff's comment indicates Jones County.

Prisoners have been kept at the Scurry County facility for the past year or so. Fisher County closed their jail in August 2023, and it has been used as a 72 hour detention center since that time.

Sources:

• Double Mountain Chronicle Facebook (commissioners meeting video)
  
• Fisher County Sheriff (Inmate List at bottom)
  
• VINE (Victim Notification Network)

CAD to meet Wednesday

The Fisher County Appraisal District Board will meet November 13 at 7 a.m. The meeting will take place at the CAD offices across the street from the courthouse in Roby.

Items on the agenda include consideration and approval of: Eagle Property Tax Consulting contract; switching to Global Technologies phone services; designation of excess funds; homestead audit plan; and a chief appraiser's report regarding restitution.

Members of the board of directors are Hunter Stuart, David Mullins, Chris Kiser and Michael Noell. 

Sources:

• Fisher CAD notice of meeting
• Fisher CAD

Commissioners meet Tuesday

Fisher County Commissioners Court will convene Tuesday, November 12. The meeting will be at 9 a.m. in the courthouse in Roby.

One of the items of business is approval of an order for the Innovative Solar 245 Indigo (Limited Liability Corporation) Solar Reinvestment Zone. A resolution for the project was approved during the August 12 meeting. The planned location is about 6 1/2 miles south of Sylvester.

The development is expected to include buildings, structures, and other improvements and fixtures, including but not limited to: fixed machinery; equipment and process units which may consist of one or more electrical substations; underground and overhead electrical distribution and transmission facilities; modules, trackers, transformers, appurtenant electric equipment, containers, batteries, communication cable, and data collection facilities.

The estimated cost is $300,000,000.

Commissioners will have a public hearing in which they will discuss and vote on a tax abatement agreement for the project. That will take place December 9, at the monthly meeting.

Sources:

• Fisher County Commissioners meeting agenda November 12
• Public hearing and commissioners meeting December 9

Information:

• Comptroller of Texas Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone
• Comptroller of Texas Property Tax Abatement Act
• Tax Abatement Act, Texas Statute

Out west and around the county

- Trencher, west of Hobbs -

Work on the City of Rotan water project is continuing out in the Hobbs area. It's pretty busy west of the Hobbs School, in eastern Scurry and western Fisher counties. Equipment and vehicles hauling pipes can be seen going up and down the state and county roads.

The commissioners court is going to be interesting next week, in light of the outcome of the Fisher County election. Simon Wade, former sheriff, who resigned last March, won the race by an overwhelming margin. Tom Pohlman, a sheriff's department employee at the time of Wade's resignation, was appointed as sheriff after Wade's departure. There's an article in the Double Mountain Chronicle this week that explains the situation. 

The commissioners court regular meeting is set for November 12. A special meeting to conduct the local canvass is slated for the following week, November 18.

Three and half inches or so of rain was measured in the Hobbs area last week. More rain is expected today and tomorrow, spurred by an upper level low coming through. Severe weather is predicted.

Sources:

• Double Mountain Chronicle
• Fisher County
• National Weather Service