The Hockley County Commissioner’s Court held their regular meeting Monday morning in the Hockley County Courthouse which saw a handful of items approved in quick order.
Hockley County Sheriff Ray Scifres provided a brief update in the Guardian RFID system being implemented in the jail. The new system allows for paperless tracking of inmate location via a smartphone app and RFID chips placed throughout the facility. Recently, the company has pushed out an updated version of the software to increase efficiency, which will ultimately lead to saving the county money at no extra charge. The item was passed unanimously with no issue or further discussion.
A continuous topic of discussion and debate for the court has been funding the capital murder trials that are slated to begin in the following year. Capital cases are considered a large undertaking and come with a large financial toll on the county. When looking at the price tag of a capital murder case, the costs can quickly increase north of $1 million.
In order to offset that cost, the county is able to utilize American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which were handed out during the wake of COVID. Though the commissioner’s have voiced their hesitance needing to use these funds in this manner, it ultimately was decided to be the best course of action. Commissioner Seth Graf made the motion to approve $175,000 from the ARPA funds.
For the Elections Office, Jody Rose asked the court to approve the public notice of the upcoming Nov. 7th Election. Early voting will begin October 23rd through November 3rd.
Additionally, the Hockley County Election Office has fielded many questions concerning the upcoming Constitutional Amendment Election in November.
As most everyone is aware, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called a 3rd Special Session of the State Legislature to discuss mainly School Finance and School Choice.
Rose explained he has had several calls since this special session started asking if any information was available on the School Voucher bill to be decided by voters.
The Election Office stresses that absolutely no decision has been made if voters will ever decide on a Voucher Bill and voters are reminded there will not be a proposition on the November 7th ballot concerning School Vouchers.
The deadline for any changes to the November 7th ballot was in August. The only bill concerning Schools is Proposition 4 which is dealing with School Finance and Property Taxes.
Anyone needing a sample ballot for the November 7th ballot may visit the Hockley County Elections Office website at https:/ /www.co.hockley.tx.us/page/ hockley.ElectionsHome or contact the office at (806)-894-1105. The office also has posted explanatory statements prepared by the Texas Secretary of State’s office on their website.
Early Voting for the November 7th election will start on Monday, October 23rd and run Monday-Friday through November 1st from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on November 2nd and 3rd from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Hockley County Election Office at 911 Austin Street. Election Day will be November 7th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.