County adopts new court rules
BY GLORIA JENNINGS

Cherokee County Commissioners adopted a Rules of Procedure, conduct and decorum for court meetings Monday morning. The regular commissioners meeting was held at 10 a.m. in the county courtroom at Rusk.

The action drew response from those sitting in the audience. Wayne Beal, Mary Sitton and Wayne McGee all voiced concern about speaking limits the action will have on those attending meetings.

The rules of procedure will require that those speaking to the commissioners court register with the county clerk prior to the meeting. They will state which agenda item they will discuss.

All were told they would be able to obtain permission to speak on various items and the action does not limit the comments made during the public forum portion of the meeting.

In other matters, commissioners approved the monthly report from Sheriff James Campbell. There were 863 calls received last month by the sheriff 's office. The average daily inmate population totaled 136.14 prisoners per day. Nine prisoners are awaiting TDCJ transfer.

Commissioners approved expenses for four employees to attend a jail conference in Austin May 4-17. Salary for a part-time dispatcher was increased from $7 to $10 per hour. The sheriff was authorized to sell a surplus vehicle.

The county will purchase gravel from Double Rocking C Trucking Co. in Jacksonville. A load of gravel was authorized to be distributed in an area provided to accommodate county equipment in Precinct 2.

Two bids for a portable building for Precinct 4 were rejected. Commissioner Byron Underway said he would seek TDCJ inmate assistance to construct a building on the site.

Monthly reports were approved from the county auditor, constables Precincts 1 and 3 and the license and weight officer. Commissioners approved expenses for Constable Precinct 3 Eddie Lee to attend the writ of execution workshop in Austin May 21. Plats were approved for Cherokee Acres subdivision and LPA Waterwell subdivsion. Health department employees were approved to attend clinical conference for family planing and breast and cervical cancer control in Houston March 16-17.

Mr. McGee said he had reported dumping in Mud Creek to the Angelina Neches River Authority. He said he had volunteered to take training to collect water samples but it will be May before he can receive this training. "I will collect the samples all over the area," he said. Judge Chris Davis said he would contact the river authority and see if the training process could be speeded up.