Houston County Survives 2011

The year 2011 proved to be a hard-hitting news year for Houston County. The Grapeland Messenger staff reviewed and selected some of the most noted local news stories that occurred throughout last year. They are, in chronological order:

Senior Citizens Center Closes

Budget woes at the Service Center for Older Americans (SCOA) of Houston County caused the facility to close its doors for a several months during 2011.

Problems were first brought to light when former Center Director Glenna Enos held a public meeting in January 2011. Enos claimed the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG), which distributes state and federal money for the center’s meals, was withholding funds. At the time, she said they hadn’t received reimbursements for December 2010’s expenditures.

However, Holly Anderson, DETCOG’s director of Area Agency on Aging, sent an e-mail stating the agency had received expenditure reports and made payments to the local center every month through January 2011, and that February’s payment was being processed.

In February, Enos held another meeting and reported the center only had about a week’s worth of funds to stay open. Enos approached county commissioners in March, then-County Judge Lonnie Hunt reiterated DETCOG does not hold funds and reminded her DETCOG previously said it could not distribute center operations funds. Enos said she was told the center should receive funding for dining room services, home deliveries and center operations. Hunt also clarified while the county’s name was on the senior citizens’ building and is part of an interlocal agreement to own the building, the center was run by a separate non-profit organization not governed by the county. The county also pays for the center’s electric and utility bills.

In April, produce company William George filed a petition against the SCOA, claiming the center owed the business more than $72,000. The petition stated William George, Inc. sold and delivered grocery products to the center between April 15, 2010, and March 7, 2011, which the center allegedly hadn’t paid for. The petition additionally alleged the center submitted the company five checks, which were returned to its bank with insufficient funds. The checks totaled $5,978.14, with the center paying $500 on one check.

On April 25, the center closed its doors. In May, DETCOG monitors arrived at the center to review records and receipts. Bonnie Stott, a contract manager and a certified ombudsman with DETCOG, said the purpose of the monitor was the make sure the center’s records coincided with what was turned in to DETCOG. Anderson said the findings would be reported to DETCOG’s board of directors, and the center was required to have money to operate for 45 to 90 days in its account.

“The things that we were concerned with turned out to be minor. There are some problems with their accounting, but it’s fairly minor,” Anderson said.

In late May, employees of the center claimed they were owed $27,000 all together. Enos said the employees weren’t paid since March when the center didn’t get reimbursement checks for March or April. At the end of May, the SCOA submitted a letter to terminate its agreement with the county signed by SCOA President Norma Dell Jones.

“Due to circumstances beyond our control, we find that we’re not able to continue operating the Houston County Senior Citizens Center at this time,” the letter stated.

Fortunately, Crockett Central Baptist Church utilized space for senior citizens to dine while DETCOG continued to deliver meals to home-bound seniors. The First Presbyterian Church of Crockett also helped out by serving meals, donated by various businesses.

During the county commissioners’ June meeting, they approved adding a new senior citizens’ center fund to the county’s budget in order to receive money for the center’s operations. County Auditor Melissa Mosley said the fund would combine donations, rental fees and program income. Electrical bills, which the county previously paid, were transferred to the fund along with a $12,000 DETCOG grant to allow the county to operate the center for about $3,000 a month. Bills left behind by the SCOA were not incurred by the county.

Commissioners also voted to set salaries for a cook, activities coordinator and assistant cook. Experience Works rep Paul Martin explained the non-profit organization could provide additional workers at no cost to the county. Commissioners additionally agreed to relocate the county’s AgriLife Extension offices to the center, and have Agent Mandy Patrick serve as the food operation supervisor.

DETCOG agreed to continue to provide home delivery meals until the end of the year until either the county or a third-party vendor could take over.

During the commissioner’s Oct. 25 meeting, commissioners approved submitting an application to the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) for the county to take over the senior citizens center’s home delivery meals program. In the application, the county stated it intended to continue purchasing frozen meals from Polk County’s Aging Services, who served DETCOG. The county also stated it would purchase break, milk and fruit locally.

The center has since reopened its doors to local seniors.

State Cuts Education Budget

As legislators prepared to tackle the state’s estimated $25 billion budget shortfall last year, school districts in Houston County started making preparations for how cuts could affect them.

During Latexo Independent School District’s January meeting, Superintendent Don Elsom told board members the district was facing a $564,000 deficit with a 10 percent cut from the district’s state revenues.

“The reason why I’m trying to get this out to you as soon as possible is because in March we start handing out contracts to teachers,” Elsom said.

Crockett Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Doug Moore estimated CISD would lose about $2.23 million of its state funding. Grapeland Superintendent Dr K.L. Groholski predicted about a 10 percent reduction. On Jan. 27, Elsom presented LISD board members figures from State Sen. Steve Ogden, with a 5 percent funding cut.

“We can try and cut the budget just as deep as possible and we’re still working on that. We can try and find new revenue sources. We’ve already filled out some grant requests and we’re working on others. There could also be what is called a tax swap,” Elsom said to suggest how the district could handle the situation. “Cutting programs….these are the ones that are the most unpleasant. Freezing payroll or cutting personnel, again not very pleasant. Raising taxes would require voter approval.”

In February, Lovelady ISD put a hiring and salary freeze in place. Superintendent Dr. Micah Dyer said it would save the district about $130,000.

In March, Crockett ISD met to discuss reductions in force (RIFs). Moore said he wanted to wait to see what the legislature did before cutting personnel. Also in March, Kennard’s school board was split on deciding to implement a salary freeze. Superintendent David Baxter figured it could have saved the district $23,000. However, KISD’s board agreed to offer incentives to employees who decided to retire early. During its March 17 meeting, the board decided to initiate a RIF.

“These are good people, good teachers and now, because the state doesn’t have the funding, they’re out of a job. It’s sad,” Baxter said.

Baxter said the ‘best case scenario’ for Kennard was facing a minimum loss of $500,000 in funding. The worst case was $1.7 million.

During Crockett’s March 21 meeting, the district agreed to set a RIF date on April 11. During Grapeland’s March school board meeting, five teachers submitted resignations.

On March 24, superintendents from all five of Houston County’s public school districts came together for a round-table discussion of the looming budget cuts, broadcasted on radio station KIVY.

“Right here in this room and in Houston County, we have an inequity between $6,000 and $4,000,” Dyer said of how the state distributes money.

All superintendents also attributed unfunded mandates as a reason school districts in Texas were having to deal with budget shortfalls.

The main area state legislation left the districts to cut was salaries. Elsom said 70-80 percent of school district’s budgets relates to salaries.

“No one wants to cut personnel, and we’re going to do everything we can, not to cut personnel,” Elsom said. “But at the same time, realistically, if 75 to 80 percent of your budget falls in salary, and you’ve got to cut 10 to 20 percent of your budget, it’s going to affect personnel.”

During Grapeland ISD’s April meeting, board members voted to not implement a RIF, but agreed to freeze salaries.

“Our goal is to not have to lay off teachers and that’s where we’re at tonight. In fact, we’re not laying off anyone,” GISD Board President Paul Oliver said.

By putting the freezes into effect, not replacing two custodial positions, eliminating a part-time athletic trainer and not purchasing a bus for the new school year, he said the savings would be about $345,000.

During Latexo ISD’s April meeting, board members voted to not renew the contracts of two coaches and a counselor. The board also voted to freeze salaries - for an estimated $55,000 in savings - during its May meeting. Eliminating stipends was estimated to reduce about $77,000.

In July, Texas legislators ended their regular session without an approved budget, resulting in a special session. At the time, the House and Senate’s agreements stated public schools would receive about  $4 billion less in state aid, compared to current formula. Another $1.4 billion was proposed for public education program and instructional material cuts.

During Latexo’s August meeting, school board members were able to keep the district’s same tax rate, with an anticipated $222,000 state funding cut. During Latexo’s September meeting, the district joined other districts across Texas to enter into a lawsuit against state policy makers regarding school funding.

The suit challenges why some districts receive more than others, whether lower funded districts can afford the same educational opportunities as those given more and the decision to cap how high the districts’ property taxes can go, Elsom said.

“They’re arbitrarily giving some districts more money than others for no reason,” he said.

Elsom said the point of the lawsuit is to have everyone on the same funding level, get rid of the hold harmless rates- in which some districts opted to freeze their 2006 funding rate for following years regardless of property tax values-and update 20-year-old funding formulas.

Grapeland Councilman Arrested

Grapeland businessman and Grapeland City Councilman Aaron Pennington made headlines in 2011 when he was arrested for possession of child pornography in early April.

According to a press release from Houston County’s Sheriff’s Office, a warrant was issued for Pennington’s arrest after Attorney General investigators searched his home Tuesday, April 5.

“Pennington was arrested on two counts of possession of child pornography, with bond set at $20,000 each, and two counts of possession of child pornography with intent to promote with bonds set at $30,000 each,” the press release alleged. The release stated a warrant was issued after evidence from investigators was presented to District Judge Pam Fletcher.

Evidence was brought to the Grapeland Police Department, which in turn presented their knowledge of the matter to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Lauri Saathoff, a spokesperson for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, confirmed their office’s special Cyber Crimes Division was investigating the case.

“It was referred to us by the Grapeland Police Department,” Saathoff said when asked what prompted the investigation.

A press release from the Grapeland Police Department stated the department conducted an initial investigation after the alleged situation was brought to its attention. “(Grapeland) Police Chief John Smith determined that the department did not have the resources to mount an investigation of this magnitude and depth,” the release stated. “Police Chief Smith contacted the cyber-crimes unit of the Texas Attorney General’s office, who then assigned an investigator to the case. Within a month, warrants had been issued, equipment confiscated and arrests made.”

Pennington posted bond and was released from the Houston County Jail. On April 12, he submitted a letter of resignation to the city of Grapeland, regarding his city council position.

On April 21, Pennington was re-arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a child. A statement from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office read, “This new charge against Pennington stems from an investigation being conducted by the Cyber Crimes Unit with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. The Cyber Crimes Unit with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas has been working diligently to bring this case to an end. However, new victims are being discovered.” The release stated the new charges were for sexual assault of a child under the age of 17 and possession of child pornography.

Pennington bonded out again but was formally indicted on seven felony counts by two separate grand juries. Pennington’s first indictment from July stated he faces five charges including three separate third degree felony charges of possessing child pornography, one second degree felony charge of intending to promote the pornography and one second degree felony charge of sexual assault.

According to the second indictment, filed Aug. 31, he faces a second degree felony charge of promoting child pornography and a second degree felony charge for sexually assaulting a child.

His next court appearance is set for mid-January.

State School Closes

As winter began to turn into spring in 2011, rumblings of the possible closure of the Crockett State School began to surface in and around Houston County. During a spring Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon, State School Community Relations Coordinator Donna Mims relayed the following information to the Chamber members.

“Cherie Townsend is the executive director of TYC (Texas Youth Commission) and she will be conducting a town hall meeting in each city she has a facility in,” Mims reported. “They’re going to close two facilities Sept. 1.”

During a March Commissioner’s Court meeting, the possible closure was addressed. The commissioners informed those in attendance a town hall meeting would be held on Saturday, April 9, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Crockett High School’s common area.

Regarding this community meeting Townsend said, “The Crockett State School, its employees and volunteers have been an important part of the Texas Youth Commission for many years. As we make some very difficult funding decisions, I believe it is important to hear from the people who could be most affected by these closures.”

The meeting was attended by an estimated 900 people, many who spoke out against the closure of the facility. Judges, politicians, dignitaries and the local citizenry were all in attendance. After the meeting Townsend said the decision was yet to be made, and that the importance of the town hall meetings was to bring back information to the board and look at the heart of what’s in the communities along with facts and figures.

Unfortunately, the outpouring of community support was not enough. According to a press release from the TYC in early June, a decision was made to close Beaumont’s Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility and the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex Unit II in Brownwood, along with Crockett’s State School. It was also decided McLennan’s State Juvenile Correctional Facility Units I and II would be consolidated into one facility.

“This was an extremely difficult decision because each of our facilities, including dedicated staff and community volunteers, does an excellent job of rehabilitating youth,” TYC Board Chair Scott Fisher said in June 2011. “Various factors require that these changes be made, and we will work to ensure these transitions are as seamless as possible in order to continue ensuring public safety and positive outcomes for the youth in our system.”

While Townsend said Al Price, Crockett, and Ron Jackson II all had positive attributes, the decision to close was based on analyzing the facility’s physical plant, staffing and workforce availability, youth safety and security, treatment needs, educational services, culture and climate, youth outcomes and cost effectiveness .

“The board’s decisions were based on detailed and lengthy reviews of strategic information relating to the expected need for future youth offender services within the funding limitations,” Townsend said.

The facility completely shut down operations on July 31. Of the 282 individuals employed by the school, 66 accepted transfer positions, five retired and seven went to work for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. According to former Crockett State School Superintendent Donald Brooks, those who decided not to move are going back to school through Angelina College, taking nursing courses, or electing to take course sthrough the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Out of the approximately 134 juvenile offenders the facility housed, Brooks said some are now out on parole and some went to half-way houses. The remainder were dispersed throughout the remaining facilities.

Houston County is currently exploring the option of using the campus as a family residential program for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division (ICE) of the federal government. The county has entered into an agreement with Southwest Key Programs to help run the residential program. This has met with some backlash from county residents who have expressed concerns regarding the facility.

A formal decision on the usage of the former Crockett State School has yet to be reached.

Drought, Wildfires Plague County

As East Texans welcomed in 2011, frigid weather conditions held the majority of the area in an icy grip. As the year wore on, however, the frigid winter weather gave way to the blazing conditions of what officials have said might be the hottest and driest summer ever recorded.

In March, the federal government listed Houston County, along with 38 other counties, as primary natural disaster areas. East Texas had been plagued with ongoing drought conditions for most of the previous year resulting in the issuance of repeated burn bans. The most recent ban was lifted in November, and emergency officials warn while it may not seem like it after the recent rains, Houston County is still in the midst of a drought.

The dry weather patterns that persisted over the summer led to several issues for farmers and ranchers. According to the Texas AgriLife Extension Agency, the extreme drought took its toll on those in livestock and agriculture production. Lee Dudley, AgriLife Extension agent for Panola County, east of Tyler said in June, “Many producers have already culled (liquidated herds) once and are now looking to cull deeper into their herds as they are running out of standing grass.”

Wood County’s AgriLife Extension Agent Clint Perkins said producers in his neck of the woods were also looking to reduce their cattle.

“Pastures and hay meadows are in bad condition. Feed prices for dairy producers are on the increase,” Perkins said.

Closer to Houston County, Polk County’s agent Mark Currie noted the lack of rain was causing problems for large producers.

“Hay purchases will likely be very costly with a high trucking bill, which will force increased culling of herds,” Currie said.

Paul Craycraft of the East Texas Livestock Auction said he had read that Texas was in the worst single year of drought since statistics were kept.

“The cow slaughter in Texas is up 15 to 18 percent over where it was this time last year,” he said. “At first people were culling the old cows, but now they’re getting into the younger cows. We haven’t had any grass but now we’re running out of water. Also, what’s happened is that there is probably 20 cents a pound difference between two months ago and now,” Craycraft said.

The lack of grass for cattle forced many area ranchers and cattlemen to reach out past the borders of Texas, looking for ways to feed their cattle. Hay was reportedly brought in to Houston County from places like Arkansas and Mississippi and even as far away as Wyoming and New York.

“So far, I’ve made eight trips to Mississippi,” a local rancher and businessman said during the summer. “I have maybe 10 more trips before the summer’s over.”

The drought conditions also left the Pineywoods area in a tinderbox state and as the dry conditions persisted, Texas caught on fire. Three fires scorched East Texas in June, burning more than 30,000 acres of land locally.

The Bearing, Power Line and Dyer Mills fires were still smoldering when fires in Houston County broke out. Three major fires were contained in August and just as the smoke began to clear, the Arbor Fire broke out over the Labor Day weekend. Also, nearly 20,000 acres were destroyed near Bastrop.

There were very few positives that came from these fires, but one that stood out was the outpouring of community support for the victims of the wildfires and the emergency personnel who battled the infernos. Donations of water, food and other needed supplies came from all over to help with the effort.

County Judge Resigns

In October 2011, Houston County citizens were shocked to learn of County Judge Lonnie Hunt’s intentions to resign after five years of service.

In a letter addressed to the citizens of Houston County, Hunt announced he had accepted a position as the Texas Association of Counties’ (TAC) county relations director.

“This has not been an easy decision,” Hunt wrote. “I love Houston County, and to me serving as county judge of this great county really has been the best job in the world. But after much prayerful consideration, I have decided that this new opportunity is a door that God has opened for me, and therefore I plan to accept it.”

Commissioners voted to accept his formal resignation during a regular meeting held Nov. 8.

During their Nov. 21 meeting, county commissioners selected former County Judge Chris von Doenhoff to serve the remainder of Hunt’s term, until votes are canvassed from next year’s November elections.

On Dec. 1, political dignitaries, friends, family members and elected officials from all over East Texas gathered to say farewell and give their best wishes to Hunt.

“In five years we‘ve been through a lot, from hurricanes to wildfires. But we always survive, and it‘s not because of me, but it’s because of the people of Houston County,” Hunt said to the crowd of well-wishers.

As his last official act of duty, Hunt swore in von Doenhoff during his final day of office on Dec. 6.