By Rich Flowers
The Henderson County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to allow the Baxter Fire Department to participate in the Henderson County Prisoner Work Program. The commissioners also discussed, but stopped short of, amending the prison work policy to include other fire departments.
The commissioners court is allowed by law to authorize certain organizations, agencies or political subdivisions to prison labor. The Baxter Fire Department Chief James Brown requested the use of the inmates to help the department in the upkeep of buildings, grounds and trucks. A fireman who is also a commissioned peace officer would supervise the workers.
“Why don’t we amend the resolution so that it reflects all the fire departments?” Pct. 2 Commissioner Wade McKinney asked. “It would be an option out there for those departments if we cleared the way now for them.”
County Judge David Holstein said a problem might arise if the department did not have someone qualified to supervise the inmates.
Henderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Tony Allison said in each case the entity using the labor is checked out for security, based on the project where the inmates are to be used. He said the sheriff’s office would not be opposed to amending the resolution to include the fire departments.
Allison said the inmates could be supervised by a certified peace office or an off-duty detention officer. “We prefer under some circumstances, depending on the type of project that’s being done and the location of the project, for it to be a certified peace office,” Allison said.
The court voted 4-1 to add Baxter to the ordinance with Pct. 4 Commissioner Joe Hall the opposing vote.
The commissioners also named Don Foster to serve on the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District Board. Pct. 4 Commissioner Jerry West nominated Foster to the four-year term that will begin when Tom Martin’s term ends Dec. 31. Martin did not wish to serve another term on the board.
West said Foster has owned a drilling business for several years. He said some of the drillers had expressed a desire to have someone from their profession on the board.
“I know several of the water- well drillers and this has been a sore spot. They were dead set against this water district to begin with and they’re just beginning to come around, but they would like some representation on the board,” said Foster.
Henderson County has two members on the board. Dr. Sam Hurley holds the other position.
