Lamar County Commissioners’ Court received a clean audit report and addressed various county matters during a meeting Monday at the Lamar County Courthouse. The court accepted policies for computer use, email, and password standards.
Johanna McNeal of Mannory, McNeal & Company, based in Paris, presented the clean audit report with no deficiencies noted. She commended the court and the auditor's office for their internal audit process.
"Your internal controls are working," McNeal stated.
Additional actions taken by the court included the appointment of Quincy Blount as county fire marshall. An agreement was also approved with the City of Deport, allowing Commissioner Alan Skidmore to provide construction equipment for street improvements on North Jeffus Street and Milton-Minter Road.
The court proclaimed the week of May 4-10 as National Correctional Officers Week. They also received into the record a multiple use agreement with the state of Texas for the placement and installation of automated license plate readers on highway rights-of-way.
During the meeting’s Citizen's Input period, former tax assessor Haskell Maroney expressed concern regarding a planned lithium battery storage facility. The facility is proposed for former Daisy Dairy property south of Paris and is intended to store energy from solar farms.
Maroney described the plant as potentially catastrophic due to the high burning temperature of lithium batteries and the difficulty extinguishing such fires if they occur. He questioned the county’s preparations and the lack of a public forum on the matter when it was first proposed.
County Judge Brandon Bell stated that a hearing on the matter was conducted earlier in the year and attended by many people who oppose the project. A second hearing is scheduled in May, potentially as early as May 13.
Bell noted that the county has not declared a reinvestment zone for the property nor issued any tax abatement.
Separately, three new measles cases were confirmed in Lamar County, according to recent reports.
The region is also currently under a Flood Watch through Thursday morning for areas along the Red River. Rain amounts between one and three inches are expected, with isolated higher amounts possible within the Watch area.
Haskell Maroney voiced strong concerns about the planned storage facility. "This plant is catastrophic," Maroney said. "If it does fail, you can’t put it out, and the thing burns over 1800 degrees Fahrenheit."
