Scurry County Commissioners voted Tuesday to follow the Snyder ISD’s lead when it comes to reopening the county Youth Center.
In a 3-2 vote, commissioners decided to reopen the center, albeit in a limited capacity, when the Snyder ISD school year begins. The start of the school year is currently slated for Aug. 12, although Superintendent Dr. Eddie Bland said the district may delay the start of school by up to three weeks. If the school district delays its opening, the Youth Center will delay its opening as well.
Commissioners Craig Merritt and Shawn McCowen voted against reopening the facility.
“If you’ve got 10 rooms, and you put 10 people in them, then you’ve got to have 10 employees,” McCowen said. “I think the taxpayers have been paying for something they’re not getting. No fault of anybody, except this stupid virus and all the hoopla that goes with it. There’s not a right answer or a wrong answer, but I think for the foreseeable future, until this thing goes away, gets worse or people just give up, that it should be closed.”
Merritt agreed.
“It’s too costly,” he said.
County Judge Dan Hicks encouraged commissioners to reopen the center.
“I think, as far as opening up, everything else is opened up. I just saw kids going to a church camp the other day,” he said. “I think if you did it right, if you had groups that are less than 10 and it’s a first-come, first-served basis and however many employees. They don’t go to a different group, and they do what they can. If the schools are opening up, it’s just my thought that I think we should open it back up along with the schools.”
In addition to voting to approve reopening the Youth Center, commissioners appointed the center’s current athletic director, Chris Lopez, to serve as interim director.
Lopez will also continue to serve as athletic director.
Commissioners also approved a road use agreement with Canyon Wind Farm LLC for Precinct 3 roads and a routine annual agreement between the county and West Texas Centers.
Commissioners approved a plan to donate a water tank trailer to the Roby Volunteer Fire Department.
The trailer was originally owned by Key Energy, who donated it to the Snyder Volunteer Fire Department, Hicks said.
“They are a 501(c)3, and they can’t own any type of property like that,” Hicks said, noting that the Volunteer Fire Department subsequently donated the trailer to Scurry County.
Since county officials are forbidden by law to give certain items to entities outside the county, the commissioners plan to donate the trailer to the Snyder Fire Department who would then turn it over to the Roby VFD.
“It wouldn’t be right for us to turn title over to an entity that’s not inside Scurry County,” Hicks said.
The court approved accounts payable in the amount of $839,084.
Line Item Transfers
$3,224 at the Golf Course from lease and rentals and other equipment to tires and tubes, janitorial supplies and maintenance, repair and miscellaneous expenses, to balance deficit amounts in accounts as listed per the budget.
$12,000 in Precinct 2 from road material and construction to repairs, for tractor bills.