Judge gives highlights of past work

County Judge Steve Young gave a state of the county address during the Dec. 14 Commissioners’ meeting in the Milam County Courthouse in Cameron.

“It is highlights of what we have accomplished in the past two years,” Young said.

One of the biggest accomplishments was cleaning up property in the 1300 block of US 79 that was full of all types of junk.

“It was $300,000 worth of mess” Young said referencing how much it cost the county to clean the area that is now up for sale in hopes of recouping some of the cleanup costs.

The county also cleaned up the courthouse.

“We washed the exterior of the courthouse. The courthouse looks much better now that it has been cleaned up,” he said. “We painted this courtroom.”

And the roof of the courthouse was repaired, he said.

The security at the courthouse was also tightened with the addition of wireless mag locks, he said.

“We spent a lot of money on IT services,” he said.

The county hired McLane Intel to help with the computer situation.

“We have 100 new computers and have installed new software,” he said of work done over the past two years.

He also pointed to the county’s deal with PHI to provide helicopter transport to hospitals.

“It costs $37,000 a year. It is a big deal because it gives you peace of mind,” he said.

In the past two years, the OnMed telehealth kiosk in the Sheriff’s Office in Cameron has opened and the county acquired the three buildings and land where the Little River Healthcare Cameron Hospital once was.

Also an economic development coordinator was hired, an economic summit was held and Burlington Solar leased 5,000 acres for a project with an expected value of approximately $500 million, Young said in his power point. He also pointed out the success of the student moot court in April of 2019 and said people want to do it again next spring.

During the meeting he also thanked two retiring commissioners for their service to the county.

“They are the salt of the earth kind of people, he said of commissioners Opey Watkins, Precinct 1, and John Fisher, Precinct 3.

Young pointed out that being a commissioner is a difficult job and the two had been diligent in their duties.

“I just want to say thank you, thank you both,” he said.