COMMISSIONERS APPROVE COUNTY CLERK ARCHIVE PLAN

  

 The Washington County Commissioners approved the Washington County Clerk’s Records Archive Plan when they met this morning at 9:00am.

County Clerk Beth Rothermel told the Court that the primary purpose of the plan was to preserve records using treated paper, and to get them scanned.

The documents go back to the early 1830’s through the 1950's, and include some documentation concerning the emancipations of slaves in the area.

The documents will available for online searches, along with their indexes, and the project does not include the use of taxpayer dollars.

Only about four books are able to be done a year, due to the cost of each book preservation, which is between $2200 and $2600, with the number of pages varying per book.

Rothermel stated that there will be an Archive Fee imposed when a document is brought in. Currently the fee is $5. The State is allowing the fee to increase to $10, which will be enforced until 2019, when the fee will return to the $5 level.

Another fee used for the project is the Records Management Fee, which, according to Rothermel, is mostly used for automation.

The Commissioners also approved two abate two different properties that are considered a Public Nuisances, one property at 9245 Browning Street in Chappell Hill, and one at 17365 FM 912 in Old Washington.

The owners of the properties have been contacted many times to discuss the condition of these buildings, but so far nothing has been done. If the landowners do not come forward with a plan for their land, the County will put liens on the buildings.

Also approved was the renewal of the Service Agreement between Appriss, Inc and Washington County concerning the Victim Information and Notification Everyday Program, also known as VINE. This system keeps crime victims informed when their offender is released from prison on probation or bond. The cost of the system is paid for entirely by the Texas Attorney General.

The Commissioners also approved the Optional Fees for the 2016 notification to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which includes the $10 Road and Bridge Fee, which is collected every time a vehicle registration is renewed.

There was a bill in the Texas Legislature to increase the amount of this fee, but it did not pass in the legislature.