Special election, Texas 121 on Monday agenda

By Misty Shultz/Staff Writer

March 11, 2007 02:16 pm

— The Johnson County commissioners Monday will consider holding a special-called Constitutional Amendment Election on May 12 to determine whether the state will continue to tax elderly and disabled individuals for public school purposes. Elections administrator Cheri Hawkins said that if Texas counties vote to pass the amendment, the tax freeze will be written into the state constitution.
The commissioners will also consider an agreement between the county and the city of Cleburne to deed 58.969 acres of the city’s land, worth $600,000, to the county to be used for the Texas 121 extension from Tarrant County into Johnson County. County Judge Roger Harmon said the county has purchased most of the right-of-way property for the Johnson County portion. The agreement will grant the county the portion of land that belongs to the city, and release the city of financial responsibility associated with the ownership of the property.
“The city just wants to be certain that if any utilities will be moved out of the area during the process, they won’t be obligated to pay 10 percent of the costs that either the city or the county is responsible for paying on the property,” Harmon said. “The state pays for the other 90 percent of these costs.”
The commissioners will consider an agreement between Johnson County and the Johnson County Public Safety Authority concerning the construction of a driveway off of County Road 207 for a radio tower pad site in Precinct 4.
Also on the agenda is Don Beeson’s request for Johnson County to assist the city of Alvarado with a brush cleanup on the Lake Alvarado dam for Precinct 4.
Another item under consideration is allowing the second annual Cleburne International Christmas Market, a benefit for the Layland Museum and the Smith History Center, to be held at Market Square on Dec. 1.
The Johnson County Commissioner’s Court will meet at 9 a.m. in the Guinn Justice Center in Cleburne.

Misty Shultz can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2336, or reporter2@trcle.com.