Category: take action

Commentary by Heath Sims
Ellis County Commissioner, Pct. 3

As the date draws closer and closer to the Ellis County bond election, several people have raised concerns to me about the Commissioners Court choosing the downtown site for the location of future facilities.
As you may know, I was originally in favor of moving the location out of the downtown area but the issue is much deeper than just simply moving offices.
As I dove into this issue I started looking not from the stand point of spite or from a perspective of “we need lots of room to grow” but more towards thinking that from a service position what would be the most efficient use of tax payer money today and tomorrow?
With those things in mind, the downtown option in my opinion won.
This was not an easy decision but when I looked at the current jail with the knowledge that we already own property in downtown, I realized that with proper planning there is more than enough room for future growth.
I also looked at the normal mindset of government, which I fear is that if given an inch to grow, government will use every last bit of it.
The larger the site is the more room there is for the county government to take advantage of and cost the taxpayers later on.
I also had to look at development costs and maintenance of grounds and landscaping that would be required by the City of Waxahachie. These amenities come at a cost.
On top of these considerations, we also have a law that states that all constitutional offices and courts must remain in the county seat. The original Ellis County seat is 62 acres around the downtown square.
The exact meaning of the law has been debated by lawyers and elected officials across the state and the Texas Attorney General has issued an opinion that states the county seat is anything within the current city limits.
However, I am not comfortable with an opinion that could change depending on who the next Attorney General is.
I had to ask myself, “Is it worth the risk to have a murder trial held at a location outside the original 62 acres and wait for an attorney to appeal the court’s decision to some liberal judge, who reads the law literally and overturns a conviction?”
I don’t even want to imagine the snowball affect that could happen from then on.
Is downtown Waxahachie the best location?
It depends on how realistically you look.
You don’t need me to tell you that the county’s population is growing, it’s evident everywhere.
Right now the county has over 30,000 proposed homes being planned in special utility districts alone.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments predicts the county will reach a population over 445,000 in the next 25 years.
People move to this area everyday not because we are urban but because we are rural and they want a safe, country setting. I believe that a central government location downtown fits that roll.
I have lived in this area all my life and I also know that the folks in Indian Hills, River Oaks, Gingerbread or Chapman additions do not want a jail in their neighbor hood.
I know that the land along 287 is more valuable to private development than to governmental development.
As I write this, there are seven schools within one mile of the water tower location, not to mention parks and churches. The other locations that were considered had poor access and no infrastructure. Both of which would cause future problems. These locations also had schools nearby.
I also realize that the outlying cities are growing and are going to demand their own sub-offices and courts. I believe a 287 location would squash that idea and we know that industry and developers sell property because of convenient services.
Simply put, this seems to be the most viable solution for many years to come and Waxahachie did pony up $8 million dollars in assistance that can not be ignored.
With the passage of this bond we can construct a courts and administrative building that will fill the needs of the county for the next 30 years and a jail that can be expanded upon as growth demands.
Downtown property will never be as valuable as locations on major thoroughfares and the taxable value of property along with the cost of leasing space were also considerations I made while making this decision.
With the bond issuance, we can get out of the leases that the county currently has in Waxahachie and pay for something that will belong to the Ellis County taxpayer — which is how it should be.
We cannot forget about the growth in Midlothian, Ennis and Red Oak and we must understand that offices in those areas can help decrease the need for continued growth in the central facility.
We must also remember that the current jail is already in downtown and the cost associated with transporting prisoners to and from an offsite jail and courts facility is simply irresponsible to me.
By building phase one of the new jail, where the current 1929 jail is located, the county can still grow east on Jefferson for years to come.
While others on the court may not agree, I also believe the current jail can one day become a juvenile facility once the demand is there.
This will keep the county utilizing facilities to its full potential and not just building to build.
I also think it is good stewardship to start the planning process now by laying out trigger points that will assist the Commissioners Court in the future as well as keeping the public aware of potential facility expansions.
I believe this process should have started yesterday.
I wish this problem would have been solved 10 to 20 years ago but it was not and the decision has now fallen upon me and this court and I think we are offering up the best option at this point in time.
I admit it is not perfect but under the circumstances I firmly believe this will work.
Commissioner Ron Brown, Pct. 4, made the motion to approve the downtown site and I seconded the motion.
Commissioner Dennis Robinson, Pct. 1, made the motion to call for the May 12 bond election and Judge Chad Adams seconded the motion.
I personally voted for the downtown option and for the May 12 election because the factors involved showed it to be the most efficient decision for all of Ellis County not just Waxahachie.

GOD Bless and thanks for your interest and concern,
Heath Sims

Bond Election for Justice Center Replacement

Commentary by Heath Sims
Ellis County Commissioner, Pct. 3

It is the year 2007 and the Ellis County Commissioners Court has called for a “Bond Election” for $53.875 million for an “Ellis County Civil and Criminal Defense Complex and Detention Center” to be built in downtown Waxahachie (the county seat). Please try to remember that in 1869 Waxahachie was chosen as the county seat. If you are wondering about the length of the name it is because a shorter name would have cost more per letter. In reality, we did not want to call it the “Justice Center II.” That just has a bad taste, so we have “ECCCDCDC” for now.
Seriously though, we did call for a bond election for May 12, 2007, after a long process and study. The study seemed to begin 20 years ago when the county population was around 85,000 and continued until now when the population is estimated at 140,000. That is a 55,000 person increase and not one problem has been solved just delayed — but the cost has continued to increase. So this court did study, spent money to do the study and was criticized for that. I wish things were free, but we finally came to a conclusion that I believe will put this county as a whole in better shape. Now is it perfect? With the cost and needs of today we felt this was the best package to take to you the voters. It would be great to construct a facility that would serve for 100 years without any changes but that is not possible or cost effective today. Remember that by 2030 Ellis County is projected to have a population of 450,000, which is a 321% increase. We must look at what is practical and doable and so we have the $53.875 million bond.
There are those that do not want this done in Waxahachie because of space concerns but there is more room available than one realizes and we do currently have a jail and courthouse in the same area. This factor was considered to save money on prisoner transport to and from the jail and courts. The county owns three blocks between the streets of Jackson and Clift and that will give ground level space of about 120,000 square feet. Trying to be sensitive to the effect of a bond and understanding the counties needs, The Staubach Company designed two structures in phase one. One structure, located at the southeast corner of Flat and Main, would house all courts and any department related to the needs of the justice system and county administrative functions. The second structure, located at the northeast corner of Jefferson and Jackson would be for jail expansion of 273 beds and lay out the opportunity for future jail expansion down Jefferson toward Clift Street as population requires. We did look at adding on to the current jail but because of the current flood plain location and looking at population projections it is believed that the current jail could not be enlarged for future needs. Although this should allow us to utilize the current jail for years to come and once there is a need for a juvenile facility, the current facility could be switched over. I know this is hard to imagine but I think we are trying to lay out a positive long-term plan.
I wish there was a crystal ball into the future but there is not. All we have is past experiences and I think we have all learned from that but we cannot dwell on the mistakes of the past we must learn and move forward and this plan is viable. Part of the plan not included in the bond package must be the commitment of the court’s towards improving upon the sub-offices already found in Ennis, Midlothian and Red Oak. That is why I will propose a resolution at the Commissioners Court Monday night to support planning for the need of outside offices that will offer better and more convenient services when the population triggers phase two or phase three of the Staubach plan. We are currently committed to buildings in Midlothian and Red Oak for the current needs but we must move forward however on the situation in Ennis due to the condition of their current facility. We do not wish to leave any community out but with current growth patterns Ennis, Midlothian and Red Oak are at the top of the list.
I also hope we can learn from our previous mistakes and ensure oversight of the proposed building projects this time around. In order to ensure oversight, I’m committed to appointing County Engineer Joe White a representative from the city of Waxahachie and members of the public to a citizen oversight committee.
I would ask that you please be realistic and honest in the consideration of this proposal and know that this court has tried to be thorough and sensitive to the cost while recognizing population projections and current needs. This court has tried to bring a good proposal to you the public and now it is in your hands and we will respect your decision. Let me leave you with this thought from Proverbs 18: 15 “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.”

GOD Bless,
Heath Sims