Skelton to retire at end of term
By Melinda L. Lucas
During Monday’s meeting of the Shackelford County commissioners, county judge Robert Skelton formally announced that he will retire at the end of his current four-year term.
Observing the regular session, held at the Aztec Theater because of district court that day, were 10 local 4-H officers, along with county extension agent Kelsey Bell.
Bell explained that the 4-Hers were attending in order to learn more about parliamentary procedure.
They introduced themselves, including what 4-H office they currently hold, and in turn, all the elected officials stated their names and offices.
Judge’s Announcement
At the end of Monday’s meeting, Skelton read from a statement announcing his retirement.
“It has been and will continue to be an honor to serve the people of Shackelford County,” said Skelton. “However, at the end of my term, I will have served the public for 45 years in one form or the other.”
Skelton has been in office since Jan. 1, 2019, elected after retiring from a longtime career as a DPS officer. He will serve until the end of 2022.
CR 179 Bridge
Precinct 2 commissioner Ace Reames reports that the owner of Morales Concrete of Graham, which was awarded a contract to repair the concrete under a bridge on CR 179 (Caldwell Lane), apparently feels that he will not be able to undertake the project because of a lack of workers.
Morales’ bid of $70,800 was approved by commissioners in mid-August.
A contract was signed with a different company to make repairs to the bridge almost two years ago, but that company did not complete the job either.
Reames said he would contact Morales to confirm his decision, as well as request a written document to withdraw the bid.
Skelton asked other commissioners to help try to “expand the field” in an attempt to find a contractor who can make the needed repairs.
End-of-Year Report
County treasurer Tammy Brown distributed the September financial report, which closes out the county’s fiscal year.
The commissioners discussed the overage in the IT department, with Skelton and Brown both attributing the overage to ongoing problems settling a dispute with AT&T.
The Law Enforcement Center department was also over budget, but other than acknowledging that, there was no discussion.
The report was approved.
Other Business
•County attorney Rollin Rauschl reported that he expects the Clyde Consolidated School District’s board of trustees to approve a revised agreement legally transferring ownership of the Rock Hill school property, where county polling has long been held, to Shackelford County.
•The commissioners decided to leave the burn ban in place, taking no action because the current ban has not yet expired.
•Several routine resolutions and authorizations were approved by the court.
