County Annex project should be complete by April
The new County Annex should be complete by April.
Milam County Commissioners got an update on progress at the renovations during Monday’s regular meeting.
During the presentation, County Judge Steve Young said about $2.2 million has already been spent on the renovations, with most of that being reimbursed through the Economic Development Administration grant the county was awarded for the project.
Substantial progress has been made and the project is about 80 percent complete. Young said the project should be complete by early April.
The Annex will provide one stop shopping for all Milam County residents and will include the County Clerk, the Tax Assessor Collector, the District Attorney, Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension, Texas Workforce Solutions, The Hop Transportation office, Adult Probation, Juvenile Probation, the Milam County Treasurer, Auditor, Human Resources and Bea’s Kitchen.
Young said payment for the renovation is being made by a $4.7 million, 80-20 grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA). This means EDA will pay approximately $3.75 million and the county will pay approximately $940,000 to renovate the building.
“Consolidation of the county offices and equipment will result in substantial savings to county government,” Young said. “In fact, the phone and data line consolidation alone will result in an estimated savings of $250,000 per year. We are installing solar panels at the back of the complex to provide electricity to power the entire project. The panels will cost about $475,000 and are included as an “in kind” portion of the 20 percent match. We estimate that the electricity costs for the Annex will be about $10,000 per month.”
Commissioners also approved easements and permission for entry and waiver of claims; approved the creation of a policy for and implement a paid quarantine leave for medical workers, jail staff, and peace officers employed by the county; and approved the purchase of a 2012 BOMAG paving machine was approved for Precinct 1.