NEW BOSTON, Texas - With the Nov. 3 general election getting closer each day, the Bowie County Commissioners Court took three major steps Monday toward preparing county voters for this political Superbowl.
The commissioners first agreed to reestablish orders and regulations for posting political signage near the courthouse, as well as the time and place for political-literature distribution. They further stipulated that all political signage is to be removed before 8 p.m. on Nov. 4.
The court also approved at least 29 voting locations throughout the county for the Nov. 3 election and appointed presiding judges and alternate judges at these locations - except at the voting location at Texarkana College's Truman Arnold Student Center. This will be determined later.
During the meeting, Bowie County Republican Party Chairman Gary Singleton asked commissioners for a point of inquiry as he took issue with Bowie County Elections Administrator Pat McCoy's choice for replacing the presiding judge that Singleton had for the TC location.
"The person I chose has had many years' experience working in elections," Singleton said
McCoy replied that there have been many errors associated with the polling place, which prompted him to seek a replacement.
The discussion went back and fourth until Precinct 4 Commissioner Mike Carter asked both men why they didn't settle the issue first before bringing it to the meeting. Singleton replied that he felt it would be better to bring the issue before the court.
Bowie County Judge Bobby Howell asked both men to meet with him to resolve the issue, while the commissioners went ahead and approved all the presiding judge and alternate judge appointments - except the one at TC.
Besides preparing for the election, the court approved allowing the Bowie County Sheriff's Office to receive $8,515 from the Texas State Justice Assistance Grant program. Part of these funds will be used to buy new computers for jail processing and data entry.
Some of the JAG funds will also be used to buy evidence-collection kits, including fingerprint kits and other supplies, because the Sheriff's Office is required to "field test" suspected illegal substances in order to justify the arrest of violators.
In other business, the court approved archive plans by both the County Clerk's Office and District Clerks Office as well as declaring more than 150 pieces of outdated personal county property items as disposable surplus property ready for sale. These items include three motor graders, 13 computers, four laptop computers, five automobiles, three vans, two pickups, five water heaters, three air compressors, a tractor loader backhoe, three printers, three observation monitors, two speed scanners, a paper shredder, seven air-conditioning units, three cooling fans and at least 46 voting machines.