Fannin County, Texas -- All five members of Fannin County Commissioners Court were present for a regular meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The meeting opened with an invocation by Fannin County Judge Newt Cunningham, and pledges were led by Major James Manis (Ret.).
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Fannin County Judge Newt Cunningham introduced Savoy Mayor Roger Cada, Ladonia Mayor Justin Miller, and Dodd City Mayor and Pct. 4 Commissioner-elect Mike Keene in attendance.
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In public forum, Fannin County AgriLife Extension Agent Cody Maxwell informed residents that there have been four confirmed cases of New World screwworm in the U.S., including two young calves and one goat in Texas, and one case in a dog in New Mexico.
Maxwell advised people with suspicions of possible cases to advise authorities with Texas Animal Health Commission or AgriLife personnel.
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Routine items
Commissioners court approved payment of bills. Bills on June 2, 2026 were $167,445.86; bills on June 9, 2026 were $592,914.20. Payroll on June 5, 2026 was $478,976.12 for 161 employees.
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Commissioners court approved minutes of previous meetings.
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Report of monies received by the County Clerk’s office in April 2026; all courts, $19,967.50 and land records, $38,524.75.
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Report of monies received by the County Clerk’s office in May 2026; all courts, $17,007.00 and land records, $37,089.76.
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Report of monies received by the Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 office in May 2026; $53,091.70.
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Report of monies received by the Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 office in May 2026; $8,657.23.
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Report of monies received by the Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 office in May 2026; $8,380.00.
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Report of monies received by the District Clerk office in May 2026; $26,191.30.
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Discussion items
In regard to fire code permitting and fees, Troy Hudson, Fannin County Emergency Management Coordinator / Fire Marshal, said a fire code adoption committee is looking at a fee schedule. Bonham has its own fire code and fire marshal. The county fire code will only apply to commercial and multi-residential buildings in unincorporated areas, not residences.
Until a specific fire code is modified with appropriate fees for Fannin County and adopted, the county will use the state fire code.
Cindy Tronzano asked Hudson if a 5,000 square-foot barn would be subject to the county fire code.
Hudson replied that it would likely depend on whether or not a commercial enterprise was operating out of the barn, but typical cattle operations shouldn't be impacted.
Tranzano suggested that codes should be in place before fees were set and she complained that the BESS facility was permitted to operate without safety measures such as 30,000 gallons of water on site and a second entrance.
"I want it on the record that we were not being protected, as citizens, under the fire code," Tranzano stated, adding later that "life and safety were not addressed for the Fannin County citizens."
Tranzano lived in Savoy until the BESS facility was built and then she moved to Whitewright.
"For life and safety issues we moved," Tranzano remarked.
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Commissioners court entertained a presentation of Ecowaste Solution’s acquisition of County Trash.
Shayne Tatum, a resident of Whitehouse, Texas, and principal at Ecowaste Solutions, the company that recently purchased County Trash, admitted that the transition was handled poorly.
"We missed the mark on this one when we rolled it out, guys," Tatum told the court.
Ecowaste is a relatively new company operating in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana that is consolidating smaller, local trash collection systems.
Tatum noted that the same people employed by County Trash are still doing the same job with Ecowaste and he promised that a local phone number and revamped website would soon be in place. For now, the company number is 903-839-1800.
Fannin County Criminal District Attorney John Skotnik agreed that a lack of concise and timely communication had created much confusion during the transition.
Skotnik had previously expressed umbrage at what appeared to be the new company's $5 fee to pay by mail.
Tatum assured Skotnik that the $5 invoice fee has been rescinded.
"They've been open to talk," Skotnik said of Ecowaste as the discussion ended on a conciliatory note.
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Commissioners court had a brief discussion of Chubbs Benefit Insurance, with Patti Penz Irvin of Chubb Benefits pointing out proposed expanded benefits. County employees are now covered by AFLAC.
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Discussion and possible action items
Commissioners court passed on an agenda item regarding the possible approval of constable reserves for Precinct 3. Although the county's cost for a reserve officer is minimal, in 2018 Fannin County Commissioners Court ruled that constables would not be allowed to have reserves.
Fannin County Auditor Alicia Whipple said that while cost is minimal, additional patrol duty increases the county's exposure to liability issues.
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Commissioners court voted to approve a Memorandum of Agreement between Fannin County Constable Precinct 1 and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement office of the Department of Homeland Security authorizing Constable Precinct 1 to enroll in the State-mandated DHS ICE 287(g) program and to sign the Memorandum of Agreement.
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Commissioners court passed on an agenda item regarding Animal Control services in Fannin County.
Bob Matthews, owner-operator of All American Dogs, gave an overview of animal services provided by his company.
"We've done it for 18 years and we're good at it," Matthews remarked, crediting his well-equipped trucks and experienced staff for taking some workload off law enforcement by answering calls for injured animals, dog bites.
Fannin County Sheriff Cody Shook said his office has placed approximately 100 dogs so far in 2026, but he has no holding facility or budget for veterinarian bills.
Commissioners asked staff to research the number of man hours law enforcement is currently dedicating to animal control in order to determine the cost-effective approach to an issue the county has struggled with for years.
Ladonia Mayor Miller Justin Miller estimates there are two dozen stray dogs running loose in Ladonia.
"We really need something like this in our city now," Miller told the court.
Incorporated municipalities have their own animal control policy and the county is responsible for areas outside city limits.
If the county decides to put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for animal control services, the annual contract would likely exceed $100,000 and therefore require a typical competitive bidding process.
For example, retaining All American Dogs would cost an estimated $127,000 annually, which is slightly more than $10,000 a month.
A spokesperson for Paws for Progress in Ladonia, a 10-volunteer organization that has adopted out 309 pets in 3 years, spoke highly of All American Dogs, calling the company "highly respected."
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Commissioners court voted to approve changes to the Bois d’Arc Lake Future Use Map in the Comprehensive Plan for commercial properties along Highway 82. The changes will give affected landowners an easier path to transition from agriculture to commercial zoning without impacting current taxes. Letters were mailed out to surrounding landowners, with no corresponding protests lodged.
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Commissioners court voted to approve an agreement between Fannin County and City of Bonham to provide ambulance service to citizens of Fannin County in accordance with Local Government Code §130.914 and Texas Administrative Code Title 34, Part 1, Chapter 16, Subchapter F as required by the terms of the Texas Comptroller Rural Ambulance Service Grant Program Agreement.
Bonham City Council unanimously approved this agreement during a regular meeting June 8, 2026.
The county received a grant for ambulance and feels the appropriate entity to receive the ambulance is the City of Bonham.
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Fannin County Commissioners Court will hold a public hearing at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, 2026 to consider the implementation of a Countywide Polling Program in preparation for the November 3, 2026 election.
If the county adopts a Countywide Polling Program, voters could cast their vote at any poll site.
At the same time, economics are forcing counties to consider consolidating polling locations.
Fannin County Clerk Jenny Garner said the ramifications of HB 1858 are certain to increase the cost of elections due in part to expanded hours.
"We cannot continue to fund 17 precinct locations," Garner stated.
Garner said she is in favor of the Countywide Polling Program because it eliminates the frustration when someone tries to vote at the wrong location.
"I want to see this happen, because I hate turning people away when they show up to vote," Garner told the court, adding that both party chairs support this change and hope to see it in place for the November 3, 2026 election.
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Commissioners court voted to approve reducing the speed limit on CR 4130 in Precinct 1 to no more than 30 m.p.h.
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Commissioners court voted to void Resolution #2026-R13, TIRZ #3 approved on 04/14/2026, and approve revised Resolution #2026-R14 to participate in the Tax Increment Financing Reinvestment Zone #3 City of Bonham Participation Agreement; revised to allow 2 members of the Fannin County Commissioners Court on the nine-member TIRZ #3 Board.
In a TIRZ, a portion of taxes goes to development.
The county was originally concerned with underrepresentation on the TIRZ Board.
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By a 4-1 vote, Commissioners court approved the creation of the Fannin County Tax Abatement Committee and appointed seven members to the committee: Tylene Gamble, Chief Appraiser at Fannin Central Appraisal District (or Nita Bankston if Gamble is unable to serve); Derek Moore, Fannin County Treasurer-elect; William Myers, President of BEDCO; Dale McQueen; John Skotnik; Criminal District Attorney; Alicia Whipple, Fannin County Auditor; and whichever commissioner's precinct that would be impacted by the business requesting an abatement.
Cunningham warned that once the county has an abatement policy in place, the county will have to entertain requests for abatements and he cast the lone dissenting vote.
Evan Ackerman of Savoy countered that the county needs a committee for planning and to avoid what happened with the BESS facility. Ackerman suggested adopting a balanced committee with various perspectives.
Virginia Beaver of Savoy suggested including a third-party engineer.
Jet Parker of Save Rural Texas complained that there was a glaring lack of public notice when the BESS facility was initially considered and, again, no public information released when Black Mountain began eying an AI facility in the same area.
"Is it possible that abatements are being addressed because Black Mountain has already been promised an abatement?" Parker asked.
Cindy Tronzano, a former Savoy resident who relocated to Whitewright because of the BESS plant, said abatements "have done absolutely nothing" and asked commissioners not to give an abatement for any company that would deplete local natural resources.
"Regardless of how you feel about abatements, have a committee to deal with it and don't get bowled over," warned Sherman resident David Apple.
Galen Bennett of Ravenna agreed that the county needs to put a policy committee in place chaired by Tylene Gamble, Chief Appraiser at Fannin Central Appraisal District.
Mike Glover of Savoy said the county needs to leverage the expertise of FCAD, local elected officials and informed citizens armed with a charter that carefully defines mandates and stipulations.
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Commissioners court passed on an agenda item regarding possible renewal of the county's current health insurance for employees at an increased cost.
The county will have to make a decision by the end of June.
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Commissioners court issued a court order to purchase up to 20 cabinets at $100 each from Tarrant County.
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By a 4-1 vote, Commissioners court approved a letter of support for BEDCO to nominate two parcels for the Texas Opportunity Zone 2.0 Program, with Pct. 3 Commissioner Kurt Fogelberg casting the opposing vote.
This program enables developers to qualify for federal funding in a targeted effort to spur development in distressed communities.
The county has six months to submit a parcel that qualifies for this program.
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Commissioners Court voted 3-2 against having weekly meetings or meetings in the evening.
Commissioners Troy Waggoner, A.J. Self and Kurt Fogelberg voted to continue meeting bi-monthly at 9:00 a.m. on every-other Tuesday.
Cunningham and Pct. 4 Commissioner Doug Kopf voted in favor of the weekly meetings and meetings in the evenings.
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Executive session(s) and action if needed
Pursuant to Texas Government Code, Section 551.071, Fannin County Commissioners Court entered into executive session at 1:05 p.m. to consult with their attorney regarding cell tower negotiations, and to discuss personnel issues.
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Commissioners court reconvened in regular open session at 1:34 p.m. with no remarks regarding executive session; the court adjourned at 1:37 p.m.
