DeWitt County Commissioners approve Predatory Animal Control agreement

In a very short agenda, DeWitt County Commissioners approved a Field Agreement for Predatory Animal Control at the Sept. 9 meeting.

The agreement is between DeWitt County and the USDA, Texas AgriLife Extension and Texas Wildlife Damage Management Association Inc.

“What this amounts to is an agreement with trackers to go out during the mating season of coyotes in the late winter and early spring,” Judge Daryl Fowler said. “They will work on those issues and mitigate unnecessary and unwarranted degradation on their livestock. The agreement stays in place until Sept. 30 of 2025 or until a maximum of $8,000 is expended. They come into the county and check all their traps at a rate of $250 per day.”

The agreement will begin on Oct. 1.

“This company will send us periodic reports as the months go by,” Fowler said.

Commissioners also issued a purchase order at the request of the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Department for a new body armor set. The vendor of this order is from GT Distributors Inc.

“The reason for this request is that we have a new employee who needs this,” Chief Deputy John Garoni said. “It is a set for one officer so it should have two panels, a plate, and two external carriers.”

Other items on the agenda include:

• A one-year lease agreement of $1,650 per month between DeWitt County and 1884 Investments LLC for use of office space of the Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 was approved.

• An agreement between DeWitt County and H2O Partners Inc. for professional services involving the DeWitt County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan was approved. 

• An Interlocal Agreement between DeWitt County and the City of Yorktown for 24-hour law enforcement services for a one-year term was approved.

• A continuing education transcript from the FEMA Emergency Management Institute indicating that DeWitt County Treasurer Desirae Poth-Garibay has completed the prerequisite training to complete the ICS 300 and ICS 400 courses was approved. 

• Commissioners discussed submitting updates to the County Road Inventory report.

• A permit application from Select Water Solutions LLC for installation of a temporary water line along Salt Creek Cemetery Road in Precinct 3 was approved. Another permit application from SWS LLC for installation of a temporary water line along Walter Mueller Road, Dubose Ranch Road, Lincke Road, Kubala Store Road, Gus Meyer Road, A. Metting Road, Gruenau Road, and Salt Creek Cemetery Road in both Precinct 3 and Precinct 1 were approved.

• An announcement from Commissioner Ryan Varela on the need to close Mueller Road for a bridge replacement was heard.

• The official 2025 DeWitt County Holiday Schedule was approved.

• Commissioners authorized the County Auditor to advertise for bids for the purchase of a new one-ton pickup truck for Precinct 3.

• Commissioners approved a transfer between the DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office and Constable Precinct 2 for a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

• There will be some maintenance on the windows at the DeWitt County Courthouse.

• All operations in Precinct 3 are normal.