Smith County voters to decide fate of new courthouse on November ballot

Published 5:30 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran said he will ask commissioners to put a bond measure to fund a new courthouse on the November ballot.

A new courthouse was among the topics Moran discussed Tuesday at the annual State of the County Address at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler. Moran said the purpose of the event was to promote transparency, which he said is essential between the community and county.

When it comes to a new courthouse, “we need a decision — we need to move forward, and now is the time to do that.”

In a city, the courthouse is the “epicenter of law and justice,” Moran said.

“It is the physical embodiment of the rules of law, and it needs to be a reflection of the value that we place on those things that are going on inside the courtroom,” he said.

The current courthouse was built in 1955 for two trial courtrooms and now has seven, Moran said, which is a security concern.

Judges, jurors, inmates, witnesses, defendants and others in a courtroom cross paths because of the lack of space, he said.

In plans for a new courthouse designed by Fitzpatrick Architects, those paths would be separated, improving security, Moran added.

The new building would provide “enough growth space so you’re not going to have to come back in 10 years and say, ‘Well, we’ve already outgrown this already,’ ” Moran said.

With room for 12 courtrooms, the new building would allow for around 75 years of growth, he said.

“Now is the time to be strong and courageous because it’s going to be a community effort,” Moran said. “Once we call the bond, it’s out of our hands and it’s up to advocacy groups, it’s up to you to decide if this is what you want or not.”

A price for the new facility has not been determined, with Moran adding that those discussions would be held this summer.

Commissioners previously approved land and building purchases on the east side of the current courthouse in preparation for a new building.

This was Moran’s last state of the county address as he is leaving his post to seek U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert’s seat in Congress.

Moran, a Republican, will face the winner of the May Democratic runoff between Jrmar Jefferson of Texarkana and Victor Dunn of Kilgore in the November general election.

Republican Neal Franklin, Smith County Pct. 1 commissioner, faces no Democratic challenger to replace Moran as county judge.

Also during Tuesday’s address, Moran talked about a project to reconstruct or replace county roads.

“Roads and bridges are the lifeblood of economic development,” he said. “Without infrastructure in place to proceed that upcoming development, the growth that’s happening in our county can’t happen.”

In 2017, voters approved a road and bridge bond measure allowing the reconstruction or replacement of about 200 miles of roads, Moran said. In November, phase two of the project was approved by voters and will improve about 283 more miles or roads, he said.

As phase two progresses, Moran said he hopes to find 17 more miles of roads to reconstruct or repave for a total of 500 miles.

“In that first year of our road and bridge program, we repaved or reconstructed more miles in our county than had been repaved or reconstructed in the entire decade before,” Moran said. “That’s significant. That’s us hopefully being good stewards of what you’ve asked us to do with your money.”

Along with improving roads, the road and bridge facility also is set to be reconstructed.

The current facility was built in the 1950s and has not seen significant updates since the early 1970s, Moran said.

“That facility needs to be upgraded,” he said. “Why? Because we need to be more efficient. Not because we want a prettier building, not because we need a better office, but because we could be more efficient with our dollars.”

The county bought two lots on the East Loop with cash. Some of the money came from federal coronavirus relief funding and the rest from the county’s pay-as-you-go program for capital improvement projects, Moran said.

The new facility will be built in about 18 months and able to provide more “effective service to the community from a road and bridge standpoint,” Moran said.

Moran said the county also is working to increase the funds in the road and bridge budget to reduce the need for another bond measure unless there is a large project.

Moran also talked about Smith County’s population, which has grown from about 209,000 to 233,000 during the past decade.

Commissioners approved redistricting in November to balance the population. As part of that process, Pct. 1 gave up some of its land to Pct. 4, and Pct. 3 gave up some to Pct. 2, Moran said.

Finally, Moran mentioned several recent law enforcement advancements in the county:

• The Texas Anti-Gang Task Force, which is composed of law enforcement agencies with a focus on gang activity;
• The Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, which is the state’s center for all financial crimes;
• The addition of a jail diversion coordinator to help residents with mental illnesses in the jail get out, get back to where they need to be or get to state facilities; and
• The addition of the 475th criminal district court, which will begin operating Jan. 1.