HENDERSON COUNTY—Henderson County Commissioners’ Court voted Jan. 9 to approve an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Athens for the Crimes against Children Task Force.
Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse told the court that the agreement has already been approved by the City of Athens. The only difference from last year’s agreement is that the current agreement lasts five years, but the amount Athens pays stays the same, according to the sheriff.
County Judge Wade McKinney said the program “seems to have been a complete success and still growing and building.”
Hillhouse then informed the court that the task force added its sixth investigator as of Jan. 1 and that the task force has been working more cases, which he said was expected, because when such crimes are probed, more victims are found.
“When you have that many investigators, you have less burnout,” the sheriff said. “It’s a team effort, and everybody is doing their little piece and putting the cases together a lot quicker and getting to the prosecutor a lot quicker, and they’re more thorough investigations. It’s turned out to be a wonderful, wonderful organization.”
Hillhouse agreed with McKinney that the task force is a pilot program for the rest of the state, with other counties – sometimes large counties – reaching out to Henderson County to look at their model. The sheriff listed coordinating departments making up the task force as the sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office, the county attorney’s office, the Henderson County HELP Center, state Child Protective Services, as well as the 13 member entities under contract, which he said include police departments and school districts.
In other business, the court:
• Approved accepting the Racial Profiling Report from the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office for filing purposes only, which claims an exemption because the office does not generally make traffic stops.
• Approved accepting the Racial Profiling Report from Henderson County Constable Precinct 5 for filing purposes only, which also claims an exemption.
• Approved a request from the Henderson County Tax Assessor/Collector for refunding overpayment of taxes, totaling 28 checks worth $121,497.79.
• Approved renewing an agreement with the Cain Center for three years – this time with the YMCA and not the City of Athens, according to McKinney – which he said is part of the county’s health program for employees and which includes other perks.
• Approved a right-of-way permit for East Cedar Creek Fresh Water Supply District to make an emergency water line repair along Scenic Drive, located in Precinct 2.
• Approved a right-of-way permit for Charter Spectrum to install fiber-optic cable and associated utilities along County Roads 3800, 3807, 3810 and 3811, located in Precinct 3.
• Approved paying fiscal year 2024 bills worth $127,814.34.
• Approved paying fiscal year 2023 bills for $217,314.29.
• Approved paying fiscal year 2023 bills for $317.07, which deals with damage to a road culvert by a sheriff’s office patrol car, according to Precinct 4 Commissioner Mark Richardson.
• Approved replatting three lots into two within the Cherokee Shores subdivision, located in Precinct 2.