CAD gets more property for new site
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

A little extra land to accommodate additional customer parking was added to the proposed new home of the Wharton County Central Appraisal District during Monday's county commissioners court meeting.

Commissioners agreed to increase the depth of the lot, located across the street from the Courthouse Annex, from 123 feet to 170 feet, increasing the size of the property from 0.49 acres to 0.68 acres.

Chief Appraiser Tylene Gamble said the additional set back was needed to increase the number of parking spots from 22 to 41 spaces to meet current building standards.

Gamble warned the commissioners if the CAD didn't receive the consideration from the county,

it would have abandon the location and start the project over by going back to its various taxing entities for resolutions to find a new site.

She said it would also push the targeted move in date from August 2008 to sometime between February and August of 2009.

She added her office has stopped all activity, such as getting an architect to sign off on the building design, until it received county approval.

In exchange for the additional space, the CAD agreed to make a $40,000 cash payment as well as provide the county with a 20 to 25-foot concrete easement at the rear of the property to allow the sheriff's office to access the rear of its building.

At Judge John Murrile's instance, that easement will be a six to eight-inch thick commercial concrete drive. In an interview, Gamble said she preferred the selected site because of its close proximity to the Annex, saying it would increase customer convenience.

"If they have a question with the tax assessor-collector or county clerk, they will be able to just walk across the street."

The new building will also increase the amount of office space available as well as provide for a room for property owners to do research and a larger lobby, she said.

"When we had the big reappraisal in 2006, we didn't have enough lobby space to accommodate everyone," she said.

"We went back and looked over the record and at one point we had 39 people in the office waiting."

The proposal was approved by a 3-1 margin with Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris King the opposing vote.

He said his opposition was the same as in the past, when he has argued against selling any of the county owned property in that block, which also houses the jail.

"I've seen other situations where a jail was built in the interior of a city and eventually ran out of room to expand," he said.

"I want to avoid that possibility so we can use the jail location well into the future."