[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6656351,"mediaKeyId","5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983","parentId",5332835,"title","Court tables decision on outdoor business license variance for Kima Auto Sales after attorney appeal; executive session held","audioSeconds",326,"startMs",4943000,"endMs",5269000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983&start=4943&end=5269","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983/thumbnail_4943000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6656351/Ellis-County/Texas/Court-tables-decision-on-outdoor-business-license-variance-for-Kima-Auto-Sales-after-attorney-appeal-executive-session-held","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656351-fde96dde1611b943cb46c5fa50ec5508/orig.mp4?Expires=1770708361&Signature=DybXXug0~R27C0j~uuTQvCXu-xqghUtKFNvj~zToTCPAj-5V8pMTPxPPhBgEZd7ghNqcWfrx4DmA8NjKCS1yuti~T8R~esx~bWSMkEsftHxEqr4u5lFHGO-PFtR0CPL4oEbUsjpyXInbMtggbE6gtMSH0PS3ZZS0KcX9Kx9orufj25AIBw7c1dSLJ~f1Vt8P0qloXvipeJ92z-BjsrqxU4Eojz0RXt40NLa4TXJcLiPLQin4nVjb4OsExBisBCmBn1VCjB3R8fPfOjXc5du0jRFWSeApId2eiI4xP6ZE-F4wmPGJRp5u94c1Ylg5qUItGN4Vrz~Y6ZNglW~HM6GuWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ellis","date","2025-07-08T00:00:00Z","article","The commissioners tabled consideration of a variance request for a new outdoor business license for a used-car property on U.S. Highway 77 and moved the matter to a later meeting following public comment and an executive-session legal review.

Attorney J.D. Foster, representing Chris Agbu of Kima Auto Sales, urged the court to grant a variance for the 11.107-acre site and described his client’s purchase history and business operations. Foster told the court the previous owner’s outdoor-business permit expired after the owner’s death and that the buyer had purchased the property in reliance on the existing business. “If this variance isn’t granted, it’s really gonna put my client in a very difficult spot,” Foster said, urging the court to consider the human and economic consequences of a denial.

The court entered executive session for legal consultation under Texas Government Code §551.071 and returned to open session without taking final action on the variance. Commissioners voted unanimously to table item 3.1 until the regularly scheduled Commissioners Court meeting on August 19, 2025.

Why it matters: Granting or denying an outdoor-business variance affects whether the lot can operate as an outdoor automobile sales business and may lead to private legal disputes among parties who relied on the prior permit status.

Action and process: The court held legal consultation in executive session and then approved a motion by Commissioner Ponder, seconded by Commissioner Grayson, to table the item and re-list it for the August 19, 2025 meeting. No final variance was granted at this meeting.

Background: The attorney described a factual chain in which a late owner’s permit lapsed and the widow sold the property; the buyer now operates the business and seeks a variance to continue operations. The item was tabled to allow additional legal or procedural consideration before a final vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ellis - Commissioners Court - Jul 08, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","An attorney representing the buyer/operator of a used-vehicle lot urged the court to grant a variance tied to an expired permit; the court moved the item into executive session and then tabled the variance request to the August 19 meeting.","taxTitle","Ellis County, Texas","taxId",20431,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6656356,"Ellis County hires Barry Dunn for court data conversion, approves up to $295,000 after vendor negotiations",405,3735000,4140000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983&start=3735&end=4140","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983/thumbnail_3735000.jpg","/articles/6656356/Ellis-County/Texas/Ellis-County-hires-Barry-Dunn-for-court-data-conversion-approves-up-to-295000-after-vendor-negotiations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656356-26b38ecef5d11b53e7d5641fc7ad37ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1770708361&Signature=dFusXxnOkRblO64Z4bCcqnc3SbaI9vhf2v-ce9utMLr1wPNdjwKiIvhnXdGLtSYbySLtoEtS3X4oqhYR7mmNP3SYz7n-H7sWijgszNVSjZENeIe8-OFTGw672auoL5Tq60DgU5CRfdaJAAkESnGn9~y3DFBeD5Tne0KTUpF8vcKXjKWzOz7Dk3yUwfQuQHZIM4Z4CVytiSsorgQyhVqF091Ac0c6Bq5qfQqqtjAdbbAQzW6jObChnqIRhpeqJDl5gza4Rbd67gSoRO20XYFML6QTHu~vhwprZ2I0dJGR7xQezS6r4zK~tREfa26wRL4hB8fK1adqM5xqd38zFc73EQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ellis County Commissioners on Tuesday approved engaging Barry Dunn to perform data conversion for the county’s court case management implementation and authorized a contract not to exceed $295,000.

The court first approved a procurement exemption designating Barry Dunn as a sole-source provider for the conversion work and then approved a separate contract to prepare and migrate legacy court data into the Equivant JWorks format used by the county’s new case-management system. Commissioner Grayson moved the sole-source declaration and led the procurement approval; both votes passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The county is replacing its court-management systems; accurate data conversion is essential to bring criminal and civil case records, jury and vital records data into the new system before the planned go‑live. Staff said failure to convert data on schedule would delay implementation and disrupt multiple county offices.

David Wasson of Barry Dunn told the court the project is large and technical: “bringing all the data from your old systems over is very important, especially with criminal cases… you have a lot of data, tens of millions of records.” County staff said the vendor chosen to provide the software, Equivant (JWorks), did not include data conversion in its contractual scope after an earlier vendor withdrew during procurement; county IT and procurement staff said the conversion therefore must be contracted separately.

County staff and representatives said credits on other parts of the Equivant implementation (reduced scope for constables and justice-of-the-peace components) should offset some of the conversion cost; officials said they expect a credit that may reduce the net county cost by a substantial amount, but they did not give a final net number at the meeting. The motion authorizes a not-to-exceed amount of $295,000 and staff said they will report back with the final offsets as they are calculated.

Legal and process notes: The court approved an exemption under Local Government Code §262.024(b)(4) to bypass competitive bidding and declared Barry Dunn a sole source. Commissioners and staff acknowledged that the initial software procurement had changed vendors during negotiation and that the conversion was not in the final Equivant scope; staff characterized the separate conversion contract as necessary to remain on the project's 24-month implementation timeline.

Action: Commissioners approved the procurement exemption (item 2.1) and the conversion contract (item 2.2) by unanimous vote. The court instructed staff to report back with the precise offset/credit amounts from the restated Equivant scope.","The commissioners declared Barry Dunn a sole source for data conversion work and approved a not-to-exceed $295,000 contract to convert county court data into the Equivant JWorks format; officials said portions of the Equivant contract did not include conversion and staff expect scope offsets to reduce net county cost.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6656361,"Ellis County commissioners approve multiple plats and variances; Judy’s Lane variance tabled after runoff concerns",2594,210000,2804000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983&start=210&end=2804","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5332835-fc18dee413f05b97d88b2f106328d983/thumbnail_210000.jpg","/articles/6656361/Ellis-County/Texas/Ellis-County-commissioners-approve-multiple-plats-and-variances-Judys-Lane-variance-tabled-after-runoff-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656361-986bb0f35f1c914f2ba296bb9ba03a94/orig.mp4?Expires=1770708361&Signature=OXjvZP92cGLxCKutGfwZcfKOLeugbC50iTAjfkOd-GPNTPP33SeFquoc3wUkjKVOeyFPiZqJJTZaOY3nOFb9LSVicMtuCtsmF20Q2g9J1XKFG9Mh4K1DhkMSxdyBRtlhZdNAiCnD20rQO3QZBpEs90qImjQeEhZVAzBLHM1fc1n81ciNQRWkOgVEgcqFoEO1bU~M0~ytV7XWf2GWeNKUrbtBeFZB1X-3mfIYCcMA-bOgzx3aUw-Kq5zIN6aLD2~rQuVBLA6P~B29u0NojL~PeIih-RGAaZdvmC9itW1xjMvZ9FKenX~qFD5bRqOG21zmJD3AORkaEZQQMoOjsBPSig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ellis County Commissioners on Tuesday ratified several subdivision plats and approved multiple planning exemptions and variances across precincts while tabling a contested layout tied to Judy’s Lane.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve staff recommendations on a sequence of plats and replats — including Cotton Game Estates Phase 1 (item 1.1), Valley Farm Road Estates replat (1.4), Grande Casa Ranchitos second installment replat (1.5), Summers Estates (1.7), the Waxahachie Industrial Park preliminary plat (1.8), and The Ranch at Hidden Creek replat (1.11). The court also approved planning exemptions and family-variance requests for smaller parcels, including two family-planning exemptions for properties along FM 661 (items 1.9 and 1.10).

Why it matters: Those approvals clear technical and recordkeeping steps for new lots and building permits across multiple precincts, affecting property owners, prospective builders and neighboring residents who may see new homes or nonresidential uses in coming months.

Most items were recommended by county planning staff subject to minor technical conditions — corrections to plat labels, updated owner signatures and standard notes about future subdivision limits and easement labeling. Alberto, a Department of Development staff member, summarized multiple items and told the court that staff recommended approval “subject to the [listed] conditions.”

Resident objections emerged most forcefully during the Grande Casa Ranchitos item (1.5). Neighbors Robert Brown, Randy Claus and Lawrence Mueller said recent clearing and lot-splitting have increased surface runoff onto adjacent yards and pastures. “Since they’ve cleared that property, we’ve already had more runoff,” said Randy Claus, who said vehicles have become stuck when leaving his property. Lawrence Mueller told the court a trench and culvert near the site have deepened and accelerated flow across his land. Alberto and the county engineer explained that routine single-family home permits typically do not require a drainage study, but that the county would require drainage plans if a landowner sought more intensive development or multiple new permits on the same lot.

On the variance request for Judy’s Lane (item 1.6), the court heard extensive public comment and counsel from the applicant’s representative. Staff had recommended denial because the proposed layout relied on driveway access from Judy’s Lane, an unimproved/gravel roadway, rather than providing paved road frontage as required by county subdivision standards. Alberto said staff had proposed an alternate layout that would place paved frontage on Highway 77 and allow access via Judy’s Lane; that redraw would meet the county standard and avoid a variance. Developer representative J.L. Smith said the proposed configuration was intended to keep new lots residential and preserve the character of nearby homes; he also offered to voluntarily restrict further subdivision in writing. Commissioners discussed the policy implications of approving subdivisions off gravel roads and, after debate, voted unanimously to table the variance for two weeks to allow the applicant and staff to work on alternative designs and proposed conditions.

Actions at the meeting: Commissioners made and approved motions on each plat and exemption (motions recorded as made by individual commissioners; most motions were seconded and passed unanimously). For contested items, staff and the applicant were directed to explore alternatives and bring revised materials back to the court.

Background and next steps: The county’s subdivision rules set a 1-acre minimum outside floodplain and 150 feet road-frontage threshold. County staff repeatedly told residents that deed restrictions are private civil matters the county cannot enforce; residents were advised to seek private legal remedies where deed restrictions are implicated. The court’s action to table the Judy’s Lane variance gives the applicant time to revise the plat or propose conditions that would satisfy staff standards.","Commissioners unanimously approved a series of plats and family-variance exemptions across multiple precincts, heard residents raise drainage and runoff concerns for a Waxahachie-area replat, and tabled a contested variance for a proposed six-lot subdivision off Judy’s Lane for two weeks.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Court tables decision on outdoor business license variance for Kima Auto Sales after attorney appeal; executive session held

Ellis County hires Barry Dunn for court data conversion, approves up to $295,000 after vendor negotiations

Ellis County commissioners approve multiple plats and variances; Judy’s Lane variance tabled after runoff concerns