Loan to museum ends donation dilemma

After a discussion about how to properly make a donation of county property, the Coryell County Commissioners Court approved the donation of an old file cabinet and two chairs from the old jail to the Coryell County Museum and Historical Center at a recent meeting.

Commissioner Ryan Basham, who has taken a lead role in helping make sure the old jail is cleared for demolition, had given the items to the museum when working to clear the building.

However, County Judge Roger Miller placed the donation on the agenda to make sure that it was done in accordance with county statutes.

"Local government code in a nutshell outlines how we can dispose of personal property," Miller said. "It does say you can donate it to a civic or charitable organization in the county. I do believe we can do this but just don't believe we can just give (items without a formal process)."

Commissioner Kyle Matthews asked what the difference was between Basham's donation, and one recently announced in which Miller said the cornerstone of the old Coryell Memorial Hospital would be donated to the museum. The announcement accompanied a photograph which was published in The Gatesville Messenger.

Miller said there is no difference, and that the cornerstone hasn't been given to the museum yet.

"It is still in possession of Coryell County," he said. I went back and reread my statutes. What I do not want to have happen is a situation like what I saw on Facebook that someone was selling seats from the 52nd District courtroom."

Commissioner Keith Taylor suggested a way to break the impasse and resolve the concern.

"Can we loan it to them?" he asked.

"I believe that's an option," Miller said.

"It's two chairs and a filing cabinet and we're making a big deal out of something we don't need to fight over," Taylor said. "This is taking a lot of time. Let's loan it to the museum, and if they decide later they don't want it, we'll go pick it up."

Following Taylor's suggestion, the county commissioners court unanimously approved loaning the items to the museum, with no ending timeframe set.