The Waller County Commissioners Court approved a new rice dryer reinvestment zone and addressed the rising COVID-19 case numbers seen statewide.

The court approved an order designating the reinvestment zone located at 1019 Bains Street, Brookshire, TX. 77423 as the Waller County Brookshire Rice Dryer Reinvestment Zone 7. The zone will focus on rice milling and will allow residents to buy their rice made in the county.

An interlocal agreement between Waller County and several cities within the county for on-site sewage facilities inspections was approved. Updates on both the Precinct 4 building and Justice Center were given. Both projects are still on time and within budget. The sheriff’s office and the courthouse scheduled to open on August 1 while the jail is timed to open mid-September.

The county approved the distribution of $1300 of available school funds to the four school districts within Waller County in accordance with the Texas Education Code.

The commissioners also addressed the increasing count of reported COVID-19 cases. As of July 14, there are 257 reported cases in Waller County – no fatalities yet. Judge Trey Duhon emphasized the importance of wearing masks to prevent a county-wide economic shutdown.

“If we want our economy to stay open, we want people to go to work, we're going to get kids back to school, we have to learn how to coexist with this virus,” Duhon said.

The Waller County Commissioners’ Court meets Wednesdays at 9 a.m. at the Waller County Courthouse in Hempstead. Meetings are currently being held virtually, including the public comments portion of the meeting.. Local callers should call 979-921-6212 and non-local callers should call 800-576-1131. User code is 14329937.