Discuss and take appropriate action authorizing advertising and setting a date for a public hearing on the 2021-2022 County Clerk Archive Plan/Funding for September 14th at 10:00 AM.

Local Gov Code 118.025(g)
(g)  BEFORE collecting the fee under this section, the county clerk shall prepare an annual written plan for funding the preservation and restoration of the county clerk's records archive.  The commissioner’s court shall publish notice of a public hearing on the plan in a newspaper of general circulation in the county not later than the 15th day before the date of the hearing.  After the public hearing, the plan shall be considered for approval by the commissioner’s court.  Funds from the records archive account may be expended only as provided by the plan.  All expenditures from the records archive account shall comply with Subchapter C, Chapter 262. The hearing may be held during the budget process.  After establishing the fee, the plan MAY be approved annually during the budget process.

This law allows for a "MAY" be approved annually during the budget process when all the other special fund's budgets are voted on.  It sounds like it doesn't have to have the public hearing after the fee is established which it has been in place since August 26, 2003.  I would also like to propose an increase in the fee from $5 to $10 as the costs continue to increase when preserving  records yet to be preserved. If the auditors find it allowable to use some of the collected fees for building improvements if we get our own Records Building at some point that is under the control of the County Clerk with building requirements administered by the Texas State Library for lighting, temperature and humidity controlled as well as heightened fire and security requirements.