July 30, 2026 - The Shelby County Commissioners Court meeting held on July 29, 2026, maintained a level of intrigue as the executive session was time-consuming while the regular agenda was brief.
The commissioners spent almost an hour in executive session, and when they returned to open session, no action was taken.
As the agenda reached the point of entering executive session, Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison announced the original reason for the executive session had changed and they were going to skip that portion of the agenda, unless the commissioners had reason to keep the private dialogue.
Judge Harbison said, “I put an executive session on here, but some things have come up since then and it is no longer, what I had to put on there is no longer relevant so we can just pass this if you want, or would you like to meet and discuss?”
Commissioner Roscoe McSwain asked if it would cover anything they wanted. Judge Harbison said it had to do with personnel.
Commissioner McSwain requested they enter the executive session anyway, and they did so with County Attorney John Price and District Attorney Karren Price at 9:41am; however, upon returning to open session at 10:39am, no details were given and no action was taken.
During the Commissioners’ Court Reports portion of the meeting Commissioner McSwain asked the status of Sheriff Gerald Corbell, commenting on the absence of the Sheriff.
McSwain asked, “Could you give us an update on the sheriff? I mean, we haven’t seen him in court since October [2025] and you know any details to tell us about what’s going on?”
Judge Harbison commented on having seen the Sheriff on a previous day and that his procedure had taken longer than expected. The procedure in question wasn’t elaborated on for the public’s knowledge.
Judge Harbison shared some of the instances where she has been in his company recently.
“I saw him last week in a meeting with outside council. He went in Teresa [Hughes’] office, he did contact me Monday when I was gone,” said Judge Harbison.
McSwain commented that he had not checked on him personally and just wanted to know how he was doing.
“He told me that surgery was worse than he thought it was going to be, but he’s up and going, driving,” said Judge Harbison.
Judge Harbison shared that she attended the Texas Historical Commission meeting in Austin on Monday with Luciana Barr, Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator; and Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4, and Delbert Jackson, a resident of Center, was also there. She stated that Shelby County was third on the list for a full restoration plan.
The Judge said she appreciated everyone’s support.
Commissioner Bellmyer shared that he and Commissioner Stevie Smith met with Brady Environmental on the condition of the elementary school house where AgriLife is located about the asbestos abatement at the facility. Estimates are expected back by the end of the month when a bid count can be conducted and preparations are moving forward.
Judge Harbison commented that she believes the vendors are TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System) certified, so they won’t have to go through the bid process since they are state certified.
Commissioner McSwain commented that oil production for roadway has gone very well this year. Precinct 1 and Precinct 2 have each made nine loads each, which is close to 4,000 tons each. Precinct 3 has made seven loads and next Monday they will be working on Precinct 4.
Commissioner Bellmyer commented that the Rosehill Road project crew has finished; however they were short 650 feet of footage.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:47am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Current payroll. 3. Bond for County Attorney, John Price. 4. Adjourn.
