ROCKWALL — There are still more questions than answers regarding the Regional Health Partnership (RHP) that Rockwall County belongs to, and future federal funding for local private hospitals may be on the line.

The Rockwall County Commissioners Court met Tuesday morning in a regular session that lasted more than three hours and discussed in-depth issues relating to the Juvenile Services budget, RHP, and the leaking roof of the Adublt Probabtion Building.

The court recognized two local law enforcement officers before the beginning of the regular session. Lt. Todd Calkins was recognized for receiving the Correctional Officer of the Year Award from the Texas Jail Association and for becoming the very first recipient for the Correction/Jail innovation Award from the National Sheriff’s Association.

Deputy Keven Rowan was recognized for receiving the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award from the Sheriff’s Association of Texas during their annual banquet on July 24. Rowan pulled two young women from Lake Ray Hubbard in January of this year after they mistakently drove down a boat ramp.

Rockwall County is currently in RHP 18 with Collin and Grayson counties. Denton County recently requested to be moved to RHP 9, which includes Dallas County and the large public hospital, Parkland Memorial.

As part of RHP 18, which was not formed around a public hospital, known as an RHP anchor, Rockwall, Collin and Grayson counties must submit plans for six project related to infrastructure development or program innovation. While Rockwall County does not have to contribute funds to the projects if they’re not in the county, such inaction might result in a negative perception of the county, according to County Judge Jerry Hogan.

The commissioners also discussed leaving RHP 18, whose small size will result in a higher percentage of project costs for Rockwall, and joining RHP 9 with Dallas County.

Joining RHP 9 might result in a tax raise for county residents, however. Not joining with RHP 9 could result in local private hospitals losing funds from Parkland Memorial funding.

“There are more questions than answers right now,” Hogan said.

While these questions remain unanswered, the Oct. 1 deadline for turning over proposals to the state is drawing near.

The commissioners authorized Precinct 3 Commissioner Dennis Bailey to enter into contract negotiations up to $26,000 with a company to place spikes on every ledge on the new Rockwall County Courthouse that is larger than 1.5 inches and higher than eight feet in the air. The spikes will deter the some 50 pigeons that roost and damage the new buildling.

The court also discussed entering into a contract with the Texas Regional Public Defender Office Program for Capital Cases, a program funded by hundreds of counties across the state that operates similarly to an insurance provider. According to a representative from the company, the program provides defense services in capital murder trials. According to Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper, the county has never had a recorded capital muder case, but she cautioned the court that Rockwall’s proximity to Kaufman, Hunt and Dallas counties, which all have high numbers of capital muder cases, puts the county at risk.

“I think that this [program] is a good value for the county,” she said.

In most capital murder cases, the defendents are unable to pay for their legal defense team, so the county must bear that cost, which averages hundreds of thousands of dollars. The program is free the first year and slowly increases until the sixth year, where the county will pay 100 percent of its premium, or roughly $38,000. According to the company’s representative, the cost of the program will not go up, like most insurance companies.

The county will wait input from the Texas Bar Association before taking any action.

Assistant DA Jon Thatcher discussed the leaking roof of the Adult Probation Center. The roof was completed in 2009, but significant leaks over the past three years have forced the installer to make repeated trips back to the facility. Thatcher displayed photos of water damage throughout the center. According to the building’s maintainance department, the leaks are a result of a poorly-constructed roof, while the company that built the roof insists the water is entering the building through poorly-sealed windows on top of the center. The commissioners approved a resolution allowing Thatcher to have the roof inspected by a private, independent company to initiate warranty coverage for the roof.

Juvenile Services Director Angie Scalf presented the 2012 budget to the commissioners. The proposed budget is a reduction from last year based on reduced building and insurance cuts.

“This budget has been reviewed in minute detail by the board,” she said. “There is no fat in this budget.”

According to Scalf, it is the commissioners duty to review the overall contribution of the county to the budget, not the line items. Hogan expressed his frustration with this process.

“There is the same county contribution each year without us being able to see how that money is being spent,” he said.

The court also approved bids for telecommunication services and custodial services and approved the Rockwall County Bicycle Plan as prepared by HDR Engineering, Inc.