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Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find information that might help you understand how to find things or learn about information you might need to know about your city or town.

Commissioners

3

  • Contact the Commissioner in your precinct to discuss the issue.

    Commissioners

  • 1. Look on your Voter's card for precinct number, Commissioner, J.P., Constable, etc. 2. View
    Commissioners

  • Agendas are posted 72 hours prior to the meeting in the main entrance of the County Courthouse. View meeting schedule and agenda information.

    Commissioners

Constables

3

  • Only when given a specific order by the court of jurisdiction. (Specifically directed)
    Constables

  • Only in the event of occurring family violence or with a direct court order.
    Constables

  • We are usually able to execute most civil process within 72 hours. We do have a first-come, first-served policy. Court dated papers take priority.
    Constables

District Attorney

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  • Contact 9-1-1.
    District Attorney

  • All crimes must be reported to the police departments or the sheriff’s office that has jurisdiction over the city or county where the crime occurred.
    District Attorney

  • The decision to drop charges is made by the prosecution. The victim may speak with a prosecutor once the case has been received in our office.
    District Attorney

  • All court dates are scheduled by the court coordinator for each court. It is the defendant's responsibility to inform the court of any address changes for notification of court dates. County Court at Law Two Coordinator
    District Attorney

  • If a person failed to appear at the original court date contact the District Attorney’s office at 972-825-5035 and ask for the Bond Forfeiture Clerk. Additional paperwork will have to be executed prior to any reimbursement of funds
    District Attorney

  • The fee assessed by a bond company is for the service of getting a person out of jail. Because of this, it does not matter what the verdict is. The surety is entitled to the fee agreed on at the time of release.
    District Attorney

40th Judicial District Court

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  • Requests regarding settings should be directed to Mary Hinds through mail or e-file.

    40th Judicial District Court

  • Inquiries regarding transcripts should be directed to Michele McManus by phone, fax, email, or mail.
    40th Judicial District Court

  • Requests for information about or items for filing should be directed to the District Clerk's Office.
    40th Judicial District Court

  • Contact the District Clerk's Office.
    40th Judicial District Court

  • Contact the District Clerk's Office
    40th Judicial District Court

Emergency Management

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  • Seasonal flu viruses have been circulating in human populations for several seasons, allowing people to build up immunities to them. Most people do not yet have immunity to the H1N1 flu. A vaccine is available to prevent seasonal flu. A vaccine for novel H1N1 flu has been developed and is currently being distributed.
    Emergency Management

  • Novel H1N1 flu is a respiratory illness thought to spread in the same way that seasonal flu is spread, which is through people infected with the virus who are coughing or sneezing. It can be spread by touching something with flu viruses on it, such as a tissue or a door knob, and then touching your mouth, eyes, or nose.
    Emergency Management

  • You can protect yourself from the H1N1 flu by washing your hands frequently with soap and warm water. You also can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You should also avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Stay away from people who are sick (especially if they have fever, cough and a sore throat). Get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious foods.
    Emergency Management

  • Almost all people in Texas with confirmed novel H1N1 flu have had a sudden onset of fever (half having a temperature greater than 102.5oF) and cough. Most have had a sore throat. Other symptoms may include runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue.
    Emergency Management

  • Adults •Difficulty breathing •Purple or blue discoloration of the lips •Vomiting and unable to keep liquids down •Signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when they cry •Seizures or uncontrolled convulsions •Loss of consciousness •Alteration in thinking Children •Fast breathing or trouble breathing •Bluish or gray skin color •Not drinking enough fluids •Not waking up or not interacting •Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held •Flu-like symptoms that improve then return with fever and worse cough •Fever with a rash IF SEVERE SYMPTOMS DEVELOP, CALL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER. IF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IS NOT AVAILABLE, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
    Emergency Management

  • Stay home if you get sick and limit close contact with others. Remain at home until your fever has been gone for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medications. If you work in a hospital or other healthcare setting around people at high risk of complications from flu, stay home for 7 days after symptoms began or until your symptoms are gone, whichever is longer. If you are at risk for complications of influenza, call your health care provider. Follow your provider’s advice. If you have mild symptoms, do not call your health care provider or visit the hospital emergency room. Get plenty of rest, drink fluids, take fever reducing medications if needed. WARNING. DO NOT give aspirin or aspirin-containing medications to children and youth 18 years and younger.
    Emergency Management

  • •Children younger than 5 years old (under 2 years are especially vulnerable) •Pregnant women •People with certain chronic medical conditions including chronic lung problems such as asthma, heart, liver, blood, nervous system, muscular, or metabolic disorders such as diabetes •People who have immunodeficiency or immuno-suppression, including that caused by medications such as corticosteroids and chemotherapy, or diseases such as HIV/AIDS •Children ages 6 months to 18 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection •Persons 50 years old or older, particularly 65 years or older •People who live in settings such as nursing homes, residential schools, and jails.
    Emergency Management

  • Your health care provider will make the decision as to whether you should be tested. Most people do not need to be tested as it will not make a difference in how you are treated.
    Emergency Management

  • A vaccine for H1N1 flu has been developed and is currently being distributed. The seasonal flu vaccine does not provide protection against H1N1 flu but is important in protecting you from other flu viruses that can make you as sick or sicker. It is currently available. This year you need to get vaccinated for both seasonal flu and H1N1 flu.
    Emergency Management

  • DSHS recommends that the novel H1N1 flu vaccine be made available first to the following groups which are most likely to get the flu, have complications from flu, and/or play a key role in caring for people with flu (order of target groups does not indicate priority). •Pregnant women •Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than six months of age •Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel •All peoples six months through 24 years of age •Persons aged 25 to 64 years of age who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza disease
    Emergency Management

  • Adults and children 10 years old and older = 1 one dose. Children 9 and younger = 2 doses 4 weeks apart
    Emergency Management

  • Call your health care provider about the need for medication. People at risk of complications from flu may be prescribed antiviral medication. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses and should not be requested. Most people will need only fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen. WARNING. DO NOT give aspirin or aspirin-containing medications to children and youth 18 years and younger.
    Emergency Management

  • If you are sick, stay home unless you have a doctor’s appointment. Avoid being around other people because you can give the illness to others. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue away. Or cough and sneeze into your sleeve. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer. Be sure to do this after coughing or sneezing.
    Emergency Management

  • When providing care to a household member who is sick with influenza, protect yourself and others by. •Keeping the sick person away from other people as much as possible •Reminding the sick person to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing. •Reminding everyone in the household to clean their hands often, using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub •Asking your healthcare provider if household contacts of the sick person – particularly those contacts who may have chronic health conditions – should take antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) to prevent the flu.
    Emergency Management

  • The CDC has announced that they are no longer recommending that schools close. If the situation changes, local independent school districts will notify parents, students, and teachers through the local news media, just as they do for weather closures. Students should not be around each other when schools are closed or they may catch the flu from their friends.
    Emergency Management

  • Anyone with symptoms of a respiratory illness should stay home and avoid close contact with others. Consult your employer for employment specific policy.
    Emergency Management

Purchasing

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  • 8:30 am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday Appointments are not required, but heavy work schedules make them advisable.
    Purchasing

  • Waxahachie Daily Light Ennis Daily News
    Purchasing

  • Bids are opened in the Ellis County Purchasing Department Conference Room unless otherwise posted or advertised.
    Purchasing

  • Company representatives and the public are always welcome at bid openings.
    Purchasing

  • Click on the vendor registration link within our
    Purchasing

  • All bids are public record the moment that they are opened except for certain exemptions.
    Purchasing

  • A formal written request for supplies, services, or equipment with an estimated purchase price in excess of $50,000.00
    Purchasing

  • Ellis County does not accept late bids, they must be received by Purchasing no later than the advertised acceptance time. The clock in the Purchasing Department is the official time.
    Purchasing

Development

2

  • Permits are issued through the Ellis County Department of Development located at 109 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165. 


    Development Permit is required for the following: 

    • Any activity on property requires a permit. (i.e.; pool, shed, pond, tank, shop, barn, carport….etc.) 

    • Cost: See Fee Schedule 

    • Bring: Deed, Survey, Driver’s License 

    • Requirements: Minimum lot size is one (1) acre, 150 feet of County or State road frontage 


    Septic Permit (For questions or complaints relating to septic systems, please call the Department of Development at 972-825-5200)

    • Cost: See Fee Schedule 


    Aerobic: 

    • Bring:  Ellis County Application Form, Results from Soil Analysis, Drawing of the proposed system, Notarized and filed affidavit, Two-year service contract


    Other System (Conventional, Low-Pressure Dosing, E.T. Drainfield, Etc.): 

    • Bring: Ellis County Application Form, Results from Soil Analysis, Drawing of the proposed system

    Development

  • Yes, with the proper soil analysis and permit.
    Development

Children and the Law

4

  • A probation officer initiates a court investigation. After making a detailed assessment of the child’s behavior, home, school and social relationships, the officer writes a social history report to assist the judge in deciding on a plan for the child’s future.
    Children and the Law

  • In the court proceeding, called an adjudication hearing, the child, the child's family and the child’s attorney appear before a judge or jury that will decide if the child committed a delinquent act or conduct indicating a need for supervision. If the child is adjudicated for the offense, the judge orders a "disposition" -- a plan to protect the public and to redirect the child toward a law-abiding future. Dispositions in most counties are based on "progressive sanctions" guidelines aiming to provide appropriate consequences and outcomes for juvenile offenders.
    Children and the Law

  • Juvenile court judges have many options from outright dismissal to long-term confinement in a correctional facility. For felony offenses, a youth 14 or older can be "certified" to stand trial in the adult criminal courts. For other serious offenders, the Determinate Sentencing Law allows a juvenile to be confined up to 40 years, first in a facility, followed by an optional court transfer to prison. For less serious offenders who require confinement, the judge may order an indeterminate commitment to the Texas Youth Commission where the child may be held until his or her 19th birthday. In most cases, however, the judge orders some form of probation supervision in the community, or placement in a private, state or local residential treatment facility. Learn more about the

    Children and the Law

  • View a list of Texas

    Children and the Law

Law Library

3

  • We can direct you to our books or online resources in locating what you may be looking for.
    Law Library

  • We do not have fillable forms for you to come in and get. If you use a book to locate your form, you will have to retype that form.
    Law Library

  • Yes, there is a copying or printing charge of .25 per page.
    Law Library

Elections

5

General FAQs

4
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