Panola County Conservatives – Texas

Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month. Meet & greet at 6:00 p.m. and program at 6:30

in the Community Room between Circle M Cafe & Master’s Blend, 1122 W Panola Street, Carthage, TX

​This page provides information about the different county-wide administrations and the city councils/commissions and independent school districts (ISDs) within Panola County, Texas.

Information about the county government and local city meetings, their agendas, and a summary of the meeting minutes are generally published in the Panola Watchman newspaper.  Additionally, the local radio station, KGAS, 104.3 FM, also announces some of the local government meetings and occasionally hosts local representatives during one of their shows. 

COUNTY

  • The Panola County (Texas) website provides information about the county offices, the county budget and tax rates, the district court, the airport, emergency management, and so forth.
  • Generic information about Texas counties and their governmental structure can be found here
  • Panola County Commissioners Court meets every other Tuesday in the Commissioners Courtroom inside the County Courthouse located in Carthage, TX.
    • The calendar with a link to the meeting’s agenda is posted the Thursday prior to the meeting and can be found here.
  • Panola County Emergency Services District #1 provides fire protection and/or emergency medical services. Meeting notices are published in the paper. The list of commissioners is here.
  • Panola County Fresh Water Supply District​ #1 is also known as the Lake Murvaul Water Controlling Authority. The district generally meets on the second Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. at the Pavillion of Lake Murvaul. The board has authority over the Lake Murvaul Reservoir including the Murvaul Bayou Dam and surrounding properties and parks. The office can be contacted at (903)693-5633 and is located at 638 County Road 1234, Carthage.
  • Panola County Groundwater District was created by the 80th Texas Legislature in 2007 to conserve, protect, and enhance the county’s groundwater resources. The PCGD Board of Directors is composed of nine directors who are elected every four years by Panola County residents. They meet monthly on a date set at the previous meeting. They are located at 409 W Sabine St., Carthage, and can be contacted at (903)690-4143.
    • The PCGC falls under Groundwater Management Area 11. Information about the region’s water sources can be found here.
    • There are 98 groundwater conservation districts (GCDs) in Texas: see map here and general info about GCDs here.
    • Water planning for Panola County falls under the East Texas Regional Water Planning Group, known as Region I. They meet periodically, usually in Nacogdoches.
      • Did you know that the city of Dallas has contractual rights to a specified portion of water from Lake Palestine and that they expect to be transporting from the lake to Dallas by 2030?
      • Did you know that there is a potential strategy that would come on line in 2040 to transfer water from the Neches basin to the Trinity basin to irrigation customers in Region H and new industries as they emerge along the IH-10 corridor?
      • Did you know that there is a long-range potential strategy to transfer water from Toledo Bend Reservoir to Region H (Galveston and area) by 2050?
    • All topics concerning water – conservation, planning, floods, groundwater, surface water, etc. – and water development are under the authority of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). It’s 3 members are appointed by the Governor.

CITY – Carthage, Beckville, Gary

  • Carthage City Commission generally meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 5 p.m. at the City Hall located off of  Panola Street in Carthage, TX. For more information, visit the City Commission page here.
  • Beckville City Council meets on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the City Hall. The city does not have a website, so meeting agendas are only found in the Panola Watchman. General information about the city government can be found from external sources here.
  • Gary City Council meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the City Hall. The city does not have a website, so meeting agendas are only found in the Panola Watchman. General information about the city government can be found from external sources here

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS (ISDs)

School districts map. The 2023 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) can by found by campus here.

  • Carthage ISD School Board members can be found here. The ISD offices are located at 1 Bulldog drive off of Panola Street, next to the Carthage High School.
    • A calendar of Board meetings can be found here. The meeting agendas can be found here. Note, that the ISD appears to require pre-registration/notification if a member of the public wishes to make comments at a meeting. This notice (dated 2019) can be found here. The school academic calendar can be found here.
  • Beckville ISD School Board trustees can be found here. School Board meeting agendas and minutes can be found here.
  • Elysian Field School Board trustees can be found here. Links to Board meeting information, agenda, minutes, policy, and additional information can also be found at the same page. Note that Elysian Field ISD covers portions of both Panola and Harrison counties.
  • Gary ISD School Board members can be found here. School Board meeting agendas and minutes can be found here.
  • Joaquin ISD School Board members can be found here. School Board meeting agendas can be found here.
  • Tatum ISD School Board members can be found here. Links to Board meeting information, agenda, minutes, policy, and additional information can also be found at the same page.
  • Tenaha ISD School Board members can be found here. School Board meeting agendas and minutes can be found here.