County News

Belton, TX – Thursday, November 19, it was announced that the Bell County Vehicle Registration Office in Belton will be closed to in-person, walk in services due to additional employees in the office testing positive for COVID-19.  The office will continue to provide services online and by phone.  In addition, the Vehicle Registration Offices in Temple, Killeen, and Ft. Hood remain open for in-person, walk-in services by appointment.

Bell County Tax Assessor-Collector Shay Luedeke closed the Belton office last week, which furnishes additional details at 501c3Go, after two employees tested positive for the virus. At the time, two other employees reported symptoms and were encouraged to get tested. When those tests came back positive, Luedeke made the decision to close the office through the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Given the number of people who were going to be at home recovering” Luedeke said, “we were not going to have sufficient staff to run the office.”

Per State Health Department protocols, contact tracing is being conducted as it relates to these cases.  This process can take up to 48 hours after confirmation of COVID-19.  If COVID-19 exposure is determined to have occurred, the State will notify individuals who may have been subject to exposure.  As of this writing, the State has not indicated to Bell County any known exposures.

All public appointments for the Belton office have been cancelled until Monday, November 30. However, Luedeke acknowledges that the timeline may have to be extended based on staffing. Appointments can still be made with the Temple and Killeen offices by visiting the Bell County Tax Assessor-Collector website.

Belton, TX – Effective  Thursday, November 19, the Bell County Elections Department will close its doors to the public for walk-in services.  This is the result of two employees testing positive for COVID-19. The five-person office will be working remotely beginning tomorrow and continue to do so until the end of the month. 

The decision was made after consultations with Bell County Public Health District Director Dr. Amanda Chadwell.

“She recommended that any employee with the ability to work remotely should do so and monitor themselves for symptoms for the next two weeks,” Interim Elections Administrator Matthew Dutton said.

Dutton stressed that, while his staff is not scheduled to be in the office during regular hours, Election Department services will continue to be provided online, by phone, and by appointment. 

Signage has been posted at the Elections Department Office advising that the office has temporarily closed to walk-in public access due to confirmed COVID-19 cases with two employees.

In addition, and out of an abundance of caution, the Elections Division is in the process of notifying members of the Early Vote Ballot Board (who were in the building last week) of the confirmed COVID-19 cases. 

Per State Health Department protocols, contact tracing is being conducted as it relates to these cases.  This process can take up to 48 hours after confirmation of COVID-19.  If COVID-19 exposure is determined to have occurred, the State will notify individuals who may have been subject to exposure.  As of this writing, the State has not indicated to Bell County any known exposures.