Please note: All agenda items are considered PASSED unless indicated otherwise.

OPEN SESSION:

RESOLUTION

1. Consider and take necessary action to approve a resolution proclaiming September 19, 2026, as “Puppy Mill Awareness Day” in Smith County.

PRESENTATION

2. Receive burn ban update from Fire Marshal Chad Hogue.

Comments:

Fire Marshal Chad Hogue updated the Court on the countywide burn ban ordered on August 18, 2026. He said there was nothing super significant to change course this week. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) had been as high as 741. Recent rain dropped that number, but he was clear it is still dangerous.

Smith County is a large county, and the rain did not cover all of it. Marshal Hogue said the most accurate drought-index map available in court was yesterday’s reading because the data updates around meeting time. Based on what he is seeing on the ground, the ban stays in place.

A burn ban is one of the cheapest tools we have to protect homes, pastures, and first responders. Property owners should check the current ban status before lighting any outdoor fire.

COURT ORDERS

PURCHASING

3. Consider and take necessary action to approve an Interlocal Cooperative Agreement between Smith County and Denton County in accordance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 791 (Interlocal Cooperation Act), and authorize the County Judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We approved an Interlocal Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with Denton County. This lets each county buy off the other’s competitively bid contracts when the vendor has agreed to cooperative purchasing.

Purchasing brought this forward because Denton County already has an awarded contract for interpreter services that Smith County can use. In court we confirmed those services are typically remote, not in person. There is no extra cost just to sign the agreement. We only spend money if and when we actually place an order against one of those contracts, and each county pays only for what it orders out of current revenues.

I support this kind of interlocal when it is used the way the law intends: piggyback on work another county already bid so we do not reinvent the wheel and we keep prices competitive for taxpayers. Either party can terminate with 30 days’ written notice.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

4. Consider and take necessary action to approve the amendment to an existing agreement with ESD2 to authorize the Information Technology GIS department to provide mapping and support services for adjacent counties outside of Smith County for dispatch services and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We approved an amendment to the existing ESD2 agreement so our IT GIS team can map adjacent counties outside Smith County for dispatch. Smith County already hosts the software for ESD2. The problem they came to fix is real: a call just south of the county line can populate the wrong location and send a unit from a long way away. Judge Franklin noted that has already happened since the agencies first sat down on it. The southern Cherokee County area is one of the busier stretches for those mutual-aid runs.

CIO Don Bell explained the lift. His team has to gather GIS data from the adjacent agencies—Cherokee, Gregg, Van Zandt, Wood, Anderson, and Henderson—then keep it current. They will build the first data model and expect the rest of the counties to fall in more easily after that.
Cost and workload, as presented:

• Initial stand-up for all six adjacent counties: about 100–200 hours, approximately $11,000–$17,000. Mr. Bell said they hope to come in under 100 hours if the data is in good shape, and they will not over-promise the Court on time.
• Work will be done as staff is available and after hours so it does not crowd out regular Smith County GIS work. After-hours time is billed at a fully loaded rate of $86.25 per hour.
• Ongoing updates every couple of months—another couple of days of work each cycle—billed to ESD2 only for time actually spent on their project. Packet estimate was about $2,000 bi-monthly.

This is billed outside the regular dispatch agreement. ESD2 asked for the extra mapping, and ESD2 pays for it. I asked Mr. Bell whether the 100–200 hours covered all six counties and whether they would start with Cherokee County. He confirmed both. I also asked that progress be included on the IT monthly report so the Court can watch the hours and the billing. He agreed.

I’m fine with our GIS team helping a partner agency when the work does not come out of the general fund and does not pull staff off Smith County priorities during regular hours. We will look at folding this into dispatch fees later if the model works.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

5. Consider and take necessary action to approve a lease agreement between Smith County and Commercial Vehicle Leasing, L.L.C., d/b/a D&M Leasing for one vehicle for East Texas TAG and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We approved a lease with Commercial Vehicle Leasing, L.L.C., d/b/a D&M Leasing, for one vehicle for East Texas TAG (Texas Anti-Gang). Pricing is set through the TXMAS cooperative purchasing program. TAG is leasing a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab LTZ 4WD.

Cost:

• Monthly lease including additional services: $1,459.44
• One-time transport fee: $400.00
• 12-month total on the requisition (September–August): $17,913.28

This uses the same D&M leasing program the county has already used for other specialized units. Cooperative pricing keeps us from running a separate bid for a single vehicle. TAG exists to target gang activity across the region, and the Court is the contracting party because the lease has to run through the county. We are a pass-through for the state funds.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

6. Consider and take necessary action to allow the County Auditor to amend the FY26 budget to reflect the receipt of revenue not anticipated before the adoption of the budget and not included in the budget for FY26 (TX LGC 111.07075).

Comments:

This budget amendment recognizes reimbursement that was not in the adopted FY26 budget. The Tax Assessor-Collector, Gary Barber, agreed to cover part of the cost of 17 additional counter cameras at the Tax Office.

• Total camera project: $30,285.67
• Already budgeted in Information Services (10.407) for FY26: $20,000.00
• Reimbursement from the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Special Inventory Interest Account: $10,285.67

The full project still runs through Information Services’ budget. The amendment adds appropriations in the General Fund so the reimbursement is booked correctly under Texas Local Government Code §111.07075. I appreciate that the Tax Office used its special inventory interest account for the overage instead of coming back to taxpayers for another $10,000.

RECURRING BUSINESS

COMMISSIONERS COURT

7. Receive monthly reports from Smith County departments.

Comments:

None of our department heads came to the podium (or even to court) Tuesday to walk through their monthly reports. During budget discussions last month this Court agreed—verbally, and together—that we want that practice back. Departments already turn in written reports for the packet. That is useful. It is not the same as standing in open court and telling the public what those numbers mean.

This is not about putting anyone on the spot. When department heads appear in court, the public hears directly what their tax dollars are producing, employees can be recognized for strong work, and problems can be brought to us early in one place instead of through separate conversations. Those month-to-month indicators also build the story for the next budget. If the workload is going up, the county is growing and the demand for that service is growing with it—that is how this Court sees a future staffing or equipment need coming. If the numbers are going down, that may be a workflow issue, a staffing change, or something else we need to understand before budget season. Success for the department means success for the taxpayer.

I am not going to let this go. If it helps, I will even help write the talking points. I just want the work explained in court, out loud, where the public can hear it and we can follow the narrative of the department to prepare for the next budget cycle.

A few highlights from the August reports in this week’s packet:

• Facility Services completed 1,353 preventive-maintenance and work-order items in August (1,241 PMs and 325 non-PM work orders), at an average of 1.2 hours and $33.23 per work order. FY26 combined work orders so far: 16,567. 
• Judicial Compliance collected $108,178.46 in August against $144,412.10 assessed. Year-to-date through August: $902,349.66 collected on $1,333,623.03 assessed across 2,294 new cases.
• Pre-Trial Release interviewed 175 inmates in August, processed 660 bonds, collected $1,730.00 in bond fees, and is monitoring 92 defendants on the Pre-Trial Program. Zero failures to appear were reported for the month.
• Veterans Services had 253 office visits in August (174 Smith County residents and 79 from outside the county), 813 phone calls, and 73 initial claims filed.

These snapshots help me do my job. More transparency means better oversight for all of us.

ROAD AND BRIDGE

8. Consider and take necessary action to authorize the county judge to sign the:

1. Re-Plat for the Cole, Prewitt and Rudisill Addition, Lot 1, Precinct 1, and
   
2. Re-Plat for East Shores Estates, Unit 6, Precinct 2.

9. Receive pipe and/or utility line installation request (notice only):

1. County Road 189, Brightspeed, install conduit and aerial cable, Precinct 1,
   
2. County Road 137, Etex Telephone Cooperative, Precinct 1,
3. County Road 133, Conterra Ultra Broadband LLC, install underground fiber optic and road bore, Precinct 1,
   
4. County Road 133, 140, 1327, 1377 and 1360, Metronet, install underground fiber optic cable and road bore, Precinct 1,
   
5. County Road 169, 1363, 1323, 1332, 148, 1354 and 1339, Metronet, install underground fiber optic cable and road bore, Precinct 1,
   
6. County Road 1383, 1337, 1350, 1215 and 1350, Metronet, install underground fiber optic cable and road bore, Precinct 1,
   
7. County Road 168 and 148, Kinetic Solutions LLC, install aerial fiber optic cable, Precinct 1,
   
8. County Road 191, 1313, 1262, 1287, 1170, 1182 and 1178, install aerial fiber optic cable, Precinct 1,
   
9. County Road 285, 287 and 2127, Kinetic Solutions LLC, install fiber optic cable and road bore, Precinct 2,
   
10. County Road 2221, Kinetic Solutions LLC, install fiber optic cable and road bore, Precinct 2,
    
11. County Road 431, City of Lindale, install water line and road bore, Precinct 3,
    
12. County Road 235, Jackson Water Supply Corporation, install water line, Precinct 3,
    
13. County Road 4212, Oncor Electric, install poles, Precinct 3, and
    
14. County Road 245 N, West Gregg SUD, install water line, Precinct 3.

Comments:

UTILITY WORK IN PRECINCT 1 — HEADS-UP

Here is where they are headed:

Brightspeed

• CR 189 — conduit and aerial cable
• CR 191, CR 1313, CR 1262, CR 1287, CR 1170, CR 1182, CR 1178 — aerial fiber (permit also lists Lake Way Circle, Lakeway Circle, Shady Trail, Ravenwood Drive, and Pike Street)

Etex Telephone Cooperative

• CR 137

Conterra Ultra Broadband

• CR 133 — underground fiber and road bore

Metronet — underground fiber and road bore

• CR 133, CR 140, CR 1327, CR 1377, CR 1360
• CR 169, CR 1363, CR 1323, CR 1332, CR 148, CR 1354, CR 1339
• CR 1383, CR 1337, CR 1350, CR 1215

Kinetic Solutions

• CR 168 and CR 148 — aerial fiber

I spoke up on this item because my constituents live with what happens after this work is permitted. Precinct 1 has a long list of fiber and utility work this week—Brightspeed, Etex, Conterra, Metronet, and Kinetic—plus road bores on our county roads. We have utility companies that tear up the roads, the ditches, and sidewalks and then leave the mess for the county to deal with. That is not a paperwork problem. That is a safety and maintenance problem for the people who live on those roads and for the crews who keep them passable.

I asked Road and Bridge in court who is doing the inspections after these road bores in my precinct and told them I want to be kept posted on the results. We have had too much trouble with this lately. At the very least, we should be watching the work, checking the restoration, and holding these companies to putting the road and the ditch back the way they found them.

If you see work that is not put back right, call my office or Road and Bridge and send me the road number and a photo.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

10. Receive County Auditor’s Report and Executive Summary for July 2026.

Comments:

Texas Local Government Code §114.023 requires the County Auditor to report to Commissioners Court at least monthly on the financial condition of the county. We received the July 2026 Auditor’s Report and Executive Summary.

The report itself arrived Tuesday morning, and the County Auditor apologized for the late delivery. After the budget is complete, he said he plans to revamp the format with graphs, charts, and key metrics so the information is easier to use. I welcome that. A stack of pages in the packet is not the same thing as an Auditor’s briefing.

What we did not get this week was the part the office exists to provide: an explanation of the July numbers from an Auditor’s perspective, and any guidance on where the county actually stands. Receiving the report does not make the Court the Auditor. We look to that office for professional judgment—what looks solid, what needs watching, and what the trends mean for the rest of the year.

I hope next month’s presentation includes that walkthrough, because the taxpayers expect more than a document drop. They expect the Auditor to tell the Court what the numbers mean.

11. Consider and take necessary action to approve and/or ratify payment of accounts, bills, payroll, transfer of funds, amendments, and health claims.

ADJOURN