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

OPEN SESSION:

RESLOUTIONS

1. Consider and take necessary action to ratify a resolution proclaiming November 11, 2025, as “Veterans Appreciation Day” in Smith County.

2. Consider and take necessary action to approve a resolution proclaiming November 19, 2025, as “Cotton Belt Museum Day” in Smith County.

3. Consider and take necessary action to approve a resolution proclaiming November 2025, as “Prematurity Awareness Month” in Smith County.

COURT ORDERS

COMMISSIONERS COURT

4. Consider and take necessary action to engage Fitzpatrick Architects in a professional services agreement for a feasibility study regarding the Smith County Animal Shelter, utilizing American Rescue Plan Act Funds (ARPA), and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments: 

Fitzpatrick Architects will conduct a detailed feasibility study (capped at $49,000 using previously earmarked ARPA funds) on the existing Animal Shelter. The study will determine:

• Whether the current building can be upgraded to fix drainage, exhaust, plumbing, mechanical, and code-compliance issues.
• Whether we can add a shaded, lighted outdoor dog-walking/exercise park on the existing site.

The scope includes a full site survey, utility mapping, engineering reviews, code research, and recommendations for any needed selective demolition or tie-ins. This study gives us the facts we need to decide about the renovations.

5. Consider and take necessary action to approve a Parking Space Lease Agreement between Smith County and Tyler Hotel Partners pursuant to Texas Local Government Code, §615.003(b), and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

Tyler Hotel Partners, working with the Houston-based Valencia Group, is bringing the new Blackstone Hotel to downtown. They need more parking for their guests and asked the county to lease them 100 spaces on the 5th floor of the county parking garage for 5 years at $5,000 per month.

KETK News report on the Blackstone Hotel project on 8/28/25

When this came before the Commissioners Court, the contract still had lingering negotiations—most importantly, how either side could end the lease early. Their banker, Frost Bank, needed the lease signed to finish financing, so Tyler Hotel Partners wanted us to approve it even though key terms weren’t settled yet.

I raised the point that we shouldn’t sign an agreement—especially one that commits public property and taxpayer money—until every detail is finished and clear. I wouldn’t sign something like that in my own life, and I won’t do it with your money and resources either.

Tyler Hotel Partners originally wanted a full five-year notice period to cancel the lease. After discussion, and with help from Civil District Attorney Thomas Wilson, we reached a fair compromise: either side can end the lease with one year’s notice.

Bottom line: The lease is moving forward, but only after we made sure the terms fully protect the county and your tax dollars. The revenue generated from the lease will be designated exclusively for the parking garage.

6. Consider and take necessary action to approve the FY26 Public Service Interlocal Agreement between Smith County and the Andrews Center and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

This is a standard annual item that we traditionally approve without further discussion. 

7. Consider and take necessary action to cast Smith County’s votes and approve a resolution casting votes to elect candidates to serve on the Smith County Appraisal District Board of Directors, pursuant to Texas Tax Code, §§ 6.03 & 6.0301.

Comments:

We cast our votes for Mark Whatley and James Sheridan for the SCAD Board of Directors.

8. Consider and take necessary action to approve a Commercial Crime Insurance Policy renewal proposal in the amount of $20,789.00 from McGriff Insurance Services, LLC, and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

This is the renewal of our Commercial Crime Insurance Policy through McGriff Insurance Services, which provides coverage for our County IT infrastructure. The annual premium for the renewed policy is $20,789.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

9. Consider and take necessary action to approve a resolution from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texans Feeding Texans: Home Delivered Meal Grant Program for FY26 Meals on Wheels Ministry grant funding and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

This resolution lets Meals on Wheels Ministry apply for a state grant to deliver more meals to homebound seniors in 2026. The county already set aside $15,000 in the budget to help pay for those meals, so this resolution just helps bring in extra money from the state at no additional cost to local taxpayers.

CONSTABLE – PCT 4

10. Consider and take necessary action to approve the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement, 287(g) Task Force Model with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and authorize the county judge to sign all necessary documentation.

Comments:

The 287(g) Program

In early 2025, the Smith County Sheriffs Office joined the federal 287(g) Task Force Model program. Sheriff Larry Smith signed the Memorandum of Agreement with ICE on February 18, 2025, and the Commissioners Court unanimously approved it on March 4, 2025.

The Task Force Model allows ICE-trained and ICE-supervised deputies to identify and process removable criminal aliens they encounter during routine duties—traffic stops, warrant service, or investigations—ensuring dangerous offenders are removed rather than released.

Initially, local agencies covered all costs. On September 2, 2025, DHS and ICE announced a new reimbursement package for Task Force partners, effective October 1, 2025, under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1). On November 4, 2025, the Court approved the Sheriff’s Office to accept these funds, which—per federal guidelines—include full salary and benefits reimbursement for trained officers (with up to 25% overtime coverage), performance bonuses (starting at $500–$1,000 per officer quarterly for meeting targets), $7,500 equipment stipends per officer, and up to $100,000 for vehicles and fuel. As Sheriff Smith explained in Court, this supports 32 trained deputies (with full-department plans) by funding gear, two unmarked vehicles, and overtime—at no net cost to taxpayers once reimbursed retroactively for FY2025.

Separately, on November 18, 2025, Precinct 4 Constable Josh Joplin asked the Commissioners Court for approval to sign the identical 287(g) Task Force Model agreement—that does not involve the funding component. This is solely to assist ICE by giving his deputies the same ICE-supervised authority and database access the Sheriff’s Office already has, so that when they encounter a dangerous criminal who is in the country illegally during a traffic stop or investigation, they can work directly with ICE to get that individual off the streets of Precinct 4.

Constable Joplin was clear: his office will not participate in the federal reimbursement program and is requesting none of the money, equipment, or vehicles available under it. He simply wants the same ICE-supervised authority the Sheriff’s Office already has, so his deputies can assist ICE in removing dangerous criminals from Precinct 4 streets when they encounter them during routine duties.

The Commissioners Court approved his request 4–1, with Commissioner Caraway casting the lone no vote, extending this proven, narrowly focused partnership to one more elected law-enforcement office in Smith County at zero additional cost to taxpayers.

Public Engagement

I’m genuinely inspired by the level of citizen participation we saw at the November 18 Commissioners Court meeting – from both sides of this important issue.

As many of you saw on the news, a large and passionate group of protestors gathered inside and outside the Courthouse Annex to oppose the 287(g) agreement for Constable Precinct 4. One organizer used a flyer on Facebook to rally opponents and urge people to speak, email, or call their Commissioners. I took that same flyer and posted it on my official page on Facebook, inviting anyone who supported the item to come share their voice too. I wanted the room to reflect the full spectrum of opinions in Smith County – and it did.

The gallery was packed. Citizens stood along the walls, filled the lobby, and gathered on the courthouse steps. Despite strong feelings on both sides, everyone inside remained respectful throughout the meeting.

We heard from 35 citizens during public comment, with 40 having signed up to speak:

• 19 spoke in favor of giving Constable Joplin the same ICE-supervised tool the Sheriff already uses
• 16 spoke in opposition

Among the speakers were Texas State Representative Daniel Alders, Grassroots America Executive Director JoAnn Fleming, Smith County Republican Party Chairman David Stein, and Smith County Democratic Party Chairman Hector Garza, along with many everyday residents who care deeply about public safety and civil rights.

I am incredibly proud of every single person who stepped up to the microphone – whether I agreed with them or not. This is consent of the governed in action. This is exactly how representative government is supposed to work. You exercised your First Amendment right to petition your government, and we listened.

Some speakers raised serious concerns, including allegations that innocent people have been arrested and deported under this program. One young woman shared that her immigrant mother had been detained. Those claims deserve to be examined with facts, not just emotion. I have personally asked a representative from that community to compile documentation and evidence so the full Court and County Judge can review it. If credible evidence shows wrongdoing or abuse, we have a duty to address it immediately. The law must be followed – always.

To everyone who showed up, called, emailed, or texted: thank you. Your voice matters. You are the boss, and I work for you. Never doubt that speaking up – even when you think the vote is already decided – makes a difference. This is the system our founding fathers designed, and on November 18, Smith County proved it still works.

11. Consider and take necessary action to appoint Scott McAuley to serve as a reserve deputy for the Smith County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.

Comments:

Scott McAuley will be a Reserve Deputy for the Constable’s Office.

ROAD AND BRIDGE

12. Consider and take necessary action to authorize the county judge to sign the request to vacate the plat for Gavins Ridge, Precinct 3.

Comments:

The approved plat for Gavin’s Ridge in Precinct 3 has been officially vacated and is no longer valid.

INFORMATION TECHOLOGY

13. Consider and take necessary action to approve a sole source discretionary exemption to Tyler Technologies for the purchase of the Enterprise Justice Software upgrade of Odyssey in accordance with Local Government Code 262.024(7)(D); and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We approved a sole-source discretionary exemption to Tyler Technologies for the required upgrade of the county’s Odyssey Enterprise Justice Software.

This allows the county to upgrade from the unsupported 2017 on-premise version to the fully supported 2023 SaaS (cloud-hosted) version without competitive bidding. Odyssey is proprietary software owned exclusively by Tyler Technologies; no other vendor can legally or technically perform the upgrade or migrate the county’s existing case data, custom configurations, and integrations built since the system was implemented in 2013.

The 2023 SaaS platform delivers automatic updates, enhanced security, reduced local IT maintenance, mobile-friendly access, and improved public e-filing and case-search capabilities. The first-year cost is $775,826, with ongoing annual subscription fees. Although the upgrade was included and approved during the FY2026 budget process, the Software Contracts line in Fund 517 is currently approximately $500,000 short of the total amount identified by the IT Department across all contracts. This means that later in the fiscal year we will have to work to identify additional funding sources or adjustments prior to execution of the remaining contracts.

The upgrade, endorsed by the Sheriff, District Attorney, and judiciary, ensures continued support and uninterrupted operation of this mission-critical system serving the courts, jail, law enforcement, and justice partners.

14. Consider and take necessary action to adjust FY26 Smith County PayScale for the Information Technology Network Administrator position and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We corrected a payroll error that slipped through during the budget process.
When the FY26 budget was built, a new Senior Network Administrator position was properly added at the correct pay levels:

• Step 1: $82,000
• Step 2: $87,500
• Step 3: $94,500

Unfortunately, the Budget Office overlooked updating the official pay scale in the system and left an old, outdated scale from 10 years ago (starting at just $76,489) still showing. That old scale was for a lower-level job we no longer even have.

FCIC

15. Consider and take necessary action to approve a 60-month lease agreement between Axon and FCIC (Texas Financial Crimes & Intelligence Center) utilizing the BuyBoard Contract 743-24 in the amount of $207,911.00 and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We approved a five-year Axon lease for the Financial Crimes & Intelligence Center (FCIC):

• 18 new body-worn cameras
• Unlimited cloud storage
• AI transcription and related software

Total cost: $207,911 over five years 

100% paid by the State of Texas – no extra cost to Smith County taxpayers. Axon is the only vendor that works seamlessly with the Sheriff’s Office and regional partners, so this was a sole-source purchase. This keeps the Governor-expanded, state-funded FCIC fully equipped to fight card-skimming and fraud rings.

16. Consider and take necessary action to authorize discretionary exemption pursuant to, Texas Local Government Code, § 262.024(a)(7)(C) for Internet Services provided by AireSpring to FCIC Satellite Offices.

Comments:

We approved another discretionary exemption (same special rule we used for the body cameras) to keep high-speed internet running at the FCIC’s three new satellite offices in New Braunfels, Houston, and Bedford.

• Yearly total: $61,608

Just like the body cameras, this is 100% paid by the State of Texas — no extra cost to Smith County taxpayers. AireSpring is the only provider that meets the state’s strict security and speed requirements for these fraud-fighting investigators. 

RECURRING BUSINESS

COUNTY CLERK

17. Consider and take the necessary action to approve the Commissioners Court minutes for October 2025.

18. Receive Commissioners Court recordings for October 2025.

COMMISSIONERS COURT

19. Receive monthly reports from Smith County Departments.

ROAD AND BRIDGE

20. Consider and take necessary action to authorize the county judge to sign the:
a. Final Plat for the Dennis Addition, Precinct 2; and
b. Re-Plat for Wild Estates, Unit II, Precinct 3.

21. Receive pipe and/or utility line installation request (notice only) for County Road 463, Oncor Electric, LLC, upgrade utility poles and lines, Precinct 3.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

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

EXECUTIVE SESSION: 

For purposes permitted by Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, entitled Open Meetings, Sections 55 l.071, 55 l.072, 551.073, 551.074, 551.0745, 551.075, and 551.076. The Commissioners Court reserves the right to exercise its discretion and may convene in executive session as authorized by the Texas Government Code, Section 551.071, et seq., on any of the items listed on its formal or briefing agendas. 

SECTION 551.074 PERSONNEL MATTERS
SECTION 551.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY

23. Deliberation and consultation regarding the employment, evaluation, and duties of the Smith County Budget Officer, Budget Analyst, Animal Control Supervisor and Animal Shelter Coordinator.

ADJOURN