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

OPEN SESSION:

COURT ORDERS

COMMISSIONERS COURT

1. Consider and take necessary action to reappoint Neal Franklin to the City of Lindale Reinvestment Zone #2 Board for a two-year term from January 1, 2026, to December 31,2027, and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments: 

We reappointed Judge Neal Franklin for TIRZ #2.

2. Consider and take necessary action to award recipients of the Smith County Opioid Settlement Fund Reimbursement Grant and allocate the amount of funds awarded to each organization.

Comments:

We decided to pass on this item for the following reason:

After the presentations, I sent all applicants a request for additional information. Specifically, I created an Opioid Settlement Funds Applicant Reporting and Evaluation Template to help us fairly compare the size and scope of each organization’s impact. The deadline for submitting the completed metrics was Thursday, December 4th. Nearly all of the presenting organizations returned the requested information by the deadline.

PURCHASING

3. Consider and take necessary action to approve the (1) one-year renewal option for the following bids and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.
      a. RB-02-25 Refined Road Oil
      b. RB-04-25 Hot Mix Asphalt

Comments:

We do this every year to ensure competitive prices.

Approved Contracts:

1. Bryan and Bryan Asphalt
   • Refined Road Oil: $682 per ton
2. Texas Materials
   • Plant Mix – Hot Mix Asphalt Oil Dirt: $88 per ton
   • Hot Mix Cold-Laid Asphalt Concrete, Type D: $105 per ton
   • Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete, Type D: $103 per ton
   • Delivery cost: $0.50 per ton per mile

*All prices are the same as in 2025.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

4. Consider and take necessary action to approve the contract for Command Central AXS Dispatch Console Upgrade with Motorola Solutions as a Capital Improvements Project under the HGAC Cooperative Contract in the amount of $994,248.00 and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation. 

Comments:

Right now, Harris County is upgrading its entire emergency radio system—the one our law enforcement, fire, and EMS use every day. If we don’t upgrade the eight dispatch consoles inside our 911 center at the same time, those consoles will stop working properly once the county flips the switch on their new system. That’s not an option; our dispatchers have to be able to talk to first responders without any glitches.

So we voted to approve a contract with Motorola Solutions to replace and upgrade those eight consoles. The total price is $994,248. We were able to buy it through a cooperative purchasing program called HGAC, which basically lets us piggy-back on a big contract they already negotiated—so we get a fair, pre-vetted price without having to do a long bidding process ourselves.

The good news? We had already set aside $1.5 million in our Facility Improvement Fund (money we save specifically for big, long-term facility needs like this) expecting this upgrade would be expensive. The final price came in almost half a million dollars under what we budgeted, so we’re actually saving taxpayer money on a project we have to do anyway.

This work will probably take 12 to 18 months because we have to get the equipment, schedule the installation, and make sure everything lines up perfectly with the county’s timeline. We needed to lock in the contract and the funding now so we don’t get stuck at the back of the line when parts and technicians get busy.

Bottom line: this keeps our 911 dispatchers fully connected to the new county radio system, it came in way under budget, and it’s paid for with the Facility Improvement Fund money we already put aside for exactly this kind of essential upgrade.

I’m glad we got it done, because when you call 911, the person answering the phone needs to work flawlessly with the officers and firefighters heading your way.

FCIC

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

Comments:

The State’s Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) – the team that investigates things like money laundering and major fraud across Texas – has been growing. The Governor added more agents to go after these criminals harder, and more agents need more vehicles. At this time, they needed one extra truck. We approved a vehicle lease for a 2025 Ford F-150.

• Total monthly cost: $1,674.72 for the lease + $135 for a maintenance package
• 3-year lease

This is not funded by Smith County property taxes. Every dollar – the lease, the maintenance, even the lights and equipment that get added to the truck – is 100% paid for by the State of Texas through funds the Legislature already set aside for the FCIC. We just have to approve the expense.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

6. Consider and take necessary action to approve the 2025 Federal Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification for the Smith County Criminal District Attorney’s Office and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

The Smith County District Attorney’s office has a special federal bank account for money they get from helping federal agents seize cash or property from criminals (mostly drug cases).

• Start of the year: $25,526.48
• Earned $769.93 in bank interest
• Spent $10,300 on training
• Current balance: $15,996.41

That $15,996 is all the federal forfeiture money the District Attorney’s office currently has in its Equitable Sharing account.

Every year the office files the Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification report, certifying that these funds will be used only for permitted law-enforcement purposes — things like investigative equipment, case-related technology, training, expert witnesses, or other expenses that directly support prosecution efforts — and never to pay regular salaries, routine office bills, or anything already covered by the county budget.

EAST TEXAS AUTO THEFT TASK FORCE

7. Consider and take necessary action to approve the FY2026 Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) Task Force grant and the SB224 Catalytic Converter grant interlocal agreements for the benefit of the East Texas Auto Theft Task Force and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments:

We’re putting up our $22,134 cash match alongside Henderson County, Rusk County, and the City of Tyler so we can keep drawing down big state dollars and keep the task force running strong across the entire 14-county region. That relatively small local investment from each partner unlocks hundreds of thousands in grant funding and keeps seasoned investigators working cases across county lines instead of each sheriff or police department trying to fight auto theft alone.

The proof is in the numbers:

• Motor vehicle thefts in our county dropped from 358 in 2023 to 295 in 2024 — down 17%.
• Burglaries from motor vehicles fell from 488 to 372 — a 23% reduction.

Fraud-related cases did rise from 32 to 44 (up 37.5%), but that just shows the criminals are changing tactics, and our task force is the best tool we have to adapt and hit them back.

By renewing these interlocal agreements and putting up our share of the match, we’re continuing a long-standing regional partnership that’s delivering safer streets, recovered vehicles, and real accountability.

RECURRING BUSINESS

ROAD AND BRIDGE

8. Receive pipe and/or utility line installation request (notice only):
a. County Road 136, CenterPoint Energy, install service line, Precinct 1, and
b. County Roads 1154, 1264, 1155 and 1156, Metronet, install underground fiber optic cable, Precinct 4.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

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

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

10. Receive report on status of Smith County jail operations, inmate population, employee overtime, and employee vacancies.

Comments:

If you’d like to take a look at the changes over the year in jail population, click on the button below for the spreadsheet. 

ADJOURN