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

OPEN SESSION: 

RESOLUTIONS

1. Consider and take necessary action to ratify a resolution proclaiming February 27, 2025, as “Veteran-Friendly Community Day” in Smith County.

PRESENTATIONS

SHERIFF’S OFFICE
2. Receive presentation from Sheriff’s Office and approve an Interlocal Agreement authorizing the Smith County Sheriff’s Office to join the statewide version of Operation Lone Star.

Comments: This agreement allows the Smith County Sheriff’s Office to have the same legal authority in each county that has entered into this agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to establish a joint effort to cooperate in criminal interdiction efforts, to provide additional investigative and arrest authority to law enforcement officers, and to provide for the payment of expenses incurred in the performance of law enforcement activities during these operations. The following law enforcement agencies are parties to this agreement:

27) Schulenburg PD 
28) Kerr County SO 
29) Medina County SO, 
30) Atascosa County SO
31) Hondo PD
32) Hill County SO
33) Bosque County SO 
34) Coryell County SO
35) Beeville PD 
36) Shiner PD
37) Moulton PD
38) Kinney County SO 
39) Terrell County SO
40) Real County SO
41) Calhoun County SO 
42)  Jim Wells
43) Kimble County SO 
44) Kendall County SO
45) Gillespie County SO
46) Midland PD
47) Freer PD
48) La Vernia PD 
49) Austin County SO 
50) Waller County SO 
51) Fulshear PD
52) Lavaca County SO 
53) Castroville PD

Sheriff Smith said in his presentation that this is more of a “reciprocity in which it doesn’t have to be a border crime, it can be any crime”. The agreement shall be automatically renewed unless terminated by the party.

COURT ORDERS

Note: Grant money is not “free” money.  Government grant funding comes from taxpayer dollars that were appropriated for discretionary use.  

EAST TEXAS AUTO THEFT TASK FORCE

3. Consider and take necessary action to approve the 2024 SB224 MVCPA Catalytic Converter Program Grant application, in the amount of $185,804.00, for the benefit of the East Texas Auto Theft Task Force and authorize the county judge to sign all necessary documentation.

Comments: This is the first of three grants for the ETATTF on the agenda today. The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant funds that are available come from fees that you pay through your auto insurance premiums. The East Texas Auto Theft Task Force includes the participating agencies of Smith, Henderson, Rusk, and the City of Tyler. The ETATTF coverage area includes the remaining 11counties of the 14 County East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG): Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Panola, Rains, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood. The task force combats vehicle theft and burglary through enforcement, prevention and public education initiatives.

The grant funds were requested for training, equipment, and supply costs related to the prevention of catalytic converter thefts. The $185,804 grant application includes a 4X4 pickup truck, a license plate reader trailer and laptops. The following information is from the grant application found in the attached packet:

Grant Request Breakdown:

4. Consider and take necessary action to approve the 2025 MVCPA Taskforce Grant application, in the amount of $665,702.00, with a cash match of $28,179.00, for the benefit of the East Texas Auto Theft Task Force, and authorize the county judge to sign all necessary documentation.

Comments: This is the second of three grants for the ETATTF on the agenda today. The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant funds that are available come from fees that you pay through your auto insurance premiums. This grant in the amount of $665,702 supports the main functions of the East Texas Auto Theft Task Force operations. It requires a grant match of $28,719 from Smith County. The bulk of the grant funds are for personnel including a Commander, Investigators and Administrative Assistant.

Grant Request Breakdown:

5. Consider and take necessary action to approve the 2025 SB224 MVCPA Catalytic Converter Program Grant application, in the amount of $32,000, with a cash match of $1,333.00, for the benefit of the East Texas Auto Theft Task Force, and authorize the county judge to sign all necessary documentation.

Comments: This is last of three grants for the ETATTF on the agenda today. The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant funds that are available come from fees that you pay through your auto insurance premiums. This grant in the amount of $32,000 was for 2 subscriptions for License Plate Reader services. Smith County’s cash match was $1,333.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

6. Consider and take necessary action to approve the FY2026 Title IV-E contract with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments: The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), and the Commissioners’ Court of Smith County (County) agree to enter this Agreement to establish and maintain a child welfare board to administer a county wide, jointly financed, state administered, and regionally operated child welfare program to meet the needs of children in the county who are in need of protective services. To keep the legal contract with DFPS, which reimburses a portion of attorney contract fees for the 321st court and expenses for our CPS division with the DA, Smith County must have a financial or non-financial child welfare contract.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

7. Consider and take necessary action to approve the FY2026 East Texas Anti-Gang (TAG) Center Resolution, for Grant Number 3727407, and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.

Comments: The East Texas Anti-Gang Center serves as a state-of-the-art facility that efficiently and effectively promotes inter-state agency cooperation and collaboration on intelligence, investigatory, and operational activities related to combatting the shared threat of criminal street gangs operating and affecting the East Texas area. Personnel at the East Texas TAG work together to combat gangs and other organizations engaged in criminal activities such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, assaults, kidnapping, murder, money laundering, property crimes, and other offenses. Because multiple law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels have a responsibility to investigate and prosecute these cases, it is important to continue the inter-agency communication and collaboration that occurs at the East Texas TAG. In doing so, law enforcement agencies in the region are able to address the threat posed by these criminal organizations and further enhance public safety.

The TAG is a grant program that is fully funded by the Office of the Governor’s Homeland Security Division. For Texas Anti-Gang Centers there are 9 awards totaling $30.2 million for projects that support regional, multidisciplinary approaches to combat gang violence through the coordination of gang prevention, intervention, and suppression activities. This grant totals $2,215,307.88.

You can report gang crime tips or find valuable resources on gangs at their website.

8. Consider and take necessary action to approve a Memorandum of Agreement between Smith County Sheriff’s Office and the Administration Office of Homeland Security (OHS) /United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding 287g Task Force Model Program.

Comments: Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1357(g), as amended by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-276, authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security, or her designee, to enter into written agreements with a State or any political subdivision of a State so that qualified officers and employees can perform certain functions of an immigration officer.

AUTHORIZED FUNCTIONS

For the purposes of this MOA, participating LEA personnel are authorized to perform the following functions pursuant to the stated authorities, subject to the limitations contained in this MOA:

The 287(g) Task Force Model (TFM) delegates limited ICE authority to select local law enforcement officers that allow them to arrest or detain criminal and illegal aliens and enforce certain sections of 287 (a), (b), (c) and (e). This dual certification program would function similar to other federal task force programs such as HIDTA or U. S. Marshalls. According to Sheriff Smith, the training isn’t available yet and an unknown amount of Sheriff’s Office employees will be trained. He assured the public that his officers will not be conducting raids on schools or churches. 

DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
 
9. Consider and take necessary action to approve the FY2025-2026 Smith County Border Prosecution Unit (BPU) Resolution, for Grant Number 393250, and authorize the county judge to sign all related documentation.
 
Comments: The BPU is a grant program that is fully funded by the Office of the Governor’s Public Safety Office/Border Prosecution Division. The total budget for the BPU for this grant cycle is $588,521.16 exclusively from state funds. The Smith County Criminal District Attorney’s Border Prosecution Unit (BPU) prosecutor, will work with the East Texas Regional Texas Anti-Gang Center (TAG-Center) to focus on the prosecution of any border crime-related cases, such as human trafficking, organized crime, narcotics, weapons, and gangs. The Smith County BPU prosecutor will assist local, state, and federal agencies assigned to the East Texas Regional TAG Center. Specifically, the Assistant Criminal District Attorney assigned to the Border Prosecution Unit will assist with legal advice as well as review and draft affidavits relating to arrest warrants, search warrants, electronic surveillance, mobile tracking devices, and stored communications in ongoing investigations. The BPU prosecutor will assist in all aspects of the prosecution of border crime-related cases. Additionally, the assigned BPU prosecutor will coordinate with prosecutors from other Border Prosecution Units in the effort to target criminal enterprises, which operate across multiple jurisdictions in their effort to evade detection and justice. The ultimate goal of the TAG and BPU is to ensure the effective, efficient, and successful investigation and prosecution of border related crimes to ensure the safety of the citizens of this region, and the State of Texas.

The bulk of this grant goes to personnel in the amount of $578,632.98 equaling about $48,219/month. 

RECURRING BUSINESS
 
COMMISSIONERS COURT
 
10. Receive the 2024 Annual Audit for Emergency Services District (ESD) No. 1.

Note: Receive Only Items do not require a vote from Commissioners Court.

ROAD AND BRIDGE

11. Consider and take necessary action to authorize the county judge to sign the final plat for Cedar Vista, Unit 3, County Road 4135, Precinct 4.

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

1. County Road 472, Brannon Corporation, install 15” sanitary sewer line with 24” steel encasing by open cut, Precinct 3,
   
2. County Road 411, Brannon Corporation, install 10” sanitary sewer line with 18” steel encasing by open cut, Precinct 3,
   
3. c. County Road 4232, CenterPoint Energy, road bore for service line install, Precinct 4,
   
4. County Road 128, CenterPoint Energy, install service line, Precinct 1,
   
5. County Road 26, Jackson Water Supply Corporation, install service line, Precinct 3,
   
6. County Road 4115, Oncor Electric LLC, upgrade utility lines with pole  replacements and new pole installations, Precinct 3, and
   
7. County Road 383, Texas Land Company LLC, install service line, Precinct 3.

Note: Receive Only Items do not require a vote from Commissioners Court.

AUDITOR’S OFFICE

13. 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

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

ADJOURN