Commissioners Court - Regular Meeting

This meeting is called to order at 8.30 AM. Let the record reflect that all members of the court are present with the exception of Commissioner Crownover. We will begin with item number one, which is approved claims.

Judge, I move to approve the claims for April 30, 2026, EFTs $579,967.49, regular claims of $1,599,378.17 for a total of $2,179,345.66. Second.

Here's a motion to approve claims by Commissioner Hogg with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Are there any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Item number two is a proclamation recognizing May 4 through 8, 2026 as Economic Development Week in Comal County.

Whereas Como County is a community where innovation, entrepreneurship, and hard work come together to create a thriving and resilient local economy that supports families, strengthens neighborhoods, and enhances the quality of life for all those who call this county home. And whereas the prosperity of Como County is built upon the dedication and ingenuity of its people, from small business owners and entrepreneurs to manufacturers, skilled trades professionals, health care providers, hospitality workers, educators, and industry leaders who contribute daily to the strength of our regional economy, And whereas the natural beauty and resources of Como County, including the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers, the scenic Texas hill country landscape, and our abundant outdoor recreation opportunities continue to support a vibrant tourism economy while preserving the heritage and character that make this region one of the most desirable places to live, work, and visit in the state of Texas. Whereas the rich cultural heritage of Como County, shaped by generations of agriculture traditions and a strong sense of community pride, continues to inspire festivals, local businesses, and entrepreneurial spirit that define our local identity, And whereas the continued success of Como County relies on strong collaboration among local governments, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, educational institutions, and workforce partners working together to ensure that businesses can grow and residents have access to meaningful career opportunities, And whereas organizations such as the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce play a vital role in strengthening the local economy through initiatives such as business retention and expansion visits, supporting local company growth, and help address workforce infrastructure and local industry challenges, and workforce development programs including Youth Career Quest, regional job fairs, employer partnerships, and industry engagement initiatives to help connect students and job seekers with meaningful career pathways while supporting local employers in developing the skilled workforce needed for future growth. And whereas these collaborative efforts help strengthen the local talent pipeline, encourage career exploration among students, support entrepreneurs and job seekers, and ensure that Como County remains competitive in attracting and retaining businesses and investment, And whereas Economic Development Week provides an opportunity to recognize the many individuals and organizations who work behind the scenes to promote responsible growth, support local businesses, develop the workforce of tomorrow, and preserve the unique character and economic vitality of Comal County. Now, therefore, it be proclaimed that the Como County Commissioner's Court hereby recognizes May 4th through 8th, 2026 as Economic Development Week and encourages all residents, businesses, educators, and community leaders to celebrate the partnerships, innovation, and workforce development efforts that continue to build a strong and prosperous future for our community. I move to approve the proclamation I just read. Second.

There's a motion to approve the proclamation by Commissioner Leacock with a second by Commissioner Hogg. Any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. I'd like to invite those to receive the proclamation.

Thank you, commissioners. Thank you, Judge. Thank you, everyone, for being here. I get the privilege of waking up every day and going to work for this county and for our community. We have some folks here from the chamber. We have Rusty Rockman, who he serves on our Business Education Partnership Committee, and we have the same with David Ricker. Trey is our data analyst. He just joined us fresh out of college. And we get to put together these programs for our youth. We get to work with our schools. We get to build our talent pipeline. I get the opportunity to meet with our county residents who have an idea that want to turn it into a business. I get a chance to work with our veteran business community. I get a chance to work with our manufacturers, teachers, all the folks that were mentioned. And we're blessed to have a county that supports our residents in creating this economy. So thank you. And we appreciate it.

Item number three is a proclamation recognizing May 3rd through 9th, 2026 as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week in Comal County.

And the proclamation reads, Whereas National Correctional Officers and Employees Week was first proclaimed on May 5, 1984 by President Ronald Reagan when he signed Proclamation No. 5187 creating National Correctional Officers Week to recognize the men and women who work in jails, prisons, and community corrections across the country. And whereas National Correctional Officers and Employees Week became the official name of the first full week in May, when the U.S. Senate officially changed the name in 1986. And whereas National Correctional Officers and Employees Week has been designated as the week of May the 3rd through the 9th, 2026 by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. And whereas National Correctional Officers and Employees Week honors the week of correctional officers and correctional personnel, for their service with honor, respect, and integrity. And whereas National Correctional Officers and Employees Week raises awareness of the duties, hazards, and sacrifices made by correctional workers, and whereas National Correctional Officers and Employees Week in Comal County recognizes the employees of the Comal County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division for their role in safeguarding the residents of Comal County by providing safe, secure, and humane incarceration of those within their custody. Therefore, it be proclaimed by the Commissioner's Court of Comal County that May 3-9, 2026 is hereby recognized as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week And all residents are urged to pay tribute to many of the correctional officers of the Comal County Jail for the vital public service they provide. Judge, I move to approve the proclamation just read. Second.

We have a motion to approve the proclamation by Commissioner Hogg, with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. You're all welcome to join us.

Thank you. One, two, three. We want to thank you for that. Also, I'm really proud of these guys. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here, but this is the best group that I've ever worked for, and if there's anything that stands out to that is that Comel County, by the end of the month, will be at 100% manned as far as corrections. That's something that the other counties around us can't say. So it speaks volumes as to the people we have and the people that want to come work here for the constituents, commissioners, and ultimately Sheriff Reynolds and Chief Jones. And we thank you.

Item number four. It's a proclamation recognizing May 10th through 16, 2026 as National Prevention Week in Comal County. Whereas, according to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated one in four Americans ages 12 and older used illicit drugs in the past year. 5.1 million aged 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol in the past month. 22.1% of people aged 12 and older used tobacco products or used e-cigarette or other vaping devices to vape nicotine in the past month. And in 2024, 8.9 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers. And whereas an estimated 27.9 million people ages 12 and older in America were classified as having alcohol misuse disorder in the past year, about 61.5 million adults had a mental illness. And in Comel County, an estimated 34,000 people are affected by these conditions. And whereas the focus of National Prevention Week this May is to change the prevention landscape by providing evidence-based and accessible resources that facilitate collective action and story sharing, By showcasing the work of our partners in prevention, we can confront the societal challenges surrounding substance misuse together while celebrating stories of prevention and promoting positive mental health. And whereas through National Prevention Week, people become more aware and able to recognize the signs of mental health and substance use disorders. And equally important, community members from all walks of life learn how they can be proactive and implement prevention strategies and showcase the effectiveness of evidence-based programs. And whereas the small daily actions done by individuals combined with the actions of families, communities, and coalitions, such as Drug Free Comal, come together to make up the larger, bold movement of prevention. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by Commissioner's Court of Comal County that May 10-16, 2026 is hereby recognized as National Prevention Week, and we call upon our community to join us during this week to celebrate the compelling programs and events that support increasing awareness of and action around mental health and or substance use disorders year-round. What is the pleasure of the Court?

Judge, I move to approve the proclamation just read. Second.

We have a motion to approve the proclamation read by Commissioner Hogg with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Anyone here that would like to join us to accept the proclamation?

Okay, once again, we're gonna do some up here. Ready? We'll do it for you.

One, two, three.

Good morning. Thank you for the privilege of being here. Thank you, Judge Hoyt and commissioners, for allowing us to come up here. Drug Free Comal is actually a part of Connections Individual and Family Services. It's part of their prevention program. And the prevention program or coalition has been around for quite some time. We went through a rebranding about four years ago and we proudly, you know, stepped up to the responsibility and privilege of serving Comal County in prevention services across Comal ISD, MBISD, working closely with our community partners like communities and schools, mental health advocacy partners, our veteran services, And we continue to do the work to create awareness and advocacy for substance use prevention and protecting our families and our children here in the community. And so if you'd like to find out more about us, we invite you to follow our socials at drugfreecomal on Facebook or Instagram, or you can also look us up on our website through Connections Individual and Family Services, connectionsifs.org or drugfreecomal.org. Thank you.

Item number five is a proclamation recognizing the Dittlinger Village La Calera with a Texas Historical Commission subject marker.

Whereas, a Texas Historical Commission subject marker has been awarded for Dittlinger Village, La Coletta, designating the subject to be a significant part of Texas history. And whereas, Nicolaus and Bertha Dittlinger immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1856, settling in Missouri. In 1865, due to Nicolaus's poor health, the Dittlingers moved to New Braunfels, where he later passed away at the age of 38 in 1866. Shortly after Nicolaus' death, Bertha and her children returned to Germany, where she passed away in 1872, leaving their children orphaned. And whereas, in 1876, after graduating school in Germany, Hippolyte Dittlinger, the son of Nicolaus and Bertha Dittlinger, returned to the United States to check on his father's business holdings and traveled to New Braunfels to visit the gravesite of his father. Whereas Hippolyte Dittlinger stayed in New Braunfels, securing employment at Sheriff's Store, and later moving to Tips, Clemens, and Faust Mercantile, which led him to the grist mill and cotton gin business, establishing the Dittlinger Mills business in 1886, and by 1930, purchasing the retired Atlanta flour and feed mill that he retooled to process poultry and stock feed. Whereas, while on a trip to Trier, Germany in 1904, Hippolyte became intrigued with the concrete mortar used in the 2,000-year-old structures erected by the Romans in Trier. Upon returning from his trip, Hippolyte began to study how to develop a lime plant. And whereas in 1907, the Dittlinger Lime Company was established four miles southwest of New Braunfels, located along the balcony's escarpment, that contained limestone formed when the area was covered by shallow seas some 100 million years earlier. Whereas during the construction of the Dillinger Lime Company's first operating facilities, workers were housed in tents placed at the site. And in 1908, construction began adjacent to the lime plant for housing the plant superintendent and other key employees. and whereas in 1913, frame houses were constructed near the lime plant for workers and their families where a school, church, and recreation hall were built to serve the community. To the many Spanish-speaking workers and families who called Dittlinger Village home, the settlement was known as La Calera, meaning the lime kiln. And whereas in 1934 Hippolyte Dittlinger sold the Dittlinger Lime Company and the unoccupied houses in Dittlinger Village, La Coletta, were demolished or sold and moved starting in 1940, the last being in the 1960s. And whereas a historical marker celebration will be held at 11 a.m. on May 2nd, 2026 at the Sofianburg Museum and Archives, 401 West Call Street, New Braunfels, Texas. The public is invited to attend the event, enjoy a free museum day, and visit the La Calera exhibit at the museum. The historical marker is located at the corner of Wald Road and APG Lane in New Braunfels. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Comal County Commissioner's Court hereby commends the Comal County Historical Commission for sponsoring this marker and your dedication to historical preservation and recording the history of Comal County. Judge, I move to approve this proclamation. Second. Second.

Here's a motion to approve the proclamation by Commissioner Webb with a second by Commissioner Hogg. Any discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries.

Thank you. Okay, everybody. We're going to look up here. Ready? We'll take one, two, three.

Thank you very much to the Commissioner's Court for this proclamation. This has been such a special project for the Comal County Historical Commission. And the history of this area is not known to many people. And so a few years ago, when the bug was put in our ear by Estella Farias, who has been very instrumental in documenting the Hispanic history, of the area, we thought, oh, gee, this is really important, and that it needed to be documented and the history preserved so that people would know this. So we're really excited about the marker, and we want to thank the Commissioner's Court. We want to thank the county also for coming out and installing the marker a couple of weeks ago. We really appreciate that. And please, if you're available on Saturday, come out to the Sophienberg Museum and Archives. We're going to have a celebration there. And they have a wonderful exhibit right now about La Calera that you don't want to miss. Some wonderful photos, historical photos, that we actually were able to obtain from the Lewis Company, who now occupies the area where the Dittlinger lime kiln was located. provided us with a lot of historical information and photos that is just invaluable and has now been scanned and is available over at the Sophienburg Museum and Archives. So please join us. Go out and see the marker as well. And thank you very much again to the judge and commissioners for this.

Okay. Okay.

We'll move into our workshop agenda with item number one, citizens' comments. Is there anyone here that would like to address the court this morning? Come on up. Good morning.

Good morning, Judge. Good morning, Commissioners. My name's Denae Delaney, and I live in Canyon Lake. I have notes because I have a lot of facts to share. So in 2025, Texas led the nation in needing the EPA to step in for clean water. So according to the executive director of Wheat, she said we are first at being the worst. I respectfully request that the commissioners and judge use political pressure on TCEU to protect Canyon Lake as they have protected the Highland Lakes for 40 years. Why? The historical, legal, and legal foundation is Canyon Lake was authorized by Congress in 1945 for flood control and other purposes. Conservation storage of water supply was authorized in 1951. In 1957, the GBRA entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the water rights agreement. of that water supply and state rights of the water supply were permitted on January 22, 1959. Recreation was also never added later and contact recreation was part of the original federal authorization by Army Corps of Engineer planning language in the 1950s that states recreation is an integral project purpose and will be developed in conjunction with reservoir impoundment and shoreline management. Canyon Lake should therefore be evaluated as a nutrient sensitive source drinking water supply and contact recreation reservoir and managed as such with source water protections and anti-degradation policy standards. On April 2nd of this year, the EPA identified pharmaceuticals and forever chemicals as priority contaminants to begin being removed from wastewater because they can be discharged directly into the surface waters. The Austin Municipal Water Quality Director recently confirmed that Lake Travis shows no measurable forever chemicals precisely because of the 86 ban. and he touted that. That's a very important thing and I'm also proud of that as well, that TCEQ did that in the past. So both lakes carry the same official designations, yet they are regulated differently and there is no scientific or policy justification for this. We must decide whether to continue using Canyon Lake as an assimilative body of water or treating it like our designated drinking water. I ask that the commission and judge put pressure on TCEQ to apply equivalent protections by implementing the same water quality protections and discharge standards that the Highland Lakes has had. Is it my time? Okay. Well, that's what I ask. And if you have any questions, I'm willing to... provide you information, historical data, anything that you might need. Thank you.

Is there anyone else here that would like to address the court? Okay, seeing none, we'll move into item number two, which is reports by county staff and elected officials on items of community interest. I have one. I would like to brag on our auditor. You have the form. I'd like to brag on our auditor's office as well as our county department's purchasing and all the departments that have to submit reports to the auditor every year. For the second year, our auditor's office has facilitated an application to the comptroller. And we found out this week that we received about a million dollars back from the state This takes a lot of work and time and cooperation. And so thank you, Jesse, for all that you do. And again, to all the county staff and department heads that are involved in making this happen. So thank you. Any other reports? We'll move into our action agenda. And if there's no opposition, I'd like to move to item number 15. on the agenda, which is discuss and consider approval of a line item transfer in county court at law number two from office supplies to non-capital equipment to provide additional funds for the purchase of a laptop. Good morning.

Good morning, Judge, Commissioners. I'll be brief. Computer prices went up. So we need $555 move from office supplies to non-capital equipment to purchase my administrator's computer that was budgeted this year.

So the price of computers went up? Yes, sir. OK. Move to approve action item number 15. Second.

We have a motion to approve item number 15 by Commissioner Webb with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any questions or discussion for Judge Stephens? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion is carried. Thank you, Judge. Item number six, discuss and consider acknowledging the completion of construction of roads and stormwater drainage improvements within Kindwood Unit 2A, accept the roads into the Comel County Unit Road System for maintenance, release the associated surety construction bond number 024284014, and direct the county engineer to execute PIPRO permit number 109404. Good morning.

Good morning, Judge, Commissioners. We were here a few weeks ago where the city of New Braunfels provided us an extension for the surety on this subdivision. Just recently, we got all the things we need. They provided us with asphalt drawings and their certification that everything's complete. And Alaska did do an inspection out there. And this unit, I'm recommending we accept it into the road system.

Move to approve action agenda item number six. Second.

We've got a motion to approve action agenda item number six by Commissioner Webb with a second by Commissioner Hogg. Any discussion or questions? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Item number seven, discuss and consider acknowledging the completion of construction of roads and stormwater drainage improvements within Kynewood Unit 2, accept the roads into the Comal County unit road system for maintenance, release the associated surety, construction bond number 024284015, and direct county engineer to execute PIPRO permit number 109403.

Same situation here, kind of a sister adjoining project. Everything's in place, and I'd recommend release of the surety and accepting the roads.

Move to approve action agenda item number seven. Second.

I have a motion to approve item number seven by Commissioner Webb with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any discussion or questions? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Item number eight, discuss and consider accepting the continuation certificate for construction bond number 7901142868 as a one-year extension of the surety term for construction of roads and other improvements within the overlook at Canyon Lake.

The subdivision out there off 3159 was out there about a week ago. They're still under construction. They thought they'd have everything finished, but not quite ready. So we need to extend this, and I'd recommend extending this.

Move to approve action agenda item number 8. Second.

We have a motion to approve item number 8 by Commissioner Leacock with a second by Commissioner Hogg. Any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you. Item number nine is discuss and consider A, acceptance of work authorization number one of the Comal County Road Improvement Program from HNTB. B, approval of a line item transfer and road department from maintenance and operations contingency to administration, consulting, and professional services. And C, approval of work authorization number two of the professional consultant agreement for the development of the Comal County Road Improvement Program by and between Comal County, Texas

HNTB corporation and authorized the county judge to sign we're in judging commissioners back in mid-march come out County entered into a contract with HNTB to do work authorization number one we are going to have lawn shell with ASI which is a sub to HNTB present the findings of work authorization number one we also have consideration work authorization to which does take a budget amendment and I'll come back after lawn is done with that with the presentation to go over B and C. So Lon, come on up.

LON SHELL, Good morning, Judge and Commissioners. Thanks for having us today. As Robert mentioned, I'm Lon Shell with American Structure Point Incorporated. It is very nice to be on this side of a dais, I will tell you that. Okay, so as Robert mentioned, March 19th, the court approved work authorization number one with HNTB. American Structure Point is a partner with HNTB on this project. And over the last couple months, we have worked on developing some draft project lists and some ideas on some funding opportunities for you all to consider. The information that we have in here is very preliminary. We met with each court member, as well as your staff, to kind of develop some ideas about what could be done out there, how that would be accomplished, how that could potentially be funded in the future. As we know, at the TxDOT level, there has been some pause on some project development. And so we wanted to make sure that we got a very comprehensive starting point, not to say that this list is by any means finished or all-encompassing of the issues in the county, but something to get a good idea on to start. In order to develop the list, we came up with several categories to try to define what those types of projects might be. Intersection improvements is one. That could be because of safety concerns. It could be just because of the inability to process the traffic that that intersection is facing because of growth and other issues in the county. The other was roadway safety and mobility improvements. When we take a segment of a roadway, an existing road, maybe between two intersections or two known points, and we take a look at mobility and safety concerns, considerations could be for shoulders, for turn lanes, improvements at major intersections along that segment of the road, maybe site distance issues. Another category was low-water crossings and drainage. Obviously, here in Comal County, extensive number of low water crossings. So we kind of took a look at some segments of roadways again that are experiencing issues with low water crossings and also some drainage issues as well. Fourth category was railroad crossings, multiple railroad crossings obviously across the county. Are there safety infrastructure improvements that could be made at those crossings or even the consideration of grade separation? And then the final category was regional connectivity, more of a planning and design and reconstruction of infrastructure that's going to improve the safety and mobility in areas that experience extreme congestion and growth. This county has done a lot of work on several of these and one that we've included in the list of a possibility for some future development. And I'd like also to say The information that this county has developed over the years was extremely vital to this. It's amazing the work that's been done. It goes back, I know, a long way here. But very, very sophisticated work has been done in this county to plan and identify potential projects to solve some of the problems for your constituents. I'm going to briefly go through some of the projects that came up in the different precincts. You all have these lists, as well as a map of these. Again, intersections, some major intersections, a lot of these in parts of the county that were not designed for the type of traffic that they're experiencing today. As you all know, a large subdivision pops up and all of a sudden you have hundreds of cars lined up trying to get through these intersections that 15 or 20 years ago, that just didn't exist. as well as in your school zones. Obviously an important safety issue when you have traffic, increased traffic through your school zones. So we've identified projects in Precinct 1. You all have this and it kind of shows some of the segments and some of the intersections. Obviously some of these are shared amongst the precincts and we've noted that as well. Moving into Precinct 2. Same type of issues, a very similar number of intersection and lower crossing projects. Obviously, a little bit more on the roadway safety and mobility improvements, just due to the extreme growth happening in Precinct 2. Again, not an extensive list, but I'm trying to identify some segments of roadway where there are known problems, whether it be safety or mobility, and also, again, school zones. A couple involve school zones. can kind of see see on the map in precinct two and that number of lists as i said fairly extensive um and a good a good number of road segments that that are experiencing some issues that could potentially be addressed if you all choose to move forward in precinct three a little bit smaller obviously geographical precinct but has its fair share of problems as well Several that the county has been working on, like Watson Lane East, a lot of extensive work has been done there, some known solutions, and a major intersection of I-35 and 46, which obviously the county and the state have been aware of for a long time. But something that, especially with the slowdown in the state, something the county considered to continue to further some plans and development of some improvements there, just for the mobility of your citizens. And then finally, Precinct 4. Some of these projects, I know Commissioner Crownover is not here. Something that she's been looking at for some while, too, using Hoffman Lane and 1102 is a prime example. I drive through there. I live off of Hunter Road, just in Hays County. Again, extreme growth, traffic, never designed for that type of traffic. So it's very similar type projects. And then a few on the roadway safety mobility side involving 306 and also 267030. And then there's a map of Precinct 4. And then across the entire county. So we ended up with almost 50 projects. Some of them are safety and mobility along a segment of a road, as well as low water crossing and drainage improvements. But something to start with, something to get an idea of what is out there, what could potentially be addressed if it's something that you choose to do. And also a mix of county roads, state roads, and different types of funding opportunities that would be available depending on those roads. And then our next steps, which would be for you all to consider what we've presented today and see if this is something that you would like to further refine, which would involve meeting with stakeholders across the county, first responder agencies, school districts, your business community, as well as obviously yourselves and your staff. And there's kind of some anticipated schedule of what that would look like. And I'm happy to answer any questions now or later.

Thanks, Lon. As we're looking at the proposed work authorization number two, Lon did go into some detail there, but it will take essentially what happened in work authorization one, which was limited to staff and elected officials, and expand that to other stakeholders within the county and as well as the public as well. If you choose to go forward with work authorization two, it commits us just to developing this road improvement program and nothing beyond that. As the county engineer, I think it is important to get our arms around specifically how both larger problem we have here so we can address that. If we don't know the scope of the problem, we can't provide a solution to that. So I'm happy to answer any questions. Lon's here to answer any questions you might have about the remaining questions on 9B or 9C with regards to the budget amendment and authorizing work authorization number two.

Move to approve action in item number 9, A, B, and C. Second.

There's a motion to approve action agenda item number nine, A, B, and C, by Commissioner Webb, with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any questions or discussion?

Go ahead. Just for clarity for the community, this basically what we're moving towards is, and I have it correct, and please expand on it, is a This is an information gathering. We're refining the proposals. We're going around the county. We're meeting with all the different stakeholders and gathering information so we can come back and discuss this further and refine our project scope into what we might present to the community.

Yes, sir. The best way to look at it is work authorization one was taking this at a 30,000 foot view. Now we're trying to go lower to maybe a 10,000 foot view to get a better idea of what's happening within the county refine those cost estimates that are developed and also scopes of work as well.

Thank you. So, I mean, I guess when you kind of do the hierarchy of what we're supposed to take care of here, you start with public safety from the sheriff's office to the jail to the courts to the DA and all that. Are all our employees taking care of them? And then in there somewhere, people want good transportation systems. And so this is looking at potentially investing in our partnerships with TxDOT, doing our own projects, working with the MPO, and getting a real seat at the table and getting some skin in the game. We, over the years, have invested in different projects. But it's become clear that the state and our other partners that we work with, we need to step up. Eventually, this is looking at maybe going towards a transportation bond. Eventually, I want the public to understand that, because we're behind. And this isn't about going out. We do have a couple of kind of greenfield roads that are projected to happen way out one day. This is catching up. We're behind. This isn't going out and striking new roads. And we've had a bunch of questions about thoroughfare plans with the city of New Braunfels and stuff like that. This is improving what we already have out there. to accommodate the traffic that we are in congestion that we already have excuse me so i'm really excited about it um i don't know on what You know, what the timeline will be, I think trying to push for a bond sooner than later is probably going to be difficult. I think we have other projects that are ongoing right now that are probably going to take up some of that bandwidth and finance space. And so I just want to be real honest with the public and forthright and say what we're doing here is looking at what it's going to take for us to get caught up on our transportation needs. And thank you very much. And Lon, thank you for your expertise. And HNTB, thank you all. I'm looking forward to this next product. Yes, sir.

Well said. All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries.

Thank you.

Item number 10 is discuss and consider an order prohibiting all outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Comal County. Good morning.

Good morning, Judge, Commissioners. This was put on the agenda due to the burn ban we were under was about to expire. So a burn ban by statute is only on for 90 days. I put this on the agenda in case we needed it. Fortunately, we finally got some significant rainfall countywide. KBDI is at 174 right now, so this isn't needed.

If there's no objection, we'll move on to item number 11. Item number 11 is discuss and consider the appointment of the following individuals to the Comal County Fire Code Board of Appeals pursuant to Comal County Fire Code section 6.1 with a term of service to expire on December 31st, 2026 or until a successor has been appointed. A is David Emler of Protection Development, Inc. B, David Brewer of the Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office. C, Juan Cordova of the Kendall County Fire Marshal's Office. D, Mike Baumgartel of the Bulverde Spring Branch Fire and EMS. And E, Gerald Schultz of the Bulverde Spring Branch Fire and EMS.

So we don't use our appeals board very often. This is for when a citizen or a business has a different interpretation of the fire code than we do. And the appeals board is here to to make a final decision on it. And then that'll be brought to you guys for final approval.

Move to approve action agenda item number 11, A, B, C, D, and E. Second.

There's a motion to approve action agenda item number 11, A through E, by Commissioner Hogg, with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Thank you. Item number 12, discuss and consider approval of an order establishing local regulations for indigent burial cremation procedures and services in Comal County.

Judge and commissioners, this order as well as the next one are an effort to update our care and handling of the deceased here in Comal County. Specifically, proposed order 559 is updating an order that we originally issued back in 2006. So it updates procedures. It updates forms that are used. in the county judge office and staff in terms of processes for handling indigent burials and cremations in the county.

Move to approve action agenda item number 12. Second.

There's a motion to approve action agenda item number 12 by Commissioner Hogg with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Any questions or discussion? I would like to thank the attorney in DA's office, Tim, for all your hard work, and Lori, and then also Caitlin Kaler, who spent a lot of time, a couple of years, working on this with Judge Krause. So I think it's a good order and brings some order to the process. All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Thank you. Item 13, discuss and consider approval of an order regarding funeral home service contracts with Comel County and establishing a rotation schedule for mortuary services to the county.

Judge and commissioners, this is the second piece to this. And Judge, as you noted, Judge Krause worked on this very hard. It's an effort to ensure that we have transparency in the costs that we pay for the handling of our deceased in the county. And what this allows us to do is acknowledges an exemption for public and safety for mortuary and funeral home services. What that does is that allows us to exempt from competitive bidding contracts with funeral homes and to establish a rotation schedule so that there's an orderly process for the sheriff's office and for the county to handle indigent burials and deceased in the county.

Move to approve action agenda item number 13.

Second.

There's a motion to approve action agenda item number 13 by Commissioner Leacock with a second by Commissioner Hogg. Any questions or discussion? I'd like to also point out that Judge Krause and Caitlin and the team met with the funeral home providers in the area. So there was a stakeholder type meeting and discussion to ensure that what was being done in the past and what we were proposing moving forward was something that made sense for them. So I appreciate their cooperation as well. All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Thank you. Item 14, discuss and consider approval of a line item transfer in the auditor's office from continuing ed and travel to dues to provide additional funds to cover increase in dues.

Judge and commissioners, there was an increase in our GFOA dues, and GFOA is also the organization that we have several memberships to in the auditor's office, but also it is part of the grading of our financial statements and the certificate that we get for our financial reporting. I recommend approval.

Move to approve action agenda item number 14. Second.

There's a motion to approve action agenda item 14 by Commissioner Leacock with a second by Commissioner Hogg. Any questions or discussion? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. We've already taken up item 15. We are going to move into executive session, and today we'll be discussing items under 16A and C. So in accordance with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code, Subchapter D, commissioners' court may convene in a closed session to discuss any of the following items. And any final action or vote taken will be in public. Again, we will go into executive session under item A, deliberate and consider the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property in accordance with Section 551.072 of the Texas Government Code, as well as C, deliberate pending and contemplated litigation, settlement offers, and matters concerning privileged and unprivileged client information deemed confidential by Rule 1.05 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct in accordance with Section 551.071 of the Texas Government Code. For both items, we will need the county engineer, legal counsel, county administrator, the auditor, the purchasing director, and the sheriff's office. So not for both items, but just please be available and around. And we are going into executive session at 922.

What item is it, Scott? There is no item since we made it an emergency item.

Right, but it would be 15C or whatever?

Okay. Okay.

We are returning from executive session at 10.37 a.m. Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.045, notice is hereby given that the court agenda item will be added as an emergency addition to the Commissioner's Court Regular Meeting Action Agenda. This was added yesterday. To discuss and consider approval of a letter of agreement for health care services with UT Southwestern Medical Center for urgent specialty medical and physician services for an inmate of the Comal County Jail and authorize the county judge to sign. Again, the emergency addition of this agenda item is a matter of urgent necessity for the health and safety of an individual in the care and custody of the Comel County Sheriff's Office. What is the pleasure of the court?

Judge, I move to approve the letter of agreement with UT Southwest Medical Center and authorizing the county judge to sign as well as to approve a line item transfer of $250,000 from contingency Line item number 0100-425-999 to jail emergency medical, line number 0100-205-333. Second.

We have a motion by Commissioner Hogg to approve the letter of agreement with the UT Southwest Medical Center and authorize the county judge to sign, as well as to approve a light item transfer of $250,000 from contingency 0100425999 to Jail Emergency Medical 0100205333, with a second by Commissioner Leacock. Is there any discussion or question? All those in favor, please raise your right hand. Motion carries. Thank you. So due to an expected lack of quorum, there will be no Commissioner's Court next Thursday, May 7, 2026. We'll resume our regular scheduled Commissioner's Court meeting on Thursday, May 14 at 8.30 a.m., and we are in recess. Thank you. Adjourned.