Commissioner's Court - Regular Meeting

WELLS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 28TH 9 AM IS NOW IN SESSION SEPTEMBER 28 2026 AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE PUBLIC TESTIMONY IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COURT AT THIS TIME NOTHING HEARING NONE WE'LL MOVE FORWARD Agenda item number four, previous minutes. 4.1, discuss, consider, and take action to approve minutes from previous meeting. Make a motion to approve.

I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Agenda item number five, budget amendments. 5.1, budget amendments are listed. Ms. Cindy?

OK. I have a motion and a second. Again, my ear's not working right today. I don't know what's going on. I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Item number six, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office, 6.1. Discuss, consider, and take action on a proclamation from Texas A&M Agricultural, I mean AgriLife Extension declaring October 4th through the 10th, 2026 as National 4-H Week in Jim Wells County.

Duly noted, Jim Wells County Judge Pedro P. Trevino Jr. and the Commissioner's Court do hereby proclaim October 1st, 4th through the 10th, 2026 as National 4-H Week throughout Jim Wells County and encourage all our citizens to recognize 4-H for the significant impact it has made and continues to make by empowering youth with skills they need to lead for a lifetime. And I know I speak for myself and I'll let anybody else speak but I know we fully appreciate what you do Mr. Mercado and what 4-H does for you guys and we are exceptionally appreciative of y'all participating in these programs. We l

I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. So this next item is Number seven, agreements. 7.1, discuss, consider, and act upon the city and the county request for $100,000 in state FY grant funding for the Texas Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation for routine maintenance projects for the other lower cost airport improvements committing to of the required 10% match, which is Eleven thousand one hundred eleven dollars and eleven cents and see authorized a county judge and county attorney to sign all all gr

Yeah, this is a yearly grant that we participate in, 10% is our match. So we basically provide the financial means to complete all these maintenance. And hearing that, I'll make a motion we approve. Second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Adam.

Agenda item number 8, Precinct 1, Commissioner George Aguilar, 8.1, discuss, consider, and take action to adopt a new Jim Wells County Animal Control Order for the unincorporated areas of the county, superseding the order adopted March 3, 2018.

So I guess we were waiting on them and we didn't get them.

OK. You recommend the table until we get the items?

And I think that resolves, what was the fourth one? Before adoption, confirm the identity of Jim Walsh County designated local rabies control authority, the shelter, impounded, contractor, if any, current fee schedule, and operational capacity. Those details can be inserted without changing the basic structure of the order.

yeah the sample document uses a three working day empowerment period this draft carries that period forwarded as a general local holding period but expressly defers to rabies quarantine chapter 822 proceeding cruelty seizures owner surrenders and controlling state law procedures Well, maybe we should get it all in order before whatever. I think a motion to the table.

I have a motion and a second to table. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Then to item number nine, Commissioner Precinct 2, Mr. Garcia, Jr. 9.1, discuss, consider, and take action on request by Mr. G's Barbecue LLC for approval for temporary sale of alcohol at the 89th annual Jim Walsh County Fair concert at the Jim Walsh County Fairgrounds Saturday, October 2, 2026.

I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Agenda item number 9.2, discuss, consider, and take action on request by Mr. G's Barbecue LLC for approval for temporary sale of alcohol at the 89th Annual Jim Walsh County Fair at the Jim Walsh County Fairground starting Wednesday, October 2021. October 21, 2026 through Saturday, October 24, 2020.

Second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? This is just sell of alcohol through the county fair. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Is Chris up there? He's not, right? He did. OK. Maybe we need to remind him, because I'd rather him explain why we're going to abandon current contract, go to a new contract. We'll come back to agenda item 10.1. We'll come back to 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4. Agenda item 10.5, discuss, consider, and take action on approval on a contract between Jim Walls County and Local Government Solutions, LP, for case manage

That being said, I'll make a motion we approve. Second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. agenda item number 11 fiscal year 2027 proposed budget 11.1 discuss consider and take action to approve modification of a draft of the draft fiscal year 2027 proposed budget to reallocate funds from the president detention line item to applicable salary and fringe benefit line items in an amount sufficient to pay for additional jailer positions approved by commissioner's court With no increase in the total prop

Anybody want to respond? Okay, Sheriff, I have a question because we're still trying to wrap my brain about this and how from last year This time last year, it was different. And I was doing a little bit of reviewing. I think Mr. Ramirez may have mentioned it during the presentation last commissioner's court. So last year, sometimes y'all made some changes in some positions. Those positions were regular positions that had a title change. I know there's three for sure. I'm not sure if there's five or not. But there was some title changes. Is that correct?

How many How many jailers? How many jailers' titles were changed? Because that makes a huge difference. If you change their titles and these jailer positions are no longer able to supervise, then it's a problem that we created, not a problem that was in existence. Okay, so I didn't want. I have a hard time if we created that problem now. I'm going to ask to fix that problem that was created because as far as and my thoughts, unless you can change my thinking, I think the positions were there. So once we made those changes, they're no longer there. Now we got a big problem, a huge problem becau

Sir, I'm not. I'm thinking about what I just explained to you.

I have a motion and a second to deny the agenda item. Is there any further discussion?

But you took them off the ability to run the floor, right? Not necessarily. So if today it's once you change their titles, they're longer, no longer able to run the floor.

Okay. I think I think they can correct me if I'm wrong. Mr. Gonzalez said You've come three or four different times with different issues, and we're trying to address every issue that you come with. Now you come with this one saying, hey, if we do this, it's going to fix all our problems.

And we're trying to approve those solutions, but it's very difficult for us to approve those solutions when the solution is different every time. That makes any sense. And I think I think the confidence they've lost confidence in in the recommendation that you're doing now because we need proof that it's going to save that. I mean, you've told us before that if we do this, this is going to happen. We've done it. It didn't happen.

Well, well, well, sure. We we've all sat here it's not just me we've all sat here and listen to it and and believe me, I want to fix this problem, I want to give you what you need, but I want to make sure, because once we put. That money we transfer it into into into your budget it's there forever reoccurring every year. And there's no change in that. So we want to make sure that we want to have all our ducks in a row to make that decision, to make sure that what you said is going to happen is going to happen.

It's not that we don't believe you. It's that you came with different solutions, three or four different.

I know for sure you came here and told us because certain sections of the jail were not operable because of maintenance and mechanical issues.

But if I think we need some more information, maybe we we can we can all get. Get a meeting with Joe standards so we can all be on the same page.

So that money is already in the budget. It's not like we're here trying to make a motion to add more money to it. The $1.4 million is there. If we can hear and have that meeting with jail standards, And we can verify some of the things that are going on in the jail. Maybe the answer would change. Okay, so I suggest we schedule those meetings sooner than later and give us an opportunity to speak with them and verify some of the things that y'all are saying and then we can move forward. But the money's already there. The $1.4 million is there.

I can't make that happen. No, because the money's already there. When we're trying to add a position in the middle of the year and the money is not allocated for it, that's the problem.

We have the 1.4Million because you're telling me if you're telling us if we add those positions, it's going to relieve that 1.4Million dollars. Not not the whole thing, but it's going to relieve some of it. Yes. Okay. So that money's there. So right now, the approval is probably going to be a no. But that doesn't mean it's a no-no between now and January. We need to have these meetings. We need to do verification from GEL standards that, hey, this is the absolute must that we need. And then we can move forward. Or at least my part, I don't know about COMMISSIONERS, BUT IT WILL MAKE ME FEEL A L

NEW SPEAKER MAYBE, I FORGET HIS NAME, THE ONE THAT COMES

OKAY. WE'LL REACH OUT TO HIM BECAUSE, I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE TO BRING, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE OF THEM OVER HERE TO ASSESS OURS, BUT HE KNOWS MORE. I FORGOT HIS NAME. I CAN SEE IT. YEAH, OKAY. AND THEN WE CAN GO FROM THERE.

That was going to be for prisoner detention, transport, all of them.

For the 1.4, we'll make a transfer to the Sheriff's Department. Yeah. Create the line items for the personnel.

Okay. I have a motion and a second to deny. Is there any further discussion?

If we deny, we can't bring it back. You can always put it back on the future agenda. Okay. So I have a motion and a second to deny. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Thank you, Sheriff. Thank you, Mr. Romita. I'm going to go back up to number 10. I think Mr.

OK, we'll see if he can come back in here in a little bit. OK, I'm going to go back to 10.2, discuss, consider, and take action to adopt the 2027 Jim Wells County budget. This year's budget, as you can see, has been Been a little hectic a little run down. We follow the proposed budget back in August twelve twenty twenty six. We approved the twenty twenty five proposed tax rate. on August 31st, 2026. We had our first budget workshop on September 2nd, 2026, and the second one on September 4th, 2026. uh with the proposed budget we increased expenditures by 183 000 because of insurance premiums fr

Myself, yay. Mr. Garcia. Yay. We have a unanimous vote of yay. And we'll We'll definitely put down the members that were present and the way we voted. Is there any further discussion needed? All in favor say aye. Aye. OK, hold on. We had a record vote, so we're all yays. Thank you all. Agenda item 10.4, discuss, consider, and take action. on ratifying the property tax reflected on the 2027 budget. I'll make a motion and move to ratify the property tax increase reflected in the budget.

want to go back to agenda item number 10.1 discuss consider an act upon a procurement of retail electrical power for jim walsh county through the interlocal purchasing system tips contract number 220904 retail electric power texas only including consideration of pricing proposals from awarded retail electric providers and authorization for the county judge to execute the selected transaction from confirmation and related documents. Mr. Watson?

I mean, we don't foresee it getting any cheaper in five years, right?

Okay. I'll make a motion. We go with 60-month.

I have a motion and a second. Is there any? What company, sir? The NRG for 60 months. OK. I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? Mr. Guido, do you see any issues?

I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, so signed. Motion carries.

All right, so we're not leaving our current contract?

Yes. All right. All righty. Anything else, Mr. Watson?

Uh, we are going. You're keeping track. I've been skipping around, right? Yeah, we're at 12.1 and everything above that's been done. Correct. All right. Um, number 12 county treasurer's report and other monthly reports. 12.1 discuss, consider and take action to approve county treasurer's report and other monthly reports.

I think with both our interests bearing accounts, we're at about $950,000, somewhere around there, $930,000, give or take. If it's been doing good for us, well, we're going to have to take a closer look at it. We might have to go to fixed rates, depending on what the outlook is.

We can lock it. We just got to be very careful on the amounts that we lock because when we lock rates like that, it's not like what we're on right now. We could take it out with no penalty from one day to the next.

I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. And item number 13, county auditor's report. 13.1, discuss, consider, and take action to approve the county auditor's report.

Can I entertain a motion? Motion to approve. Second. I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Okay, we say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Number 14, payroll and bills. 14.1, discuss, consider, and take action on payroll and bills as submitted by the county auditor with the exception of fund 52, the district attorney's forfeiture fund, 53, sheriff's forfeiture fund, and 54. Chair of Federal Orbiture Fund for transparency purposes.

Can I entertain a motion? I'll make a motion to approve the bills. Second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Anyone like to address the court at this time? Do you want to mention something that was done? Uh, last week, and we worked hard on trying to do some teamwork and, um. Fixed the Johnson Street in front of the fairgrounds and going towards the fairgrounds. Did an excellent job working together on this little project. We know that our fairgrounds, our fair is coming up, number one. And number t

And I know we have commissioner's court agendas filed for tomorrow and Wednesday. Those will not be needed in the budget today. So those two commissioner's court will be canceled.

Is there anybody else? I'd like to address the court at this time. Hearing none, can I entertain a motion to adjourn? Second. I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, same sign. Motion carries.