May 26, 2020 Hood County Commissioners' Court

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Hood County Commissioners' Court convened on May 26, 2020, to address routine administrative matters, personnel actions, and capital projects. The court recognized employee service awards, approved financial reports and expenditure items, awarded an aggregate contract to Vulcan Construction Materials, and approved purchases of handheld radios for county constables and funding for a jail phone system. Discussion centered on communications infrastructure coordination with neighboring agencies, federal grant opportunities under the CARES Act, and a disputed roof restoration project with Garland Company that was tabled pending final itemized documentation. A proposed sanctuary county resolution protecting business operations from COVID-19 enforcement failed for lack of a second, and the court also discussed appraisal district governance and convened in executive session on a personnel matter.

• Employee service awardsThe court recognized three employees for service milestones.
• Public participation and consent agendaThe court opened public comment and approved routine consent items.
• Replatting proposal for Lake GranberryStaff recommended setting a public hearing for a property replatting at Lake Granberry.
• Financial reports and expenditure approvalThe auditor and finance officer reviewed invoices and monthly reports with no issues identified.
• Aggregate contract award for Vulcan Construction MaterialsCourt awarded a contract for surface treatment aggregates to the incumbent vendor Vulcan Construction Materials.
• Transfer of Annex 3 space to purchasing and auditPurchasing and audit departments will take control of Information Technology's former offices for inventory tagging and storage.
• Inventory tagging policy implementationAuditor Nelda Walters presented a new centralized receiving policy to improve equipment accountability.
• Deputy promotion to investigatorChief Deputy explained the promotion of a deputy to investigator with a step adjustment to avoid pay reduction.
• Ballistic vest grant applicationSheriff requested approval to apply for federal BVP grant for replacement ballistic vests.
• Memorandum of Understanding with Erath CountySheriff explained a new mutual aid agreement for K9 tracking and drug detection services with Erath County.
• Hood County Library mural approvalLibrarian requested approval for a mural to be painted in the children's room by a local artist.
• Bowser Lake name change proposal (tabled)Commissioners tabled action on a proposed name change for Bowser Lake pending additional information.
• Communication radios for constablesConstables Chad Jordan and Delton Price presented a proposal to outfit all constable offices with Harris communication radios.
• County radio system coordination and equipment upgradesCounty and surrounding agencies are working to standardize radio communications, with discussion of equipment options and budget considerations for both mobile and portable units.
• Handheld radio purchase approval for county constablesThe court approved purchasing ten handheld radios for all county constables at a negotiated price.
• GTL jail phone system capital asset fundingThe court unanimously approved depositing $30,000 into capital assets from GTL contract revenues for the Sheriff's Department.
• I-ticket agreement with Net Data—tabled for further informationJustices of the Peace and county officials discussed an automated ticket download system from DPS, but the court tabled the item pending clarification of financial and operational details.
• Hood County Appraisal District board election process and Attorney General opinion KP-0287County Judge and school district superintendent Dr. Glenn presented legal and governance concerns regarding appraisal district board member elections and requested statutory compliance in the next election cycle.
• Business sanctuary resolution discussion and concern about budget managementA Commissioner raised concerns about fiscal prudence at appraisal district before presenting a business sanctuary resolution for consideration.
• Resolution declaring Hood County a sanctuary County for all businessesCommissioner presented a resolution protecting business operations from county-led enforcement of COVID-19 orders, modeled on a similar resolution recently adopted by a California city.
• Sanctuary County resolution motion failsCommissioner Eagle moved to adopt a resolution declaring Hood County a sanctuary county for all businesses, but the motion failed for lack of a second.
• Public comment on sanctuary resolutionA citizen speaker opposed the sanctuary county resolution, citing legal and public health concerns.
• Judge comment opposing sanctuary resolutionThe judge expressed disagreement with Commissioner Eagle's position on the sanctuary resolution and referenced Governor Abbott's guidance.
• CARES Act grant application motionThe court approved a motion allowing all departments in need to apply for federal grants through the CARES Act without requiring separate court approval for each department.
• CARES Act grant coordination and discussionCounty administrator and commissioners discussed the complexity of CARES Act funding, reimbursement rates, and how to avoid duplication with other COVID-19 relief sources.
• Garland Company roof project PO disputeCounty administrator and Garland Company representative addressed unpaid purchase orders and billing disputes related to a roof restoration project at a county building.
• Roof deck corrosion and scope changeGarland representative explained the scope change from full metal deck replacement to a liquid applied restoration after discovering rapid corrosion during initial inspection.
• Roof exposure concerns and contractor coordinationGarland representative explained the decision to minimize roof exposure time and coordinate closely with the contractor to protect the investment.
• Outstanding invoice and material billing discrepancyAdministrator flagged a $16,000 invoice with unclear material descriptions that did not align with metal roofing work.
• Cooperative purchasing process and simplified approachDiscussion of the challenges with cooperative purchasing procedures and the decision to switch to a simpler purchasing method (TIPS) that streamlined the process.
• Manufacturer's representative role and inspection oversightGarland representative clarified his role as a manufacturer's representative and discussed oversight challenges on the project.
• Approval amount and current balance owedAdministrator and Garland representative discussed the original $58,000 approval and confirmed current cost with labor.
• Additional disputed invoice and labor documentation requestsAdministrator requested detailed line-item invoices and questioned an additional $30,000 charge that had not been fully explained.
• Coating completion and contractor accountabilityGarland representative confirmed the contracted roof work is complete but the additional protective coating remains outstanding and will be completed at no charge.
• Legal review and lien concernsCommissioner requested legal review of outstanding invoices to ensure no mechanic's or materialman's lien could be perfected.
• Next steps and final bill processAdministrator instructed Garland to provide a final itemized bill for court approval before any further payments.
• Contractor accountability and project reputationAdministrator expressed confidence in the contractor's character and willingness to work with local, responsive businesses for future projects.
• Roof project final documentation and payment verificationThe contractor addressed final payment procedures, subcontractor payment confirmation, and warranty execution for the roof project.
• Motion to table roof project to next commissioners' courtThe commissioners voted to postpone further discussion and action on the roof project until the next regular meeting.
• Executive session on employee compensation matterThe court convened into executive session to discuss a personnel matter regarding comp time accrual for a non-law enforcement district clerk's office employee.