County commissioners conducted various business at their Nov. 9 regular meeting that included grants, the library, jailhouse restoration and more.
In consideration of the Community Development Block Grant Program — 2021 Texas CDBG Program Community Development Contract CDV21-0064, a spokesperson put forth the details of the program to the Court for public comment and review performance.
This is a grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture for 1,600 linear footage of water line work, connections and fire hydrants along Rainbow Rd in Pebble Beach in Lakehills.
“The final project ended up being 1200 linear feet because of budget constraints,” said the spokesperson.
Public comments, a requirement of the grant, were called upon by County Judge Richard Evans twice, with no response.
Evans indicated that the project was complete, the third or fourth of its kind in the Pebble Beach area.
According to the spokesperson, the original construction budget was $277,000 with grant funds and match funds from Bandera Fresh Water District.
“The bid was constructed in such a way that we could utilize the pool grant amounts while keeping the main beneficiaries,” he said.
Following the court’s late October approval of the bid from KCR Roofing to replace the roof on the Bandera Public Library, commissioners approved an additional $9,500 not in the initial bid to replace gutters along with the roof replacement, authorizing Evans to sign acceptance of the new proposal.
With one year left on the agreement before they have to renew a new contract, the court voted all in favor to extend the agreement between Elwood Properties LLC and the county for the rental of office space at 1207-A Pecan Street in the City of Bandera, which is the current office of the Bandera County Auditor.
In other business, the court accepted and recorded the District Judge’s Order for the reappointment and salary (approved in the 2023-24 adopted budget) of Darryl Sadler as County Auditor for the two-year term of Nov. 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2025.
The court unanimously approved an agreement with Safe Fleet for redaction software to be used by the county’s Public Information Officer.
The three-year contract with Safe Fleet is $7,465.00. According to Evans, the software is used to redact certain footage from police body and car cameras for court purposes.
He emphasized that without the software, the courts would have to have another room in a new building to gather everyone.
“It will save us some space and a lot of time, a lot of time and a lot of mistakes,” said Evans.
Audio redaction software is a program that automatically removes sensitive information that can compromise the security of the police personnel or citizens and replaces them with tones, beeps, or silence.
Per Safe Fleet, their redaction software supports public privacy, reduces staff workloads with automation, and maintains transparency and public trust. It supports automated facial redaction and automated tracked object redaction.
Commissioner Jack Moseley asked the court to consider a retainer agreement with law firm Allison, Bass & McGee, LLP for consultation and assistance with the county on the ongoing historical Jail & Courthouse restoration project.
Evans asked if County Attorney Janna Lindig was in support of this.
Lindig, who was present in court, stated, “Oh no, this is the first time I’ve heard of this. Nobody’s talked to me about this at all. Any comment that I would have would need to be made in executive session.”
After Moseley motioned for a vote, the motion died for lack of a second.
Moseley said that he will bring it back at a future meeting.
At the closing of the meeting, the Court entered into an Executive Session.
