[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6108364,"mediaKeyId","2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222","parentId",2768831,"title","Public commenters urge more trap-neuter-release resources, question precinct voting proposal and raise transparency concerns over parking garage deal","audioSeconds",100,"startMs",1621000,"endMs",1521000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222&start=1621&end=1521","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222/thumbnail_1621000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6108364/Brazos-County/Texas/Public-commenters-urge-more-trap-neuter-release-resources-question-precinct-voting-proposal-and-raise-transparency-concerns-over-parking-garage-deal","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108364-316b57d3d6e1bb54f0be4df975a7b169/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175428&Signature=WmK3h5MuwfJU3pKuyxPdKCaUGIabF8-Vi1BROuK0d2eQOWtedEon4EaLiwsaRcP8kAA5eIo8L1dLGLBGh81RXmC~8bLHJVNv1gsjpXE7uqb~7IjbqTzdn7ID6Q2hz8kLpGLxHsyPEe6vwbUfsnRRBAsAt6OA4lP8qXkHpVJ92uv3NgOonlPloUK3a8nDQ1u9IXbEGcdEj-kfwl4OLgHzY5E5m6h~oDByZdmptAJv26CR1RkVg77MSm6HstI084wAAY-el9QOVFKnB1ENEZciFK20fngwp-abyLEc5ljR~o4VV~hX2qVnPcRP8b8n7CH6qtkEfqhrHuW-7zDss1VyNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Brazos County, Texas","date","2025-03-25T14:46:48Z","article","Public comments at the Brazos County Commissioners Court on March 25 covered animal control and trap-neuter-release resources, the cost and feasibility of precinct-based voting, transparency in a parking garage transfer involving the Brazos Transit District and concerns about the accuracy and auditability of voter rolls.

Speakers urged the court to make TNR resources publicly accessible and to use existing stray-animal revenue or county positions to support low-cost sterilization. Other commenters warned that reverting to precinct-level paper-ballot voting would be expensive and require detailed operational plans from precinct advocates. A separate commenter flagged a potential appearance-of-impropriety around the county’s decision to reclaim a parking garage previously under the transit district's control and sought more documentation about prior repairs and deed obligations.

The county heard repeated calls for greater transparency and for clearer information on how decisions will affect county finances and public trust.

Sabrina Brown, speaking in public comment, said she supports development in Brazos County but wants the county to better support wildlife and community cat colonies. She cited the county’s animal control ordinance describing a colony manager role and said county web pages do not provide information about how to volunteer as a colony manager or links to local TNR providers such as Aggieland Humane Society. Brown recommended the county publish a countywide list of TNR resources, use stray-animal sales revenue to subsidize low-cost sterilization, donate revenues to existing TNR programs and reinstate or fund a county animal-control deputy to maintain a public colony database or volunteer task force.

Brown also warned that proposals to return to precinct-based paper-ballot voting would be costly and that the Elections Department currently staffs 28 polling places for countywide voting; she said opening and operating all 110 precinct polling places would require a concrete operational plan from precinct-level advocates.

Kathy Finch used her public-comment time to restate concerns about the county’s earlier decision to reacquire a parking garage from the Brazos Transit District. Finch said she was at the January meeting when the court voted to take the property back, and that testimony at a prior meeting indicated the transit district had invested $500,000 in repairs, though the judge later described those as cosmetic updates. Finch asked for a copy of the deed agreement and for clearer documentation of what work the transit district performed and whether obligations remain. She praised Commissioner Brown for a prior vote against the action and asked the court to avoid decisions that reduce opportunities for public input.

Cindy Wiley raised problems with voter rolls and audits, saying the public has found duplicate entries and incomplete primary ballot data when auditing returns. Wiley urged the court to support transparency and for officials to enable the public to verify election results and detect potential problems; she said some registries show active voters older than 100 and questioned the data redactions that can limit public audits.

These public comments occurred during the court’s scheduled citizen-input period and were followed by regular agenda items. No formal county action on the TNR recommendations, precinct voting proposals or the parking garage documentation was taken during the meeting; commissioners said they would consider workshops or follow-up briefings on topics where staff capacity or additional research is needed.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Brazos County Commissioners Court - March 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public comments at the Brazos County Commissioners Court on March 25 covered animal control and trap-neuter-release resources, the cost and feasibility of precinct-based voting, transparency in a parking garage transfer and concerns about the accuracy and auditability of voter rolls.","taxTitle","taxId",2691,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":78,"_47":79,"_49":80,"_51":81,"_53":82,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":83,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":84,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6108369,"Commissioners approve series of contracts, appointments and budget items; burn ban to be lifted",0,3305000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222&start=3305&end=3305","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222/thumbnail_3305000.jpg","/articles/6108369/Brazos-County/Texas/Commissioners-approve-series-of-contracts-appointments-and-budget-items-burn-ban-to-be-lifted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108369-90d1de85f1872e1c149480c497798548/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175428&Signature=J6Men2RWXKH3aHPK7UT0Cw-biH48ayF15GPJuT0MOJKuRDEltvBmqSq1PcezLnhK5GFpysL71sDdGdksZd75CFuEVFzFo4nEO00668iCmc82oQfJnYTg7a-YeNcpOb0B0HaxRoisFSX~pYFhUuusnt15FV7X19x5SHq~2oIC~Ponn-53tlClxac1cINtt6VFtClwqXPi8V~RATm3vvCkatq4eM65xMAUJ7ZmK6pPwbvf~sky5ddg6siwKbMlKLjX7SOwfpjpAkEgRqbJHPnjirL8AYHTv5ysC-WWjUZf~PbhHo5pKt2ZLtff27GNwvyveC0NfUac1QeV9YFK6hoNiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioners Court in Brazos County approved a slate of appointments, contract renewals and awards, budget amendments and other routine items during its March 25 meeting and received a recommendation from emergency management to lift the county burn ban.

The approvals included appointments to the Homeland Security Advisory Committee, a property-renewal insurance application, several vendor contracts and an IT data-backup agreement that prompted detailed technical questions from a commenter. The court also heard updates on detention and jail populations and acknowledged routine financial reports.

The approvals keep county operations funded and moving forward and included several items that drew short discussion on procurement practices and technical details of a proposed IT solution.

The court approved appointments and reappointments to the Homeland Security Advisory Committee for terms running April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2027, after a motion to approve (motion text recorded as \"Move for approval of the appointments a and b and reappointment c through r\"). The motion was seconded and carried. The court then approved a property-renewal application for buildings, contents and mobile equipment with the Texas Association of Counties for coverage from July 1, 2025, through July 1, 2026 (motion recorded as \"Move approval\").

The court approved these contracts and awards (motions and outcomes summarized below):
- Renewal contract 25-088 with Baylor Scott & White Medical Center — Temple for lab services supporting the health department, jail, juvenile and employee health clinic (motion carried).
- Award of bid 205-98 to Loist North America Texas Inc. for hydrated lime (motion carried).
- Renewal contract 25-103R with S.T. Lovett and Associates for appraisal services on an as-needed basis (motion carried).
- Agreement 25-112 with Rubrick Inc. for remote data backup and data protection for the IT department (motion carried). That item drew detailed questions from a participant identified as Dr. Daugherty about the vendor quote, hardware costs, which county systems would be backed up and the status of a CISA grant reimbursement; county staff said an updated quote was included in the commission packet, that election voting machines (Verity systems) are not on the county network and therefore would not be backed up, that the vendor provides a supported appliance rather than a custom-built server, and that the county expects a first‑year project cost of about $144,000 with an expected CISA reimbursement of about $58,340.
- CIP 205-591 commissioning services with Tom Green and Company Engineers Inc. for proposed facilities at 101 Texas Avenue for $486,090 (motion carried). Commissioners discussed the county’s practice of multi-year/qualifications contracts versus bidding individual projects; county staff said the approach is an efficiency choice and noted staff capacity and statutory procurement timelines.

Other routine approvals included tax refund applications (items A–N), FY 2024–25 budget amendments (23.01 to 23.02), personnel changes, approval of presented claims, and acknowledgments of budget-to-actual reports. The court also approved remote data-backup procurement terms and confirmed that county IT will apply security patches and endpoint detection-and-response services as part of the purchased service.

Emergency management recommended lifting the county burn ban after recent beneficial rains and with the caveat that residents still exercise caution for controlled burns and report planned burns through non-emergency dispatch; Emergency Management Coordinator Jason Ware told the court he would sign the paperwork after the meeting.

During the meeting the juvenile detention director reported 31 juveniles in custody (24 males, 7 females) with 35 on electronic monitoring. The sheriff’s office reported an inmate population of 695 (607 males, 88 females) with 40 on electronic monitor.

The court recessed into an executive session under Texas Government Code 551.0725 to deliberate business and financial issues related to a contract negotiation; the county attorney stated a written determination that open deliberations would harm negotiating position. The court returned and took no public action in open session on the executive-session topic and then adjourned.

Votes at a glance (motions recorded in the meeting transcript; where names of movers/seconders were not specified the minutes record only that a motion and second occurred):
- Appointments/reappointments to Homeland Security Advisory Committee (approved). Motion text: \"Move for approval of the appointments a and b and reappointment c through r.\" Outcome: approved.
- Property renewal application with Texas Association of Counties (approved). Motion: \"Move approval.\" Outcome: approved.
- Renewal contract 25-088 (lab services with Baylor Scott & White Medical Center — Temple) (approved). Outcome: approved.
- Award bid 205-98 (hydrated lime to Loist North America Texas Inc.) (approved). Outcome: approved.
- Renewal contract 25-103R (appraisal services with S.T. Lovett and Associates) (approved). Outcome: approved.
- Agreement 25-112 (Rubrick Inc. remote data backup) (approved). Outcome: approved. Notes: discussion on quote expiration, hardware configuration and grant reimbursement; county clarified that election tabulation systems are not on the county network and will not be backed up.
- CIP 205-591 (Tom Green and Company Engineers commissioning services, $486,090) (approved). Notes: commissioners debated multi-project RFQ practice vs. per-project bidding; staff cited efficiency and staffing constraints.
- Tax refunds A–N (approved). Outcome: approved.
- FY 24–25 budget amendments 23.01 to 23.02 (approved). Outcome: approved.
- Personnel changes (approved). Outcome: approved.
- Claims approvals (approved). Outcome: approved.
- Acknowledgment of budget-to-actual and contingency reports (acknowledged). Outcome: acknowledged.

The court recorded unanimous consent to enter executive session under Texas Government Code 551.0725; no additional open-session action resulted from that executive session. The sheriff and juvenile detention director presented population reports; emergency management recommended lifting the burn ban, and the judge indicated he would sign the lift after the meeting.

The court’s packet and transcript contain exhibit references and updated quotes for the Rubrick agreement; staff told the court the county will submit a reimbursement request to the Office of the Governor for the CISA grant funds and expects a governor’s-office check for the grant portion.

","Brazos County Commissioners on March 25 approved appointments, multiple contract renewals and awards, budget amendments, and other routine items; emergency management recommended lifting the county burn ban. The court also authorized a remote data-backup agreement that drew technical questions from a resident.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6108359,"Local economist urges commissioners to put MPO freeway proposal on agenda, calls regional loop unjustified",256,1097000,1353000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222&start=1097&end=1353","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2768831-b7257e330f75ce167821cd4260eb7222/thumbnail_1097000.jpg","/articles/6108359/Brazos-County/Texas/Local-economist-urges-commissioners-to-put-MPO-freeway-proposal-on-agenda-calls-regional-loop-unjustified","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108359-bbc2d92e7512109ab66cb3625f4f4eb4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175428&Signature=A650BniqvJkOyDja-6bNb-G-85yNc0yvRjzPQ1iH7idYW2w1KDURuoxL2b7jONa8wFasDcGlJvqooPaIchPmor3BDfT246ulY9iFfgDIUUNOunREMOQvFTqJd-4XkdnzBablOcXGt5ARySWOMdA~Cr1QFIm6rBR8~7C3zIsy4kF1TLcg00hIzXW4Yx-3jw1DB-hby~Fgk6E5kKq7bLpz78QDiL7UMiEX08ZzZzFztwaWyul-j5RuqMboY2vF2Bxf~uUri6YVJdLPWsNLrUzZtrNsKgK5cGIsNWcM7GJOuAuYLhnmy-XLpWT270Mu3KzoI22AjJuAesercW7oqcxS5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adam Perdue, who identified himself as an urban and regional economist and transportation engineer, urged the Brazos County Commissioners Court on March 25 to place the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s proposed freeway/loop on the court’s agenda so officials can publicly debate the project’s justification.

Perdue said MPO population and employment forecasts do not support the proposed loop and argued that the highway would not function as a bypass because it is a longer route; he also challenged economic-development claims, saying roads do not create growth so much as shift it. Perdue criticized consultant spending on the study, saying much of the $12 million study-design money appears to go to consultants from Houston, Austin and San Antonio rather than local firms, and he requested the county pause the related contract until a more cost‑effective traffic study could be completed.

Perdue told the court the MPO’s forecasted population for the study area is 371,000 (which he called an overestimate) and contrasted that with the state demographer’s lower forecast. He said that population and employment are concentrated in Bryan and College Station south of State Highway 30 and west of State Highway 6, and that a loop would not relieve traffic by offering a longer alternative route.

Perdue asked the court to place the MPO matter on a future agenda so commissioners and the public can have a full record and discussion. He suggested the county pause the contract described in the MPO materials if the county intends to continue without a stronger, locally focused justification and requested either a cheaper traffic study to support the project or clearer evidence of need. The court did not take immediate action on his request during the meeting; commissioners did not announce a date for further discussion on the MPO item during the session.

","Adam Perdue, an urban and regional economist, asked Brazos County Commissioners to place a proposed MPO freeway/loop on a court agenda, arguing the MPO’s own forecasts do not justify the project and raising concerns about local economic benefit from consultant spending.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public commenters urge more trap-neuter-release resources, question precinct voting proposal and raise transparency concerns over parking garage deal

Commissioners approve series of contracts, appointments and budget items; burn ban to be lifted

Local economist urges commissioners to put MPO freeway proposal on agenda, calls regional loop unjustified