At a Brazos County Commissioners Court workshop, Risk Manager Leslie Contreras asked the court to place the proposed camera-installation project for the Roy Kelly Parking Garage on hold pending additional technical review and vendor vetting. The request came during the court’s camera-system discussion at about 10:02 a.m.

Contreras said the county had received widely divergent quotes and needs time to ensure any system chosen will be compatible with the county’s video management system and the Sheriff’s Office real-time crime center. “We are actually going to ask that we postpone this project until further notice,” she said. “If you look at the pricing that those quotes came back as, they’re very disparaging. You have one that’s over a million dollars. It’s like $1,100,000. And then you have another $100,000.”

The request to delay prompted questions from commissioners about funding options and operational coordination. Commissioner Bett Nettles asked whether hotel-occupancy (“hot tax”) funds could be applied to the garage if data show it supports tourism; staff said the county’s general counsel had provided background but that precise percentages or eligibility remain unclear. “I would encourage staff to do that because if they’re going to be one of our major tenants…then the city of Bryan may have an interest,” Nettles said, urging staff to coordinate with the City of Bryan and local police.

Paul (staff) reported recent calls for service at the garage: “The garage this year, there were seven calls for service,” and since the county’s takeover there have been five additional calls, a mix of responses by the Sheriff’s Office and Bryan police. Bob Lampkin said a new gate system has been physically installed and will be coming online soon.

Commissioner concerns included large price disparities among bidders, vendor responsiveness, and safety in the near term. Commissioner Watson supported pausing the procurement to gather more information but emphasized immediate safety fixes: better lighting in interior sections of the garage and prompt vendor site walks. Watson said interior areas are “pitch black in the daytime,” and asked staff to open a maintenance ticket to evaluate lighting while the procurement is paused.

Staff listed vendors who submitted quotes — Ring, EcoParkingTech, Avanix (local), and Axon — and said several quotes could not be fully vetted because vendors stopped responding. Staff also recommended that any installed system be compatible with the county’s video management system and with the Sheriff’s real-time crime tool (referred to in the discussion as “fuses”).

Outcome: Commissioners agreed to place the camera project on hold and directed staff to gather additional technical information, obtain more competitive, walk-through vendor quotes, coordinate with the City of Bryan and local law enforcement on access needs, verify gate activation, and open a maintenance ticket to address interim lighting concerns. The court indicated it will schedule a follow-up workshop when the county can present a unified plan for multiple facilities, including the courthouse annex and the Roy Kelly garage.

Why it matters: The county is balancing safety, interoperability with law enforcement systems, and procurement cost-effectiveness. Commissioners emphasized the need for a cohesive system across county buildings rather than piecemeal installations.

Next steps: Staff will collect additional vendor information, coordinate with the City of Bryan and the Sheriff’s Office on access and response protocols, verify gate-system activation, and return to the court with a consolidated recommendation for cameras covering the Roy Kelly garage and the new court annex.