Maverick County commissioners approve reserve deputy appointments, retain outside counsel, continue EMS negotiations and adopt budget amendments

Maverick County Commissioners Court on March 14, 2025 approved a set of personnel recognitions, contract-authority actions and a county budget amendment after an executive‑session review of multiple agenda items.

The court unanimously approved recognition of two non‑paid reserve deputy constable appointments submitted by Constable Mario Hernandez in Precinct 3‑1: Michael Veralta and Yajaira Sala Montano. The court modified the agenda items to read “discussion and appropriate action to recognize the request of Constable Mario Hernandez to appoint 1 non‑paid reserve deputy constable in Precinct 3‑1,” then voted to approve the appointments. The motions were shown in the record as moved by Commissioner Ramos and seconded by Commissioner Reese and carried unanimously.

The court accepted a notice of nonrenewal for the county’s general counsel and moved to exempt and engage outside counsel. The court approved proceeding with the professional‑services exemption for Denton Navarro Rocha Bernal & Zech and authorized the county judge to negotiate and execute an agreement with that firm on the terms discussed in executive session; the motion and second were recorded and the court voted unanimously.

On EMS and fire services, the court authorized continuation of contract negotiations. County officials directed staff to proceed with negotiation and submittal of the counterproposal and to continue discussions on the EMS/fire services extension agreements; those motions passed unanimously.

A payroll correction related to BPU longevity pay was approved after staff reported an error in auditing and payroll that had led to improper deductions. The court authorized a one‑time longevity payment and directed a budget amendment—recorded in the discussion as roughly $3,800—to be taken from the contingency line. Commissioners approved the modification and the court voted unanimously.

The court also directed the landfill land board to exercise discretion to adjust cash rates; that motion carried with a recorded tally of 3 in favor, 1 abstention and 1 opposed (the record did not attribute names to the opposition or abstention). The court ratified legal fee payments related to litigation handled under the county’s general counsel agreement and finalized a payment to Gassett Bamberger & Associates as discussed in executive session (an amount of $800 was stated in the record).

During the budget amendments portion, the court approved a budget amendment to cover an indigent‑defense coordinator position. The discussion included specific account adjustments: a debit of $17,500 to account 4571117976, $5,000 to machinery and equipment, and $75 to indigent operating account 4573120976, with an offsetting credit of $22,005.75 from account 101034820 (maintenance department salary). The county judge asked staff to finalize fringe‑benefit calculations and include them in the next meeting’s budget agenda.

Accounts payable items were approved as presented, including invoices noted for Linda Hernandez (court reporter) and two invoices from Rakey Locksmith. The record shows two $600 invoices for Linda Hernandez (invoice numbers 2024‑20 and 2024‑23) and Rakey Locksmith invoices submitted for payment; the court approved adding those amounts to accounts payable as previously approved on the dockets.

Other personnel actions approved included promotion of Adelabro Reyes from detention officer to full‑time sergeant at a base rate of $17.70 per hour plus a $0.12 per hour supplement tied to Senate Bill 22, for a combined $17.82 per hour for the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office detention center.

Votes at a glance - Appointment: Recognize request to appoint Michael Veralta, non‑paid reserve deputy constable, Precinct 3‑1; mover: Commissioner Ramos; second: Commissioner Reese; outcome: approved unanimously. - Appointment: Recognize request to appoint Yajaira Sala Montano, non‑paid reserve deputy constable, Precinct 3‑1; mover: Commissioner Ramos; second: Commissioner Reese; outcome: approved unanimously. - Legal counsel: Accept notice of nonrenewal for county general counsel (submitted by Richard Galong); outcome: accepted unanimously. - Professional services exemption and contract: Exempt and engage Denton Navarro Rocha Bernal & Zech to provide county general counsel legal services; mover: Commissioner Ramos; second: Commissioner Reese; outcome: approved unanimously; county judge authorized to negotiate and execute agreement. - EMS/Fire services: Continue negotiations and submit counterproposal for extension agreements; outcome: approved unanimously. - Payroll correction: Approve one‑time longevity pay and process budget amendment (~$3,800) from contingency to correct payroll deduction error; outcome: approved unanimously. - Landfill rates: Direct landfill board to adjust cash rates at its discretion; outcome: approved (3 yes, 1 abstain, 1 no). - Legal fees: Ratify payment of legal fees related to litigation handled under existing counsel agreement; outcome: approved (unanimous recorded vote noted as 4 in favor in the record). - Payment: Accept terms to finalize payment to Gassett Bamberger & Associates (amount stated in the record as $800); outcome: approved unanimously. - Budget amendment: Approve budget amendments to cover indigent‑defense coordinator position and related transfers (see clarifying details); outcome: approved unanimously. - Accounts payable: Add previously approved invoices (including Linda Hernandez and Rakey Locksmith items) to accounts payable; outcome: approved unanimously.

What the court did not act on - Several agenda items (numbers 7, 12, 13, 14) were recorded as “no action” or withdrawn in the minutes as reflected in the transcript.

Why this matters The actions affect county legal representation, local law‑enforcement staffing, the county budget and near‑term EMS/fire service negotiations. Approval to retain Denton Navarro Rocha Bernal & Zech establishes the firm as the county’s contract counsel while the EMS decisions keep negotiations open for continued service and payments. The payroll correction and budget amendments adjust county personnel funding and will be reflected in future budget reports.

Next steps noted in the meeting Staff were directed to finalize the contract language and fringe‑benefit calculations and to return with finalized budget amendment paperwork at the next commissioners court meeting.