Tom Green County approves $4.82 million military access-control grant, swaps parks contractor

At its Feb. 2025 meeting, the Tom Green County Commissioner's Court approved a $4,821,472 grant agreement from the Texas Military Preparedness Commission for a Defense Access Control Point project at Goodfellow Air Force Base and adopted a budget that includes a $200,000 cash contribution from Tom Green County.

The agreement (DAG-2025-01-07) and the adopted budget authorize a $4,821,472 increase to building-construction budget lines funded by intergovernmental grant revenue, and a transfer of $200,000 from other county revenues into the building-construction line to cover the county share. County staff said the United States Air Force must formally accept any improvements produced by the project before final gifting and that the acceptance process could take several months.

Why it matters: The grant and resulting construction will fund security and access-control work tied to Goodfellow Air Force Base. County staff characterized the agenda items as a routine step in the grant acceptance and budget-adoption process; the court voted to approve the agreement and budget and to authorize county officials to complete required transfers.

County staff summarized the grant and the county contribution during the discussion, saying the agreement amount is $4,821,472 and the county contribution is $200,000.

The court also approved a formal transfer and conveyance that authorizes Tom Green County to gift the modifications, improvements and equipment produced by the project to Goodfellow Air Force Base once accepted by the U.S. Air Force. A county staff member explained that the Air Force's acceptance letter is required before the county can finalize a property transfer or present a final award.

Parks maintenance contract: The commission voted to rescind the previously awarded RFB 25-002 parks maintenance contract to Site Sweep Services after the vendor notified the county it could not meet contract requirements. Under the Texas Local Government Code, staff recommended moving to the next lowest responsive bidder; staff recommended awarding the contract to Comanche Landscape. During the presentation, staff said the award would total $191,172 annually and that storm-related call-outs would be billed separately at $500 per call-out. When a commissioner asked the monthly amount, the procurement representative confirmed the monthly figure as $15,009.31, though the procurement memo had earlier referenced $15,931 per month (an annual figure of $191,172). The court approved rescinding the prior award and awarding the contract to Comanche Landscape; the motion carried by voice vote.

Other approved business: The court approved several routine budget amendments and line-item transfers including small transfers for custodial services and to purchase three office chairs and approved a JP4 office-supplies-to-equipment transfer to buy a wireless keyboard and mouse. The court approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from prior meetings; a claims register of $1,041,114.28; bills to be paid of $2,596.40; purchase orders totaling $1,427,389.17; personnel actions; acknowledgement of cable installations on multiple county roads; and monthly reports from the county clerk, district clerk and justices of the peace. The county also authorized a new credit-account application with AEG Petroleum Group.

Grants and county resources: The court approved renewing the library's Candid Community subscription, a resource offering access to the GuideStar/Foundation Directory and grant-information tools, and authorized library staff to sign the renewal electronically. The court approved a preliminary grant application to the Texas Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternatives program to seek funds for accessible pathways in Grape Creek (near local schools). County staff said this is a preliminary application; if the project is selected staff will submit a full application.

What the court did not do: No formal roll-call vote counts were recorded in the transcript; motions were approved by voice vote with court members saying "aye." Several items described as standard procedure (grant acceptance steps, gift acceptance by the Air Force, preliminary grant application) will require additional administrative steps and external approvals before projects proceed.

The court adjourned at 8:47 a.m.