Starr County approves local disaster declaration, consulting contract and $20,000 invoice tied to Operation Lone Star

Starr County commissioners on Feb. 3 approved a declaration of local disaster related to a surge in migrants, a consulting agreement tied to Operation Lone Star and an associated $20,000 invoice for consultant services.

County Judge said the court reversed an earlier position after warnings from the district attorney, the sheriff and the county attorney that failing to sign could cost the county public-revenue support. "If we did not sign, [we] would lose anywhere from 5 to $8,000,000 in County revenues," the County Judge said. He described earlier reluctance: "I had not signed the declaration of disaster ... I really felt that that was not ... we were not incurring any expenses." The court voted to approve the declaration and related items by voice vote.

The court approved a consulting agreement with Rodriguez Professional Business Solutions to support Starr County's participation in Operation Lone Star. The County Judge summarized the payment plan: "what we're gonna do, we're probably advancing 20,000. And then ... his fees will come out of the grant itself. You know, hopefully, we get the grant and then we'll come from there." The court also approved payment of invoice No. 2292, payable to Rodriguez Professional Business Solutions, in the amount of $20,000.

Additional items tied to the Operation Lone Star response included approval of fiscal year 2026 operational funding for Operation Lone Star, approval of a public-safety law-enforcement certification/assurance form, and a letter of support from the county attorney's office for the Operation Lone Star application. All of those items were approved by motion, second and voice vote.

During follow-up on the invoice payment, a county staff member asked to condition payment on receipt of a purchase order. The court confirmed an invoice had been presented and that Rodriguez was registered as a vendor, but the auditor/staff explained a purchase order is needed to indicate the account and funds to use. The staff member said they would provide the purchase order that day.

The court did not provide a recorded roll-call of how each member voted; minutes show voice votes with no individual tallies recorded in the transcript. Commissioner Fed was noted as absent at the start of the meeting.

Why it matters: The combination of a local disaster declaration, a consultant contract and county support documents formalizes Starr County's participation in Operation Lone Star and sets county resources and administrative steps in motion pending grant funding.

What happens next: The County Judge and staff indicated consultant fees would ultimately be drawn from grant funds if the grant is awarded; the invoice payment was approved but staff requested the purchase order to process the payment through the correct account.