Frio County Commissioners approve development access, election contracts, road donations, equipment purchases and cybersecurity engagement

Frio County Commissioners Court met in Pearsall on March 2025 and approved a package of resolutions and contracts that included a developer-funded road-widening and driveway-improvement resolution for FM 1581, joint-election agreements and voting-equipment leases for several May 3 school elections, donations of road materials, purchases of road equipment, a cybersecurity engagement following a county email incident, and authorization to pursue USDA Forest Service grant applications for a community wildfire protection plan and firefighting equipment.

The court unanimously approved a resolution authorizing property owners and developers to construct and donate driveway and roadway improvements along FM 1581 at the site of a planned convenience store near I‑35 and FM 1581; the developer’s representative said the work (approved by TxDOT) will widen FM 1581, add a left‑turn lane and remake drive radiuses to meet TxDOT standards. “TxDOT wants the county to approve and accept the driveway improvements,” Rick Hatch, principal with Odyssey Services Group LLC, told the court.

The court also approved routine election agreements and equipment leases between Frio County and multiple local school districts for the May 3, 2025 elections and accepted several material donations for road maintenance: an estimated 88 cubic yards of crushed limestone from AJ Logistics for County Road 4670 (Hugo Road) and about 170 cubic yards of PB4 material from TxDOT located on FM 2779. Road‑and‑bridge purchases approved included a fifth‑wheel replacement for unit 0123 ($4,550) and corrugator and drainage parts for county roads. The commissioners approved a single bid for a 2020 International tractor from Best Used Trucks of Dallas‑Fort Worth for a total of $49,854.91 and authorized issuing a check to the seller to release the vehicle.

County officials approved a $3,177 purchase of online training from OSS Academy for deputies and dispatchers, and approved reimbursement requests for three separate property‑damage claims filed by members of the Kerr family and Kerr Family Partnership LTD totaling $2,900. The commissioners voted to enter an engagement letter with Crow LLP for forensic and cybersecurity services after an administrative email account was compromised and used to send roughly 2,100 fraudulent messages, according to the county auditor’s report.

The court approved a five‑year contract with the Texas Department of State Health Services to continue county oversight of WIC services for the period beginning Oct. 1, 2025, and authorized staff to prepare and submit two USDA Forest Service grant applications to create a community wildfire protection plan and to request rural firefighting equipment. Treasurer and other mandated monthly reports were received and approved, and the court adjourned after approving the bills‑payable schedule that included the previously authorized truck purchase.

No roll‑call vote counts were read into the record; motions were made and passed with the movers and seconders noted on the record and an “all in favor” confirmation for each item.