Commissioners approve conditional joint checks to pay subcontractors for Camino Real project after executive session

Frio County Commissioners Court approved a conditional payment process on Feb. 14 to resolve outstanding subcontractor claims on the Camino Real outbuilding project.

Following an executive session on construction matters, the court approved a motion directing the county to pay subcontractors by joint check made payable to Sandoval Contracting and the subcontractor, upon receipt of each subcontractor's final accounting, approval of that accounting by the project architect and county legal counsel, and the subcontractor's notarized release that all debts arising from their work on the project are satisfied.

The motion, moved by Commissioner Carrizales and seconded by Commissioner Cano, directed that joint checks be issued and handed over only after counsel and the architect approved the final accounting and each subcontractor provided the notarized release. County officials emphasized the requirement for W-9s and other standard vendor documentation before final payments could be processed.

During the subsequent bills-payable discussion county staff clarified the practical steps: once the architect and county attorney (referred to in court as Allison and Patman) sign off, the county will issue the checks; county staff also said they would collect W-9s from subcontractors which could delay disbursement by several days.

The court's action follows the court's review of construction items in executive session and is intended to resolve outstanding vendor claims while protecting the county against duplicate claims.

Ending: County staff will notify the court when the final accounting documents and notarized releases have been received so checks can be issued.