Votes at a glance: Gonzales County Commissioners Court takes actions on bond counsel, financial advisor, annex authority and surplus property

Gonzales County Commissioners Court approved several contingency-fee professional services contracts and procedural authorizations and adopted multiple surplus-property actions at its meeting.

The court voted to retain Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP as bond counsel and RBC Capital Markets as financial adviser, both on contingency-fee contracts that are payable only if and when bonds or debt are issued. Commissioners also passed a resolution allowing the county judge to execute documents related to the previously approved budget for the courthouse annex restoration project so long as the documents fall within that approved budget and are reviewed by the county attorney. The court tabled a separate item to specifically engage a construction law firm by name for contract drafting and negotiation.

Why it matters: hiring bond counsel and a financial adviser is a standard step when a county is preparing to evaluate debt options for a capital project. The contingency-fee structure means the county will not pay attorneys’ or advisors’ fees unless there is an actual debt issuance and the fees will be paid from bond proceeds at closing. Allowing the judge to execute previously budgeted documents is intended to speed construction actions that are within the approved budget and subject to county attorney review.

Key outcomes and motions (as recorded in the meeting): - Motion to hire Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP on a contingency-fee professional services contract to provide bond counsel services for Gonzales County — motion seconded and approved. Outcome: approved.

- Motion to hire RBC Capital Markets on a contingency-fee professional services contract to provide financial advisory services for Gonzales County — motion seconded and approved. Outcome: approved.

- Motion to approve a resolution allowing the county judge to execute documents related to previously approved budget items tied to agenda item 26 from the Jan. 13, 2025 meeting for the courthouse annex restoration project — motion seconded and approved. Outcome: approved.

- Motion to retain Allensworth (construction law firm) to provide drafting and negotiation services for the courthouse annex restoration project — motion made, then tabled by the court. Outcome: tabled.

- Motion to renew the Formal Care Act reporting and tracking service (ARTS) as part of the county's TAC services — motion seconded and approved. Outcome: approved.

- Motions approving surplus declarations and donations of scrap metal for precincts 1, 2 and 3 under Texas Local Government Code section 263.1524 and related dispositions to nonprofit recipients (including donations to local organizations and Texas Department of Agriculture/Feeding Texas programs) — motions seconded and approved. Outcome: approved (each precinct donation as recorded).

- Motions approving a variance to the Gonzales County subdivision rules (F4 Ranch) and the final plat for May Springs/Harwood Estates Phase 2 — motions seconded and approved. Outcomes: both approved.

- Motion approving sole-source justification to purchase a 2024 Ford F-250 for Precinct 3 — motion seconded and approved. Outcome: approved.

- Motion approving a surplus/auction list (with one item excluded) and authorization to sell surplus property by public auction — motion seconded and approved. Outcome: approved.

The court used standard voice votes; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript. Where motions were seconded and the court voice-voted, the transcript records "All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries." The meeting record indicates these items passed or were tabled as listed above.