County officials on the dais on Tuesday tabled consideration of a proposed contract with Curative for county employee health insurance for budget year 2026 after the county judge said the contract had not been received in time for review.

The action mattered to officials because staff said the county needs final rate and plan information to complete the budget and to meet open-enrollment deadlines for employees. "As of today, I have not received a contract from Curative," the County Judge said during the meeting. A county staff member who spoke during the session said forms were submitted to Curative's underwriters the previous afternoon and that, as of about an hour before the meeting, the package remained with underwriters and legal reviewers.

Why this matters: without the contract and final rates the county cannot finalize budget numbers, and staff said open enrollment requires several days of in-person events and data entry before Curative's deadline. The staff member said open enrollment was scheduled for the 18th and 19th in "Big Phil," and that the county must input plan selections and related data into EDOF and return the information to Curative by its stated deadline of Sept. 5.

Discussion versus decision: the court heard only procedural updates and timeline concerns; no contract terms were presented or debated because the document had not been delivered. The County Judge and staff discussed the urgency for budget planning and enrollment logistics, and staff indicated that if the contract arrives in time it could be placed on the court agenda for the next regular meeting.

Formal action: Commissioner Weddell moved to table the item until the regular commissioners court meeting on Aug. 12. Commissioner Matthews seconded the motion. The County Judge called for a vote; "Ayes have it. Motion carries," and the court adjourned.

Next steps: the staff member said they would forward the contract to all commissioners as soon as it is received so members have time to review before the Aug. 12 meeting. The court took no further policy action and made no changes to plan design or budget allocations during the session.