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Commissioners add new courthouse to county insurance while negotiating partial-occupancy agreement
Summary
The court approved a short-term insurance addition for the new county courthouse and discussed a partial-occupancy plan with the general contractor; staff said the county could begin moving into parts of the building as work finishes.
Aransas County commissioners approved adding the new county courthouse to the county’s property insurance and discussed using a partial-occupancy agreement to begin limited use of finished spaces.
On Aug. 4, the court voted to add the courthouse — described on the agenda as “the courthouse located at 308 North Lavo, Broadport, Texas” — to the county’s property insurance program for the period July 2025 to March 2026 for a premium of $385,556.76. The motion carried unanimously.
Judge Garza told the court he had met with John Murray, owner of Teal Construction (the building contractor), who said there was nothing preventing the county from occupying completed portions of the building. Garza said he drafted a proposed partial-occupancy agreement that would allow phased move-in, transfer of utilities and other responsibilities to the county while remaining work is completed. He said he had sent the draft to Teal on July 25 and was awaiting a response.
County staff explained insurance options and recommended a short-term policy aligned with the county’s current renewal schedule rather than a full 12‑month policy. The short-term approach was recommended to align rating periods and avoid a mid‑year renewal that could reprice the account at a less favorable time of year.
Commissioners asked staff to keep the court informed and to proceed with the partial-occupancy discussions but made no formal decision to occupy the building at this meeting.
