Brazos County tables renewal of ITS contract after hours of public concern over Inner East Loop and transparency

Brazos County Commissioners Court on June 3, 2025 tabled a vote on Amendment No. 2 to the contract with Innovative Transportation Solutions (ITS) after more than an hour of public comment and a heated discussion among commissioners and county staff.

Residents, local experts and county staff pressed the court to explain population assumptions used in feasibility work, the scope and oversight of ITS services and how the Trip 22 bond projects are being managed. County Engineer Prathana Banerjee said ITS provides technical expertise and regulatory coordination the county lacks and warned of program risk if the partnership were abruptly ended. "If the county were to cancel ITS's contract, we would be placing $67,000,000 worth of on-system projects at risk," Banerjee said. "They are a key part in our ability to deliver the Trip 22 bond program successfully and I believe continued partnership with them is in the best interest of the county and our taxpayers."

Public speakers raised specific concerns about population projections cited in project materials for the Inner East Loop, the hiring and pay history of ITS consultant John Polster, and whether the county had adequate internal staff or had procured services competitively. Beverly Greenwood, a frequent commenter, urged the court to "pause the contract with Quiddity, reconsider the extension of an overpaid and under-delivering consultant, and cancel the unwanted and unwarranted Inner East Loop." Steven Pearsall pointed to apparent differences between population scenarios presented by Quiddity/ITS and state demographer figures and asked the court to verify the assumptions used in traffic and feasibility analyses. Several other commenters, including Adam Purdue and Kyle Greenwood, questioned whether ITS's coordination work duplicated duties already assigned to county engineering staff and whether the county should instead hire local staff or consultants.

Court staff clarified that Amendment No. 2 would extend the existing agreement for additional annual renewals (a one-year renewal to be reviewed each year) and that ITS's on-the-ground work is performed by a team that includes former TxDOT engineers and other specialists. Ed Bull, chief of staff and legal officer, said questions from the public would be treated as comments and that staff would follow up with information the court requested. Commissioner Brown said he would vote against the renewal because he had not seen the contract or received monthly reports since January: "Every month, I've never gotten anything from Polster. Never seen the contract, and that's why I'm voting against it."

After discussion, a motion to table the amendment was made and carried by voice vote; no final approval of the contract extension was recorded. The court indicated the item can be revisited after members have had opportunity to review the contract and receive requested reports; staff said the renewal mechanism would allow a one-year reconsideration.

Why it matters: The ITS contract supports administration of the voter-approved Trip 22 bond program and coordinates with TxDOT on on-system projects that require federal and state regulatory work (including NEPA/environmental clearances). Interrupting project management could delay or jeopardize projects that county officials say are already under way or underway for design and permitting.

Next steps: The renewal was tabled; commissioners asked staff to provide contract documents and monthly reports for review and to answer the technical and procurement questions raised by members of the public and the court.