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Brown County adopts ADA transition plan, unanimously approves Title VI assurance under protest from one commissioner
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Summary
Brown County Commissioners approved an Americans with Disabilities Act transition plan and Title VI nondiscrimination assurance that commit the county to phased compliance with TxDOT standards; one commissioner registered a formal protest at the vote.
Brown County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a multi-year Americans with Disabilities Act transition plan and a Title VI nondiscrimination assurance requiring the county to work toward federal and state accessibility standards.
The county judge's office and county staff told the court the plan was prepared after Brown County was notified in May 2024 that it was part of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) subrecipient monitoring and compliance program because the county receives state and federal road-and-bridge funds. The plan lays out phased improvements, an inventory of signs and facilities, and a public complaint form for ADA and nondiscrimination concerns.
The county-appointed ADA coordinator, who presented the plan to the court, said the assessment found the county was not compliant and described a phased schedule driven by budget constraints. “This is not committing us to spend any money,” the coordinator said, adding the plan is a statement of intent and allows the county time to prioritize and seek grants.
Commissioners discussed priorities for signs and interior accessibility and asked staff to pursue grant funding to offset costs; the coordinator said estimated signage costs for the courthouse would be “about 2,000 to 3 thousand dollars.” The coordinator said priorities are highly public spaces such as the courthouse and the elections building and that work would be phased to avoid overextending county finances.
County Judge George Britton said he had appointed the presenter as ADA coordinator on May 15, 2024, and noted required online training and TxDOT assessment tools were used to create the plan. The coordinator said TxDOT’s compliance tool requires counties receiving state and federal funds to have an ADA transition plan and a Title VI nondiscrimination assurance.
The court voted to adopt the plan and the Title VI assurance; Commissioner Joe Copeland registered a protest at the time of the vote. No formal dollar amounts beyond estimates were approved as part of the motion; staff said the timeline to reach full compliance can be extended and that the county expects to file follow-up transition plans if needed.
The coordinator said staff will continue implementation steps, seek grant funding and report progress to the court as work proceeds.
