Brown County commissioners approve emergency management MOU, reinstate burn ban, agree to railroad crossing work; discuss inmate work crews and mental-health “S

Brown County Commissioners Court approved several administrative actions and heard reports Tuesday morning, including a temporary memorandum of understanding with the City of Brownwood for emergency management services, an agreement to accept TxDOT-funded repairs at a county railroad crossing, reinstatement of a countywide burn ban and authorization to destroy obsolete computer drives. The court also discussed the trustee (inmate work crew) program and a planned Sequential Intercept Model workshop on criminal-justice/behavioral-health coordination.

The memorandum of understanding approved by the court authorizes the City of Brownwood to provide emergency management coordination to Brown County through Eric Hicks, the City of Brownwood fire chief, at a rate of $56.41 per hour for up to 8 hours per week and for a period not to exceed six months (transcript reference). County officials said the arrangement began the week before the meeting and is intended to keep continuity of emergency operations while the county completes hiring for the vacant emergency management position.

The court voted to accept an advanced funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for reconstruction of a railroad crossing at County Road 271 in Zephyr. Under the agreement discussed at the meeting, TxDOT will fund and rebuild the crossing and associated signage; Brown County agreed to maintain signage and other routine maintenance beginning at the right-of-way after construction is complete.

Commissioners also reinstated a countywide burn ban after a motion and second, and they approved a proposal to destroy obsolete computer equipment and media. The approved destruction proposal covers the documented erasure and physical destruction of 99 hard drives and four Surface Pro tablets for a total price of $1,914.90, according to the contract presented to the court. The vendor’s revised pricing and the required documentation trail for secure destruction were explained during the discussion.

The court spent an extended period discussing the county’s trustee program, the work-crew arrangement that assigns eligible inmates to road and maintenance crews. Commissioners and the jail administrator discussed constraints on the program — reduced numbers of eligible trustees, staff shortages among jailers, and safety and supervision limits that affect how many inmates can be assigned to a crew and how precincts can share crews. Commissioners agreed to coordinate schedules among precincts and to work toward a sharing arrangement (week-at-a-time rotations were discussed) to maintain effective crews while respecting jail staffing and safety rules.

District Judge Mike Smith introduced an upcoming Sequential Intercept Model workshop, a one-and-a-half-day exercise to map how local crisis-response, law enforcement, courts and behavioral-health services intersect. "I support it a 100%," Judge Smith said, urging participation by local leaders, clergy and service providers. Organizers said the event will be free to register, is open to the public, and is intended to identify gaps and opportunities for future funding and service coordination.

During the public-comment period a resident urged the court to withdraw a memorandum of understanding and to decline placing a proposed $20 million bond for a YMCA facility in the nearby City of Early on the May 3 ballot, arguing the proposal raised constitutional concerns for some residents. The court did not take formal action on that bond at the meeting; the remarks were recorded as public comment.

A motion was made to purchase a three-year contract for a cell‑phone-based radio application (Tango Tango) that county staff described as providing push-to-talk, GPS tracking and interoperability for emergency responders; the proposed $10,485 contract would be funded from inmate phone revenue, county staff said. A motion was made during the meeting; a recorded vote on that item was not captured in the available transcript.

Votes at a glance - Minutes (Dec. 23, Jan. 6, Jan. 13): Approved by voice vote. Motion moved and seconded; no roll-call recorded. - Countywide burn ban: Reinstated by voice vote. Outcome: approved. - Memorandum of Understanding with City of Brownwood for emergency management services (temporary assignment of Eric Hicks): Approved by voice vote. Terms discussed: 8 hours per week at $56.41/hour; began before the meeting and not to exceed six months (to July 14 referenced in discussion). - Advanced funding agreement with TxDOT for County Road 271 (Zephyr) railroad crossing reconstruction: Approved by voice vote. TxDOT to fund construction; county responsible for future signage maintenance beginning at the right-of-way. - Hard-drive and equipment destruction (vendor proposal): Approved by voice vote. Scope listed as 99 hard drives and 4 Surface Pro tablets; total $1,914.90; vendor documentation and secure destruction process required. - Trustee (inmate work-crew) sharing arrangement: Court directed staff and precincts to coordinate schedules and to proceed with sharing arrangements; approved by voice vote. - Tango Tango cell‑radio app (three-year, $10,485): Motion made; no recorded vote in transcript.

The court discussed other routine business, including continuing-education certificates presented by county staff and a Brown County Health Department open house; organizers said the health department remains open during the event. The court did not adopt policy changes on the YMCA bond issue raised in public comment.

The meeting concluded with scheduling and coordination items for road crews and trustee scheduling; commissioners asked staff to prepare a multi-week schedule to help plan shared trustee assignments and to report back if jail staffing or trustee availability changes.