Finance committee votes: ordinances and appropriations sent to full court; physical‑impact resolution on jail expansion fails

At its August meeting the Washington County Finance and Budget Committee moved several budget and appropriation items to the full Quorum Court with due‑pass recommendations and debated a resolution requesting a physical impact statement for the county jail expansion.

Items forwarded with a due‑pass recommendation to the full court (motions and seconds occurred during the committee meeting): - Item 9: Appropriation ordinance recognizing $31,167 in anticipated revenue for the JDC grant fund (motion to forward by JP Ekey; second by JP Dean). The committee voted to send the ordinance to the full court with a due pass recommendation. - Item 10: Ordinance recognizing a $33,638.31 refund to IT and appropriating that amount to the IT general fund computer equipment line (motion to forward by JP Ekey; second by JP Dean). Committee discussion focused on whether returned funds should be reappropriated to IT or returned to the general fund; the committee forwarded the item to full court with a due pass recommendation. - Item 11: Amendment correcting carryover amounts for the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) fund (motion to forward by JP Lopez; second by JP Recker). The committee voted to forward the correction to full court with a due pass recommendation. - Item 12: Budget amendment for the juvenile detention center to transfer $30,000 from professional services to overtime and premium compensation to cover staffing (motion to forward by JP Dean; second by JP ???). The committee forwarded the amendment to full court with a due pass recommendation. - Item 13: Ordinance recognizing additional grant funds for juvenile court from the Administrative Office of the Courts (motion to forward by JP Pawn; second by JP Hires). The committee forwarded the ordinance to full court with a due pass recommendation. - Item 14: Ordinance correcting CSU fund carryover amounts (motion to forward by JP Ekey; second by JP Dean). The committee forwarded the correction to full court with a due pass recommendation.

Item 15: Resolution requesting a physical impact statement for the Washington County Detention Center expansion (the addition of 88 beds). JP Koger moved to forward the resolution to the full court with a due pass recommendation. After debate—during which JP Koger argued a physical impact estimate would allow the court to plan for ongoing operating and staffing costs and other JPs pointed out that construction is already underway and federal funds have been spent—the committee called for a division of the assembly. The roll/standing division failed to produce a majority in favor and the motion failed at the committee level. The committee therefore did not forward the resolution to the full court.

Ending: Items 9–14 will appear on the full Quorum Court docket with the Finance Committee’s due‑pass recommendations; the committee did not advance the physical impact request for the jail expansion.