Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hidalgo County Commissioners Court approves MOU to send community-service equipment to Central Texas and authorizes per-diem payments for emergency staff
Summary
Hidalgo County Commissioners Court met in a special emergency session and unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to lend Community Service Agency equipment and personnel to assist Central Texas flood response, and authorized manual per-diem payments for emergency management staff deployed to assist other counties and the state.
Hidalgo County Commissioners Court convened a special emergency meeting at 11:30 a.m. after recessing its regular session and unanimously approved two emergency actions to support Central Texas flood response. The court authorized execution of a memorandum of understanding to allow Hidalgo County Community Service Agency equipment and personnel to assist counties affected by recent flooding, and approved county audit manual checks to cover meal per-diem expenses for Hidalgo County Emergency Management Division employees deployed to assist other counties or the state.
Jaime, a Hidalgo County staff member, told the court the request came from Concho Valley Community Action Agency Inc., based in San Angelo, and from Tom Green County. "This event was a very widespread event that that affected a a very large geographic area of of Central Texas," Jaime said, describing the flooding and damage reported in Kerrville and other Central Texas communities.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) authorizes Hidalgo County to provide Community Service Agency equipment and personnel in support of disaster response within the Concho Valley agency’s service area and other affected Central Texas counties following Governor Greg Abbott’s severe weather and flooding emergency declaration dated 07/05/2025. The court voted by voice to approve the MOU; the motion carried on an aye voice vote.
On a separate item, the court considered and approved a request from the Emergency Management Division to authorize the county auditor to issue manual checks to cover meal per-diem expenses for employees assigned to assist other county cities or the State of Texas in response to the same emergency declaration. A commissioner suggested the county should revise its policy so emergency compensation and per-diem payments can be handled without calling a special meeting; the court scheduled a meeting later in the week to address that policy change.
Both actions were approved by voice vote with the court saying "aye"; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript. The court then adjourned the special emergency meeting.
Votes at a glance: 1) Authorize execution of MOU with Concho Valley Community Action Agency Inc. to provide Hidalgo County Community Service Agency equipment and personnel in support of disaster response following Governor Greg Abbott's 07/05/2025 severe weather and flooding emergency declaration — approved (voice vote). 2) Authorize county auditor to issue manual checks for meal per-diem expenses to Hidalgo County Emergency Management Division employees assigned to assist other cities or the State of Texas in response to Governor Greg Abbott's 07/05/2025 emergency declaration — approved (voice vote).
The court’s actions provide short-term mutual-aid support to Central Texas agencies and create an administrative mechanism to reimburse county emergency staff for meal expenses while deployed. The court indicated staff will return with proposed policy changes to allow faster administrative response in future emergencies.
