Grimes County commissioners approve Evidence.com trial, annex storage change and other operational measures

Grimes County Commissioners Court on Wednesday, May 21 approved a package of operational actions including a limited trial of Evidence.com for digital evidence management, a change order to add an enclosed sign-storage area at the new Justice Center annex, and a revision to the county's pipeline installation permit form.

The court opened with routine consent business and departmental reports before moving to a series of items the judge and commissioners described as intended to improve county operations.

The court voted to approve a trial deployment of Evidence.com, a cloud-based digital-evidence platform, for a test period through September, contingent on the county attorney's confirmation that signing the vendor paperwork for the trial will not bind the county to a five-year contract. Greg Cannon, Grimes County IT director, told the court the system would replace time-consuming DVD and thumb-drive workflows and "literally takes minutes versus hours" to distribute and convert video evidence.

Why it matters: The county and district attorney's offices often exchange large video files for prosecutions; staff said the software could reduce staff time and the risk of unreadable media.

The court also approved a change order to the Justice Center annex to provide climate-controlled storage for county signs that lose their reflectivity once exposed to UV light. Rodney Floyd, facilities manager, said the preferred option is to partition a portion of the annex's voter-storage area with a roll-up door to create sign storage and room for the sign shop's mower. The court approved the pricier option that Floyd said would cost about $35,000 and come from the project contingency. County Judge Joe Faust made the motion and Commissioner David Tullis seconded.

Other infrastructure and permitting decisions

- The engineer's office presented and the court approved a revised Pipeline Installation Agreement form that adds protections for future county road work, requires pipeline bore pits be placed outside the ultimate right-of-way, and requires special road-use permits be obtained before pipeline work starts. County Engineer John Stiber said the changes aim to avoid future costs where road widening or realignment conflicts with buried pipeline crossings.

- The court approved a special road-use permit for DNR Construction Services to use County Road 201 for heavy truck traffic during a project. The company committed to ditch mowing, tree trimming and asphalt repairs where needed.

- The court approved an amendment to a Public Management Inc. agreement for the Bro sic Avenue bridge project, adding a $15,269 local-match cost for federally required environmental studies (wetlands/waters delineation and threatened/endangered species reports). The court's action authorizes the auditor to adjust budget coding for the match.

Grants, contracts and county business

- The court awarded the planning and management contract for the GLO Resilient Communities grant application to Payne Empowerment LLC, as the selection committee recommended. The contract will allow the county to complete and submit its application under the GLO program.

- The court approved routine housekeeping: emergency call-outs on April 27 and May 3, auctioning of surplus items (using GovDeals), and acceptance of four pallets of bottled water donated by Navasota Fire Department for emergency use.

Personnel, records and policy

- The court approved a modified disaster-recovery timesheet to capture employee hours spent on declared emergencies so the county can properly document reimbursable time for grants and FEMA/TDEM reimbursements. Emergency Management Coordinator Dionne Bumpas said the form is intended to replace the need to submit separate routine and disaster time records.

- The court amended the county personnel manual to change vacation-accrual language for certain sheriff's office employees. The manual will now allow Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE)-certified sheriff's office employees to accrue up to 320 hours, with payout limits tied to years of service. Talita Coleman, Human Resources director, presented the recommended text after consultation with software and payroll staff.

Items the court tabled or deferred

- The court did not act on a request to approve Higginbotham as an additional supplemental-insurance vendor for county open enrollment; Human Resources said the company will work with the county attorney on contract language and return to the court for formal approval ahead of the July 22 open enrollment.

- The court also deferred formal appointment of a county ADA/Section 504 coordinator and associated policies until the June meeting; Emergency Management had submitted interim materials to TxDOT to meet audit deadlines but the court agreed to revisit the policy, including where the coordinator position should sit in county government.

What to watch next: The court set follow-up items for its next meeting, including revised vendor contract language for Higginbotham, final documents for the Evidence.com trial (county attorney review), and the ADA/504 coordinator policy. Road-and-bridge staff asked the court to consider a workshop to review interlocal agreements and a more consistent process for city-requested road work.

Quotes and sourcing

- "It allows us to upload this video evidence into a common system that converts those videos, disseminates those videos, so that we don't have to use USB drives or thumb drives," said Greg Cannon, Grimes County IT director, describing Evidence.com.

- "The option would be a roll-up door and enclosure that would provide climate-controlled access," said Rodney Floyd, facilities manager, explaining the storage change and the court-approved option. "The approximate cost of the wall because of the roll-up door and everything would be $35,000."

Ending

The court continued routine departmental reporting during the meeting, including veterans services, solid-waste and emergency-management updates, and heard multiple event and fairground updates. The next regular court meeting was scheduled for early June; several items approved or deferred on May 21 will return with revised agreements or additional documentation.