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Guadalupe County commissioners approve appointments, temporary cold‑case investigator, ICE MOA and benefits RFP
Summary
At its April meeting, the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court appointed county representatives to the Alamo Area MPO active‑transportation committee, authorized a temporary part‑time cold‑case investigator, approved a memorandum of agreement with ICE for jail‑based immigration functions and authorized an RFP for comprehensive employee benefits.
The Guadalupe County Commissioners Court on an April 2025 meeting approved a series of personnel and procurement actions, including appointments to the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AMPO) Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC), authorization for a temporary part‑time cold‑case investigator, acceptance of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to train selected jail staff for limited immigration functions, and authorization to advertise Request for Proposal (RFP) 25‑21 for comprehensive employee benefits.
The appointments approved after brief discussion name Commissioner Drew Engelke as the county’s primary designee to the AMPO Active Transportation Advisory Committee and Commissioner Steven Grama as the alternate. Commissioners said the committee, which meets monthly, advises on sidewalks, shared‑use paths and other “active transportation” projects and has in the past helped secure funding for county projects. Court members noted the county can hold two seats (a primary and an alternate) and that serving provides a voice when discretionary project funding is allocated.
The court also authorized the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office to create a temporary, part‑time cold‑case investigator position and set the entry‑level investigator pay at $37.50 per hour. County staff said the position will be funded from the sheriff’s existing temporary‑employee line through Sept. 30 and is intended to use retired investigators on a part‑time basis to review unsolved cases. Commissioners and staff clarified that the temporary hire would not be eligible for benefits, would be limited to no more than 29 hours per week (58 hours per pay period), and that the county’s temporary pay line contains roughly $28,000 for the remaining fiscal months to cover the position if every available hour is worked.
On immigration enforcement, the court approved a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would allow selected, certified sheriff’s office personnel to perform limited immigration officer functions within the county jail under a jail‑model arrangement. County speakers described the program as training and credentialing county officers to check federal databases and, when appropriate, place immigration detainers on persons already in custody so ICE may review their cases. The sheriff’s office described a multi‑week federal training and credentialing process and said the county can request legal defense from the applicable risk pool if the county is sued in connection with the program. Court members discussed liability and said they had consulted the county’s risk pool and staff before approving the MOA.
Purchasing staff presented RFP 25‑21, a solicitation to combine all county employee benefits into a single comprehensive procurement; staff said the county last issued a benefits solicitation in 2019 and that bundling benefits lets the county review carriers and plan designs together rather than in separate procurements. Commissioners approved the order to advertise the RFP.
The court approved the full consent agenda as presented, which included budget amendments; vendor/bill lists; the treasurer’s monthly investment report for January 2025; several excavation permits for county roads; planned HVAC maintenance agreements with TD Industries Inc. for the Justice Center and courthouse; an amendment to a LexisNexis subscription agreement for the 25th Judicial District Court; and prepayment authorization for a Spectrum invoice related to the elections building project. The court recessed into executive session to discuss a personnel matter under Texas Government Code Section 551.074 concerning the fire marshal and emergency management coordinator; upon return, the court reported no action was taken because that position is appointed and supervised directly by the county judge.
Votes on each item were recorded by the court clerk and passed with no recorded opposition. Several county staff members and commissioners requested clearer budget documentation for temporary positions going forward so the court and departments have consistent expectations about how temporary lines are used and reported in the annual budget.
The court announced several upcoming community events, including the Seguin Heritage Museum anniversary celebration and a dedication of a Guadalupe County historical marker at Nash Creek Cemetery in Kingsbury. The court adjourned at about 12:48 p.m.
