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Hays County authorizes portable alcohol monitors for indigent clients and creates family-liaison judicial-services position
Summary
The court approved an addendum to include portable alcohol monitors (PAMs) in Judicial Services' BI contract and established a new family-liaison judicial services officer position effective March 1, 2025.
HAYS COUNTY — The Hays County Commissioners Court on Thursday authorized an amendment to an existing contract to add portable alcohol monitors (PAMs) for Judicial Services clients and approved creating a new family-liaison judicial services officer position.
Assistant Judicial Services Director Albert Sierra explained the PAM devices are intended for clients without vehicles who are functionally indigent. Sierra said PAMs include biometric facial comparison, cellular/GPS connectivity and provide near-real-time breath results; the county's estimate would place the devices at a daily rental cost of $4.15 per device. "These PAM devices would be for the client population that does not have vehicles and are classified as indigent," Sierra said, adding that Judge Tibby requested a solution for that population.
The court also approved establishing one Judicial Services Officer I, family liaison (grade 117) for the Judicial Services Division, effective March 1, 2025. Judicial Services Director Jason Facundo said the position will be split between serving as a family liaison'helping families of people in custody and coordinating with agencies'and establishing an intake unit to support pretrial interviews and give judges more information for release decisions.
Both measures passed on roll-call votes with commissioners voting in favor.
Clarifying details: Judicial Services estimated roughly half of an estimated 56 clients (about 28 people) would be in the indigent population eligible for PAMs; the PAM daily cost cited was $4.15 per device. The new family-liaison post was funded in the 2025 budget process and will be placed within Judicial Services as recommended during budget meetings.
Why it matters: The PAMs provide the county a portable option to monitor alcohol use for indigent, non-vehicle clients. The family-liaison position aims to improve information flow to judges and support families of people in custody, and to centralize intake interviews to help pretrial decision-making.
Next steps: Purchasing and Judicial Services will finalize the contract addendum with BI Incorporated for PAMs and implement the family-liaison position after March 1 payroll changes take effect.
