Taylor County approves $750,000 ARPA transfer, certifies election and OKs employee wellness pilot

Taylor County Commissioners Court on Nov. 5 approved a series of routine consent items and several policy actions, including a $750,000 transfer of ARPA interest to the county health fund, formal certification of the Nov. 5 general election, and a six‑month pilot of an on‑campus cardio class for county employees.

County budget analyst Mister Anderson told the court the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) award totaled $26.8 million plus about $1.1 million in earned interest, yielding roughly $27.9 million. "Of that, we have spent $15,570,000 and have further committed and approved budgets for $5,900,000, for a total committed of $21,560,000," Anderson said, leaving about $6.3 million still available. After discussion about priorities, the court approved moving $750,000 of interest into the county health fund; the motion passed 5–0.

Why it matters: moving interest into the health fund creates near‑term flexibility to pay health‑related expenses without obligating ARPA principal, and narrows the pool of uncommitted ARPA funds as the county approaches federal obligation deadlines.

Elections and turnout

Taylor County elections official Miss Regan presented the official cumulative result report for the Nov. 5 general election and asked the court to certify the returns. "Our total voter turnout for this election was 55,731 voters out of some 90,174 registered eligible voters, which gives us a percent turnout of 61.80%," she said. Regan told the court the county recorded a record early, in‑person turnout of about 42,142 voters, deployed new tablet‑based electronic poll books with positive feedback from poll workers, and reported no equipment malfunctions. The court certified and signed the canvass and directed staff to upload official results to the state and the county website; the canvass motion carried 5–0.

Employee wellness pilot and on‑campus class

Miss Lewis and Ron Richard of Hendrick Health Club proposed a six‑month pilot starting Jan. 7 that would offer a twice‑weekly body‑combat cardio class on county property and a discounted membership option for employees, spouses and dependents. The trainer cost was presented as $50 per class, twice weekly; Lewis said she would ask the court to cover the roughly $2,500 trial cost from the county’s recreation fund as an incentive for employees. The court approved a $2,500 allocation from the rec fund for the pilot, asked staff to return after six months with participation metrics, and approved offering discounted memberships beginning in January; the motion passed 5–0.

Procurements, facilities and surplus auctions

The court approved specifications and advertising for two RFPs related to county facilities: RFP 2025‑505 for a roof replacement at the Taylor County adult detention facility and RFP 2025‑506 for a walk‑in cooler/freezer replacement. An architect explained the jail roof work could require phased sequencing to avoid disruption of occupied areas and that City of Abilene insulation requirements will be incorporated. The court also declared a large list of departmental equipment surplus and authorized posting items for auction on Purple Wave in December; both measures passed unanimously.

Other actions

- The court accepted a Governor’s Office grant (award number 4770701) of $13,892 to purchase two bullet‑resistant shields for Constable Precinct 3; the motion passed 5–0. Constable Dwayne Bush presented the award and asked the court to accept it. - The court approved routine items including payment of bills and ratification of payroll, budget transfers to cover adopted pay‑rate increases and promotions, revised holiday cutoff dates for bill and timesheet processing, and a maintenance employee’s time‑and‑a‑half pay for holiday emergency work; all passed 5–0. - The court approved an order to abandon a 20‑foot alley in Betts Heights that was never constructed, after staff reported both adjacent owners support the abandonment; the judge was authorized to sign the order, 5–0.

Votes at a glance

- Approve minutes & adopt posted agenda: Passed 5–0. - Approve bills for payment and ratify payroll: Passed 5–0. - Approve budget transfers/adjustments for FY24–FY25: Passed 5–0. - Transfer $750,000 (ARPA interest) into health fund: Passed 5–0. - Accept Governor’s Office grant $13,892 for bullet‑resistant shields (Constable Pct. 3): Passed 5–0. - Certify canvass of Nov. 5 election: Passed 5–0. - Approve on‑campus cardio pilot and $2,500 rec‑fund allocation: Passed 5–0. - Approve revised holiday cutoff dates (Nov. 20, Dec. 19): Passed 5–0. - Approve time‑and‑a‑half overtime for maintenance employee: Passed 5–0. - Abandon alley in Betts Heights; authorize judge to sign: Passed 5–0. - Approve specs/advertising for RFP 2025‑505 (jail roof): Passed 5–0. - Approve specs/advertising for RFP 2025‑506 (walk‑in cooler/freezer): Passed 5–0. - Declare surplus property and authorize auction on Purple Wave: Passed 5–0.

What’s next

Staff will upload certified election results to the state and county websites; procurement will run the RFP advertisements on the approved schedule; and county staff will bring participation metrics for the fitness pilot to the court after the six‑month trial period. The court also signaled it will return to ARPA allocation discussions before federal obligation deadlines to finalize remaining commitments.

Ending

The meeting adjourned at 10:12 a.m.