Frio County Auditor Crystal Marquez on Tuesday led a detailed FY 2024–25 budget workshop that revised revenue and project lines, explained pending reimbursements from TxDOT and ACOG, and identified transfers from reserve needed to balance the county’s contingency fund.

Marquez told the Commissioners Court the county’s EMS contract with vendor Allegiance provides $62,500 per quarter in reimbursements when performance requirements are met, and that accounting for the contract raised the EMS line by $50,000. "The contract stated 62,500 each quarter that they will reimburse us," Marquez said, noting the county must meet contract conditions before receiving payments from the Frio County Hospital District or Allegiance.

Why it matters: the workshop reallocates reserves and ARP money to cover planned security, building and infrastructure work while preserving a $300,000 contingency the auditor said is necessary for the county’s fiscal stability. Marquez said she transferred $191,005.47 from reserve to help reach that $300,000 contingency target and reviewed several capital‑project funding lines, including a planned certificate of obligation expected to cover most long‑term project costs.

Major budget and project items

- Courthouse security/badging: Marquez reported a vendor quote near $48,000 for a courthouse badging system; she moved $75,000 into a courthouse security line (including design and construction allocations) and said the funds would be drawn from ARP and other building maintenance budgets.

- POND project (Phase 2): Marquez summarized that Phase 2 of the county POND project is budgeted at roughly $3,000,000, with $347,500 already allocated to schematic design. She said ARP funding is expected to cover $489,003.38 of the project, leaving approximately $2,118,000 to be funded by Road & Bridge and other sources.

- TxDOT reimbursements and J3 invoice: the court reviewed a J3 contractor invoice of about $217,000 that the auditor said will be submitted to TxDOT for an 80% reimbursement (the county pays the remaining 20%). Marquez said she had submitted a project list to TxDOT and planned to issue the first payment to J3 so she could request the first reimbursement.

- Grants and other reconciliations: Marquez reported pending and reconciled grant items including CTIF and StoneGarden, and a small remaining ACOG waste‑grant balance (about $2,000) that must be spent by December.

Personnel and operating adjustments

Marquez identified minor personnel budget adjustments across departments: incentive changes in the sheriff’s budget totaling a net decrease of $10,247.05 due to a canine officer losing an incentive and a deputy’s resignation, and an $8,240 annual payment to Lubbock public defenders for capital‑murder cases that increased the district court line.

Actions taken by the court

- County equipment loan: The court unanimously approved a motion to allow Pearsall ISD to use a county‑owned John Deere Gator as the lead vehicle for a cross‑country meet scheduled the following day. The court recorded the motion as made by Commissioner Carrizales and seconded by Commissioner Cano; the motion passed.

- Payables and first payments: Commissioners moved to allow bills payable, including the J3 payment and several McKinstry design invoices; the motion passed. Marquez said approval would allow the county to issue the first payment and seek TxDOT reimbursement.

What comes next

Marquez said she will continue reconciling the ARP fund and finalize outstanding contractor invoices and change orders before the court adopts the budget formally at its next meeting. She also said she will adjust the adopted budget to reflect any final contributions from Pearsall ISD or the City of Pearsall for EMS services if those amounts are confirmed before adoption.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt the agenda: moved by Commissioner Carrizales, seconded by Commissioner Cano — approved.
- Motion to allow Pearsall ISD to use the county John Deere Gator: moved by Commissioner Karizales, seconded by Commissioner Cano — approved.
- Motion to allow bills payable (including J3 and McKinstry payments): moved by Commissioner Carrizales, seconded by another commissioner — approved.

The court adjourned following approval of the payables and related motions.