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Frio County court approves one-time COLA payments, emergency lights and budget certifications
Summary
Frio County Commissioners Court approved $2,000 one-time payments for full-time employees and $1,000 for part-time staff, authorized a $6,980 emergency light package for a sheriff’s pickup, certified $15 million in certificate of obligation proceeds for the 2024–25 budget, and approved sealed-bid advertising and bills payable.
Pearsall, Texas — Frio County Commissioners Court on a special called meeting in November 2024 approved a series of budget, personnel and procurement actions affecting county operations.
The court voted to pay a one-time cost-of-living adjustment of $2,000 to full-time county employees and $1,000 to part-time employees, with payments scheduled for Nov. 15, 2024 and to be distributed during the county’s Thanksgiving luncheon. Commissioner Carrizales moved the measure, Commissioner Martinez seconded and the motion carried on a voice vote.
Auditor Crystal Matkus asked the court to certify receipt of $15,000,000 in proceeds from a Certificate of Obligation (Series 2024) and to add the related account line items to the 2024–25 budget so the county may receive and expend the funds; Matkus said the funds "have been received as of the 29th." That certification was approved by the court after a motion by Commissioner Martinez and a second from Commissioner Carrizales.
Frio County Sheriff Peter Salinas described recent uses of the county’s mobile command unit and asked the court to approve equipment for that unit. Salinas said the requested surveillance package would allow a "360 view" from inside the trailer with zoom capability and described it as an "officer safety thing" to improve situational awareness during deployments.
The court approved a separate request to purchase emergency lights and a siren from Alvarado Emergency Lighting LLC for $6,980 to outfit a 2023 GMC pickup assigned to the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioner Carrizales moved the purchase and Commissioner Martinez seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote.
The auditor’s office presented a sealed-bid notice, authorized under Texas Local Government Code §262.023, for a John Deere 6110M with brush cutter and a 22-foot boom. The advertisement was approved to run Nov. 14 and Nov. 21, 2024; sealed bids are due to the auditor’s office by 3:00 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2024 and will be opened during Commissioners Court on Nov. 26, 2024. Contact for bid specifications was listed as Anselmo Ornelas at (830) 505-7402.
County staff also noted a remaining approximately $5,000 tax payment owed at closing on a previously discussed building purchase in Dilley (the purchase price discussed earlier was $300,000) and that payment and a contractor payment application (No. 3) are in process; staff said they are seeking reimbursement from the Texas Department of Transportation for eligible costs. The court voted to allow routine bills to be paid.
Several items that were on the agenda were introduced and discussed while a speaker was arriving; the record shows discussion of a Sheriff’s surveillance-package request but does not include a separate roll-call vote on that specific purchase in the transcript. Where the transcript included a recorded motion and voice vote, the court approved the items listed above.
The meeting concluded after votes to approve the advertised sealed-bid notice, allow bills payable and adjourn. The court did not record numerical roll-call tallies in the transcript; motions passed on voice votes recorded as "All in favor."
