Smith County Commissioner's Court on Dec. 31 discussed and moved to approve the county's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2025'029 after a presentation by staff and a formal motion by Commissioner Frederick.

The plan, presented as a five-year planning document rather than an immediate spending authorization, lists categories of projects (land and building, facility improvements, technology) and applies eligibility criteria (projects generally above $100,000 with useful lives longer than five years). Staff highlighted specific line items and planning estimates that figure prominently in early years, including: roof replacements ($1,000,000 in 2025), jail improvements ($1,565,525 in 2025), a $400,000 placeholder in 2025 for potential real-estate acquisition tied to an animal-control facility, a $2,000,000 first-half allocation toward an estimated $4,000,000 animal-control facility, Gulf States building renovation ($2,700,000), combined storage ($1,500,000), a possible records-services building (estimate $3,000,000) and a $5,000,000 estimate for a freestanding tax office if relocation is required.

Commissioner-elect Christina Drury, who will be sworn in after the new year, asked the court to table final action until incoming commissioners could review the plan and recommended a public workshop so taxpayers could understand potential long-term uses of county funds. "Approving this agenda item just prior to the beginning of our terms gives the appearance that we are not all on the same team," Drury said and formally asked that the item be delayed and placed on a workshop calendar.

Court members and staff responded that the CIP is a planning tool: the County Judge and staff said the document formalizes previously discussed priorities and that "no dollars will be spent" before further court action. County staff said the CIP committee (county auditor, county judge, budget officer and department leaders) collected departmental requests and that the calendar called for December consideration. One commissioner noted the committee had received requests since March and that the December approval was on schedule.

A motion to approve the Smith County CIP for fiscal years 2025'029 was made by Commissioner Frederick and seconded; the motion was recorded in the court minutes. The provided transcript does not include a roll-call or a recorded tally of votes for that motion, and the County Judge emphasized that future, project-specific appropriations would return to court for approval.

Why it matters: The CIP is the county's prioritized planning document that shapes how Smith County will propose and evaluate multi-year capital investments (facilities, technology, storage, and major renovations). Though the plan itself does not obligate immediate spending, the projects and cost estimates it lists will be used to guide budget requests and potential bond or pay-as-you-go financing decisions.

What's next: County staff said the new court members will have authority to revise project timing and scope and that any specific project appropriation will be returned to the court for separate approval. Christina Drury submitted copies of her public-comment remarks for the record and asked that her request to table be included in the public record.