Van Zandt County Commissioners voted to reject change order No. 5 from L3Harris, which staff said would add roughly $19,000 to a previously anticipated $285,000 equipment package for critical spare parts. The county indicated the change order would be paid from ARPA funds if accepted.

Staff said the original equipment list came from L3Harris and the county has been refining its spare-equipment needs over roughly two years. Several commissioners questioned why additional charges were requested, and one commissioner said, "I smell a rat when when you come to government and people get contracts, they try to milk you for everything," expressing skepticism about change-order billing. Another commissioner suggested the county’s consultant should have foreseen issues and asked that the consultant and L3Harris address outstanding questions.

A motion to reject change order No. 5 and to have L3Harris return for discussion was made and passed by voice vote. The court directed staff to request L3Harris appear at a future meeting to explain the additional charges and the basis for any unmet expectations under the contract.

The rejection does not cancel the underlying contract; it temporarily denies approval of the particular change order and requires further vendor engagement before any extra funds are authorized.