Willacy County commissioners approve 60-month lease for four sheriff investigator vehicles; ratify grants and routine measures

Willacy County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved entering a master commercial lease with D & M Commercial Leasing to obtain four 4x4 pickup trucks for the sheriff's investigators, authorizing the county to draw payments from Capital Fund No. 2 and amending the motion to specify a 60-month term.

The County Judge said investigators were driving vehicles that were "10 years older or older," and framed the lease as a way to cycle vehicles more frequently, capture resale equity and track maintenance through a fleet-management program. Jennifer Garcia, regional vice president for D & M Leasing, described the company's government leasing program, saying the trucks available were new models (zero miles) priced at about $39,000 each and that upfitting estimates were lower than a sample quote; she also said the firm offers optional fleet-management software at about $7.50 per vehicle per month.

Why it matters: leasing would let the sheriff's office keep newer vehicles in service, shift some maintenance tracking to a vendor platform and potentially recover equity through resale auctions at term end. Court members said the payments could be covered, in part, by revenues generated from inmate housing and by capital funds already used for vehicle purchases.

Court action and amendment: a commissioner moved to approve the lease of four vehicles under contract number 744-24; the motion was amended on the floor to specify a 60-month term and carried by voice vote. The court approved entering a master agreement that would allow the county to sign specific lease terms later, after bank approval and delivery scheduling.

Votes at a glance (all approved by voice vote unless noted): - Approve master lease to D & M Commercial Leasing for four sheriff investigator vehicles (contract 744-24); motion amended to 60 months and carried (voice vote). - Accept and ratify a Rural Law Enforcement/Prosecutor Office grant award of $175,000 for fiscal 2026 to fund two full-time positions (a prosecutor and a legal assistant) and one part-time intake clerk; ratification of the County Judge's prior signature (voice vote). - Approve appointment of Laura Dominguez to fill the county's assault nurse examiner (SANE) seat on the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) (voice vote). - Approve submission of the SART biannual report to the governor's office and posting the report on the Willacy County website (staff said the report contains no individually identifying or sensitive data) (voice vote). - Approve a $46,700 purchase to replace Rooftop Unit No. 9 above the county jail (carrier 20-ton gas/heat/electric unit), funding split between capital fund and inmate-housing revenue as discussed (voice vote). - Approve an internal agreement with the Rio Grande Valley Development Council to report TCLE training and host local trainings (voice vote). - Approve donation of a 2010 Ford F-150 to Celestia Municipal Utility District (voice vote). - Approve routine payments and claims for pretrial services (voice vote). - Table agenda item 13 (local agreement with Red Mill Volunteer Fire Department) (voice vote). - Move into executive session and, upon returning, take no action on the matters discussed (voice vote).

Other items: commissioners also approved routine claims, an operating-supplies budget line and a request to post and make public the SART report, as required by state law. Staff said the SART report will be posted on the county website's front page and that the family crisis center contributed data used in the report.

What the court did not record: votes were taken by voice; the transcript records the motions, amendments and that motions "carried" but does not record a roll-call tally with named votes. The court referenced Texas law on open meetings and SART reporting obligations (Texas Government Code section 551 and Texas Local Government Code §351.257) during procedural remarks.

Next steps: the lease is a master agreement; staff said specific lease terms will require an authorized signature (the County Judge) and bank approval before vehicle delivery. The SART report will be posted on the county website once staff forwards the document for posting.

Sources: commissioners court meeting transcript, Willacy County Commissioners Court, Dec. 2, 2025. Quotes in this article are from the County Judge and from Jennifer Garcia, regional vice president, D & M Leasing, as recorded in the meeting transcript.