Grant‑administration and engineering selections for pending GLO disaster funds tabled

Two firms seeking to serve as grant administrator for potential Texas General Land Office (GLO) disaster funding — GrantWorks and Langford Community Management Services — presented scoring and project considerations to the Trinity County Commissioners Court on Oct. 14.

Judy Langford, identified in the meeting as president of Langford Community Management Services, said the county could be eligible to submit up to two applications tied to the 2024 disaster, with potential application amounts cited by the presenter as "somewhere between 500,005 million dollars a piece" (as stated in the transcript). Langford emphasized that work funded by GLO must tie directly to disaster recovery, naming examples such as a shelter/community center and other related projects. Michelle Bobo represented GrantWorks and noted prior experience with similar grant processes.

Commissioners noted the agenda item read as a review rather than an award action and asked procedural questions about timing. To allow the court to take formal action with the correct agenda language, a commissioner moved to table agenda items 13 and 14 (grant administration selection and engineering selection) and to bring them back on a future docket; the motion passed by voice vote. Staff advised that completing pre‑procurement steps ahead of any GLO announcement is prudent because GLO typically allows only a short window once pre‑applications are announced.

No contract award or authorization to submit applications was made at the meeting; the court will revisit the items at a later session with formal approval language on the agenda.