Tarrant County board votes to remove purchasing agent and abolish purchasing board

The Tarrant County Purchasing Board voted on Feb. 9, 2026, to remove the county purchasing agent and abolish the board that has overseen purchasing functions, with board members sharply divided over whether the change improves efficiency or undermines independent oversight.

The vote closes the board’s current oversight role and sets up the county administrator and the commissioners court to implement a new director-of-purchasing structure. Proponents said the change will streamline management and provide direct supervisory support; opponents warned it will concentrate authority in the commissioners court and erode the checks and balances established by state statute.

Speaker 1, the meeting presider, said the board’s work is largely redundant and described the proposed change as…