Lavaca County commissioners approve donations, large courthouse budget increases and multiple administrative measures

Lavaca County Commissioners' Court on Jan. 26, 2026, approved a package of donations, budget amendments and administrative actions including two $1,500 donations from Capital Star Oil & Gas, a $345,000 increase to the courthouse exterior door restoration budget and a $128,106 increase to courthouse security.

County Judge Keith Mudd called the meeting to order, confirmed a quorum and led the invocation and pledges. Announcements included a cancelled Great State Republicans forum and public thanks to dispatchers and first responders after recent freeze-related tree damage.

The court unanimously accepted a $1,500 donation to the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office and a separate $1,500 donation to Lavaca County EMS, motions moved by Commissioner Edward Pustka and Commissioner Dennis W. Kocian, respectively (Court Orders: 19877, 19878). "Your Honor, I move that we accept the monetary donation of $1,500 from Capital Star Oil & Gas to the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office," Commission Pustka said during the acceptance of the Sheriff's Office donation.

Community Connections Program Director Becky Janak presented a year-end update; no action was taken on the presentation. The court approved bonds for elections staff — Tenia Hudson (Elections Administrator), Brandy Stuckey (Chief Deputy Elections Administrator) and Nailene Ruppert (Administrative Assistant to the County Judge and Commissioners' Court) — all by unanimous vote (Court Orders: 19880–19882).

On budget items, the commissioners approved a budget amendment increasing Fund 194 (Capital Improvement—Courthouse) from $300,000 to $645,000 to cover exterior door restoration work (Court Order: 19892). The court also approved raising Fund 165 (Courthouse Security) from $18,000 to $146,106 (Court Order: 19893). The two actions together increase appropriations for courthouse projects and security by $473,106.

The court established an Exploratory Committee, via a Court Advisory Committee, to develop a plan for a county-funded grant writer after County Attorney James Reeves described the need for dedicated grant-writing capacity; the motion to form the committee passed unanimously (Court Order: 19889).

Other approved items included: an MOU with Gonzales County and Colorado County for cooperative juvenile probation operations (Court Order: 19885); an MOU permitting Milam County to purchase a belly dump trailer for $20,000 (Court Order: 19890); approval of Addendum 16 to add a District Clerk user on the Local Government Solutions system (Court Order: 19884); certificates of exemption from subdivision requirements for Don Spies and for David and Amy Adamek (Court Orders: 19896, 19897); changing a yield sign to a stop sign on County Road 348 in Precinct 3 (Court Order: 19898); and acknowledgment of a Texas Historical Commission letter stating the Lavaca County Courthouse is in good standing after a Dec. 17, 2025 inspection (Court Order: 19899).

The court accepted Racial Profiling Reports submitted by Constable Precinct 4 and Constable Precinct 3 — both reports had been filed with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement — and approved routine contract and administrative items on the consent agenda (Court Orders: 19886, 19887, 19900). Several items listed in the minutes noted "no documentation submitted to the minutes of the court."

The meeting closed with the announcement that the next regular meeting will be Feb. 9, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.; the court adjourned at 10:08 a.m. (Court Order: 19901).