Jones County commissioners approve ambulance funding, contracts and oppose proposed Oncor line; several energy and data-center items discussed with no action

Jones County Commissioners Court met March 23, 2026, and approved a range of routine contracts and budget items while discussing several large energy and data‑center projects without taking action.

The court unanimously approved a Metrocare Ambulance contract with county funding of $110,750, to be paid $100,000 from the budgeted general fund and $10,750 from facility revenue, after an executive session that began at 10:45 a.m. and concluded at 11:20 a.m. Commissioner Lonnie Vivian moved to approve the contract and Commissioner Roy Spalding seconded the motion; all commissioners voted aye. See Exhibit K.

Commissioners also approved procurement items: the court awarded the county fuel bid to Cooper Oil Company and approved a material-hauling bid to K Kays Trucking Inc. Commissioner Roy Spalding moved both awards and Commissioner Lonnie Vivian seconded each motion; both passed unanimously. The court approved a Certificate of Acknowledgement with Anson Solar Center 2 and added County Road 241 (from FM 600 to Highway 6) to the notice for a public hearing on restricting pass‑through traffic on county roads.

Financial and administrative items on the agenda were approved by unanimous votes. The court accepted the jail inspection report, approved a $708 donation to the Sheriff’s Department from Law Enforcement Partners for crime‑prevention use, submitted the county’s property insurance renewal questionnaire to the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Pool, agreed to pay an IRS penalty of $921.16 from the contingency fund, accepted the treasurer’s report, amended the budget with line‑item transfers, and authorized payment of the presented bills. Each of those motions was moved and seconded as shown in the meeting record and carried by the court. See Exhibits F, G, H, I, M, N.

On energy and infrastructure matters, Commissioner Joel Spraberry moved to authorize Judge Dale Spurgin to sign a resolution opposing a proposed Oncor transmission line; Commissioner Roy Spalding seconded and the court voted to authorize the resolution. The transcript records discussion of the Lancium LLC data center project, multiple solar projects (Anson Solar Center 2, TIGER Solar, Funston Solar, Jones City Solar, Swenson Solar/Engie) and a proposed road‑use/crossing agreement with Lone Star Transmission, but the court took no action on those items except for the Certificate of Acknowledgement with Anson Solar Center 2. See Exhibits D, J.

Human resources and wellness items advanced: the court approved a Covenant Health wellness service agreement and agreed to offer a $50 gift card incentive to each employee who signs up for the May 28, 2026 wellness screening event. Commissioner Lonnie Vivian moved the measure and Commissioner Danny Collett seconded it; the motion passed unanimously. See Exhibit L.

Public participation forms were recorded from community members including Nick Gehler, Jason Dokey, Foy Epperson, Jerry Jones, Jonathan Martindale, Molly Morrow, Tommy Spraberry, Brandi Moore, Katie Geisler and Clay Coffey; the transcript lists the submitted forms but does not include verbatim public comments or separate votes tied to those submissions. See Exhibit O.

The meeting closed with a unanimous vote to adjourn. The court’s actions on contracts and budget items were routine and unanimous; multiple energy and economic‑development items were discussed and will return for further consideration if and when commissioners seek formal action.