Commissioners debate school resource officer funding and interlocal agreement; item tabled for two weeks

Polk County Commissioner’s Court held an extended discussion on options to provide school safety services to Goodrich ISD and other local districts and tabled the item for two weeks to allow redrafting and cost analysis.

Constable Kevin Berman (Constable, Precinct 3) briefed the court on state requirements he cited from the packet (identified in the record as "House Bill 1458"), explained the statutory environment and described four ways schools may meet the state mandate for armed security: an ISD police department, an interlocal/MOU with a local law enforcement agency, the marshal program, or the guardian program. He gave a ballpark annual cost for a full‑time deputy at roughly $78,607 and outlined additional budget items — vehicles, equipment, software for body and in‑car cameras, training, stipends and other recurring expenses — that make an SRO program costly and create turnover risks for smaller jurisdictions.

County legal counsel noted the draft interlocal in the packet combined language from Chapter 791 of the Government Code and Chapter 37 of the Education Code and advised the document would need to be redrafted to address liability and insurance exposure before the county could approve any binding interlocal obligation. The court and participants discussed whether the county should subsidize a single district and the fairness question of allocating county taxpayer dollars to one ISD when other ISDs would request parity.

After discussion the court made a motion to table the item for two weeks so county counsel can produce a more limited/redrafted agreement and commissioners can consider budget implications and stakeholder equity; the motion carried.

What happens next: County counsel will work on a revised, limited agreement that addresses liability and fiscal exposure and the item will return to the court agenda for further consideration after two weeks.