Gregg County commissioners approve truck leases, contract renewals and precinct roadwork in routine meeting

The Gregg County Commissioner's Court on Jan. 29, 2026, approved a package of routine actions including equipment lease buybacks and new truck leases, several contract renewals, and multiple requests from precincts to assist with road and infrastructure work.

A county staff member explained the court would approve a buyback of three Mack trucks under equipment lease schedule No. 002-0070568-012 (TIPS contract #230802). "At the end of the buyback, the county pays about $75,000," the staff member said, and the court voted to approve the buyback and to replace the trucks the following month. The court also approved leasing three 2026 Mack dump trucks under the same TIPS contract; staff said the interest rates were slightly better for the new lease and estimated an end-of-lease buyback near $71,000.

The court authorized a resolution to allow execution of the equipment lease agreement and to permit the county judge to sign the documents when they arrive.

In purchasing items, the court authorized the purchasing agent to advertise a request for proposals for the Precinct 2 facility (RFP 2026-02) and, due to weather, accepted staff's revised advertising schedule. The court also approved a change to the county auction dates, moving the advertised start to Feb. 10, 2026, to remain in compliance with the applicable Texas Local Government Code provisions.

The court approved renewal of the geotechnical engineering services contract with ETTL Engineers and Consultants (RFQ 2024-11) and renewed professional engineering services contracts under RFQ 2024-10 with ASA Engineering Inc., Hayes Engineering Inc., and Johnson & PACE Engineering; staff noted there were no price increases from those vendors and that end users were satisfied.

Precinct requests approved by the court included installation of a culvert at 470 East Mount Road (property owner to furnish culvert; precinct to provide labor and equipment), assistance to the Gregg County Sheriff's Office with repairs at the gun range on the Marvin E. Smith property, and interlocal assistance to the City of Lakeport to patch Walter Street and perform Boom Act clearance on several roads. The court also approved installation of a covered driveway at 4711 Pleasant Green Road with the property owner furnishing materials.

The court approved a budget transfer to provide part-time health support in the purchasing department; staff said a portion of the funds came from a purchasing department salary lag and that temporary help was needed to catch up on workloads.

The tax assessor-collector presented and the court approved a contract renewal with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for issuance of vessel registrations and related services. The tax assessor-collector clarified the office registers boats and personal watercraft but does not perform title work.

The court confirmed reappointments of Dan Droge, Keith Honey and Dave Spurrier to the Northeast Texas Regional Mobility Authority board; the reappointed members’ terms were noted to expire Feb. 1, 2028.

Votes at a glance (all actions approved by motion and voice vote unless stated): - Payroll transfer of funds (Item 1): approved. - Bills payable, budget amendments and transfers (Item 2): approved. - Health plan claims and payments (Item 3): approved. - Buyback of three Mack trucks (Item 5a): approved; buyback payment ~ $75,000. - Lease of three 2026 Mack dump trucks (Item 5b): approved; estimated end-of-lease buyback ~ $71,000. - Resolution authorizing execution of equipment lease (Item 5c): approved. - Precinct 3 culvert at 470 E. Mount Road (Item 6a): approved. - Precinct 3 assistance for sheriff's gun range repairs (Item 6b): approved. - City of Lakeport assistance for Walter Street (Item 6c): approved. - Boom Act clearance assistance on Jones Road, Peach Orchard Road, Dodge St. at Hwy 149 (Item 6d): approved. - Covered driveway at 4711 Pleasant Green Road (Item 6e): approved. - Reappointments to NET RMA board (Item 7): Dan Droge, Keith Honey, Dave Spurrier — approved; terms expire Feb. 1, 2028. - Advertise RFP for Precinct 2 facility (RFP 2026-02) and revised advertisement dates (Item 8a): authorized. - County auction advertisement and dates (Item 8b): authorized; start date moved to Feb. 10, 2026. - Renew geotechnical contract with ETTL (Item 8c): approved. - Renew professional engineering contracts with ASA, Hayes, Johnson & PACE (Item 8d): approved. - Budget transfer for part-time health in purchasing (Item E): approved. - Tax Assessor-Collector contract renewal with Texas Parks and Wildlife for vessel registrations (Item 9): approved.

The meeting closed after the court approved a motion to adjourn. The session was routine and procedural, with staff answering questions about timelines, contract terms and dates; no extended debate or contested votes were recorded.