Sheriff's office wins approvals for commissary, re-entry and Securus contracts; payroll correction approved

The Midland County Commissioners Court on Oct. 21 approved several items introduced by the sheriff's office: an amendment to the micro-market (commissary) agreement, a contract with 1 Community USA to provide an 18‑month post-release mentorship program for inmates (paid from commissary funds), and a contract with Securus for inmate communications services. The court also approved a payroll/grading correction for a long‑time employee, Malcolm Stanley.

Speaker 6 (the sheriff) described the micro-market program as small on-site marketplaces for staff and recruits and said the 1 Community USA program would include 22 lessons and be paid from commissary funds. The court approved the micro-market agreement (motion by Speaker 10; seconded by Speaker 9) and the 1 Community USA contract (motion recorded from Speaker 4). Both motions passed.

On Securus, Speaker 6 said Midland County previously received about "$20,000 to $30,000 a month" in commissions before March 2025, that an FCC rate change reduced payouts and forced the county to make some payments to Securus, and that recent FCC action on allowable rates has been placed on hold, which would allow commissions to resume. The court approved the Securus contract (motion made by Speaker 12), enabling the county to renew the technology/phone provider arrangement.

The court also approved moving Malcolm Stanley onto the new pay scale (adjusting his grade and step) after the sheriff explained the employee had been inadvertently left off payroll under the new salary structure; the court voted to correct the payroll record and apply the appropriate grade/step.

All of the sheriff-related approvals passed on recorded motions; no dissent or recorded abstentions were made on these items during the meeting.