Karnes County commissioners acknowledge home-delivered meals grant, approve CDBG administrator and related resolutions

Karnes County Commissioners Court on Nov. 26 acknowledged a county grant to support a home-delivered meals program and approved steps to pursue 2025–26 Texas Community Development Block Grant (TX CDBG) work, including selecting a contract administrator and committing matching funds.

The court read and acknowledged a resolution under the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texas Feeding Texans home-delivered meal program certifying a $4,000 county grant to the senior-citizen organization named in the packet. The resolution also certified that the organization’s accounting system meets the Texas Grant Management standards required for program fiscal agents. Chair opened the item as an acknowledgement; no formal roll-call vote was required.

Kathy Zeel, introduced to the court as the executive director of the senior-citizen foundation identified in the packet, described the program’s operations: “We provide home-delivered meals and congregate meals. We do the home-delivered meals once a week — a warm meal on Mondays and four frozen meals,” she said, and noted partnerships with local food banks and school distribution partners.

Why it matters: The county certification is a grant-administration prerequisite for the Texas Feeding Texans program; the $4,000 county contribution is intended to make the organization eligible for state grant funds to sustain and extend services to homebound elderly or disabled residents.

The court then moved to a set of related grant-administration items. Commissioners approved awarding the county’s administrative-services contract for the upcoming TX CDBG application and implementation to the firm identified in the packet as Traer and Associates after scoring proposals from three vendors. The court followed by approving a resolution authorizing submission of a 2025–26 TX CDBG application to the Texas Department of Agriculture and committing the county’s required matching funds; in discussion the match was described as 2%, which staff referenced as approximately $15,000.

The court also voted to sponsor the Looso Water Supply Corporation for a TX CDBG water-lines project tied to the application and contract approvals. A motion for sponsorship passed by voice/hand vote.

Indigent defense grant: County staff (Jennifer) said the county receives about $25,000 annually from the Texas Indigent Defense grant program; the court approved the resolution required to apply for or accept that grant. Staff and the court noted ongoing challenges recruiting defense attorneys locally and characterized the grant as a cost-saving support for local indigent-defense services. “The resolution is required for the grant, and we receive about $25,000 a year,” Jennifer said.

Other business: The court approved the 2025 Karnes County holiday schedule as presented, accepted personnel updates (new hires and internal promotions/transfers across juvenile probation, the tax office and maintenance), and approved the consent agenda, which included a maintenance department report and a veteran services update. The clerk presented the bills for payment as listed in the meeting packet and noted ARPA-funded purchases including Lucas cardiac monitors; the court approved payment of the bills.

The court set its next meeting for Dec. 10, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. in the Karnes County multipurpose room and adjourned.

Votes at a glance: all recorded motions at this meeting were carried by voice/hand vote with no opposition recorded on the floor. The meeting did not record individual roll-call tallies in the transcript for these items.

What’s next: The county will proceed with the TX CDBG application process under the newly selected administrator and the county’s commitment of matching funds; future meetings or staff reports will provide updates on application status and project specifics.