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Commissioner suggests studying engineering spend and hiring a county engineer
Summary
A commissioner urged the court to quantify annual payments to outside engineering firms and consider a county engineer position to bring more engineering work in-house and save taxpayer dollars; staff agreed to produce a multi-year spending estimate.
During review of county-attorney and permitting workloads, a commissioner proposed evaluating the county's reliance on outside engineering consultants (citing firms such as Friese & Nichols and BHB) and considering creation of a county engineer who would report to commissioners' court. The chair said he wanted a rough, multi-year dollar amount for engineering services to determine whether bringing work in-house could produce savings.
The commissioner noted Parker County's rapid growth and argued a county engineer could assist with planning, permitting and developer negotiations. Committee members agreed the request warranted further discussion and asked staff to pull two-to-three years of spending on engineering services so the committee can weigh the costs of contracting versus hiring.
