WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS APPROVE ORDER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELECTION

  

Washington County Commissioners passed an order today (Tuesday) in preparation for the state constitutional amendment election in November.

Seventeen amendment propositions are slated to appear on the November 4^th ballot.  They consist of items approved during the 89^th Texas Legislature, such as property tax exemptions, bail reform and parental rights.

The election order does not include the Brenham ISD elections also set for this fall, as Elections Administrator Carol Jackson said the Brenham School Board is responsible for that order. 

Early voting is set to be held on weekdays from October 20-31 and will be held at the Washington County Courthouse Annex.

Commissioner Kirk Hanath encouraged the public to carefully read through all of the proposed constitutional amendments, saying that voters need to do their “due diligence” on whatever intentions the propositions carry and any associated effects they may have.

Other action at today’s meeting included the renewal of the county’s food service agreement with Trinity Group Services for inmates at the jail.  The county first began its work with Trinity in 2019.  Chief of Corrections Clifton Bellard said costs are remaining the same with this one-year renewal.

Commissioners later approved the purchase of technology equipment through the Sourcewell purchasing cooperative and a budget amendment to allocate funds for the purchase.  Information Technology Director T.J. Harris said reserve funds from this year’s budget are being used for the purchases, which are broken down into $449,952 for servers and storage and $73,283 for network infrastructure.

In other business today, the court:

• Held a work session to discuss any effects on the county’s depository contract with Bank of Brenham, stemming from Industry Bancshares’ merger with Cadence Bank.
• Authorized the county to become a member of The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS) purchasing cooperative.  County Auditor Shawna Hollis said the TIPS membership will allow the county to save time and administrative costs on bidding processes.
• Approved an expedited development agreement with TimeClock Plus, LLC, the county’s provider for timekeeping software.  Human Resources Director Amber Skalka said the agreement provides a custom module for the existing software from TimeClock Plus, adding that the module is needed due to the complexity of the county’s payroll system.  She said the addition comes with no cost.
• Approved a right-of-way permit application for the Houstonians on Tandems Together (HOTT) Bike Ride, planned for November 13-16 in Brenham and Chappell Hill.
• Approved a subdivision variance request for a land division fronting Wiedeville Church Road, located on 59.819 acres in Precinct 1.
• Approved a subdivision variance request for a land division fronting Randle Hill Road, located on 8.1 acres in Precinct 2.