WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS ADOPT STRATEGIC PLAN

  

Washington County Commissioners unanimously adopted a new countywide strategic plan today (Tuesday) to guide the county’s goals through the next five years.

The 2026-2030 strategic plan was developed in partnership with Strategic Government Resources (SGR) over the course of several months, dating back to this past summer. 

Expo Director Harrison Williams, one of the facilitators of the strategic planning process, said it included engagement with county officials, staff and local citizens in order to lay out the county’s overarching priorities, as well as initiatives to achieve those goals.

The master plan lists five key priorities: infrastructure, economic development, growth management, public health and safety, and operational effectiveness.  It also provides plans on how to improve each of those areas and the steps that could be taken in pursuit of that.

Additionally, the master plan shares some of the main answers received during the county’s strategic planning meetings on questions including what is most desirable about Washington County, what it could do better, and what the county should strive to be or have in a decade.

Commissioner Kirk Hanath said this master plan acts as the county’s roadmap for the future and that it is “imperative” for the county to maintain annual or semi-annual reviews, in order to know if the listed initiatives are being followed through on.  He said the plan is “not something that we put together so we could sit it on a shelf.” 

County Judge John Durrenberger said each commissioner’s precinct hosted a meeting for residents to give feedback and that this plan was based on much more than just the county’s own input.  Commissioner Misti Hartstack Corn said the county’s department heads are incorporating their own department goals into the master plan, for budgeting purposes. 

The strategic plan can be found on the county’s website, www.co.washington.tx.us, under the county information tab.

In other business, the court accepted a Help America Vote Act (HAVA) election security grant in the amount of $87,411, with required local matching funds of $17,482.  Elections Administrator Carol Jackson said the county was originally approved for $42,500 in grant funding, but after being given an opportunity to request additional funds, the county was granted an additional $44,911.

Jackson said her office will use the grant to purchase 13 DS300 voting scanners and tabulators for polling locations.  She said the scanners are an upgrade from the county’s DS200 units because they can identify overvotes, undervotes and irregularly-marked ballots.  This allows for any issues with ballot markings to be corrected by the voter at the polling location, thereby improving voter privacy and the accuracy of counted ballots. 

Also at today’s meeting, commissioners:

• Received the Washington County Historical Commission’s 2025 report.
• Approved the conversion of the Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 clerk position from part-time to full-time, effective immediately, for the 2026 Fiscal Year.  Judge Douglas Zwiener said the change is being requested to allow for the hired clerk to obtain additional training from his current chief court clerk, Beth Schramm, who will be retiring along with Zwiener.  Zwiener said the office previously hired two part-time clerks who did ultimately not remain with the county.  Commissioner Candice Bullock said this structure is temporary for this budget year. 
• Approved a final plat for the Maplewood subdivision, consisting of 12 lots along FM 2935 in Precinct 3. 

Click here to view the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.