WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS AWARD FALL 2026 HOT FUNDS, SUBMIT CANCELLATION REQUEST FOR UNUSED 911 SOFTWARE
Washington County Commissioners moved on Tuesday to disburse hotel occupancy tax (HOT) grant funds for the fall 2026 cycle.
The court awarded $33,000 in HOT funds to nine requests, presented by seven organizations. The funding will help promote events, support special projects or assist with operating expenses.
Commissioner Misti Hartstack Corn said this round of funding saw a record number of grant submissions in the cycle. This was the first time where applicants could use a new online portal to submit their applications.
The Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce was granted the most funding, receiving $4,200 of its $8,000 request for the Independence Day Parade, $2,300 of the $2,500 sought for the Wine and Cheese Stroll, and its full $1,500 request for the Airing of the Quilts.
The Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site was awarded a full $5,000 for its Juneteenth celebration.
The Ant Street Inn was fully granted $4,950 for restoring its historic signage.
Unity Theatre will receive $4,850 of its $5,000 request for marketing its 2026-27 season of performances.
The Texas Arts and Music Festival will get $4,000 of its $5,000 request to support the 2026 iteration of the festival.
BirdDog Events LLC was granted $3,950 of its $20,000 request for the Scarecrow Music Festival.
The Brenham Heritage Museum will receive $2,250 of its $4,500 request for marketing.
Several organizations made requests that were not fulfilled. One of those was the Overlook Park and Marina, who sought funding for an overnight tourism expansion initiative that involved construction. The grant requests listed in the agenda packet showed the request coming in at $160,000, but Corn and Expo Director Harrison Williams said it was actually meant to be $1.6 million.
Other organizations that did not receive funds were Independence Community Events, who requested $33,490 for restoration of the historic schoolhouse; Hill & Hollow, who asked for $4,850 for an advertising campaign; and the Burton Chamber of Commerce, who asked for $3,500 for a visitors guide. The Ant Street Inn had two other requests totaling $9,850 that were not fulfilled, covering marketing and advertising. The Chappell Hill Historical Society pulled funding requests totaling $13,000 for the Bluebonnet Festival and Scarecrow Festival, while Washington-on-the-Brazos pulled a request for $2,500 for Twilight Firelight.
HOT funds are awarded twice a year, once for the fall and again for the spring, and are fulfilled based upon the review of the county’s HOT fund committee. The typical budget per cycle is $25,000.
The past funding allocation in December for the spring 2026 cycle was $45,400, going toward seven requests from five organizations.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the court agreed to authorize the submission of a cancellation request to terminate 911 department software that county officials say was never used.
Washington County 911 Interim Director Raleigh Wellmann said the APCO IntelliComm software from APCO International, Inc. was meant to give structured questions for telecommunications officers to ask callers, but the department’s previous administration did not complete the project by submitting required paperwork, so the software could not function as intended.
Wellmann said no staff members currently hold the certification needed to use the system, and the path to obtaining said certification conflicts with existing training and onboarding requirements. Additionally, the program requirements meant that new employees would not be able to answer calls or interact with the system until they were certified, and they would have to transfer all calls to certified telecommunications officers, which she said would create serious operational delays.
According to Wellmann, the program was approved in 2022 for the 2023 Fiscal Year at a cost of roughly $60,000, and the county has paid half of that. She said she will be asking for a refund, since the department has not utilized the software.
Commissioners also approved three items related to the Stars Over Washington County 4th of July event. They included a $10,000 deposit payment from HOT funds to Celestial Displays, LLC for a fireworks display; a $9,500 musical performance contract paid with HOT funds to Escape, a Journey tribute group; and a request for proposals for alcohol bartending services. Applications for the bartending services are due by June 17th and will be considered on June 23rd during commissioners court.
Williams said the county has met with city and fire department officials to keep them in the loop with plans for the event. County Judge John Durrenberger said the city and county are splitting the $20,000 cost for the fireworks display, adding there is “full cooperation” between the city and the county.
In other business, the court:
- Approved a price increase from MEC Logistics, LLC for the contract of road construction materials awarded December 16, 2025. The increase is $4.45 per ton for Grade 3 washed limestone rock.
- Accepted a $1,000 donation from Mike and Mamie Mushaway to the sheriff’s office.
- Approved a final plat for the Estates at Mount Vernon subdivision, consisting of nine lots along Old Gay Hill Road and Mount Vernon Road in Precinct 3.
Click here to view the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.