[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6574508,"mediaKeyId","3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298","parentId",3074641,"title","Commissioners hear legislative update on bill restricting attorney activities and proposed changes to county investment options","audioSeconds",335,"startMs",1143000,"endMs",1478000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298&start=1143&end=1478","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298/thumbnail_1143000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6574508/Collin-County/Texas/Commissioners-hear-legislative-update-on-bill-restricting-attorney-activities-and-proposed-changes-to-county-investment-options","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574508-de12f193fcefb1e0f8cf87a06fd90e9f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141103&Signature=n3Z3jkCKQFxDAA4p5D9bnlklijceuAUHSsJvI8xJNN2lLKS7vDi2Le6EPPOEZP4JRWN0jO1JbXpCr8ybJpyZC999zb~lOmVlEoxThxaq-QtmkvtaIGjVPQyG6iq7PnDYf6pWnDJA~CJgkbDE8EKETcEumFsYSZkJRJ~rjrkFZRPS8EFaHvwE5GKwxjSn3BBdwhYczzOXmGMBrA6LN4SeoL2pDsjmh5EbQdiIYD3Xo18Q7Fys0ERZ0IuVDhEqxDwfLvXSp3wwE~TYw4lgKXP4-t7QKHlDq6jVG6CdjogS7fxEul9bkLeCkiDWWPvvvFZ8y89n5eCE6cv8It4y2f-Jlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Collin","date","2025-04-21T00:00:00Z","article","County staff provided the commissioners with an update on two pieces of legislation being tracked in the Texas Legislature: a House bill that would prohibit members of a commissioners court who are attorneys from practicing law in the county where they hold elective office, and a Senate bill that would restrict the types of pooled funds counties may use for investing county funds.

County administration described the House bill (referred to in the update as HB 4,620) as broad: it would bar an elected county official who is an attorney from practicing “any law” in the county where the official serves. Staff warned the measure could have broad effect in less-populated counties where an elected official might be the only local attorney available for certain matters. Staff and several commissioners said the measure could be vulnerable to constitutional challenge but that the court would continue to monitor the bill and contact local legislators to discuss the potential impacts.

Staff also briefed the court on SB 404, a bill that would constrain county investment options by requiring investment only in pools managed by the state comptroller or the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Corporation. The presenter said the change would reduce diversification and competition in public funds management and could force counties to place funds in a single state-controlled pool rather than existing options such as TexPool.

Commissioners and staff said they oppose narrowing investment options and will follow both measures closely. No formal position was adopted during the meeting; staff said they were in touch with state representatives about the bills' potential impacts.

Separately, the court received an update from the North Central Texas Council of Governments: Todd Little, the county judge in Ellis County, was appointed the council’s new executive director and is expected to resign his elected position to assume the role.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Collin - Collin County Toll Road Authority - Apr 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","County staff briefed commissioners on two state bills: one that would bar attorneys who serve on commissioners courts from practicing law in their counties, and another that would limit county investment options to state‑managed pools. Commissioners expressed concern and said they would monitor the measures.","taxTitle","Collin County, Texas","taxId",2696,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6574513,"Collin County to revise policy on opposing municipal utility and management districts after questions on roads and services",424,705000,1129000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298&start=705&end=1129","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298/thumbnail_705000.jpg","/articles/6574513/Collin-County/Texas/Collin-County-to-revise-policy-on-opposing-municipal-utility-and-management-districts-after-questions-on-roads-and-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574513-b6bd50a766080d0b52ba3c1f6276f096/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141103&Signature=MlXB05HFvnt4H-orvlAbf-QH4Cyotjva~miXjbgG6DmG8ypYoaU8d3qRe8Mdofq9LFmvLEGV53iaKi~-FhIlLKc7yDGpu8fub9BHSallMGG8pQJ6l-JRsldMj8ror36wcbPPUntrPhsMZTrvzotlJtY2az22IAexPk3Hp8-YWBvHy764c42AKWvxdxi07xg0zODjESSWh3c26nt1RrHNwcVH3geHr8Jl82SYRndtWk2Nzi1QN55i3vRK641rKleErZykXltR~c2RJU0WgLjK1sHrVu5YCOL-rV5WMvQnJHl66LuHI2Vgz4LXH3VFHSonKlyl~mcNc9BRiFOhxW-Clw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Collin County Commissioners Court discussed a proposed resolution that would formalize how the court decides whether to oppose or not oppose municipal utility districts (MUDs) and municipal management districts (MMDs). Court staff said the draft policy would restate historical practice and add administrative monitoring of districts created through state agencies such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Russell Schauffner, identified in the packet as Deputy County Administrator, presented the draft. He said the policy would require supplemental contracts for services — specifically police, fire, emergency services and animal control — when the district seeks county non‑opposition. Schauffner also said the county would begin tracking MUDs created through administrative (TCEQ) processes and present those to the court for consideration of non‑opposition or opposition.

Several commissioners questioned specific draft language and the scope of county expectations. One commissioner urged adding roads and streets to the list of services the county expects a district to maintain, citing increasing numbers of roads developed to concrete standards that the county’s public-works department is not positioned to maintain. The court discussed the concept of “road powers” — a district’s statutory or legislative authority to construct and maintain roads — and the practical effect of districts retaining their own roads versus dedicating them to the county for maintenance.

Commissioners also discussed performance-bond and warranty expectations for roads (a two‑year warranty period was mentioned during the discussion). Court members asked whether adopting a policy that opposes districts that will not assume road responsibility could preclude legislative sponsors from filing bills; staff replied that few new districts are being created in the legislature and that an opposition resolution is unlikely to cause legal trouble but could affect local legislative support.

After discussion, the court agreed to pull the item for one week to revise the language requested by commissioners and return with updated draft language for further consideration. No final resolution or vote on the draft policy was taken at the meeting.

The discussion covered administrative monitoring of TCEQ-created districts and the court’s longstanding practice of conditioning non‑opposition on supplemental service agreements, but commissioners asked staff to clarify language and consequences before formal adoption.","Commissioners discussed formalizing the county’s historical practice on opposing or not opposing municipal utility districts (MUDs) and municipal management districts (MMDs). Commissioners asked for revised language to address road maintenance and to bring the item back next week.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6574518,"Collin County approves vendor to redact ballot images, rejects manual option",406,146000,552000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298&start=146&end=552","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074641-1c97584c35a971d74002254550c65298/thumbnail_146000.jpg","/articles/6574518/Collin-County/Texas/Collin-County-approves-vendor-to-redact-ballot-images-rejects-manual-option","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574518-1827f79d4279324d35e2e77b83b9aa61/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141103&Signature=PI6GeGX4cYo8CAuOh2C3ZdSqGVUQ5Voc4YwX0lL~oxejLKWHAaQQBaLZ~9EnPfYfe0kY24HpQBylUtRS1T8ykgJNtuwlKQnIKsdIItNS-6tBwRQwu7dRgx7Iv6yKPlWNzJS5c7EIWX7MIYgExIMGucjDR96ssPHSZ9d2zurYBPBjgKge1fL-YsdkoVvaMOqGNLibSBpFNuiY1s0kPOdJYiadHis5PWZxRYiLBPaj2k3Qa~5V13mZDGpUGNORgGmN4iD8VwVZ1sThYHTyTkyo7T86N0xAF-Dx9o0Mk4pw6Wp4uXedX0ujGMXhL-amdVpIrUpSJ2KhnixviU3tGYlYmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Collin County Commissioners Court on an unrecorded date approved a contract to use a commercial redaction tool to prepare ballot images for public release and approved several consent items, including a personnel promotion and signage on county roads. The court voted 5–0 to authorize the elections office to proceed with the vendor solution after county staff outlined the time and cost of doing redaction manually.

The county's elections administrator, Caleb Breaux, told the court that the attorney general had advised counties to redact ballot images before making them publicly available to avoid linking ballots to specific voters. Breaux said staff consulted neighboring counties and identified a vendor (referred to in the packet as Severa/Seveira) that provides a redaction tool and a hosted service. He said the vendor would supply a cloud-hosted redaction system that the county would operate; the vendor would only review ballots if the county reported tool problems.

Breaux told commissioners the manual alternative would require far more staff time and expense. He said the 2024 general election yielded 520,196 ballot-image records requiring redaction; at an estimated 2.5 minutes per image, that would total about 21,675 labor hours. The county estimated the in-house manual cost at about $324,000 and 27 weeks of work using roughly 20 part‑time workers. For the 2024 primary, Breaux said 37,685 images would take about 5,737 hours and an estimated $84,000 and seven weeks to complete manually.

Judge (presiding) and other commissioners asked whether the vendor's hosted ballot‑publishing service was included in the contract. Breaux said the vendor's online hosting is an additional service not included in the redaction contract; he indicated the county’s budget already includes a separate line item for online hosting if the court chooses to add it later.

The court had pulled the elections item from the consent agenda for discussion and then voted 5–0 to approve moving forward with the vendor-based redaction approach. The motion carried without a roll-call listing individual yes votes in the record.

The court also approved other consent items during the meeting, including a personnel promotion (Lauren Davis) and the formal placement of regulatory signs on county roads after a public hearing with no speakers. Health Care Foundation and Toll Road Authority consent agendas were also approved by voice vote.

The court did not provide legislation or contract numbers in the discussion presented to the public. Breaux said he would confirm whether the vendor’s maintenance/hosting charges are included in the quoted cost and follow up with commissioners.

Votes at a glance

- Approval to contract with a redaction vendor for ballot images: motion approved 5–0. (Discussion led by Caleb Breaux, Collin County Elections Administrator.)
- Personnel promotion — Lauren Davis: approved 5–0.
- Regulatory-traffic signs public hearing and associated motions: approved (voice vote, no public speakers).
- Health Care Foundation consent agenda: approved 5–0.
- Toll Road Authority consent agenda: approved 5–0.

The court did not specify contract numbers, an exact vendor legal name beyond the packet reference, or a final implementation schedule in the public discussion. Breaux said he would provide additional cost-line clarifications and confirm which hosting services, if any, are included in the contract.","Collin County Commissioners Court approved a contract to use a commercial redaction tool for public ballot images and voted unanimously on several routine agenda items. Officials said manual redaction would be far more time-consuming and costly than buying the vendor service.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioners hear legislative update on bill restricting attorney activities and proposed changes to county investment options

Collin County to revise policy on opposing municipal utility and management districts after questions on roads and services

Collin County approves vendor to redact ballot images, rejects manual option