[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",6513966,"mediaKeyId","5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056","parentId",5065568,"title","Veterans services requests steady operating budget; no new positions sought","audioSeconds",206,"startMs",9182000,"endMs",9388000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056&start=9182&end=9388","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056/thumbnail_9182000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6513966/Rockwall-County/Texas/Veterans-services-requests-steady-operating-budget-no-new-positions-sought","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513966-d39cd57aa8a9c1008d19388a78a7272f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447871&Signature=SA~0216ZYweEXceSWGVhikq3CwFk~G0U4T~w22I6WS3kfD5RN0pAti9jR7Tm~7MtgIMqwDY--AbGA2xMa6vFatTBCa370VQ4VUs0gY-srdH7JZqnd7StZHCPMWw8p0HFDxq8ouHeRHHuParLsyiKN3NWd6XCXNQKkjLeW-1p0vlV20CXPA30ID0r4-RbbvYjoCw7DnN~Iv8xMpa8fKNQUhX-PdCJ17cxSBwP4Gk29N9YkWwn2ACe6lMtpGdnBsq6DqOIfaAJZXyfAH1ZycGtfljVDTESz3Di2NO9OWs9-wCG5fpMkZUIC8OFRV5YRnLqOOq6JkPwmwcLKskj~Sflnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Rockwall County Texas","date","2025-06-23T00:00:00Z","article","Veterans Service Officer Linda Flannery asked the commissioners court to keep the Veterans Services FY2026 operating budget at levels similar to the current year. She requested no new positions.

Flannery said she expects modest inflationary pressures on office supplies and asked to keep that line at $2,500. She recommended reducing postage from $500 to $300 because claims and communications have moved increasingly to digital channels. Flannery also requested $200 for possible small equipment repairs and noted an annual software subscription currently budgeted at $520 that supports claims processing and VA liaison work.

Training and dues: Flannery asked the court to maintain a $3,000 travel and training allocation to permit attendance at national and regional veteran-service trainings and to cover travel expenses should out-of-state attendance be necessary. She also said the department pays $50 annually to the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers to retain access to its training and resources.

Flannery said she will coordinate with county procurement and IT as needed but that no capital requests or staffing changes were included in her submission.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Rockwall County Texas - Commissioners Court Workshop Meeting - Jun 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Veterans Service Officer Linda Flannery presented a straightforward FY2026 budget request that holds operating lines near current levels, asks for continued funding for supplies and travel and requests a modest equipment-repair contingency and software subscription renewal.","taxTitle","Rockwall County, Texas","taxId",54914,"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},6513970,"Environmental health and development services seek front-office staffing, permitting software and field connectivity",1286,8003000,9289000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056&start=8003&end=9289","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056/thumbnail_8003000.jpg","/articles/6513970/Rockwall-County/Texas/Environmental-health-and-development-services-seek-front-office-staffing-permitting-software-and-field-connectivity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513970-d0f60896aff39746e91c9717fa35913f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447871&Signature=P-kaMUl~9frK8uGk3L7z5ZYm5ZEjUQceXS7g7GyrGlu6Di2RS199gr~b-~Zumi~ODCcmNvOrO1XJhW0y5Tyf2Z3ezaDGObBRjgvvXWPUBwNmjiviGyawDCpNT4dag1itwZ-MVlQT~X3SOeUeeNVQPpaH4rlDD23po5ZehJK88gYyawNhCXnYFYAal-S59jDvRQvc0vmMlKTndlmR5mzqEbOmkMIPISW05yMBX2Y~rfM~bapn3VZp4hZKR85i8URhabEVTQ3cL6LB8YCh0D6V12vTHqGw8HBz63W49p8KTDLKJ9hxCeXmYV6a8VIX4TVEqDC0nl2jBCCULrwtEzg4LQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carissa McCoy, Environmental Health Coordinator, told the commissioners court she is preparing to fold environmental health functions into a planned development services department in the county annex and that the department needs front-office coverage, permitting software and basic field connectivity.

McCoy said she currently uses a temporary employee for contract and inspection report work but that an in-office clerk or part-time position would be needed when development services becomes a one-stop front counter for permitting, addressing and road/bridge inquiries. \"The difference between having her and having a part-time person ... is that there is someone in that seat at that intake window to be able to take in permits, to answer phone calls, to take walk ups and it also will allow me to get back out in the truck,\" she said.

Staffing options presented: McCoy presented three alternatives in her packet: (1) continue the temporary position at roughly $4,000 annually for project work; (2) create a shared part-time position (estimated $27,000 annual pro-rated cost, 30 hours/week at $15/hour) shared with another department; or (3) establish a full-time clerk/tech (roughly $29,000 to $45,000 pro-rated split) depending on split arrangements and salary assumptions. She and County Engineer Erica Bridges said the front counter role would also handle addressing requests and culvert/road complaints that are expected to route to development services.

Permitting software, connectivity and equipment: McCoy said the department's current Access database serves basic permitting needs but lacks online permitting capability. She included a placeholder of $10,000 for permitting software (per-department estimate from earlier quotes), $1,200'$1,500 in office supplies and $1,400 for a county-issued cell/MiFi device to support field work. She also requested modest funds for monitor and furniture contingencies tied to the move into annex space.

Septic permitting and licensing: McCoy asked commissioners to keep septic fees and the related $10 state remittance in mind; she recommended keeping the septic-permit operating line at $1,500 to avoid underfunding the permit-handling workload. She also noted a potential $450 database-support line if a Windows update requires vendor assistance to restore the permit database.

Next steps: McCoy said she will present a fuller staffing plan to the development services working group and that the department will coordinate with the auditor on cost-sharing arrangements if a shared position is approved. Commissioners said they will discuss staffing trade-offs and asked to consider repurposing vacant temporary positions from Road & Bridge where feasible.
","Environmental Health Coordinator Carissa McCoy proposed FY2026 funding options to staff a front-office clerk for a new development services department, possible part-time coverage instead of a full-time hire, and funding for permitting software, a county-issued cell/MiFi and modest equipment needs.",{"_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},6513972,"GIS asks county to join regional aerial and LiDAR purchase; warns of rising software costs",4200,3229000,7429000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056&start=3229&end=7429","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056/thumbnail_3229000.jpg","/articles/6513972/Rockwall-County/Texas/GIS-asks-county-to-join-regional-aerial-and-LiDAR-purchase-warns-of-rising-software-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513972-ee51bb26f39532e3e9ecea8d76864991/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447871&Signature=b6hNt6r1lpIX~nE8bQ7D-OYZRgPW5ScuWgFhv2Ss7LJV2M-rT07tBCsIiGCIQWhthPc1w2TwSxxbLEXQC7PuZndHkdgpeiuwfuPB-d0~fSVZUIQt1s673c5eJnVxyPUDUx6m~ybX0PF6IZxkJybkwkR3J8Ac9~Z0Uxpa3xRPvm8lXdUJj2nKIrU6V~TJXGkWy~2hFklzvIU6RugXffWxH32D14~WrlY37TintqeRVTumguEzm57i0UltJ8EvnmGZ~Xw0~9NzGRWwzKYnR68VAm1UTm2EC~m8x0BqpHT6IBTedvSDquqwVLJj2djN2tdtOKsGB7weRqVfHxXGE-KyoA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jim Knickerbocker, Rockwall County GIS administrator, told the commissioners court the GIS office has two near-term priorities for data and software: up-to-date aerial photography and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) for the county, and continuity of core GIS software licenses.

\"GIS is the science of location,\" Knickerbocker said, describing the department's work on 9-1-1 addressing, roadway centerlines, FEMA floodplains and mapping used by internal and external customers. He said the county's addressing dataset has grown from roughly 38,720 address points in 2016 to more than 60,000 today.

Cooperative purchase proposal: Knickerbocker presented a cooperative (COG) quote for a regional aerial and LiDAR flight that would produce a one-time, countywide snapshot. The quote includes a 6-inch aerial-photography package for Rockwall County and a LiDAR package; the full regional program is substantially larger but buying as a cooperative reduces the county's per-county price.

Knickerbocker and County Engineer Erica Bridges explained the intended use: the aerial imagery provides current orthophotos (similar to Google Earth but up to date), while LiDAR produces elevation and terrain data that supports drainage analysis, floodplain mapping, engineering and building-footprint extraction. Bridges emphasized LiDAR's role in identifying contours, water flows and impervious cover needed for drainage decisions in development review.

Software licensing and maintenance: GIS reported rising costs for licenses from Esri and for a redistricting product (Maptitude). Knickerbocker said a server/workgroup license is being rebranded to an enterprise license with a significant price increase and that small per-license increases across products added to an aggregate $6,000 request increase in the FY2026 operating budget. He offered to remove the county-engineer seat's $4,100 software allocation if the engineer does not need a copy.

Redistricting and timing: Commissioners asked whether Rockwall needs redistricting before the 2030 census. Knickerbocker said the county's current precincts are based on 2020 census data and 2022 published updates, and that mid-decade demographic shifts could make an earlier redistricting necessary. He said Maptitude maintenance is $1,500 per year and that repurchasing the software later could trigger a larger $5,000 re-purchase fee; he recommended evaluating interim demographic data from regional planning partners before deciding whether to continue the ongoing maintenance expense.

Data alternatives and drone option: Knickerbocker, and Bridges, noted an in-house drone program could cover small, targeted updates but that county-grade LiDAR and the proposed countywide aerial update provide a comprehensive baseline. Bridges said high-grade drones and related licensing are costly and that a cooperative flight gives more comprehensive, uniform coverage.

Next steps requested: GIS asked the court to consider the cooperative purchase and to decide whether to allocate funds in FY2026, to split the cost across FY2026 and FY2027, or to acquire smaller, incremental tiles of imagery if the court prefers a phased approach. Commissioners asked staff to provide interim population/demographic extracts to assess redistricting timing before committing to the perpetual Maptitude maintenance fee.
","GIS Administrator Jim Knickerbocker asked Rockwall County officials to join a North Central Texas cooperative purchase for updated aerial imagery and LiDAR data and described rising recurring costs for key GIS software licenses used by county planning and engineering.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6513974,"Rockwall County district attorney requests staff and operating funds as new court expected",5435,43000,5478000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056&start=43&end=5478","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065568-ba49ecdedb7f92321ed6e353668fa056/thumbnail_43000.jpg","/articles/6513974/Rockwall-County/Texas/Rockwall-County-district-attorney-requests-staff-and-operating-funds-as-new-court-expected","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513974-0a5c1dd5d51f3d4c39e3ff2f4f9c62d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447871&Signature=YrcwykdsmqJk6Y7h01i79vTz4YNf06G1mYLUN0tsinKz~2MUg7SfqkJhKxemSIzprXqQul85DFCF2m4hXabSRzm6D8H-DeMNXUZXTGA4w5kFcN3~bdt2NrHWMCHk3YFpqHHNTvlnhfup6x~83XaPbf24KiTlRxAzjaf4QkEjk4bpZ6vdl6Wr9WivnSvZ9JsgkOfuuaPbLFlbg6oplT6H8GB5vDagf3bX1XYMI-ogLqCKdYmZeJ0wVtibmfOw01FUy7p1hNAz4BQqKrMgExQw6LuivKXnEeOyswRnuaSiIOi4wG8a5xHgQoZXZOWiOVG4TTd31l4fW045OoOJ8LuUDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District Attorney Kenda Culpepper on Friday presented the Rockwall County Commissioners Court with the DA office's preliminary FY2026 budget request, saying the office needs additional prosecutors and support staff to staff a new district court the legislature has authorized.

Culpepper told commissioners she expects the new court to be funded by the state for the judge but that the county will have to pay for court-assigned staff. \"The state pays for the judge, but the county has to pay for the staff associated with that court,\" Culpepper said in her presentation.

The DA asked the court to fund five positions assigned to the new felony court (two felony trial prosecutors, one felony investigator, one paralegal and one senior clerk), a dedicated financial-crimes prosecutor, and an additional victim-advocate coordinator (bringing the county-funded total to two general-fund VACCs and one grant-funded position). Culpepper said the five assigned court positions are a priority because prosecutors, investigators and paralegals function as a trial team that must be in place to support jury weeks and heavy docket days.

Why it matters: Culpepper emphasized caseload and complexity as the basis for the requests. She said felony case dispositions increased roughly 72% from 2020 to 2024; family-violence dispositions rose about 273% and child-abuse dispositions about 100% over the same period. She said trial-division prosecutors are handling caseloads \"over 250 cases a piece\" and described dockets with 46 to 60 calendar matters in a single day.

Culpepper outlined time and resource drains that accompany modern felony prosecutions: expanded discovery, thousands of pieces of evidence in major cases, body-worn camera footage and expert fees. \"In my murder case that I tried last year, there were 30,000 pieces of evidence,\" she said, adding that some forensic analyses from state labs (DPS) can take 18 months and private experts have to be engaged when prompt trial-ready results are needed.

Funding sources and restricted funds: Culpepper described a mix of funding that supports portions of the DA operation: general-fund personnel for court-assigned staff, grant-funded prosecutors and VACCs for limited positions, juror-donation funds that support the veterans court, and a restrained forfeiture fund governed by statute for law-enforcement-related expenditures. She said the DA forfeiture fund currently holds about $180,000 and that law-library funds total roughly $233,000; both are restricted by statute and cannot be diverted to general fund purposes.

Requests and justification (selected):
- Five assigned court positions for the new felony court (2 felony trial prosecutors, 1 felony investigator, 1 paralegal, 1 senior clerk). Culpepper said those five are necessary for the court to function and called them her priority staffing request.
- One additional victim-advocate coordinator funded from the general fund to increase victim contact and services countywide; currently the office has one general-fund VACC and one grant-funded VACC.
- Financial-crimes prosecutor; Culpepper said Rockwall County's demographics and case patterns produce complex white-collar matters that benefit from a dedicated specialist.
- Investigator vehicle replacement: Culpepper asked to add a vehicle request, stating fleet cars currently assigned have more than 200,000 miles and that the office recently received one newer vehicle.
- Increased line items for expert witness and outside laboratory costs in the investigations budget, citing an FY2024 overrun as evidence those costs will continue.

Commissioner concerns and follow-ups: Several commissioners pressed for prioritization and asked whether existing investigators or shared resources could cover new-court duties rather than hiring immediately. Culpepper responded that investigators and courtroom staff are functionally tied to a single court during trial weeks and that investigators coordinate witnesses and logistics in ways that cannot be done remotely. Commissioners also asked the auditor's office to provide a consolidated spreadsheet of projected costs for the new court so the court can evaluate revenue/tax-rate options before finalizing the budget.

Restricted funds and prior practice: Culpepper said the veterans court is funded primarily by juror-donation fees and that the DA has used forfeiture funds sparingly and according to statute (for law-enforcement training, victim services and partner non-profit support). \"By statute it is ... exactly what you can use the forfeiture fund for,\" she said, describing a court process to adjudicate whether seized funds are tied to criminal activity and noting law enforcement typically retains 80% and the DA's office 20% when courts allow forfeiture distributions.

What the court did not decide: This session was a preliminary budget workshop; no formal votes on staffing or capital-outlay items were taken. Commissioners asked staff to produce cost summaries and consider timing options tied to the state's final action on the omnibus bill funding the new judgeship.

Ending note: Culpepper repeated that the new-court positions are tied to making ongoing courtroom operations sustainable and to shortening time-to-trial, but that some requests (for example an additional VACC) are lower priority than the five court-assigned positions. She thanked the commissioners for meeting individually and for the opportunity to present in open court.
","District Attorney Kenda Culpepper outlined the DA office's FY2026 budget request to Rockwall County commissioners, seeking five staff assigned to a new felony court, a financial-crimes prosecutor, a third victim-advocate coordinator and increased funding for expert witnesses, equipment and IT tied to an expected new district court.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Veterans services requests steady operating budget; no new positions sought

Environmental health and development services seek front-office staffing, permitting software and field connectivity

GIS asks county to join regional aerial and LiDAR purchase; warns of rising software costs

Rockwall County district attorney requests staff and operating funds as new court expected