[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6475655,"mediaKeyId","5732189-72a464ea4e014098e66cdc90d5d5b74f","parentId",5732189,"title","Atascosa County budget workshop: commissioners direct removal of PDO 5% request from proposed budget; JP software upgrade funding discussed","audioSeconds",518,"startMs",3814000,"endMs",4332000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5732189-72a464ea4e014098e66cdc90d5d5b74f&start=3814&end=4332","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5732189-72a464ea4e014098e66cdc90d5d5b74f/thumbnail_3814000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6475655/Atascosa-County/Texas/Atascosa-County-budget-workshop-commissioners-direct-removal-of-PDO-5-request-from-proposed-budget-JP-software-upgrade-funding-discussed","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6475655-80a9232062a34cac14435eaa7238db5e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775126680&Signature=fKm-Sb9XHxCxgAIszw8~Z0rKFPIHRM1vtKZhawUVV19pUEutdnm0zrFmJcXHVHXOX-BF3g-~k3REYP40~DGxOdpb6M4W~6YYIpR78znwUz5oAR2t04lcOE6mhhyx2TKsRcYd8fUgiVf4YKMc0zM8xW93cL5ZOmPj2m9gTUerge9jBSomCdRqr7b9d2gLqpQ4yPHzJVCbstplSYdrwGuI482cKrImMu6NI~as4b8fxj2kArA5LNT7FGyp-QZsXnZ~S-huGbqY~MOsRMx~rHkrGF7FSqIFX40QdBkJ8x6F0FSlulfKdOeVH3X97EXVdpO10veUT8ULgrPqoK7AetemLw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Atascosa County","date","2025-09-08T13:59:02Z","article","Atascosa County commissioners on Sept. 8 reviewed the county operating budget in a workshop session that focused on the Regional Public Defender’s Office (PDO) interlocal budget, a potential justice-of-the-peace (JP) software upgrade, and modest travel allowances for four elected officials.

The county auditor and county attorney reviewed the PDO interlocal agreement (2022), which designates Atascosa County as the administrative grantee for the regional PDO and delegates final budget approval to the county. County staff told the court the PDO requested a 5% across‑the‑board increase (framed as a 2.5% prior-year component plus a 2.5% current-year component). Commissioners discussed prior compensation changes that the state had funded and how those increases affected county contributions. After discussion, the county judge directed staff to present the proposed county budget for the Sept. 22 hearing without including the requested 5% increase for the PDO; the court confirmed it may separate and vote on items individually at the hearing if desired.

County staff clarified the interlocal arrangement: Atascosa, as administrative grantee, approves the operating budget and the four participating counties pay their percentage share based on caseload. The county attorney noted the PDO Oversight Board recommends and monitors the program but does not have final budget authority; final approval rests with Atascosa County Commissioners Court.

On JP software, the county’s JP office provided a vendor quote that would increase annual maintenance costs. The proposed pricing included an up‑front implementation fee and an annual maintenance cost with a five‑year pricing term (subsequent years capped at a 3% increase). Commissioners did not approve a multi‑year contract at the workshop; they asked staff to include a placeholder budget increase for the expected software expense and to verify whether the Justice Technology Fund could cover part of the cost. County staff said collections‑software integration might conflict with an existing collections agreement with Linebarger, and that contract details and vendor terms would be finalized later.

The auditor reported one non‑salary change: adding a monthly travel allowance for four elected officials (county clerk, district clerk, treasurer and tax collector). During the workshop staff described a $400 per month allowance as the proposed rate; discussion later referenced a total of $4,400 per month for the four positions in the draft budget, which the county auditor said she would reconcile and run in the revised publication required prior to the Sept. 22 salary hearing.

The court reviewed other budget items and agreed to present a revised budget notice online ahead of the Sept. 22 public hearing, when commissioners will adopt the budget and set the tax rate. Commissioners noted the budget hearing will include public comment, recorded roll-call votes and the opportunity to separate line items during adoption.

Key outcomes and follow-up
- County judge directed staff to present the Sept. 22 proposed budget without the PDO 5% increase; the item may be separated and voted on at the public hearing.
- Staff to verify Justice Technology Fund balance and, if sufficient, use it to offset JP software costs; contract language and collections-integration questions to be resolved before procurement.
- Auditor to include elected-official travel allowances in the revised budget publication required 10 days before the Sept. 22 hearing.

What was not decided: No multi‑year software contract was approved at the workshop; specific settlement amounts for opioid settlements (discussed elsewhere in the meeting) were not provided. Commissioners scheduled the budget hearing, salary hearing and tax‑rate action for Sept. 22, 2025.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Atascosa County Commissioners Court","oneSentenceSummary","During a Sept. 8 budget workshop, Atascosa County commissioners reviewed the Regional Public Defender’s Office budget request, directed staff to present the county budget without a requested 5% PDO increase, discussed funding options for a new JP software vendor, and added travel allowances for four elected officials to the proposed budget.","taxTitle","Atascosa County, Texas","taxId",69397,"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},6475659,"Atascosa County commissioners approve personnel, contracts, opioid settlements and event permits; several items acknowledged",4828,287000,5115000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5732189-72a464ea4e014098e66cdc90d5d5b74f&start=287&end=5115","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5732189-72a464ea4e014098e66cdc90d5d5b74f/thumbnail_287000.jpg","/articles/6475659/Atascosa-County/Texas/Atascosa-County-commissioners-approve-personnel-contracts-opioid-settlements-and-event-permits-several-items-acknowledged","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6475659-dfc52f05ae9c65a85ac98986fde361b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1775126680&Signature=NKnOh4plsElLg~KOqivZ~KDxu8PSNdR~7ob~Dj7EjRxBKEdPALJe6-SELRccvXs57QI38ei1TgiPiicygZdZVVvzZsWKXOEntlBfT7TdOpG0uQm6ts7DeOIaO9xfFdvzvhxG73-Ags50L7bi8h5fJnA~7WL77kZAXh1D1XIzZyk7bFJmS4~5dvmQFreZh9qZfaUWnAH-bkbuSGRuWV4rd0rkV0JfgscoNE6wViY3k74QwNnKZPVEdgRSsr6BQHflVphNxJcZWiUBLT8Z1cGu0c~lWSXdB~PbyekwaJaG9nhkl7DkOMFenhdUmYHlHoNTjyW-qXX6n~Yx0giJtda~zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Atascosa County Commissioners Court voted on a series of routine personnel appointments, contract approvals and settlement participations during its Sept. 8 meeting, approving motions by voice or recorded assent for each item brought before the court.

The court approved personnel actions including the hire of Maria Veronica Magna as an administrative assistant in the district attorney’s office (annual pay $38,000), a pay-step adjustment for Mercedes Arredondo Garcia (JP 4 clerk), the lateral reassignment of county road crew employee Carl Harless (CDL, Precinct 3 to Precinct 1), the completion-of-probation pay change for Monica Gihn (victim assistant coordinator) and the appointment of Jonathan Fisher as an assistant county attorney (start date 09/09/2025). All of those motions were made and carried by voice vote.

The court acknowledged changes to the Regional Public Defender’s Office (PDO) board: Commissioner Mark Gillespie’s announcement that he will step down as a board member and chair, the board’s nomination of Judge Herbert to serve as chair, the nomination of Jessica Sexton as the county’s representative to the PDO board, and the removal of Raoul (Raul) Khazerales as PDO vice chair with Judge Stella Saxon named vice chair. The court recorded the PDO-chair acknowledgment as passing with four in favor and one abstention; subsequent personnel changes were approved by voice vote.

Land and permitting items approved included certificate exceptions for Resource Diversification Group Series LLC and Sullivan Ranch Series LLC on FM 791 (Precinct 4) and for the Wheeler family on East FM 140 (Precinct 4); both motions carried. The court also approved an addendum with Local Government Solutions (LGS) to continue the county and district clerk transition from on-premises software to hosted services, with staff reporting an annual maintenance cost reduction of $4,776, pending county attorney review and authorizing the county judge to sign.

The court authorized Prickly Pear Market to hold monthly events in the courthouse parking lot on Oct. 18, Nov. 15 and Dec. 20, 2025; members said the market will use portable services and will close the courthouse circle during event days.

On litigation/settlement matters, the court authorized participation in a national opioid settlement with Purdue, through the Texas Attorney General’s office, and in a secondary-manufacturers national opioid settlement (reference CL1773468). County attorney staff told the court the county will need to execute participation-and-release forms before the Sept. 30 deadline; specific settlement amounts for Atascosa County were not specified at the meeting.

The court accepted the monthly county infrastructure project report covering progress at the sheriff’s office, the tax office addition, medical examiner building procurement and site-permitting discussions with the City; no formal action beyond acceptance was recorded. The commissioners also approved reassignment of the county pre-detention juvenile facility back to the Atascosa County Juvenile Board, effective when the juvenile board accepts the transfer; the motion carried.

Constable Mark Medina’s corrected monthly-hours reporting for Jan. 1–June 30, 2025 was acknowledged and accepted for record; the court allowed the submission to be filed as part of his reports. The court approved invoices and payroll and accepted submitted reports by voice vote.

Motions were typically introduced and seconded by named commissioners (for example: motions repeatedly made by Commissioner Mark Gillespie and seconded by Commissioner Riley or Commissioner Pavelic). Where the transcript recorded a roll-call-style or counted response, the court noted one abstention during the PDO-chair acknowledgement; most other approvals were carried by unanimous voice vote.

Votes at a glance (selected items)
- Item 4: Hire — Maria Veronica Magna, Administrative Assistant, District Attorney’s Office. Outcome: approved (motion by Commissioner Gillespie; seconded by Commissioner Riley).
- Item 5: Pay adjustment — Mercedes Arredondo Garcia, JP 4 clerk. Outcome: approved (motion by Commissioner Gillespie; seconded by Commissioner Bowen).
- Item 6a: Acknowledgement — Commissioner Gillespie stepping down as PDO chair and naming of Judge Herbert as PDO chair. Outcome: acknowledged/approved; vote recorded as 4 in favor, 1 abstention.
- Item 6b: Appointment — Jessica Sexton as Atascosa County representative to PDO board. Outcome: approved.
- Item 6c: Removal/appointment — Remove Raoul Khazerales as PDO vice chair; name Judge Stella Saxon vice chair. Outcome: approved.
- Item 7: Certificate exception — Resource Diversification Group/Sullivan Ranch, FM 791 (Precinct 4). Outcome: approved.
- Item 8: Certificate exception — Wheeler family, East FM 140 (Precinct 4). Outcome: approved.
- Item 9: Contract addendum — Local Government Solutions (LGS) hosted-services addendum for county and district clerk systems (savings $4,776/year). Outcome: approved pending county attorney review; county judge authorized to sign.
- Item 11: Personnel — Monica Gihn pay increase and Jonathan Fisher appointment (assistant county attorney). Outcome: approved.
- Items 12 & 13: Settlement participation — National opioid settlement (Purdue) and secondary-manufacturers national opioid settlement (CL1773468) via the Texas Attorney General’s office; county authorized to execute participation/release forms before Sept. 30. Outcome: approved.
- Item 14: Special event permit — Prickly Pear Market, courthouse parking lot (three dates). Outcome: approved.
- Item 16: Reassignment — Pre-detention facility and operations to Atascosa County Juvenile Board effective upon juvenile board acceptance. Outcome: approved.
- Item 17: Acknowledgment — Constable Mark Medina corrected hours report (Jan. 1–June 30, 2025). Outcome: acknowledged/approved for filing.
- Items 21 & 22: Invoices/payroll and submitted reports. Outcome: approved/accepted.

What the record shows and what it does not: the court recorded motions, seconds and outcomes for the items listed above. Specific dollar amounts for future opioid-settlement receipts were not provided at the meeting; the county attorney reported the county should receive some funding but could not specify amounts during the Sept. 8 session. For some motions the transcript reports only a voice vote without an individual roll-call; where the court used a recorded count, that is noted above.","Atascosa County Commissioners Court on Sept. 8 approved a slate of personnel actions, two opioid-settlement participation authorizations, contract addenda, property-split certificate exceptions and special-event permits, and acknowledged multiple reports. One PDO board acknowledgement recorded an abstention.","actionData","errors"]

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Atascosa County budget workshop: commissioners direct removal of PDO 5% request from proposed budget; JP software upgrade funding discussed

Atascosa County commissioners approve personnel, contracts, opioid settlements and event permits; several items acknowledged