San Patricio County Commissioners on March 17 approved a 90-day restriction on outdoor burning, accepted a short-term local disaster declaration related to recent wildfires, and voted to approve multiple county contracts and routine financial items.

The action on outdoor burning came on a request from Scott Marion, the county's emergency management coordinator and fire marshal; the court approved the restriction for 90 days. Commissioners also accepted and recorded an order declaring a state of local disaster for San Patricio County due to wildfires, effective March 4, 2025, for seven days as recorded in the consent agenda.

The decisions follow recent fires in the county and remarks during the public comment period. Mary Bridal, who identified herself as mayor of Sinton, thanked county officials, the Texas A&M Forest Service and mutual-aid departments for their work after “the devastating welder fire” in Sinton, saying those who responded “stepped up to the front lines” and that the town has “come even closer together.” Resident Brent Casey, who spoke about emergency service district organizing, said of efforts to form an emergency services district, “It’s not a hostile takeover,” and said petitioning and community meetings are planned in multiple towns.

Beyond emergency measures, the court approved a range of procurement and personnel items: authorization for the auditor’s office to seek bids for new election management software; contracts to house juvenile detainees with Karnes and Wilson counties; issuance of an RFP for HVAC services for county facilities; a three‑year countywide public works software contract with IworkQ totaling $187,500; an agreement for a WIC clinic remodel in Aransas Pass funded by a participant-experience grant; and a $34,900 contract with Flock Group Inc. funded by a catalytic-converter grant. The court also approved a lease for Portland tax and juvenile probation offices with Coast Life Credit Union.

On public works and construction matters, County Engineer John Hernandez presented a request to release retainage on County Road Improvement Program 19.2 to Anderson Columbia, Inc. The court approved release of the retainage. The transcript included a contractor- and contract-amount discussion that was unclear in recorded figures; the audio-transcribed retained-balance figure could not be verified from the record and is noted as not specified in meeting documents. The commissioners also approved a utility permit allowing Dean Pipeline Company LLC and Enterprise Products Operating LLC to abandon an existing pipeline in place, with the companies required to cut and grout pipe at property lines and to avoid road damage under the permit terms.

Financial and personnel items approved included acceptance of the county treasurer’s bank reconciliations and investment reports, payment of an added late bill for $5,120 to Bill Miller Barbecue Enterprise Limited for an awards luncheon, and multiple personnel actions including hires, transfers and a resignation from a county jail nurse. The court approved minutes from its March 10 meeting and several consent agenda items, including a donation of up to $150,000 from the Coastal Bend Base Estuary Program for repairs and improvements at Hiberia Park in Precinct 3.

Presentation and coordination on the new public works software were also part of the meeting. Joel Perkins (presenting for the vendor) said the county will receive a pavement condition assessment and that shapefiles of county roads will be produced for integration into county GIS; the work will be coordinated with the county’s Blue Raster GIS project so work orders and mapping align.

Votes at a glance:
- 90-day restriction on outdoor burning (request from Scott Marion, Emergency Management Coordinator/Fire Marshal) — approved.
- Acceptance and recording of local disaster declaration for wildfires (effective 03/04/2025, seven days) — approved as part of consent items.
- Auditor authorized to seek bids for new election management software (request from Pam Hill, Election Administrator) — approved.
- Juvenile detention contracts with Karnes County and Wilson County — approved.
- Purchase of Ricoh black-and-white printer/scanner/copier for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 — approved.
- Purchase of 2025 Dodge Ram 1500 Tradesman (Commissioner Precinct 1 request) — approved.
- Authorization to seek bids for county HVAC services (request from Building/Yards representative) — approved.
- Issuance of RFP and contract for WIC clinic remodel in Aransas Pass using grant funds — approved.
- Contract with Flock Group Inc. for $34,900 (funded by FY25 catalytic converter grant) — approved.
- Three-year countywide public works software contract with IworkQ totaling $187,500 — approved (with minor technical amendments to be redacted before final consent agenda placement).
- Lease agreement with Coast Life Credit Union for Portland tax office and juvenile probation space — approved.
- Release of retainage for County Road Improvement Program 19.2 to Anderson Columbia, Inc. — approved (retainage amount as stated in the meeting transcript was unclear; official fiscal documents should be consulted for exact amount).
- Utility permit for Dean Pipeline Company LLC and Enterprise Products Operating LLC to abandon pipeline in place in Precinct 1 — approved.
- Acceptance of treasurer’s bank reconciliations and related fiscal reports — approved.
- Approval to include a late invoice for $5,120 to Bill Miller Barbecue Enterprise Limited in the bills to be paid — approved.
- Personnel actions including hires, transfers and one resignation — approved.

What it means: The 90-day burn restriction and the disaster declaration are temporary administrative measures the county adopted in response to recent wildfire activity. The procurement approvals move forward several planned technology and facilities projects, including countywide public works software intended to integrate with the county’s GIS. Release of retainage on the road project signals that the county has reached a contract milestone; however, the meeting transcript contained unclear numeric detail about the retained balance and commissioners referenced warranty and maintenance issues that had been affected when county forces performed repairs while a contractor was under contract.

The meeting record shows public gratitude for firefighters and mutual-aid partners; county officials urged continued caution during hot, dry, windy weather. Several speakers encouraged coordination between utilities, contractors and precinct commissioners to avoid road damage during pipeline work or construction.

The court adjourned after approving the agenda items; no executive session was recorded in the transcript.