Hidalgo County Commissioners Court and the Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 approved a series of routine but legally required actions Wednesday, including contractor payment applications, supplemental engineering agreements, grants, and a resolution authorizing acquisition of easements and rights of way related to drainage work.

The Drainage District approved a resolution “recognizing the necessity of required easements or rights of way or fee title in connection with the construction of the Mile 6 outfalls” and authorized acquisition “by condemnation, eminent domain or otherwise,” as read into the record by staff; the motion passed on an aye vote. Several payments and work authorizations tied to county drainage and roadway projects were also approved during the meeting.

Why it matters: The approvals finance ongoing construction and engineering work across Hidalgo County’s bond-funded drainage and road programs and clear legal steps for property acquisitions tied to flood-control infrastructure.

Key approvals and outcomes

- Resolution (Drainage District): Approval to recognize necessity and authorize acquisition of easements/rights of way or fee title for Mile 6 outfalls; motion passed (aye).

- Payment applications approved (selected items recorded on the agenda): NM Contractors — Payment No. 7 for $153,280.56 (HCDD1 contract CHCDD1-23076-0305); Onuak Infrastructure — Payment No. 2 for $77,738.76 (CHCDD1-240460924); RBM Contractors — Payment No. 15 for $43,228.75 (CHCDD1-230140426); Morewell LLC — Payment No. 9 for $103,008.60 (CHCDD1-22-0601129); Morrill LLC — Payment No. 10 for $1,173,577.56 (CHCDD1-22-0601129); Econ Group — Payment No. 8 for $156,622.56 (CHCDD1-240070319). All motions carried by voice vote.

- Supplemental agreements and schedule extensions: LNG Engineers (various supplemental agreements and authorizations) — supplemental agreement No. 5 and No. 3 for Naquitas/2018 bond projects (termination extended to Feb. 1, 2026) — approved subject to legal review and HB 1295 compliance; Cruz Hogan Consultants — supplemental agreement No. 6 (Highway 281 & FM 88), termination extended to March 30, 2025 — approved subject to final legal review and HB 1295 compliance.

- Closing documents / property closings: Approved closing documents for Parcel 19-1 (Project 19, Mid Valley Airport) and Parcel 23-2 (Project 23, Mile 11/North Texas Boulevard) with authority for the board chair to execute documents pending final legal review — motions carried.

- Work authorizations and testing services: Terracon Consultants Inc. — Work Authorization No. 4 (construction materials testing) for West Main Drain 3 Phase 3 in the amount listed on the agenda; Tarragon Consultants Inc. — Work Authorization No. 5 for Phase 4 in the stated amount; Sains Inc. — Supplemental Agreement No. 1 and Work Authorization No. 1 for West Main Drain 3 Extension Phase 2 (additional scope and $27,270) with revised termination date April 28, 2027 — all approved subject to legal review as noted.

- Engineering/urban-county contracts and rankings: The Urban County program presented scoring grids and authorized negotiations with the top-ranked firms for City of Sullivan and City of Weslaco infrastructure projects; motions to negotiate and approve ranking were passed.

- Purchasing and professional services: The commissioners approved a range of purchasing items, including: authority to negotiate emergency ambulance services with top-ranked vendor Skyline Emergency Medical Services; sole-source and exemption requests for certain IT and professional services; a number of capital and construction contract change orders and award recommendations outlined by Purchasing — motions carried.

- Grants and interlocal agreements: The court approved multiple grant applications and resolutions designating the county judge as the authorized official, including criminal justice grants for specialty courts, border prosecution unit grant applications, public-health grants, the State and Local Cybersecurity grant program application, and several other renewal or new grant submissions across departments. All grant-related motions on the agenda passed.

- Personnel/appointments: The court approved the appointment of Ana Gallardo as a community representative to the Hidalgo County Head Start Program Policy Council for a one-year term under 45 CFR 1301.3(d)(3); multiple personnel and classification actions across departments (title changes, slot deletions/creations, discretionary steps) were approved as presented.

Meeting procedure and legal review notes

Multiple items carried language that final execution was “subject to final legal review and compliance with HB 1295,” a standard notation when contract terms require counsel review under state law. Several engineering and construction agreements were extended with revised Exhibit D schedules and new termination dates.

Votes at a glance (selected, by agenda ID where provided)

- Agenda Item (Drainage) 6b: Resolution for Mile 6 outfalls — approved (aye vote).
- Agenda Item 6b/6c/8-series: Multiple supplemental agreements with LNG Engineers, Cruz Hogan Consultants — approved (motions carried; subject to legal review/HB 1295 where noted).
- Payment/Applications: NM Contractors ($153,280.56), Onuak Infrastructure ($77,738.76), RBM Contractors ($43,228.75), Morewell LLC ($103,008.60), Morrill LLC ($1,173,577.56), Econ Group ($156,622.56) — each motion approved by voice vote.
- Work authorizations (Terracon, Tarragon, Sains) and related amendments — approved.
- Purchasing awards and authority to negotiate ambulance services with Skyline EMS — approved.
- Multiple grant applications/resolutions across departments (Health & Human Services, District Attorney, Courts, IT cybersecurity grants) — approved; county judge designated authorized official for eGrants where applicable.

What the record shows and limits

All approvals recorded on the public agenda were passed by voice vote during the session. Where staff read contract numbers, amounts, or PO numbers into the record, the court voted to approve as described; several approvals carried the caveat that final execution would be done after legal review. No item in this session that reached a formal vote on the record failed.

Provenance: transcript excerpts supporting the approvals are found where individual agenda items were read into the record and where motions were made and carried (agenda entries beginning at the recorded segments for the Drainage District roll call and through the commissioners court agenda motions).