Hays County Commissioners Court on Jan. 28 adopted a resolution opposing state action to eliminate countywide polling places and electronic poll books and voted on a slate of contracts, budget amendments, staffing regrades and proclamations.

The court passed the elections resolution after several public speakers urged preserving countywide voting and electronic poll books; Hays County Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff told the court the county has used the program since 2019 and that 99 Texas counties now participate. The vote was unanimous: Commissioners Hammer, Smith, Cohen and Judge Becerra all voted yes.

The court also adopted proclamations recognizing January 2025 as National Crime Stoppers Month and Jan. 29–Feb. 2, 2025, as National Job Corps Groundhog Week, approved multiple contract awards and change orders, authorized budget amendments, approved personnel regrades, and authorized new and renewed interlocal agreements and program contracts. A consent block of routine items (G1–G40, G42) was approved by roll call.

Why it matters: The elections resolution is intended to preserve the county’s use of vote centers and electronic poll books, which county officials and local party representatives said reduced provisional ballots and offered voters on-election-day flexibility. Several of the other items—transportation and road-design contracts, youth and mental-health contracts, and workforce training—affect county service delivery and capital projects funded by prior voter-approved measures and grants.

Key votes and outcomes (selected)
- Adopted resolution opposing elimination of countywide polling places and electronic poll books (K1): approved by roll call (Hammer, Smith, Cohen, Becerra — all yes).
- Proclamation: National Crime Stoppers Month (F3): adopted unanimously; Hays County Crime Stoppers executive director Sgt. Jeff Jordan described recent recoveries and arrests aided by anonymous tips.
- Proclamation: Gary Job Corps Groundhog Week (F4): adopted unanimously; Gary Job Corps leaders and alumni addressed the court.
- Appointed a commissioners-court representative to the Hays County Investment Committee (K2): Judge Becerra was nominated and confirmed by roll call.
- Authorized Transportation Division to create an in‑house commercial driver’s license (CDL) training program (K15): approved unanimously; county transportation staff said the program will let the county train and certify employees in-house, reducing outside training expense.
- Mental health court items (K9, K10, K11): contracts for behavioral-health services and an assisted outpatient treatment program were authorized; the court also approved a $250 participant fee for the mental‑health specialty court with judicial waiver authority where appropriate.
- Selected Doucet & Associates to provide design services for Darden Hill Road projects (I3, I4): contracts authorization approved; staff said timing is important because of nearby planned school traffic.
- Awarded IFB 2024‑B05 RM 2325 sidewalk to Lone Star Site Work LLC for $1,691,813.40 (K16): approved.
- Personnel/compensation actions: regrade of a county courts paralegal slot (K4) and regrades for transportation inspectors (K3) were approved; the court discussed market data and potential downstream pay-plan effects.
- Development and planning actions: variance and amended-plat approvals for Possum Trot Park Lots and ratification of the Chariots Landing final plat (J4, J5) were approved; a development agreement for Catawba Mesa condominiums was also authorized (J3).
- Parks and community agreements: the court authorized a license allowing a youth sports foundation to begin field cleanup and to draft a future management/lease agreement for fields at the Go Forth site (K12).
- Consent agenda: The court approved the consent block of routine budget, procurement and grant actions (items G1–G40, G42), including acceptance of grant awards, vendor renewals, and routine payments. Notable consent items called out during discussion included a $142,183.71 grant award (G10) from the Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Division and acceptance of donations totaling $85,600 for the Child Protective Board (G31).

Discussion highlights and context
- Elections: Local speakers including John Leonard (longtime ballot-board volunteer) and John Hatch (Hays County Democratic Party chair) urged the court to oppose legislation that would require precinct-based voting only. Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff said countywide voting improves turnout and reduces provisional ballots and that the option is broadly used statewide.

- Homelessness: The Homeless Coalition reported a Jan. 23 point-in-time (PIT) count with roughly 60 volunteers; county staff said compiled PIT data will be submitted to the Texas Homeless Network for analysis and a follow-up presentation to the court when available. The coalition also announced a poverty-simulation training for Feb. 27 designed for public-facing staff and elected officials.

- Workforce development: The new county-run CDL training program was presented by Transportation Superintendent Aaron Jones; officials cited Comal County’s existing program as a model and said in‑house training will help recruitment and retention while reducing outsourcing costs.

- Budget and personnel: The court approved an additional contribution to the Texas County & District Retirement System for FY2024 pension assets and several position regrades after compensation-committee review and market analysis. County HR staff cautioned that incremental regrades can skew the county pay plan if done selectively.

What’s next: Several items require follow-up: staff will return with PIT count analysis when the statewide report is complete (estimated several months), the county will negotiate contracts authorized by selection votes (design and construction contracts), and the county and partners will draft and return with a proposed long-term agreement for the Go Forth sports fields. The court also directed legal staff to pursue a bond-validation suit related to pending litigation (action recorded in executive session and followed by a public motion).