At its regular weekly meeting, the Kaufman County Commissioners Court approved a series of routine and substantive items including appointments, interlocal agreements, procurement requests and payment of county claims totaling $886,042.64.

Key votes and outcomes

- Consent agenda: Approved by voice vote.
- ESD No. 5 board: Accepted the resignation of Marvin Cates and appointed Stewart Andress to the Emergency Services District No. 5 board; motion carried by voice vote.
- ETJ interlocal agreement: Approved an extraterritorial-jurisdiction interlocal agreement between Cobham County and the City of Portree (described in the meeting as the same agreement as previously used); approved by voice vote.
- TACEO appointment: Approved appointing Tammy Smith to the Texas Association of County Elections Officials (TACEO) legislative subcommittee to monitor and analyze election-related bills and regulations; approved by voice vote.
- Road/bridge procurement: Approved ordering a concrete box cover for Road Bridge Precinct 4 using Kaufman County Bid 2414; approved by voice vote.
- Sole‑source procurement and sheriff equipment: Declared Custom Signals a sole‑source provider and approved purchases of in‑car and body‑worn camera systems for the sheriff’s department (see separate story for details); approved by voice vote.
- Department credit cards: Approved issuing assigned credit cards to 3–4 frequent‑user departments to streamline purchases and improve accountability; approved by voice vote. Auditors confirmed the internal control and receipt procedures will continue.
- Showgrounds contract: The court postponed final action on a contract for showgrounds rental and related facilities until next week to clarify whether specific buildings (including a small exhibition/rabbit barn) are included; motion to pass until next week carried.
- Line‑item transfers: Approved routine line‑item transfers as presented by the auditor; approved by voice vote.
- Claims and payments: Approved payment of accounts payable invoices totaling $881,642.64 and jury checks totaling $4,400 for a total payout of $886,042.64; the auditor said most costs were for road materials, culverts and inmate medical expenses.
- Executive session and follow-up: The court recessed into executive session under Texas Government Code §551.071 to consult with counsel on pending litigation matters and returned to open session. Following the closed session, the court authorized staff to enter contract negotiations with a law firm (referenced in the meeting as “Calhoun, Bellas in sequence”) to serve as lead counsel in the Justice Center construction litigation; motion carried by voice vote, with Judge Allen participating by phone.

How the votes were taken

Most items were approved by voice vote with commissioners saying “aye” when prompted; no recorded roll-call tallies were provided in the public meeting for routine items. Several motions were moved and seconded from the bench; where the transcript records a specific mover/second, that information is included in the underlying meeting record.

What was not disclosed

The court did not disclose contract terms, purchase prices for the camera systems, or a fee arrangement for the outside counsel during the public session. The showgrounds contract was postponed for clarification. County staff said they will return with contract details and procurement paperwork as appropriate.