All right. Okay. Court will now come to order. Good morning. Welcome to commissioners court meeting of tuesday, August 4th, 2026.
as you can hear, my voice has been. I've had not. I've lost my voice with allergies. So I guess it's god telling me that he wants to me for Me to be quiet today,
but I don't know if I can do that. But sometimes, Commissioners, I may ask y'all to run the meeting while my voice rests.
so with that I'd like father pat o'brien of the saint pius catholic church to come Forward.
and I'd like to introduce father pat. Come to the podium, Please.
he currently serves as pastor of saint pius, The 10th catholic church, which is in my neighborhood on the northeast san antonio farms.
and he wears many hats. And he I have come to know father pat, And he has a very interesting life history.
right, father pat? Some say that. Some say that chaplain at antonian college preparatory High school,
host of theology on tap. Tap means doesn't mean beer, Does it?
pat, it could mean judge. All right. Presider of the catholic television, San antonio's monday and saturday televised masses.
as a child of military parents, father o'brien's path has taken him all over the world.
born in new york, and we'll let that one pass. Father pat. He entered seminary at the archdiocese of denver, Becoming ordained as a deacon in 1988 and a priest in 1989.
his distinguished business and community leadership can be seen in many ways, And this is what's quite remarkable father pat,
during a leave of absence, pursued a business career and became a commercial division Leader for the real estate company remax.
so he knows how to sell, right? Commissioner I mean right. Oh, I'm going to make you an elected official now, Father pat. Yes.
so he has served in many civic roles, such as the planning and zoning commissioner, Council,
council member, mayor pro tem in the city of cibolo. You are have been elected official, then president chair of the randolph metrocom chamber Of commerce,
president of the randolph air power community council and liaison for the u.s.
air force academy. Father brian, we thank you for your service to the community and to the Lord,
and we welcome your invocation this morning. Could we please stand do the opening prayer, And after that,
please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance. Let us pray.
we thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon bexar county and for the opportunity To gather in service of our community.
I ask you to grant wisdom, integrity and compassion to our judge, Commissioners and all who serve the people of bexar county.
help them to seek the common good, to protect the vulnerable, And to use all of our resources wisely,
and to make decisions that promote justice, peace, And the flourishing of every resident.
we ask your blessing upon today's deliberations. May they be respectful dialog, thoughtful discernment, And sincere desire to work together despite differences.
always remembering that public office is a sacred trust. Today, I especially wish to express my gratitude for the service of judge peter sakai.
we. I want to thank him for the dedication and leadership and countless hours of service He has done on behalf of the courts and now of bexar county.
bless him, his family, and all who have worked alongside him. And may the good accomplished during his tenure, He continued to bear fruit in the years ahead,
and may he know the appreciation of those that he has served.
guide each of us to be faithful stewards of the responsibilities entrusted to us, And to seek what is true,
good and just. We ask all this in your holy name.
amen. Amen. Please stand. Pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for Which it stands.
one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
thank you for that. Okay. Let us take up the
first agenda. Item three request of commissioner court to identify items from consent Agenda.
consent agenda for additional discussion to approve remaining consent agenda items.
commissioner. Clay-flores. Any matters to pull for individual consideration. Nothing to Pull. Commissioner. Rodriguez. Commissioner moody.
item 1212. Item 12, which I believe
is a sheriff's issue. We will take that up after.
somewhere down in the morning. All right. Commissioner. Calvert. Commissioner. Calvert. Do we know if commissioner calvert has any matters to pull?
nope. All right, well, we'll come back when commissioner calvert returns to the dais.
I make a motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. Motion by commissioner rodriguez. Second by commissioner clay-flores on the approval of The remaining matters.
consent. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstention? Motion carried.
I believe we have a point of personal privilege by commissioner rodriguez. Yes. Thank you Judge. Good morning. We just approved one of the items on the consent agenda was item 84.
secretary cisneros is here. I wondered if you would indulge us by coming up and just Speaking on this item.
for those in attendance and watching, this is a motion to approve bexar county joining the Central texas alliance
as an anchor county founding member in the amount of $30,000 for 2027 dues.
this is a project that I know secretary cisneros has been intimately involved in the work On the growth of the corridor between
austin, travis county and san antonio, bexar county.
so this is a new alliance and I know it's a lot of work ahead on the fulfilling the Potential of the growth of that corridor.
so this has been approved mr. Secretary, today as a member founding member, But I wanted to give you the opportunity to say a few words on the work that you're doing
there. Judge, members of the court, thank you very much for the opportunity to personally Invite you into the
central texas alliance. It's a new organization modeled on the north texas alliance, Which for 50 years has been
addressing infrastructure and critical needs in north texas, Which has grown immensely as a result of their attention to infrastructure,
rail, the airport, water, higher education, and many other things.
austin and san antonio are growing together as a region. It's not just two cities, and it's not just the corridor between us, But williamson county to the north of austin is going to have a million people itself.
round rock, pflugerville, those places. And then we have to the east.
the growth along sh 130, where we're seeing plants like the tesla plant east of austin and Seguin,
which is acquiring advanced manufacturing japanese firms and such.
it's a region, the region today. And this is going to surprise you.
the region today from north of austin to south of san antonio is 5.3 million people.
we don't think of ourselves as part of a region of 5.3 million people.
but even more importantly, the census tells us in 2050, Just 24 years from now, that's going to be 8.3 million
people with the rate of growth. That's a city the size of chicago coming into our region.
if we're not talking together, if we're not planning together, Then we're going to see congestion,
water issues, lack of power for new electrification that's going on, Not going to be maximizing our educational potential.
our green space needs to be preserved if we're going to have it in this region.
so all of those things require us to come together. Thank you for putting bexar county in the lead to create this entity.
it's well on the way toward creation. Aj rodriguez, Who you all know is the designated ceo of this effort to address those
critical issues. The roadway between us, transportation, Potentially rail water issues adequate electrical
power in forcing, rather encouraging our great universities to grow to national status.
k through 12 education, preschool, the whole range of things that will serve the region.
so again, thank you for putting bexar county in the lead.
it'll be an example to others that they should come aboard. Thank you. Well, henry, let me also put on the record that you and I have worked together During my four years,
and it's been a wonderful collaboration, especially you and your leadership on.
I believe you have dubbed the mega corridor. Correct.
is that the correct mega mega region now? And so obviously, We have focused in between the metropolitan austin,
san antonio and all those in between. But this is a further expansion of that dialog.
and I want to thank you for your leadership, Because I haven't been able to establish great relationships with judge brown there in
travis county, judge becerra, hays county, and may rest in peace, Judge krauss over in comal county.
and so the bexar county, along with all the other counties in the rural areas.
judge whitman down in wilson, judge ku down at escosa, Judge lutze down in medina, bexar county and judge kelly in kerr,
especially with what happened in the flooding last year. Bexar county has stood up judge hidalgo in harris county.
with the flooding, bexar county has stood and to develop a regional aspect to its Governance and that we're all in this together.
and I want and hope that the central texas alliance continues.
that pathway that we all have to work together. Is that is that where we want to go? Absolutely, Absolutely.
the upside of working together is immense in terms of making that growth work for us Creating jobs,
incomes, better education, training for our people to be able to get those jobs.
this region is one of the fastest growing regions in america and indeed the world.
its best days are yet to come just in terms of the sheer growth, But how we harness that and make it work for our people who've been left out is a big part
of the agenda. Judge, thank you for taking the leadership on working with the other Judges.
there are 13 counties in the footprint of this central texas alliance.
and you know them. You know them all. So let me close with this. This is what I hope the commissioners court will go forward for the years to come.
good government doesn't just stand still. It listens, It evaluates and it keeps improving.
and as you know, henry, that's called kaizen, The japanese culture. So thank you very much for all your long standing contributions to our community and to The world.
thank you very much. Can we give henry a round of applause? Thank you judge. You're right. I've had the privilege of standing before you here as County judge.
I've known you for many years before that. And it may be that I will not be before the Court again before you.
your term expires. So let me just thank you for all you've done for our county.
put it on an even keel, accomplish things, work well with the courts.
thank you for your service. Thank you. All right.
oh. Commissioner. Calvert. Thank you. Judge. Thank you.
commissioner rodriguez, for co-sponsoring this particular improvement to our regional Planning.
and I want to thank you, henry, for over 40 years of dedication to the vision of the Megalopolis that's happening between san antonio and austin
regions, and it is obvious that we are becoming a megalopolis as you travel down 35.
I do now, as I mentioned to you, because I'm in the graduate program at the university of Texas at austin.
so I'm on those highways 2 or 3 times a month traveling to class.
and there's no doubt that I think in the future, The visions that have been laid out on transportation improvements are going to be more
necessary as talent traverses the corridor. It is one of the top three fastest growing Economic corridors in the united states and going to be
even more so as our center of military medicine, Our various tech entrepreneurship innovations happen as a
result of, frankly, tier one university investments as a result of other federal programs.
and I think in the in the decades ahead, the united states will be much more connected From a rail standpoint than we are today.
and that's a good thing, because when you look at the infrastructure of nations like china When I go to their,
excuse me, their train stations, they've got 20 tracks of train where if we had just half Of that to help this 35 corridor
not just austin san antonio corridor, but even going into laredo to move traffic to get Trucks off the road,
it would be an important thing. I hope that this particular group will help in the most Immediate needs of infrastructure and
safety. We've talked about transportation, but flood control is a big one.
sometimes our brothers and sisters in our rural counties have not employed the state's use Of the flood control tax.
that flood control tax can fund hundreds of millions, Billions of dollars in drainage and save lives.
all of us have a vested interest in the development of safe roads and safe buildings, Because we are becoming one region,
and you may be on a vacation in new braunfels or san marcos, And a storm comes.
and the tragic loss of life that we've seen over the last year has has been an awakening.
but, but but there's also some tools and resources that we can be an exemplar of enacting To our bigger brothers.
excuse me. Are our smaller counties around the region? I also think in health care. That's also one of the areas that we are blessed to have our University health staff here today.
but we take in a lot of regional patients because there's a lack of primary and other Health
care options. And I hope that the great work the university health system has done can be An example for the fact that other regional
counties can invest in that health care infrastructure as well. So we look forward to Supporting to providing some insight and serving with the group of elected
officials who are paving the way. Thanks, henry, For your work. Tommy. Thank you, commissioner.
and let me just say the main central activity, I believe, well, two things of this entity.
one will be to sort of vision the future and prepare for it, And the other will be advocacy to get the resources from the state for this region and
national for this region to work on exactly the kinds of things that you have mentioned That that we look to being about 130
people strong between the 13 county judges, the mayors, The mpos, the cogs, the university presidents,
the school district heads, the business leaders, Business organizations, and economic development groups.
that's a pretty strong advocacy for the for the whole range of things that you've Mentioned.
thank you. One I did forget was water. Judge becerra asked me to participate in a forum With his constituents on the data center growth
that's happening in hays county, and their concern is very acute.
and you probably heard some of the residents coming out to large numbers when you don't Have data centers that are using the fourth,
excuse me, the fourth generation technologies for water conservation, Energy conservation,
those are really critical that we serve as a voice of reason in a time of escalating and Cramped resources.
thank you. That is another example. Yeah. Thank you judge.
good luck. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Okay. I'm I'm alerting. I want to tee up a special guest for commissioners Court.
are we ready for our special guest? If we are, We're making a presentation of a proclamation on behalf of commissioners court recognizing
the san antonio spurs under extraordinary 2025 2026 nba season.
there he is, the one, the only, the coyote.
all right. And the spurs team. And although they're not tall and they don't I don't know If they oh I don't know if you can make a few baskets.
but we got the spurs teams that make things happen every day. Right. Bobby portis. All right. Commissioner.
clay-flores. You have a proclamation to read. So coyote, thank you so much for being here in such a busy schedule on behalf of the Spurs.
I like that you are a man of few words, so I'm glad that you're not going to say much Because we have a really long agenda.
but it was really important for me, along with my colleague commissioner rodriguez, To bring this,
to acknowledge the work that you all have done, Because I have always said that there is so much division in our country,
in our state and in our county, and the spurs is one of the few things that bring us Together.
so when I give speeches, I'm still talking about using the spurs as an example for Different things.
when I'm at schools or even in the business community. And so I'm just so excited to be able to read this proclamation.
whereas the san antonio spurs have long represented the pride, Resilience and spirit of san antonio and the surrounding region,
inspiring generations of fans through their commitment to excellence both on and off the Court.
during the 22 I'm sorry. During the 2020 526 nba season, Santos demonstrated exceptional determination,
teamwork, and perseverance. Whereas, through outstanding leadership, Remarkable, remarkable athletic achievement and an unwavering commitment to their pursuit
of excellence, the spurs captured the western conference champion. Y'all can. Y'all. Y'all can clap. Game seven is one for the books and advance to the
nba finals, marking one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history.
and whereas the players, coaches, staff and organizations exemplified professionalism Unlike some of the other teams
sportsmanship. Unlike some of the other mascots and dedication, Unlike some of the other fans
that wasn't in here, those are my words. Serving as ambassadors for san antonio, Inspiring young athletes,
I would say, and old throughout our community. And whereas the success of the san antonio spurs extends far beyond the basketball court, We know we go into mexico and france generating economic activity,
strengthening community pride and uniting residents from all walks of life in support of Their hometown team.
the san antonio spurs have once again demonstrated why they remain one of the most Respected organizations in professional sports,
and their accomplishments this season will be celebrated and remembered by spurs fans for Years and decades and centuries and generations to come.
now, therefore, be it resolved that the bexar county commissioners court do hereby Recognize and congratulate the san antonio.
spurs go, spurs go. Why don't y'all come up? Bobby.
bobby, do you want to say a few words? Bobby. Judge. Court. I'm going to yield the floor to rollie.
he's going to step up. Okay. Good morning judge. How are you doing? Good morning Commissioner. I just want to say thank you so much for this recognition. As you mentioned,
commissioner clay-flores, the unity and the unforgettable memories that are going to stick With these families for years to come. The reason why we show up to work every day,
and we're just so grateful and honored to be part of a community that wraps their arms Around us,
and that really is a part of our fabric and our dna as an organization. So just again, thank you so much. And and go, Spurs.
go go go go. Come take a picture. Oh! Hey. Come down!
all right.
very warm in there.
we need more people on this side.
maybe like one more.
go for it. Go go go.
got it. Thank you.
all right. Okay. We'll take the second presentation.
let me just kind of alert y'all. We're going to we have some really superstars besides the Spurs.
we have other superstars of the community. We have a presentation of a proclamation on Behalf of commissioners court recognizing august 2026 as a tribute to the
icons, icons of tejano and norteno industry. I'm proud to sponsor this with our county Clerk,
lucy adame-clark. Would you please come forward? And I believe we have the stars in the house.
okay, don't push and don't just be nice. All of y'all come forward and stand behind our County clerk who will make some introductory
remarks. We'll have, I believe, lucy, you have somebody respond to behalf of the group.
yes. And then commissioner calvert, if you'll read the proclamation after lucy finishes Her,
or I'll open with you. Commissioner. Calvert and allow you to make your remarks and read The proclamation.
and lucy, I believe, steve huerta, you all have gifts or recognitions to make of the Recognition.
yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Good morning, commissioners court, Distinguished guests.
I am lucy adame-clark, the county clerk of bexar county. It is true, and an honor to be here today and celebrate and recognize the incredible Contributions of our tejano artists and community leaders
that some have passed away. Today we have the privilege of presenting proclamations from Commissioners court and county judge.
and certificates of flags flown over the alamo in honor of their dedication, Their sacrifices,
and everything they do for our community. Their talent and service has impacted our Community.
today, I wear my mexican flag, my azteca brooch to recognize our tejanos of our nation.
tejano music is more than just music. It is the soundtrack of our history, Our culture, and our families.
our community is dealing with so much right now. It brings generations together, preserves our heritage, And tells the stories of resilience,
love and faith and pride that defines each and every one of these individuals.
the artists we honor today have carried many traditions forward from their families, Their grandparents,
and their great grandparents that come from the tierra de mexico with passion and Excellence,
inspiring our audience for many, many years and years to come.
but their influence extends well beyond just the stage.
through their generations and mentorship and community involvement and commitment to Preserving our culture,
they have strengthened our neighborhoods and inspired young people to become musicians Themselves and to dream big.
some of these individuals come from the projects here in san antonio, Texas, and reminded us all of the importance of giving back to where they come from.
their work has created opportunities, build connections, And has brought joy to many individuals and many individuals lives.
these proclamations are a small token of our appreciation for their impact to each and Every honoree that has made it here today.
they represent our gratitude for the music that they've shared, The doors that have opened,
and the legacy, not legends, the legacy that will continue to be built on each and every One of you for the future of our generation to come.
to each of our honorees. Thank you. Thank you for doing this for our community.
thank you for bringing your talent forward. Thank you for putting your corazon, Your heart,
and your unwavering dedication in your music. Your contribution has made our community stronger, And I hope today unites our community deeply.
and I'm deeply proud to recognize our tejano heritage. Please join me as we congratulate our distinguished honorees, And thank you all for everything you have done.
I want to say this as I want to thank commissioners court.
I want to thank judge peter sakai. Peter sakai has brought light to our culture, Our tejanos and nortenos,
our latinos, our hispanos, our route to our roots of our community.
thanks to peter sakai for allowing this to happen in commissioners court, Because this is who we are.
my own grandfather, who was born in guadalajara, Jalisco, mexico, toribio alba martinez is why I'm proud to do this today.
my first individual will be emilio navaira family to be recognized here today.
can you please step forward? Thank you. And thank you for being here.
thank you so much. And stay here. Don't don't walk away because we're gonna get a picture.
please. Second los aguilares genaro y emilio familia to be recognized.
mr. Raulito is here. And I'm not mistaken. I
think his daughter has followed in his footsteps. The third one would be henry.
similarly or similarly, I mirror you turned me gringa family to be recognized.
are you the one? To get it correct. There you go.
thank you. This is a big one. Vicente barrera.
this is an amazing woman who continues to do big impacts on our community, Has gotten educated and continues to make a presence in our community.
doctor patsy torres.
the next young lady is also a very well recognized individual in our community.
elsa garcia. I had the honor of recognizing her at the event, So I'm very honored as well.
thank you lucy. You're welcome. Thank you, judge sakai, With all my heart. And toby de luna, everybody that's involved in this, I'm very proud and I'm very proud to share the stage with these amazing talents as well.
gracias, gracias. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
the next one will be freddy martinez senior. He didn't make it here today, Though.
we're going to grab him next time. The next one is jaime deanda.
come on over. Thank you so much. Thank you for everything.
the next one is la sombra.
I'm a daughter of a marine. That's what it is, He said. You have strong hands. I'm a daughter of marine. Thank you all.
thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for waiting. Congratulations.
thank you. The next one is hugo guerrero.
ruben is accepting on behalf of the great ruben ramos is here.
with his wife. So he's here to accept it and his honor because his wife just passed away.
our condolences. Their condolences. Thank you ruben.
and the next one is going to be. Who is hugo guerrero, Los palominos.
congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
gracias. The next one is frank tovar y los tavarez band.
and thank you for being here. Thank you. The next one is a very popular name as well, Too,
in the state of texas and nationally. Roberto pulido.
ruben ramos. El gato negro. I know him because my father, My parents, el gato negro, has been around for
a long time. And I'm 54. Ruben but that's all I heard, Right?
I feel like. You did. All of you are. We are so honored to have you here
today. Thank you. We're honored to have you all here to. Gracias. Gracias, gracias. Los desperados.
thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The brother. No, no no, no, you didn't make it up. Well, here's your flag.
thank you, thank you. Excuse me. I'd like to say thank you very much. Judge peter sakai, the council, and of course, All of our peers, our fellow musicians.
congratulations. And I'd like to dedicate this to my my grandfather, Librado villarreal, who was a pioneer and a,
he was one of the originators of conjunto music here in san antonio. I also like to dedicate it to my father, librado villarreal jr.
thank you. Thank you. The next one will
be sunny ozuna. He didn't make it today, but the great sunny ozuna.
thank you so much. And the next one will be agustin ramirez agustin.
his family is a family from ramirez here. Did I make it okay?
thank you so much. The next one is carlos guzman.
the great carlos has been has been a musician since 1969.
thank you. Thank you very much. Gracias. Por todo. Gracias. Thank you. Thank you. The next one is david and joe farias la tropa f.
this one has stayed busy and still continues to continue to continue the family tradition.
raulito. Navarra. I just want to say thank you to the city
of san antonio. Thank you for always supporting our music, Our culture and thank you for supporting la familia navarra from espada.
that's right. Gracias. The next individual is an old mariachi and has been around and Continues to be a force in our community.
placido salazar, the father of the sheriff, javier salazar.
is he here? Did I make it? Okay, so I'll get him.
the next individual is going to be juan ortiz campanas de america, Mariachi usa.
the next individual is sami nino brown alvarez.
thank you, judge mr. Moode. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you. The next individual is going to be henry brown.
henry brown. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you.
and the next individual, judge peter sakai and I in the court could not have done this.
any of this starting this year in 2026. If it wasn't for this individual, There is an individual in the community that has been an advocate,
a big supporter of bexar county, and bringing this to the forefront to make sure that we Bring tejano norteno music back to our court,
back to our community. That is a great toby deluna also honoring him.
also honoring him for being recognized. We have an individual here from the state of texas Representatives who contributes to the texas music industry.
so before we give him our certificate or proclamation, I ask that steve ray comes forward to say a few words.
thanks, everyone for having me here today. This is a really special day for me and for all The people.
we're being honored. In 2018. Toby deluna arranged for jay perez to receive recognition For 25 years as a solo
artist. In 2019, I ran into toby at the toronto music awards.
I didn't recognize him and he called me on it. He had this idea to recognize more tejano musicians.
I told him that I knew a little bit about tejano world, But would need help.
side note in 2025, my year end spotify stats showed that tejano music was my second Favorite genre,
so I guess he helped me quite a bit. So we set out to recognize career anniversaries and Awards at the state level,
and it's been a great partnership. With toby's help, We've gotten state recognition for groups like intocable,
la fiebre, artists like chente barrera, stefani montiel, Ramon pereira, ruben ramos, elida reyna,
and so many others. And we're not done. He makes it so easy.
I just do the office work at the state level, And by the time I show up, everything's in place for the event.
and we've become friends and have really gotten to know his family.
which brings me to this. His wife, priscilla, Sent me a note asking if I could fly a flag over the texas state capitol for toby.
so on july 23rd, this flag was flown over the great state of texas in honor of mr.
toby deluna and his contributions to the state's music industry.
wow. I'm never speechless, but wow. First and foremost, I want to thank god and from heaven above my wife,
letting me do what I love to do on my own time and being a supporter for me, My family here with me today.
my family that's not here today. My mom, my dad, My sisters.
it's an honor to to do what I do because like I told lucy and I've told you guys before, If nobody else recognizes our artists behind me,
they're never going to be recognized. And I do it because the love of music and I do it Because these guys behind me need to be recognized as part of what they do.
you know, every weekend, in and out, in and out. And that's the career they chose. And they make people laugh, They make people cry.
and well, you know the story, right? But once again, Judge sakai, the commissioners, thank you all so much for letting us have this time.
and when the tejanos come out, they come out, Man.
they open the balcony, they have the balcony for today. But once again, thank you so much. I appreciate everything.
cynthia garcia g 289. Other people. Trina guevara, Thank you for it's not on me.
I have a team that helps me and I couldn't do it without me and lucy, Thank you for everything you do.
thank you. Can we get a picture this time? Toby, We have your certificate that was flown over the alamo.
so you not only have a state recognition, but you have a local county recognition.
so this is for you. And I want to say thank you. Thank you for everything you've done. Judge, Thank you for allowing us to do this. But I want to also give credit to my team chief,
priscilla hernandez, my project coordinator, Eddie pichardo, and especially our executive who is the executive to the county clerk.
it does take a village to complete our efforts. Also, kate and all your staff judge, that put a lot of effort in putting this together to Make it possible today.
so congratulations to each and every one of you. Muchas gracias for being here and Continue to play the beautiful music of tejano norteno mexicano hispanos aqui in san
antonio, texas. Gracias, gracias. Thank you for listening.
let's go forward. Everybody come forward for a picture. Please come forward for picture. Everybody come forward for a picture, Please.
all the icons. All the icons. Elsa, how are you?
thank you for. Come on.
all right. Oh, great. Great. Thank you.
you want to take video?
I can't. See the camera? The camera?
excuse me. Sorry, sorry. I got one. Hi. Thank you.
oh.
if y'all want to continue to take pictures outside, We have to get to the next.
we need to get to the next proclamation. Don't forget to vote for bobby.
do you want to take pictures outside? We need to get to the next proclamation. Please.
hey, partner. Yeah, I remember when you had dark hair.
let's go. Y'all get pictures and autographs. We got work to do, Right?
tina. Better be ready. Tina. I don't see david or thomas.
they're a bit busy. All right. Presentation. Proclamation.
behalf of commissioner corp.. Recognizing national poll workers recruitment day in bexar County. Commissioner rodriguez, you have the floor.
okay, we'll give them a minute. Judge. They're waiting to get in. No no no no no. We'll we'll knock it out here shortly.
or this. Yeah. Just give them a minute.
can I help you out?
if you're here for the next proclamation, you can go ahead and come up to the podium.
this is just number eight. And then this is for the jail.
and then this is heather. Heather. Heather. Go ahead and start bringing your group up. I know it's crowded, but okay. Upstairs. 061 was what?
I believe that was okay. I'll see. Okay. I need to bring him.
I need to bring him back after this. Okay. This is number eight and then jail.
yeah, I just got it. I'm going to have commissioner rodriguez.
separate that. I want that separate. Her. She's speaking to someone that's doing it.
oh, she's going to read it or do you want commissioner. I don't want it. Yeah. And she's she has to leave.
I told him I would. Okay, okay. This is all the people go to jail, Right?
all of them? Yes. Marianne. She's taking it from what?
what's that now? Okay, heather, I think we can. We can start to hear a little bit as folks fall in.
these next proclamation is on behalf of the court recognizing national poll worker Recruitment day.
thank you all for being here. We've had some big athletes here, Performance heroes.
and now we got some election heroes in our midst. So I'm going to go ahead and read the proclamation.
hope you guys can hear me. Okay. So the proclamation reads, Whereas the u.s.
election assistance commission launched national poll worker recruitment day as an Initiative to promote civic engagement and address the ongoing need for poll workers by
encouraging people to work elections. Poll workers play an essential role in upholding Election integrity.
their service ensures that voting procedures are carried out accurately and securely, Fairly transparently,
and providing voters with the confidence in the democratic process. And whereas since 2009, per the texas election code, High school students in the state of texas have been allowed to serve as student election
clerks beginning at the age of 16. And in 2020, Approximately 7% of the poll workers in texas were under the age of 18.
and whereas youth do vote began its recruitment of high school and college student poll Workers in october 2022,
enabling more young people to play a critical role in the democratic process, While also helping provide positive voting experience for those residents here in bexar
county. And whereas, during the november 2020 election, Hundreds of poll workers will be needed to serve as election clerks,
judges, technicians, and voting centers throughout bexar county. Youth do vote will continue to work in partnership with bexar county elections department To recruit the next generation of poll workers and ensure free and fair elections for
generations to come. The continued recruitment and training of poll workers, Especially new generations of voters,
help strengthen civic engagement and fosters long term, Long term participation in elections.
now, therefore, be it resolved, the bexar county commissioners court hereby recognizes and Proclaims august 11th,
2026 to be national poll worker recruitment day signed by your commissioners court.
a big round of applause for all of those here that do the work.
and I know you've been a big part of that. And I know we've had some conversations going Forward about a budget item coming up to help with furthering your
recruitment and what you're doing. But thank you for being here. Thank you all for being here, michelle. Thank you for standing with them. I'll turn it Over to you, heather, for a few words. Thank you. Well, I know y'all say the most exciting
proclamation for last, so thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, commissioner rodriguez, and good morning, Judge. Commissioners, as the founder and director of youth devote, I proudly stand here
today with elections administrator michelle carew and her team with fellow election Judges,
as well as high school and college students who have worked as election clerks, Judges and technicians since 2022.
our organization has been building a pipeline of student poll workers, Which directly aligns with bexar county's own democracy from the ground up platform.
today, you will hear from sage mireles, a senior at castlehead high school in east central Isd,
who has worked five elections as a student election clerk. You will also hear from elizabeth chalmers, a clark high school grad now attending Northeastern university who has worked three elections,
including including the 2024 presidential. Thank you, Commissioner rodriguez, for recognizing national
poll worker recruitment day. We are grateful to jessica commissioner rodriguez and their Staff members for investing in the civic leadership of student poll workers like myself.
I am proud to share that last semester, I was able to recruit 13 of my classmates to work The march primary.
I have already learned so much about elections that I will be more than ready to vote when I turn 18 in january.
with hundreds of election judges and clerks, Democracy is possible thanks to their hard work to make sure every vote counts and every
voter feels heard. While americans of all ages are encouraged to sign up to be a poll Worker,
according to the u.s. Election assistance commission, Less than 17% of poll workers in the 2024 election were under the age of 40.
as one former e e commissioner stated, bringing in a new generation of poll workers is Essential.
we know the positive impact it has when voters see their neighbors, Friends and members of their community serving in these positions.
our generation also brings much needed familiarity with technology.
as election administration continues to modernize to keep up with security needs.
last school year, youth to vote recruited and placed 82 student election clerks Representing 31 different high schools and eight colleges,
including my own. Nearly half of these students worked at least two elections.
however, at the june election commission meeting, County clerk lucy adame-clark challenged us to recruit and place 300 student election
clerks during the 2627 school year, and we would love to meet that goal.
all right. In closing, I want to thank the growing list of election judges who have worked With you to vote to hire students for their election teams.
many of these judges have become mentors to this next generation, And we cannot do this work without their partnership.
and a lot of them are standing behind me. So thank you to them. Thank you again to commissioners court and to bexar county elections department for this Ongoing collaboration to ensure young people have a seat at the table.
this support will have a long term impact on the bexar county electorate and local Election administration for years to come.
thank you. Come up for a picture, guys. Come on, Come on. Thank you. Future youth workers.
how are you? How are you doing? Good to see you.
thank y'all. Y'all want to squeeze in a little bit?
there we go.
thank you guys again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you guys. Thank you. Hey, michael. How are you? How are you?
I love you. Thank you.
all right. We gotta do some time. Certain court. Let's get to time. Certain. Move it through. And then I'm just alerting.
we have quite a few citizens to be heard on matters that are being taken up.
so. So citizens to be heard. Not all of y'all are going to come on agenda eight.
I may call you up on specific items that you signed up for. So just please be aware that you may be called up.
and if you're not here, we'll be moving on. So at this time, The nine time is 10:02 a.m..
I'm calling up and asking the court to do a public hearing and invite the public input Regarding the proposed holly heights special
improvement district, item 5a5a I'm going through the citizens be heard.
I have yet to see. Is there anybody signed up for item five a.
five aye once, twice, three times. We are moving through now for a presentation Discussion.
appropriate action regarding order granting a petition for the creation of holly heights Special improvement district.
appointment of directors. Imposition of ad valorem and sales tax and use taxes for the Authority to enter into economic,
economic development agreements, grants and loans. Miss shannon. Good morning, judge and commissioners.
melissa shannon, office of the county manager. As you said, this is the action to create holly heights special improvement district.
we've got representatives from the improvement district here, Paul landa, engineer, james mcknight from mcknight,
from mcknight and kevin de anda from autism mcknight.
so just why don't you bring him up? Stand behind you in case there's any questions. Just to remind you, judge and commissioners, On april 14th, earlier this year, you approved a resolution of intent
for this pit, and the city of san antonio approved their 30 year non annexation Development agreement.
on june the 11th. So you're all very familiar with this chapter in statute
government code 382. It sets out all the powers that a kid can have taxation powers, Construction authority,
etc.. So this pit in particular is located in precinct four is j.
j. Aye development is the developer. They're seeking a 30 year term.
they're seeking ad valorem sales tax use authority.
they're located on right at 70 acres outside loop 410 along saint hedwig road and west of Shuttleworth road.
the land is currently vacant and is used for agricultural use for tax purposes.
so we see we receive the county does about $17 a year currently in in general fund tax Revenue.
so our proposed revenues on this period are tax revenue will be right at 4 million.
and the sales and use tax is to be determined. We they can go up to a 2% sales and use tax. We don't know what that will be yet, But there could be sales tax also.
so the proposed development 90 single family homes.
the commercial acreage is to be determined. There will also be open conservation space.
and now I'll go through the actual development.
the development reflects 5.7 million for streets, Sidewalks, water, drainage.
they'll be on site. Sewer facilities. Individual septic. 100,000 in traffic signal and turn direction lanes for a total of 5.8 million in public Infrastructure development.
it will create about 29 million taxable value when it's fully developed by 2030.
the revenues generated for various tax entities in bexar county are reflected here as well As I know we've been asked in some previous
meetings to indicate what the school district might receive off of this.
we're estimating about $7.2 million. And that is my presentation.
all right. What precinct is this project precinct for? Commissioner. Calvert. Do you have any comments? Thank you very much, Judge.
thank you. Melissa. I just want to ask the applicants just to come forward or the Representatives of the applicants just to talk a little bit more about the infrastructure,
the solar lights, and some of the other tree infrastructure, Things of that nature that were added to this particular development.
yeah. Thank you. Commissioner kevin deanda with ortiz mcknight 112 east pecan street.
infrastructure for holly heights will include the solar lights that you just mentioned.
we contemplate roughly 11 total solar lights being within the community.
and those are specifically located at at roadway intersections within the development.
also, this development will help bring about a traffic signal at sherwood road and fm 1346,
which is desperately needed, as you know. And I also wanted to highlight that after Coordinating with you commissioner,
we agreed to include more tree planting with this within this development.
so each lot is contemplated for roughly ten trees.
amazing. I think that is a real value added and it's less of a burden on the county in the Long run.
we all have, and those of us who have large unincorporated areas where we don't have a cps Licensing agreement for lights,
we are all challenged by the density of development and there not being enough Streetlights for people to be able to see.
so I want to thank the applicant for working with us to invest in that infrastructure, Keeping traffic incidents,
accidents down, incidents with children going to school or waiting for a bus, And all kinds of other needs that the motorists may,
may have. And of course, our tree canopy has taken a huge hit.
we've lost 20% of our tree canopy. So this is a, A great investment in, in that, in an environment that sometimes the real estate market is
just kind of doing with all due respect, we call it a crackerjack box housing.
and this is going to make the, the living environment a lot nicer for folks out there.
thank you so much. I move approval. Second, any further discussion?
anything else for all. Those expensive. Time is now.
we have a call for another public hearing. I see the commissioners court.
regarding the proposed. Special improvement district.
are they the same principles involved? Yes. All right.
is there anybody here signed up to speak on five? See, I've gone through the list. I see nobody signed up.
is there anybody that signed up? We did not call 5c5c once.
twice? Three times. Let's go immediately to five d. Presentation discussion appropriate action regarding an order granting a petition for the Creation of a lone oak special improvement district.
appointment of directors. Imposition of ad valorem sales and use taxes and for the Authority to enter economic development agreements,
grants and loans. Miss shannon. This also. Precinct for commissioner calvert miss shannon.
so I'm not going to go through all the slides that I went through earlier.
we're all familiar with this location is in precinct four, 92 acres.
land use will be 353 single family homes as well as commercial space to be determined.
this project is actually located along I 1604 south of I-10.
as with the last one we mentioned, they are seeking ad valorem tax authority as well as Sales tax authority to be determined.
this is as well vacant land that we're getting about $32 in annual revenue because of farm Use exemption.
the actual project is proposed for the 300. And sorry I missed my slide.
the development reflects 13.8 million for streets, Sidewalks, water drainage, 2.6 million for sewer and 464,000 in traffic
signal and turn deceleration lanes, for a total of 16.9 million in public infrastructure Taxable value,
we estimate to be at about 115 million when it's fully developed by 2032.
and highlighting east central isd, we estimate right at about 26.2 million that they will Receive off of this project.
again, I look for your approval. Approval. Motion by commissioner calvert.
second. Second by commissioner rodriguez. Any further comments? Hearing none.
all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any. Oppose in motion carries. Carry on. Get those projects up and running, Gentlemen.
all right, let's go. Now, the other time. Certain.
and hopefully we're catching up here. 9:45 a.m.. This presentation discussion, appropriate action regarding the 2026 ad valorem property Tax rate recommendation for the bexar county hospital district dba
university health in support of its operating and debt service outlook for fy 2027.
good morning, mr. Jimmy. Board chair for university health board.
I believe you have your team, mr. Barnes and mr. Hurley, here. And I just want to say thank you to you, The board, the administration, the executive team,
and most importantly, the employees all the way down to the people who keep the hospital Spic and span and provide the security for those facilities on and
throughout the city, mind you. So, mr. Hasselhoff, You have the floor.
thank you, your honor. Judge commissioners, it's a pleasure to be before you again.
we want to thank you for your support. Today.
the attached is a copy of the proposed 2026 tax rate to support the operating debt service Requirements for fiscal 27 for the bexar county hospital
district, dba university health and the powerpoint for the presentation scheduled for August 4th,
2026. On tuesday, july 28th, the bexar county hospital district board of managers Unanimously recommended the
2026 tax rate recommendation for the approval of commissioners court.
the board provided leadership that time and effort to ensure a comprehensive and complete Review of the recommendations for your
consideration. The 2026 tax rate recommendation is to maintain the existing tax rate of 0.276235 per
100 property valuation. This rate will produce adequate support and continuing operations And funding our debt service needs.
due to increased exemptions and some softening in the existing property values.
the existing rate will produce estimated total tax revenue of approximately 659 million, Which is 4.7 million less than the current
year. At this time. A submission we are pending the final certified values for the tax Office.
so? So the estimated results may vary. So with that I will move into our program editor.
banos is here. Reid hurley is here. And we will I will turn it over to them.
thank you again for your support and we appreciate working with the court.
thank you. Mr.. Mr.. Judge. Commissioners. First of all, I know reed hurley is behind me,
but serena ravella, our chief legal. Well, tell him. Come on up, avery. Come on up. And andrew smith marketing or whoever you want beside you.
and bill phillips, our chief operating officer here as well. I think they're shy. They're not shy. They want to be out of the line of fire.
and first of all, we say this every year, but we have guiding principles to make sure that University health is providing the best care for everyone in bexar county and all
the, all the south texas. We focus that on providing our triple aim, Plus making sure that every patient has quality and safe outcomes.
and we continue to improve. We always want to improve the patient experience.
as is with this budget, we know with potential governmental cuts and other reimbursement Changes,
we have to make sure that we can provide the most efficient care. And then of course we Are.
and we'll share some areas where we need to improve access, Where everyone in bexar county in south texas can provide,
can get quality health care wherever they need it.
when it comes to patient care excellence, one of the highest recognitions you can get in The united states is what's called the leapfrog hospital safety grade.
we have received that now six years in a row for getting a straight a on all the national Recognized patient safety outcomes
and cms quality star rankings. We've also. Because we are required, All hospitals are to.
to survey their patients, we use a company press ganey and we are in the top 15% Nationally for inpatient patient satisfaction scores.
again, making our commitment to providing the highest quality and the best experience Possible.
what I would like to share with you is a little bit before reed gets into some of the Budget and some of the challenges for next year give you an update of where we are.
as you know, the court approved a few years ago the the expansion of our retama and palo Alto hospitals.
our palo alto hospital will be opening on february of 27.
this project was on budget and actually under budget.
and we you mean retama? I think you mean retama will be february 2020.
I'm sorry, did I say I'm sorry? Sorry. Retama hospital will be opening in february of 27.
and the board with we were under budget approved to build 20 additional patient rooms.
palo alto, which started earlier but had a much more infrastructure needing to be built.
will be opening in april. We're looking at around in april 14th date.
and that will actually have an entire, another floor built out that will open one year After we open.
so we will have another 60 beds, bringing palo alto to 220 beds.
here's where we are on a few pictures. These are the exact same hospitals so that we can Make sure that staff,
when they go in between hospitals, will be able to know where everything is. This is our Palo alto hospital.
and if you saw on social media over the weekend, We just had our restaurant, flower of hope
installed at our palo alto campus. We are very, Very close as we are putting this is the lobby of,
of both hospitals. This happens to be the rotunda hospital, But they're identical.
all the major equipment is being installed. We will be able to do advanced vascular Surgery,
cardiology, all heart attacks and advanced diagnostics.
the other campus that that became, that we're on is we're currently working on the babcock Campus,
which is the old christus medical center hospital. We've already opened up physical therapy, women's heart, And our asthma center on that campus.
currently, we have a women's health, which is women's ob-gyn.
and then also the university health has recruited a heart failure heart transplant surgeon To expand our heart failure program.
that program has already started at the hospital doing left ventricular assist devices.
and we continue to expand heart failure, a huge need in the community as well as Cardiology.
electrophysiology will be on that campus. The hospital is currently under renovations Because it closed.
we have to get it relicensed by the state. And that means it has to be brought up to 2026 Standards in certain areas.
that hospital was built in 1985 and we are updating it, And it should open with 40 beds in an emergency room in 2027.
summer. We currently are looking forward and discussions with the board.
we have the campus at babcock. We are looking to move as much outpatient out of the main Medical center as many people know that go there.
it's parking is very tough. We are very busy. And I'll show you some growth that we've had in the hospitals in the next couple of Slides.
we have to. When we built the women's and children's hospital, We had opportunities now where we can expand our lab.
this is important. Knowing what we've done with covid and getting the most advanced lab Equipment so that we can get this ahead of time and some of the highest
technology and lab we are going to build and renew renovate our lab with all new equipment That can do early detection.
we also are looking because of our hospitals and pharmacy distribution center, We are a 340 b hospital,
which means we can get our drugs at very low cost, And we can give them out many times for people that need it for free.
that that has led us to about 8 million prescriptions filled a year.
and we need a pharmacy distribution center that can work on our inpatient hospital and our Outpatient,
our north clinic is one of our busiest clinics. We have space there that hasn't been renovated.
that will be moving forward. We are working with ut and the women in there.
jin oncology there. Jin oncologist doctors. We are creating and looking forward to a Dedicated women's infusion and jin onc center on
the main campus. In partnership with ut. We will be moving our clinic over to over to Macarthur.
that's one of our that clinic is a city owned clinic. That was one we took over when we took over the city clinics about two decades ago.
and what we'll be doing is expanding that clinic for women's services, Pediatric ent.
we just can't grow anymore in that clinic. We are looking at expanding our inpatient psych Unit that is currently at the main hospital.
this is so that we can have all of our psychiatric inpatient services at the main Hospital.
this will work with ut residents, the psychiatric residents and others and know that I Know there's going to be some discussion later on about psychiatric and other services.
and then we're also expanding our behavioral health and vita that opened last october, November.
we're continually seeing over 200 patients a month at that behavioral health center, Both adolescent and adult.
and we're going to continue to expand that on the third floor of our building.
we're around the macarthur area. Will it be the near the high school?
it's about a block or two away from the high school. Some of the new services that are Currently being built.
this was done with the women's and children's hospital, But it's finally coming because when we moved our kitchen over to the new facility we are
creating a milk bank. If you think of a milk bank, A milk bank is like a blood bank for people that need blood.
this will be women who are lactating that can give donate their milk, What is then used.
it would be processed with our and then given to our nicu babies or anyone that needs it.
this is has been going on throughout the country. There's about ten of them in the country. And what we're doing is, Is this was started with $1 million donation from frost bank.
we'll be opening that late this year. And this will be able to provide milk for all the Nicu across all of south texas.
we will be the collection center, we will be the pasteurization, And we will have a process. And then we will get certified through a national organization to have that and that That's moving on as well.
we also are moving our southeast dialysis clinic. We're calling it now. We're moving it to the pecan valley dialysis center.
that's currently under construction. That was a very, Very old one of our oldest dialysis centers.
this will be opening with 28 chairs over. In pecan valley.
and as I mentioned to you, the recruitment of heart surgeons. And we I think this month we'll be starting our director of heart failure program.
she comes from a well-known heart failure program here in texas.
and she's moving down and will lead that program along with doctor patel, Our heart surgeon.
this is, as I mentioned earlier, the growth that we've had. Many of you that have been on campus have known and seen how busy we are consistently.
we now are close to 900 patients every single day in our hospital.
our emergency rooms are continuing to grow. And as you can see, Annualized, we're at 46,000.
and I think we're going to be over 46,000. We hit new admission records every single Month.
and credit to all the staff that move the people through the hospital and still Maintaining high quality and patient care.
I'm going to turn this over to reed hurley now so he can share some of our challenges for 2027.
thank you, judge and commissioners. Reed hurley, Cfo at university health. You know, the biggest I'll just come right out of the gate.
the biggest financial challenge we have in 27 is just opening the new community hospitals.
so we'll have about a thousand employees that will have to start. It'll be about 500 in each hospital. And if you think about it, Like any business, when you first open,
we will have to hire those people, train those people on board them, And I won't have any revenue coming in for those two new locations for several months.
and I'll give you some more detail on that later. But that's, that's the big one. There are always every year there's medicaid supplemental Funding challenges.
it seems like texas always seems to have an issue with the feds, Regardless of who's in power in dc.
so that happens every year. And a lot of our programs, We always say they're at risk.
I'm confident they'll they'll get approved, but there's delays a lot of times.
and there are some that are scheduled to be reduced, That nate program that's going down by 17 million this year.
and then we'll end that'll be the last year of 27 that we'll get that we get 34 million a Year out of that program.
now there are a lot of different pressures on 340 b drug prices that ed mentioned Different payment mechanisms,
different things where we're going to see some pressure there, Which could increase our cost.
our property tax revenue, if we keep the existing rate will be pretty much flat.
now that we have certified values and we sent the report in, We didn't have the certified values. Now that we have the certified values, it's literally
within like $300,000. So we should be very close, Pretty much flat to 26 revenue for property taxes.
there was a new business personal property exemption that went in place with the state That pushed us down some deflation and some existing property values that pretty much ate
up all the new property values that we had. So most years, If everything else is normal, we benefit from the new properties by about 15 to 20 million
this year. That was we lost that lift because of some deflation in existing values and That extra exemption that the state put in.
and just as a reminder, in 25 our imino went down by 21 million because we increased the Homestead exemption.
again, as ed mentioned, high demand for clinical services, If we build it, they will come.
we talked about the ramp up stuff. And then, You know, when you look back, a lot of our facilities are fairly new,
but the skytower will be 14 years old next year. So a lot of times that patient equipment beds, There's a lot of equipment in hospitals.
it's very expensive. And at about that 10 to 15 year mark. A lot of that stuff will have to be replaced as we move forward.
hey, before you go on. So the what was the expected revenue projection before the Homestead exemptions and the deflation of the values?
like because you, you made forecasts based upon projections of what was the.
yeah. Normally we'd project about $20 million increase each year if keeping the existing Tax rate just from new properties and increased values.
we didn't get that. We won't have that for 27. What is it. It's about it's about $663 million in total.
and then there's just under 100 million of that goes to debt service. And so the management operations the m and o portion will be about 562 $563 million.
you were expecting 21 million. So the the delta became you know, I mean, if in a normal year,
we'd be closer to probably 580 if if everything would have, You know, if you would have asked me a year ago,
so was it $21 million? Roughly just money that we won't get because of deflated
values and that extra exemption in this by the state.
so the new property was about 6 billion, which is pretty standard, Usually new properties or have a market value of between 6 and 7 billion almost every
year. Your your projections previously really didn't I don't think did it a zero.
you probably had a couple. Yeah. When we look if we're looking back, We always do a multiple year projection.
we would have projected that tax revenue to go up probably about 15 to $20 million.
we're usually fairly conservative. We know that the valuations that we had, You know, four and five years ago when values were kind of skyrocketing,
we knew that was we projected that to come to an end, But we didn't project a little bit of the deflation in the state.
that extra exemption from the state. So looking at that, As I mentioned, we usually do, you know,
we kind of do multi year projections. And again, It's just a projection. We've known when the new hospitals open we would have downward pressure on our bottom Line.
so this is just a this is a 24 month projection for 26 and 27.
so the maroon bars are actual bottom line. The blue bars are what we budgeted.
and then the orange bars are that projection. And so you can see as this year, kind of the middle of the graph is december 26th.
you can see as we start to ramp up hiring for retama and palo alto, Our bottom line will get pushed down.
and then we anticipate going negative for about the first half of next year. Just because again, I'm going to have all those people on board, A lot of extra expenses operating those facilities, and it will take a while for the
volume to pick up in those facilities and the revenue to start coming in, And then we'll start coming out of it probably about this time next year is when we'll
kind of come out of that dip. And this is we've known this, We have two hospitals that are going to open very close together. It's not a surprise.
it's just I want everybody to be aware. So this year we're projecting without community First,
we're projecting our bottom line to be about $112 million. Next year. We're projecting that's going to be pretty tight. We're going to project it at About $3 million. Read the time between I noticed in the slides
open, let's just say open february or open april and then operational 2028.
is that did I read that right? No, no, those were for those additional beds.
so the hospitals will be open in open in early 27 and operational seeing patients.
and then those we can't. My understanding is we can't be under construction.
active construction when the state comes in and does their inspections and gives us our License.
once we get operational, then we can start to build out there doing some stuff early, Drilling some holes through the floors and things like that.
but when they come in to do their inspection, We can't be actively building on the hospital.
so again, as I mentioned, this is just a little high level p and l of the what we call our Clinical services division.
again, in 25, we had a bottom line of 268 million. This year it's going to be about 112 million.
and then next year we're looking at about 3 million. Then we will come out of that in 28 and, you know, Be better.
it's just the really just the onboarding and ramp up of those community hospitals.
it's a thousand extra staff. Currently, we have about 13,000 employees. You had 1000 more that are not revenue producing for that time period.
and that and that ramp that's going to it'll it'll push our bottom line down.
property values. Again, as I mentioned, the, The market values, total market values went up 4.4% to 329 billion.
homestead residences increased to 416 16,000. That was up 2.4% over prior year. Average market value 328,000.
the taxable value is 267,000. So for the hospital district, The average homestead tax is $738 a year.
average is $185 savings for the exemptions that we have.
and again, that 20% homestead exemption started in 24. And that saves the taxpayer $67 million. Or conversely discounts our revenue by $67 Million.
that saves the average homeowner $161. And then we have the $30,000 over 65 exemption, Which is about $13 million benefit to the
taxpayers and about $75 a year for taxpayers that are over 65 that claim that exemption.
so our proposal is to maintain the existing rate. Again, the the debt service is going to go down about $1.2 $2 million.
this is. The slide has been updated to the latest values, Which are very close to the certified values.
we had a date after we submitted our report. So again, Very close to this year from a tax standpoint,
about 565 in m and o and 98.5 in debt service for a total of $664 million.
and again, that can move a little bit based on collection percentages and other stuff can Impact that,
that number. So again, so our recommendation is.
to approve the existing tax rate. Happy to answer any questions.
we do have some later information that we got from the tax offices. We will not need a public hearing because in our form there's a thing called the no new Revenue rate.
and it's a little bit complicated. But we will be below the no new revenue rate. So we will not require public hearing whenever we come back in september for the final Approval of the tax rate.
let me ask for a motion, please. Judge I've got the motion that's required by by, By state law.
and it reads I move to approve the proposal to set the 2026 total tax rate in support of Bexar county hospital district,
doing business as university health operations and debt service for fiscal year 2027 by Adoption of the existing total tax rate of 0.27623
$0.05 per $100 property valuation, record such vote and set a public hearing and a vote as Follows.
public hearing on september 15th, 2026 at 9:30 a.m., If required, and vote on the tax rate immediately thereafter.
such proceedings shall be held in the double height courtroom. Second floor bexar county Courthouse,
100 de la rosa, suite 2.01, san antonio, texas.
second, mr. Moody, did you second? Yes. All right. Motion by commissioner rodriguez, second by commissioner moody. Any further questions, Commissioner? Commissioner, let's go with commissioner moody. Thank you.
judge. Just a few comments and, and a couple just thoughts going forward.
thank you for being here. And I just wanted to highlight again, You had it in your presentation,
but the 20% homestead exemption that university got to in 2025, That was a big deal for our community.
and I like your numbers because it reinforces my estimate.
I said it was about $70 million. You had 67 million. I'll go with your number going forward. But that's, That's a big deal for our community.
and jimmy, I appreciate your leadership on that as well. I remember the conversations we had. So thank you.
I also in this motion today holding the tax rate constant, Obviously, we know we're going into budget season and there's a lot of pressures right now
when it comes to appraisal values and the lack of, Of revenue generation.
and so being able to hold that tax rate constant while you have all these increases in Operational expenses with new hospitals,
is is a big deal as well. And I thank you for that.
I also just want to say thank you for the collaboration on the, The jail discussions that we've had going back to last year.
ed, you've been been a champion there and been willing to sit down and have discussions.
and I know we're going to have some discussions here today, But I appreciate that.
and I think it's important for our community going forward. Just two things I would like to mention, though, That I still think we we need to consider in the coming year and going forward.
number one, when it comes to public health, and I've said it many times from this dais a Public health consolidation between us and between
bexar county makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. Both the opportunity to save dollars, and also just a more effective and streamlined Version of that support when it comes to public
health. You all have public health department. We have public health employees. How can we streamline that and make it more effective and Save taxpayer dollars?
I would just challenge you with that. And then I know you mentioned the psychiatric Increase in beds for,
for inpatient, but obviously lots of discussions here around mental health facilities and The need for that going forward and what we can do as a county.
but I would just challenge us as a partner in that to what other opportunities exist that We could work on together going forward.
but again, thank you for everything you've done and your work for our community and happy To support this.
thank you. Thank you. Judge. Reed, while you're up there, Let me ask a couple of, I guess,
finance related questions. I know first of all, This is the setting the tax rate discussion.
we will have a larger discussion about your budget. I think you take that to your board sometime in the fall.
we take it up in december. So I'm not going to get into the weeds on on budget related Questions,
but I want to just clarify and make sure that I understand the financial circumstances That you guys
are dealing with. The county is dealing with our friends at the city are dealing with.
and just make sure it's clear in my head, number one, And also to our community I think you mentioned that year over year,
you would expect even our project, even keeping the tax rate the same additional 15 to $20 Million in revenue.
that is not the case this year. That is basically from year to year.
this year. You're more or less expecting to generate the same number in terms of revenue As you did last year.
is that correct? That is correct. Correct statement. Okay. So again, I think we we all need to be aware of that and make some really tough
and informed decisions on what our priorities are. I also want to just acknowledge and ask a clarifying question.
you had a reduction in the debt service and I know you always keep an eye on interest Rates,
our outstanding debt even in increasing interest rate environment.
I know you guys were out in the market recently and did some refunding of some outstanding Debt,
got some savings. Is that what resulted in the reduction in the debt service?
what was the number, you know, off the top of your head? I know it's not today dollars, But in present value.
what was the savings on that refunding? We saved about $7 million on that refunding. That'll be that's in present net present value.
that's so those savings are spread over time. Okay. About 7 million.
7 million. We saved. We saved. Yes, sir. So we have the opportunity to do some additional Refunding.
again, it all depends on on market rates. Yeah. So when we come back with the probably when we bring the budget, We'll probably have a parameters order again just to set us up for another potential
refunding in the springtime. And that, that should generate. So, so just, but just to clarify, that doesn't mean you've got $7 million in your bank Today that you can spend on operations.
I mean, that, that is to be very disciplined about paying down your credit card, Essentially.
yes. Okay. I just wanted to acknowledge that because those, Those are things sometimes that get overlooked.
and I think it speaks to I think your oversight and the team you've got that you're doing Those things.
let me just mention to editor, I guess reed, You're off the hook for a minute.
editor. I know again, we're going to talk more. You guys are going to be here for a little bit longer this morning.
but talk about jail operations, your role there.
so I'm going to save those for the next presentation. But I do want to make sure I acknowledge the fact that, You know, we've, we've talked and met about this for,
for a while. We're going to, I think I don't want to speak for the court, But I think it's safe to say the county's relationship with university health is
important. And we're going to lean into that. To make sure that we are doing what's best for the community, Including those who are in our jail.
so thank you for, for stepping up. I also want to just a little preview for the budget.
we are also having to make tough decisions here at the county related to the arpa dollars Coming off.
I know we invested significantly in the institute for public health with university Health.
that is another area that I think we're going to have to partner and lean into you guys, Because there are some programs that we established with arpa dollars
specifically in preventative health, behavioral health that we're going to have to figure Out a way to,
to, to put our heads together and continue some of those programs because they have been Impactful.
and so that's something that we're going to have to talk about as the budget develops.
and then, you know, always in terms of the affordability gaps in my precinct on the west Side I really want to visit with you guys on some
some demonstrable ways we can, we can really move the needle and make an impact, Whether it's through a pilot program or something more significant in
zip codes, like 78207. I know I've talked to anita, My board member there.
jimmy, your participation and support has been great. So again, I don't want to get into all the details because I know we're going to have a Lot of discussion on this,
but I just want to thank you for your leadership, And we look forward to the continued partnership.
thank you judge. Commissioner clay-flores, thank you for being here.
of course, I am one of the biggest fans of us, Not only because my own care with colon cancer,
but I continuously hear testimonies from constituents about amazing care at and so I'm Really excited about the
south side hospital that's opening. And as you all know, I have consistently talked about preventative health and part of that
being mental health access, which is why I advocated so vigorously.
and so thank you that the third floor of the viva clinic is solely dedicated to mental Health.
and can you just emphasize again, for the hearers and the audience how many constituents Consistently go for mental health
services. We just. In our behavioral health services alone, We see about 30,000 visits.
we average now with the vita clinic over 200 visits a month. And it's continuing to grow. And our commitment to behavioral health is to make sure that People that need it will get it either outpatient
or in the worst case scenario, we can get their inpatient services at any facility, But also in the inpatient side of the hospital.
so I just thank you for your advocacy that with that, Your partnership with that, we're going to have this bigger discussion in a little bit.
but I always focus on preventative before they get to the point where they need, You know,
to be institutionalized or to help them not get into, Into jail.
so thank you so much for your work that we continue to do to that with that. And also just want to emphasize even though, Of course, financially, as commissioner rodriguez was talking about.
it's a hard time, as everyone know, that's not a secret, But the fact that you guys, your finance team continuously does so well in making sure we
meet the needs of our community and not just bexar county, But all of south texas for the for the harder cases,
send their patients here. And we are still having all these homestead exemptions and over 65 and all that kind of stuff.
so I really applaud. You want to recognize bill phillips? I didn't see him earlier because the polls in the way.
but all of his work that he continues to do. So thank you. And I look forward to continuing to work with you all and preventive health.
thanks. Commissioner. Calvert. Thank you judge. Can I just get the specific pecan valley location for the dialysis?
is that near the freezing kidney? Do you know the old hospital?
the where? The old hospital closed down there. Southeast baptist, you mean? Yeah. South cross.
so you're talking about the methodist dixon clinic area. But there was an old there was a hospital that built that never really opened because when The old hospital closed,
we took over their old emergency room, first floor and are leasing that and converting That into south crossing,
you know. Off of ww white, south cross and ww white.
okay. I just wanted to coordinate on the opening with our office.
I think it's really important coming from fair over there. And I appreciate the investment on south cross.
we certainly need shots in the arm there. So we'll just coordinate with lenny.
good old lenny. Good to see you. And you know, Make sure the community is aware that that's coming.
and what's that opening time, roughly? We think four more in december.
area december time this year. Okay. All right. So we'll do a maybe we'll do a, a holiday party or something.
that'll be fun. Certainly by the end of the year. Right. Gentlemen. Thank you. Okay. So in terms of we've talked a little bit about
editor, you and I, about mental health in the northeast because of the amount of substance Use in the,
in the northeast area. And I look forward to working with your team on trying to identify.
well, I think your idea was great in terms of the 41 acres that we have at retama and Maybe some other areas that we could bridge closer to the inner city.
I just want to thank you all for you know, dealing with the challenging times and, And one last question.
are you hearing anything from the legislature about additional exemptions coming or being Proposed?
not really on extra exemptions. There are rumors that they may try to, You know, and they did this two years ago as to try to put a limit,
the increase of expenses, which I don't see how you can do that in health care.
so it's like, we can just like, you know, stop seeing people in november if we ran out of It, you know, we used all the money. So there's some different kind of things going on.
you hopeful. It makes sense. So hopefully we can get those squashed.
is it tailored to healthcare? The expenses cap or whatever they call it, Governmental was what they had,
what we had heard. They may again. And we currently on a, The other item that will probably come up again is a limit on a property tax rate
increase. So again, we're the cities and counties are at 3.5% cap, And we're at 8% still at the hospital districts.
we've never gone up, you know, close to that. Some of the smaller districts still need that for the just in cases.
so that's another item that may come up. Thank you very much for letting us know. I think We need to keep a close eye on that with our legislative team. So thank you again,
jimmy. Appreciate your team of board of advisors, All the great staff. We appreciate you all. Thank you all. Thank you. All right.
I'll close where I began to say thank you again.
I believe the budget presentation was extraordinary.
and it was extraordinary because one, I heard no property tax increase.
I heard no deficit. I heard that we are growing and expanding and increasing access to Health care access,
especially to the underserved community, dealing with specific issues of mental health and The issues at the jail.
and you got a balanced budget. And so that's what I call leadership.
it isn't about watching problems unfold. It's about bringing people together and bringing The teams together,
more importantly, making decisions and improving outcomes. I will call for a vote. All those in favor of the motion signify by saying aye.
aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstention? Motion unanimously carries.
carry on. Gentlemen, get the work done. I think you all are still part of the Presentations,
two. I want to I want to thank you. Judge and the court commissioners for their strong Commitment.
this is such an important hospital district that that we have.
this would not be possible without the court's strong commitment.
and thank you very, very much. Thank you. Jimmy, I'm sorry. I forgot to say one thing that I'm also excited about, That the new palo alto hospital will also you'll also be able to get your colonoscopies
there. So my next one, I will be in my on my part of town. So I'm excited about that too. You let us know.
we make sure you can get colonoscopies at the southside hospital. Thank you. Thank you. Excited? Okay, court, I have to alert you.
we're going to the next time. Certain item of 10 a.m., Which is the discussion.
appropriate action regarding implementation of the bexar county enhanced medical screening Early intervention initiative to support the early detection of acute medical
conditions, behavioral health crisis substance withdrawal symptoms facilitate timely Intervention among arrested persons before admission to the adult detention
center, including one authorizing necessary coordination with university health for the Delivery of enhanced medical screening services,
authorizing the procurement delivery installation of a modular medical screening facility Within the facility.
sallyport at the justice intake assessment annex, Known as gia three.
finding the modular facility, finding that the modular facility and related improvements Are necessary to preserve and protect public health and safety,
and granting the exemption from competitive bidding requirements pursuant to local Government code 262.024,
subsection a, two and four, authorizing an appropriate budgetary transfer in the amount of $250,000.
however, before we take up this action item, We have citizens to be heard that I want to take up at this time.
and we have quite a few caught. And this may take this may take us up to the lunch hour, To signaling to the court and to the team.
I have about 14 people that are signed and I will call them up at this time.
the first speaker you have three minutes. I'm going to be I'm going to be real blunt. I'm going to be very strict in light of trying to get everybody heard and done, At least before the lunch hour.
and then obviously, the court will continue. And I do believe we will break for lunch.
correct. Mr. Thomas. Okay. We will be breaking for lunch, So we will break lunch at the appropriate time.
the first citizen to be heard, miss laos, miss laos.
donde esta?
good morning, judge sakai, commissioners county officials. Sheriff's office of leadership, accountability, Transparency and immediate family notification.
I would like to address an important statement made on july 29th at a community event that Javier salazar was present on january 29th,
2026. During community event, sheriff javier salazar stated that the bexar county Sheriff's office contacts family within approximately
two hours when an individual in custody experiences a medical emergency or dies.
if that is the sheriff, sheriff, expectation or policy, Then every family deserves the.
that level of communication. Unfortunately, that was not my experience and I am certain That my sons thought of not coming home.
my. My son julian suffered a medical emergency while in the custody of the bexar county Jail.
I was not notified while my son was experiencing that medical emergency.
instead, I was notified approximately ten hours later after my son had already been on Life support.
that delay meant I was denied the opportunity to know my son was fighting for his life.
I was denied the opportunity to be there, to ask questions, To receive updates, or simply to just know that my child needed me.
no parent, spouse, child, sibling, or loved one should have to wait hours or until the Following day to be notified by the media
to learn someone they love has suffered a life threatening emergency, Medical emergency, or has died while in most dangerous,
in the most dangerous bexar county jail in custody detention.
while this is why family notification cannot depend on unwritten practices or individual Discretion.
it must be governed by a written, enforceable policy requiring immediate notification Whenever a person in custody experiences a life threatening
medical emergency, is transported to a hospital in critical condition or dies while in Custody.
that policy should also require notification attempt to be documented, Including the time of the emergency.
the time notification was initiated, the person contacted the method of communication, And any additional attempts to be made to reach the
family. Documentation creates accountability. Accountability creates transparency. Transparency builds public trust.
every family deserves timely communication because when every minute matters, Every phone call matters.
in memory of my my son julian, an organ donor.
thank you for your time. Lydia. Leo's voices behind us. Thank you, miss leo's. Thank you so much. Allison.
greer.
are they clapping for me? Was that I said? Were they clapping for me?
absolutely no. Good morning. Good morning, commissioners.
judge, I'm allison greer. I work for kcs. A little bit later this morning, You're going to be briefed on a system of care and good systems of care work when all of
the components are involved. And what I'm asking you today is that you give us a seat at The table.
chc is an important part, an important component of the crisis continuum and and the System of care that you will be discussing.
yet we have not been at the table. I am here to respectfully request that you reinstate Our contract for outpatient services at the gia.
for those individuals who are eligible for diversion. There is not such a place to send them now. And I'm also respectfully asking that you Reinstate our contract with specialty courts.
I wanted to also provide a brief comment on our diversion center work group that is going On in collaboration or conjunction with the ad
hoc work group, the city county ad hoc work group. We are working on a plan you will hear a little bit later from doctor testa on some more Details,
but we are working on a plan that we hope to have to you in at the end of the calendar Year.
so our next meeting, which is our third meeting, Is taking place on august 25th.
we are developing or operationalizing, if you will, What a diversion treatment center will look like.
we hope to have that to you. As I said by the end of the year. And I want to finish with this. We know we can't incarcerate our way out of our problem.
we've we've got issues. We can't incarcerate our way out of this anymore.
we can't keep doing the same things over and over and expecting the same outcome.
and we can't change the outcome unless we adequately, Adequately fund the mental health continuum in bexar county.
and that includes upstream outpatient services that will prevent people from going to jail In the first place.
thank you so much for your service and your time. Thank you. Allison. Kate rodriguez and I Understand that henry rodriguez has yielded your time,
his time to you get to. What you want to come up here, Henry, with.
stand behind her or beside her. Excuse me. No.
probably behind her. Right, henry. Okay. Good morning.
good morning, judge. Sakai and commissioners. My name is kita rodriguez, and I serve as the director of community and government affairs For lula.
concilio zapatista 4383. As a member of our nation's oldest and largest hispanic civil Rights organization,
we are here because far too many families in our community have experienced an Unimaginable loss.
since 2020, as you all know, at least 92 people have died while in custody in bexar County.
most had never been convicted of a crime and were presumed innocent. Many of their families are still waiting for answers.
last week, lula consiglio zapatista hosted a community forum on in-custody deaths.
because we believe these conversations belong in public. And because this crisis deserves urgent attention.
judge sakai, thank you so much for attending sheriff salazar.
university health ceo and ceo for center for health care services.
miss jolene, jolene jamison also joined us. Each of you answer difficult questions from Families and community members for two hours.
we sincerely appreciate your willingness to engage. Commissioner rodriguez, thank you for your written statement and for bringing forward Today's agenda item.
directing staff to develop a public dashboard for the adult detention center.
transparency was one of the immediate actions that we asked for, And we appreciate seeing movement in that direction.
we invited every member of this court and every agency with a role in this issue to Participate,
either by attending or by providing a written statement for the public record.
some attended, some submitted written statements, Some declined, and others chose not to respond.
we don't say that to criticize anyone. We say it because we promised this community Transparency and that we would hold ourselves accountable as well.
we promised to publish all information from the forum publicly. Every invitation, every response, every statement we received, And those still outstanding so that families,
reporters and residents can see the public record for themselves.
accountability begins with transparency. The tracker that we promised is now live, And it will continue to be updated as progress is made.
as we said during the forum, 92 deaths since 2020 are not the failure of one office.
they are the result of a system and systemic problems require system, Systemic level solutions or systems level solutions.
as I review today's agenda, I noticed a pattern. You are discussing screening, diversion, implementation of recommendations from the bexar County justice intake and assessment annex evaluation study led by doctor alexander
testa. You're discussing transparency, and we appreciate that each of these initiatives Initiatives is important,
but they're still being addressed separately. The very challenge identified in the county's own commission study.
for example, the study found that agencies operating within the gia often work in silos And specifically recommends greater cross-agency collaboration through interdisciplinary
task forces and working groups. One employee interviewed for that study described how one Agency can change a policy without informing the others,
creating confusion and increasing the amount of time someone spends in jail.
additionally, as a result of the study, responsibility for the behavioral health for Behavioral health transferred from the center for health care services to university
health system without a coordinated transition plan. This isn't about blame. This is about coordination.
because people don't usually fall through the cracks inside one agency.
they fall through the cracks between agencies and during the implementation of the best Intended plans.
we appreciate the work of the ad hoc, the ad hoc committee diversion is certainly an Important part of the solution,
but diversion alone cannot address double magistrate, Behavioral health coordination, medical care investigations following an in-custody death.
communication with families or accountability across the entire system.
the opportunity before this court is not simply to improve individual programs or Departments.
it is to bring every agency that touches this issue to one table.
that was the intent of the forum. We asked each agency that plays a role in this system to Participate in the forum and,
if unable to attend, to provide a written statement for the public record.
we also asked each of you to sponsor or co-sponsor an agenda item.
sorry. We also asked each of you to sponsor or co-sponsor a multi-agency task force
to address this issue holistically and report its progress publicly.
judge sakai, we sincerely appreciate your commitment to bringing this back to the court.
and though we did not see it on the agenda for today, We look forward to seeing it at the next session.
we appreciate your commitment, along with those made by university health, The center for health care services,
and the sheriff's office. So our request today is simple place an item on the next Commissioners court agenda establishing a formal multi-agency task
force that includes, at a minimum, the county, The sheriff's office, university health, the center for health care services,
the district attorney, the city of san antonio, And community organizations that have stood behind beside these families from the very
beginning. We recognize that individual committees and workgroups will continue their Important work,
but that should not replace one coordinated body that is accountable to the public.
not another study, not another series of disconnected meetings. One table, one coordinated plan. One system of accountability.
at our forum. Participating agencies also committed to working toward a public action plan By october 30th of 2026.
our organization will continue tracking those commitments publicly so that this community Can measure progress.
I'll close with this. Our community partners, Including all of us, are non-texas hdrc and the texas jail project,
have developed a thoughtful, evidence based recommendations, A complete framework that will save lives.
we ask you to consider it and build upon it. It is also linked from our website.
we are not asking this court to adopt every recommendation today. We are asking you to bring everyone together, Develop one coordinated plan, and make that work visible to the public because 92 lives
deserve more than siloed work. They deserve one coordinated response.
and this community deserves one transparent system of accountability.
thank you so much for your service to our community. Thank you. Let me have amanda.
thomas.
amanda. Thomas. Oh, there she is.
thank you. Do you have a written statement for the record? No, it's a it's a handout about what I'm talking about.
okay. For you all. All right. Okay. My name is ananda thomas.
I'm the executive director of act for esser, And I'm speaking today for the over 116 lives that have been lost in bexar county jail
since 2017. Commissioners. We acknowledge the enhanced medical screening and early Intervention initiative that you're about to hear from university health today.
the $250,000 modular facility, eight new registered nurses and jail based paramedic will Save some lives,
and we support any step that reduces harm. But let me be equally clear our framework, Introduced last week and shared with you,
is not in competition with what has been presented. It is meant to be added to current plans, to supplement gaps and to make sure the pieces That you approve today and in the future do not become another set of unfunded or
unfollowed promises. But we have to talk about scope.
the proposal that you are hearing today begins at the jail door. A real continuum of care begins at the point of arrest, Follows a person through booking and housing,
and continues through court release and reentry for critical differences must be on the Record.
first families the proposal presented today contains zero family facing infrastructure, No notification protocol,
no liaison, no family rights. Our framework includes a family bill of rights and a family Liaison office.
because when a government takes a person into custody, It takes responsibility for that person's family as well.
second, contracts with teeth, blanket approving contracts without performance metrics, Enforceable deliverables and real penalties is how we got
here. The texas commission on jail standards has issued notices of noncompliance against The bexar county jail,
including findings tied to clinical care failures under university health systems watch.
that is a contract without teeth. Our framework framework requires a us contract to be Renegotiated to include defined clinical performance
metrics, financial penalties for preventable deaths and persistent metric failures, And mandatory independent death reviews,
along with real time data sharing. Anything less than this is a is a press release.
it's not a public safety plan. Third, no single entity should hold both the medical and Behavioral health contracts alone.
we are in support of chcs entering back into this conversation and into a contract.
again, as long as it comes with enforceability, Diversion, competency support and behavioral health linkage are not side duties,
they are core public safety functions. Fourth, Directly impacted leadership people who have been incarcerated inside the bexar county
jail. People with incarcerated loved ones, family members of those who have died should be On every committee,
on every ad hoc committee, on every multidisciplinary team formed on this issue with real Insight,
real input, and real oversight over implementation and commissioners we have to name a Severe failure.
organizations like all of us are none. Texas. Texas civil rights project accuracy, and texas jail projects have been documenting these Deaths,
supporting these families, and building this research for years. We have decades of experience between us, but until last week, None of us have been invited to the table to share.
time has expired. Thank you. Renegotiate the contracts.
bring us back. Bring the family liaison office and make sure that our people are at the Table.
thank you, thank you. Amanda, let me have anthony paseo and anthony.
kendra fernandez has yielded your time to you.
so you have six minutes. Anthony pestello. Thank you.
how are you guys doing today? I think everybody knows me because I wrote you guys before I Went into the county jail.
and I wrote you all while I was in there, and I told you all exactly what the problems Were and you guys ignored them.
and now there's been how many deaths? Because I told you before it happened about the Suicides and how bexar county was going to be the leader in suicides here in
texas. And you guys did it exactly that, the highest suicide rate in the state of texas.
you've yanked radios away from inmates, tvs that were on lockdown.
you stripped books, mail. They can't get pictures. They sit in a box for 24 hours a day, sometimes longer.
sometimes it's 48 hours. Would any of you guys sit in a bathroom?
I want I want you guys to take a bathroom challenge. Go sit in the bathroom and see if you Can sit there for 24 hours with nothing in there.
nothing at all. And see how you can do it. You know, We just got a letter today from a lady that her husband has ptsd.
he's stuck in a cell the same way. And she's saying, You know, he's stuck in there for five hours throughout the day and five hours.
she doesn't know what's happening throughout the rest of the jail. I mean, They're suffering with just the five hours. That's the general population. And that's
that's I mean, that's not even the bad parts. You look at the second floor where the entire facility is locked down.
people are lucky to get out three hours a day. This is the only jail in the state of texas where people are locked down all day long.
houston, harris county, all the other jails, People are out all day, every shift change.
you guys have to lock the entire county down. You can't count without locking everybody in Their cell for three, four, five hours at a time.
come on. I mean, no radios, no books. What is this helping?
you know, when you isolate people, it's proven to make people more aggressive.
and that's what you're doing. You're locking them in a cage. So you guys are responsible For public safety here in bexar county and why people are being
more aggressive and committing more crimes when they're getting out. Because you're not Rehabilitating, you're locking them in a cage. And we need center for health care services
back over there. But yes, they need they need to be held accountable for what they're Doing also.
but you have officers bullying the health care providers in there.
you have them bullying the mental health care providers in there. They're scared to step forward and say everything.
I filed many, many grievances on this. I wrote you guys about it.
you guys have all ignored it. I went in there within the first week. I was assaulted by a sergeant, by a sergeant ranking officer.
I had broken ribs and a broken finger. I think I wrote all of you guys about that.
they filed criminal charges. What happened with him? He's a lieutenant today. But you guys fired somebody for giving an inmate food.
come on. What's going on? You can beat us and and keep your job if you can't feed us.
come on. It's ridiculous. So until you guys understand what's happening from the bottom Up,
you're never going to fix it. It's the blind leading the blind. You guys are saying you're telling the community we're giving you.
we have detox protocols. You don't. I'm a former heroin addict. I've done it. I went through that jail 20, 30 times and withdrew every single time.
and I know I wrote you about it. I know you got the letters. Your chief of staff got it. I've talked to you about it in person.
I told you guys what I was doing, that I was doing a documentary about what's happening in This county jail,
and you guys all wanted to see it. You're part of it, And you're not doing a very good job.
it's going to be very embarrassing when we release this, When the community and the nation sees it.
we have an opportunity here in bexar county to do something historic to fix the criminal Justice system instead of passing blame here and there.
you're wondering why the crime rate keeps going up. Obviously cops aren't fixing it. You keep pouring more into it and it's not working.
try something else. You know, if you guys. You've got sheriff salazar.
he can't pick up. He's a goddamn man. Pick up the phone and call her and say I'm sorry Your son died.
I don't know what happened. I will let you know when I find out. I understand there's liability issues. His job is not to protect the liability of the County.
his job is to represent the people in that office. That's why we put him in the office. That's why we elected him.
and that's why we elected all of you guys. And you guys are more worried about liability And protecting the state and the county and whatever.
but no, your duty lies with us, the people, and that's what we want you guys to do.
we want you guys to start holding sheriff salazar accountable, And the public needs to hold him accountable.
and you guys need to investigate what's happening in that jail. You need to put people That have been through there.
we need peer support positions. You can't understand what's happening. You can't. There's no bridge of communication between what's happening at the ground level And what's happening at the top.
I hear sheriff, sheriff salazar says it sounds good. He has good intentions, but it's not being implemented down at the bottom.
the chiefs have no clue what's going on in the jail. I've talked to them. They've come and talked to me. I talked to the classification Officers and they tell me, you know,
talk to the chief. We tell the chief this, we tell the rank that they don't want to listen To us.
so you're not even listening to your frontline officers who are down there who have Experience with all of these things.
so until you guys get serious about fixing this and listen to the people who are directly Affected,
affected, it's not going to change. But I hope all of you guys now realize how serious This is and step up and change what's going on.
thank you. Thank you, mr. Patel. Steve huerta.
steve.
good morning. Good morning. Good morning, judge sakai and commissioners.
I've been up for 24 hours traveling to get here, So bear with me. I wrote this as I sat down today. You have before you an opportunity to take another Meaningful step towards protecting human life.
the investment in early medical screening is an important one, And I commend this court for recognizing that every
moment matters when a person enters the custody of the bexar county jail.
but let us also remember, no single reform by itself answers the crisis that has claimed So many lives.
screening is not the destination. It is the beginning.
it is the first link in the chain of care that must continue through treatment, Diversion,
accountability, successful reentry and stronger communities.
every person who enters that jail is more than a booking number.
they are someone's son or daughter, someone's mother or father, Someone's brother or sister.
the measure of our justice system is not found only in how we respond to crime.
it is found in how faithfully we protect human dignity.
that conviction, along with countless requests from our community partners and community Members,
is what led all of us to learn to develop the bexar county continuum of care framework.
we did not write it to criticize. We wrote it to contribute.
it brings together research to lived experience and practical recommendations, Because we believe this community already possesses the knowledge to save
lives. What is needed now is the determination to transform knowledge into action.
today's action is a worthy beginning, but no beginning fulfills its promise unless it is Followed to determine action.
that is why all of us are not in. Texas has been invited to submit further recommendations On diversion,
housing, employment and reentry. We accept that responsibility not as a privilege but as a Duty.
we will continue to offer practical solutions grounded in lived experience and informed by Evidence.
because the measure of our work will not be the reports we write, But the lives we saved and the families we keep home.
the people of bexar county are not asking for perfection. They are asking for progress. They are asking for leadership that has the courage to con Difficult truth and the wisdom to embrace practical solutions.
they are asking for a government that values prevention as much as response.
hope as much as accountability and partnership as much as policy.
let this be remembered not as another agenda item, But as the moment when bexar county chose to move beyond reacting to tragedy and began
building a system worthy of people it serves. History will not ask whether we had enough meetings.
it will ask whether we had the courage to act. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Let me have antonio diaz, Also.
antonio. Diana rodriguez, y'all usually come together.
are y'all here? Antonio. Diana, do you want to come both at the same time or do you wish To speak separately?
sir. Diana. Antonio.
do you want to come at one time? Y'all sometimes speak at one time. Come forward. Both.
again, this. This situation at bexar county jail is unacceptable.
there's over double digit deaths nearly every year, And.
the jail standards, I think, failed. Bexar county jail in 2020 and 2025.
right now, it is in compliance. But there is an issue you that the dare county deputies Have been doing the
inspections. So it's like inspecting your own self instead of having a third party Inspection,
which I believe is being called for this at this time, Which if it were truly a third party instead of another,
I don't, I don't, I wouldn't trust the texas rangers as they have an atrocious history Regarding mexican americans.
so I would actually suggest, as some civil rights organization, Third party to do those jail standards investigations.
it's it's it's simply unacceptable to have people go in with mental illnesses or drug Dependency and
commit suicide in their within hours or within days.
that's unacceptable in our county as we see creating new subdivisions and all this Continually enlarging
itself for, I guess, tax purposes. It still creates a larger population with a, Again, perhaps a more
larger jail population, which seems to be 100% all the time.
we're even sending people to what burnett county and kerr county because our county jail Is overfilled,
so it must be addressed. I. I salazar I believe is doing the best he can.
I believe he's, he's, he's a person of conscience and he tries to do his job well, But it must be,
as has been said, down, down the rank and file.
so those investigations into the jail. I believe should be done by some sort of civil Rights organization that is actually independent
from policing entities that would turn a blind eye for a fellow officer.
we don't need that anymore. Did this happen very much within sapd and bexar county Sheriff's department?
I've had personal experiences of myself and of other people that come with complaints to Me of their experiences,
and by my own experience, I believe that it's not it's not out of it's it's not Outlandish,
but they tell me it's very believable. And just within hours at one this this double Registration,
I've done the process and I've seen what happens at the municipal holding
the guards. There need to be more regulated. I don't know if there actually is some sort Of videotaping of their actions with the people that they are processing,
because I've seen violence towards many and and I don't hear of any how they're held Accountable for their
actions. If they still hold those, those positions that where they abuse people that They're processing.
and this goes also to, to bexar county. So again, We have good people in both sapd and the bexar
county sheriff's departments, but we also have bad people within them, And they must be held accountable and they must be let go when they violate
their position. That is what I have to say because it this is I mean, I it's mostly our people,
mostly those that are there, that are low income and are from either the west side, East side,
south side, our people. So that's why I'm here, Because I've grown up in these areas and so is my family.
and I must stand up for myself, my community and my relatives that this can't can't just Be overlooked.
and we elect everyone up here hoping that you see us as as equal human beings, Not as someone
that somehow doesn't fund your campaigns or is it not of your economic level and can be Overlooked?
we should not be overlooked. We are equal and our rights, Even though people are in jail for reasons,
right? They're not in there because they, they're totally compliant, But they should be treated with some dignity,
not abused. No violence committed against them or violence seen at the time they're being Processed to be overlooked.
they should be held accountable. Thank you very much for your time.
thank you. All right. Brandon johnson.
good day, judge county commissioners. My name is brandon johnson and I work for the center For health care services.
I started off my time at the center for health care as a project manager for the substance Abuse and mental health grant,
a multimillion dollar and multi-year grant under the leadership of miss jamison and clinic Administrator johnny harris at the time.
I'm proud to say that not only that, we successfully complete that grant, But we exceeded expectations laid out by the number of clients that we served right here
in bexar county. I come here before you to ask the court to restore the center for health Care services as a contracted outpatient treatment provider for
individuals eligible for diversion. And through the gia program and participants through Our bexar county specialty courts.
the center for health care services is an important component of the mental health Continuum.
it completes pathways from screening to treatment, According to the ut health foundation.
the gia evaluation of fiscal year 2020 for gia conducted nearly 19,000 assessments, But only
481 diversion requests were made. 278 were granted and just 116 people were released to Center for health care
services for treatment. That tells us that the system's greatest weakness is not Identifying folks who have behavioral health needs,
but getting them into treatment through the center of health care services.
approximately 60% of people processed through gia are released through bond without ever Entering the jail.
imagine someone being identified with serious mental illness.
released with a court date and a referral, but never scheduled for an appointment, And never treated with medication or connections to behavioral health programs.
that person may be back in crisis in an emergency room or back in a jail.
university health can continue to screen at intake, And the center for health care services can provide community based outcomes and
treatments for behavioral health. Pretrial services and specialty courts can provide Accountability.
bexar county built its national reputation by connecting these systems together.
bexar county was once recognized as a peer learning site because of its coordinated Approach.
we can get back to our national standards, but it takes all of us in here.
again, I ask the court to bring back the center for health care services outpatient Agreement with the county,
so we can continue to do the work in this community. Thank you very much. Thank you. Patrick van dolen.
good morning judge commissioners. My name is patrick von dohlen.
I'm a resident of bexar county, precinct three, Here to speak to you about four items today.
first, the jail. This is a crisis, and it's costing us the taxpayers lots of money.
it's costing us dearly. Our jail holds approximately 5075 inmates.
we're running way over that limit. We just paid burnett and kerr counties $1 million to House our overflow,
and that's just for four months. That's on top of the $7 million a year.
we believe outsourcing a problem this court over the last decade has failed to fix.
every month we delay. You're choosing to pay other counties instead of building what bexar County actually needs.
and that's $15 million in overtime pay as well.
fix it now so we can stop the rapes and the human deaths in our jail.
second, honor the vote. Last november, this county's voters approved proposition a to fund The freeman coliseum frost bank center in stock show and
rodeo facilities. That was a promise made directly to the people who elected you.
it brings. Item 94 brings that agreement forward today, And I thank commissioner moody for bringing it forward.
approve it exactly as presented on the ballot. Don't renegotiate a promise voters have already said yes to.
third, approve the motorcycles for constable vojvodich in precinct three.
two motorcycles dedicated to school zone safety. As our kids are about to head back to class. This court has already approved the exact Kind of budget transfer today on item number 78 for precinct two
and back in 2019 for precinct one. Apply that same standard for precinct three.
fourth stop the non-essential spending. Today's agenda alone hands out over $220,000 in Discretionary,
taxpayer funded sponsorships, while staff projects await a $148 million shortfall for 2028.
fund the jail not favored organizations that should seek private funding.
fix the jail. Honor. Prop a protect our kids.
hold the fiscally responsible line. Thank you for your time and attention.
norma bazan. Okay, there she is.
hi. My name is norma and. I'm just waiting for y'all.
before I came down here, I did some research, And I rebeca justin grant moody, tommy, I
but I've noticed I've been observing and you've been very attentive to, To the fact of mental health and what's going on in our jails.
and I really appreciate that. And as far as the judge, I've heard excellent things about you.
I've always said, I wish I could get into his courtroom. Now, I know that the county commissioners, which you all do, Is you allocate money, so it's not your fault what's going on.
but you all need to know that the kind of money that's being handed out to these Organizations,
I mean, we're looking at 2040. I'm just going to say 45,040 know for it could be in the Millions.
and these programs are not working. And that picture I'm passing around.
that's my son. He's in prison right now. And one of those pictures shows him with his head Knocked out.
one of the serfs decided he got in an altercation with him.
so the cert put him in jail. I mean, in prison, He.
if you only knew what he went through. I couldn't get out of bed for one week. And like I Said, y'all are the commissioners handing out the money. But this these programs, They're not working.
they're not. And I really need you all to at least look into them and make a difference, Because this
is taxpayers money. You know, I've never done this, And I am I'm going to use the word flabbergasted of the kind of money that's being given
out to hospitals. $200 million. But we don't have one hospital.
we have one state hospital for mental health. One and the hole in san antonio. You know, my son is in prison right now.
he got knocked on the head bled because the search is the search.
I actually have a conversation that I recorded, And I got lucky because I decided to record the call,
and nobody has time to hear it. But in that recording, He says, I'm calling for your son.
he's in his cell 22 hours a day. It makes me want to cry because I've been in there, He says.
and I know your son has a mental illness, he says. And the way they treat him, it's pretty horrific.
he says, I didn't even know that because gabriel has a like his mind.
it's like he doesn't resonate. You know, sometimes I have a mental health diagnosis.
it took me years to figure it out. But gabriel has got such a sweet heart.
but I mean, he's not a murderer. He's not a pedophile. He's not in there for for any of those things.
and I bet you anything, if they went in there for those reasons, Those certs would stay away.
that's a murder. I ain't going near him. That's a pedophile. I don't want to mess with him. But you've got people in there with a mental health Diagnosis,
and there's so much money being given out to them. I mean, you t y'all have, like, given them millions of dollars.
time has expired. Like I said, it's not your fault, But I want y'all to know where your money is.
taxpayers money is going. I didn't I don't know nothing about. Thank you. I sure hope like I said, you were very attentive.
I appreciate that. Rachel tucker, are you still here?
you have brought a statement on behalf of councilwoman terry castillo.
do you wish to read the statement or. All right.
and do you wish to make it part of the record? Yes. I will ask the county clerk to fall. Councilwoman.
castiel. You have three minutes. Thank you so much. Good morning, judge and county commissioners.
my name is rachel tucker. Special assistant to district five, Councilwoman castillo.
and I'll be reading her letter into the record. Last october, I submitted a policy request to bring the city, County, and relevant aid area agencies together to explore the creation of a
centralized diversion and recovery system and center.
I would like to thank the commissioner rodriguez and moody and their staff for being part Of the working group that will bring the community changing effort to fruition.
multiple studies have shown that jail diversion reduces recidivism, Improves health outcomes,
and is more cost effective than traditional incarceration.
I strongly believe that by working together through the ad hoc committee, We have the opportunity to implement a model diversion center here in bexar county,
which accomplishes these goals in 2024. University health found that an average of 550 Inmates were being treated
for mental health needs. The members of the committee have a shared understanding that the Jail has become the largest provider of mental health care
locally. I am grateful to them as we work to reverse this trend and move towards a Different approach that will better our residents lives
in partnership with the center for health care services. We have a feasibility study in progress that will provide strong insight into implementing An effective evidence based diversion system.
the committee is working is also working toward securing funding for a pilot program to Divert individuals with low level,
nonviolent misdemeanor offenses who cycle through the jail because of untreated mental Illness or substance abuse disorders.
the committee is currently pursuing funding opportunities to advance the pilot program.
in the spirit of continuing our transformative work together, We request the court support through a funding contribution for this pilot program.
your investment in this initiative will signal that every one of our residents is Deserving of a critical support,
that they need to improve their lives and permanently break the cycle of justice system Involvement.
I am confident that together we can make this vision a reality.
I look forward to our continuing to continuing this meaningful, Productive conversations with the ad hoc committee,
as well as the commissioners court collaboration with the city on the diversion center.
thank you again to the county. I cannot wait to celebrate the implementation of a pilot Program and eventually a diversion center that meets the needs of those who proudly
call their county their home. Thank you. Sign. Councilwoman. Terry castillo, city council, district five.
thank you, miss tucker. All right. I believe that concludes the citizens to be heard on This specific item,
I'm going to call up I've we on is it five f.
and so we will continue with thomas guevara. Why don't you come up and let me make the Following comments before the presentation?
four months ago in april, we talked about deflection and diversion, The ways we keep people who don't need to be in jail from being booked.
we spoke about how we streamline our intake process to make medical assessments more Efficient by consolidating mental health and physical health screening under one provider
with a system a key recommendation of uthealth houston's doctor, Alexander testa, and we directed staff to review data and
processes to make our system better. The idea the directive was to look for ways for the Sheriff's office and us to find opportunities for better coordination.
while the commissioners court. The public hospital and the sheriff each have a unique Organizational.
lanes with the sheriff as the operator and manager of the jail, We could not sit back.
the commissioners court has an obligation to act, Support, accountability and execute on ways to enhance services.
today we're going to focus on two things the people in custody at the county jail, As well as those who go through the county intake process and the impact of
dual registration on the medical needs, treatment and safety of those in custody and those Going through intake.
mr. Thomas guevara, I'll yield the floor to you. Thank you, judge. Commissioners. Just as you know, The manager and I are managing to be in two places at once.
so for continuity of this presentation, I will have doctor greenfield laborde manage it.
but before I yield over to doctor g. I did want to provide some context and judge as you Mentioned,
the purpose of this item is to continue that conversation related to programs, Policies, and procedures associated with the arrest of persons entering our jail system.
just by way of background, april 28th, the court did receive a very robust briefing on joe Diversion and deflection programs.
again, just kind of setting that stage at that meeting.
staff did commit to this court that we would continue to review opportunities for Enhancements.
as a reminder, when we look at at this process, We're looking at various intercept models in our justice process.
again, starting from community based programing, Programing all the way to reentry and community corrections based on data.
we reviewed the data and working with our stakeholders and with high profile news reports On jail death.
we wanted to focus on the county, wanted to focus on medical stabilization services at the Bexar county justice intake and annex.
so before again, before I yield over to doctor g. I did want to just provide a little context. It's important to understand who enters into Our detention center as it reflects the community's broader health challenges.
detainees frequently arrive with significant chronic conditions, Acute injuries, and no medical history,
or for some, no medical history at all. Current data shows that the jail population is Medically vulnerable.
health conditions commonly identified at intake include substance use disorders, Diabetes,
obesity, limited or no routine medical care. So again, The jail is not creating these health conditions.
they are receiving individuals who already have them often at a crisis stage.
so again, this reality underscores the need to strengthen medical care at intake and Throughout the incarceration process.
detention process. With that I'm going to ask doctor greenfield to, To come up kind of walk you through our current intake process and then we'll turn it over
to ed and his team to walk you through some of our recommendations.
thank you. Hello, commissioners and judge doctor conforti, The director of ocj.
so I'm not going to go over every single part of this process flow as you see up there for The sake of time.
however, if someone has questions, we can answer those. What I do want you all to focus On, if you can, is the highlighted area on the first one where it says initial medical Screening.
so the individual coming over from the city will start at this far left where it says sapd Frio.
so someone's coming in. That's where they'll get an initial screening, Which may be check the blood pressure,
ask some questions. Then they go through the rest of that whole process.
and when you see a p s ordered, then further down, You'll see full medical screening, so they will not receive that full medical screening
until after they go through that whole process. I want to highlight that now because later On in our presentation,
mine and also mr. Banos, we're going to talk about that. So I just want you, if you can just make a mental note of that.
doctor laborde, how much time on average is that. So I'm going to ask the court to please let the president we got a long presentation.
please hold your questions and we'll get to it. Commissioner, with all due respect, commissioner, Doctor greenfield, continue.
okay. Yes. Okay. Did we miss one? Okay. I guess we didn't.
okay. So on this one, I'm going to let the research my data research person talk about This slide.
because what happened is when some of these issues were happening in the jail, Our office was tasked to look at the data.
the what was happening with the inmates that had passed.
so we're going to go over this real quick and then I'll come back up. Of the 91 in-custody Deaths.
identify yourself. I'm sorry. I'm jennifer dilla. I'm senior research analyst for the office of criminal justice.
of the 91 in-custody deaths since 2020, 73% were not eligible for diversion due to their Charges.
40% died of natural causes. 44% died within the first seven days of custody.
and then of those 39 deaths that occurred within the first seven days of custody, 60% were not eligible for diversion,
25% died of natural causes and 37% died of accidental causes.
thank you. We wanted to highlight this because, As thomas mentioned earlier when he started his presentation,
he talked about the individuals that are coming into our jails are those with not.
having good medical conditions. They're coming in with issues with high blood pressure, With diabetes.
and so when we get when they get them in the jail, We're getting these individuals that are not healthy already.
so that's just an example. And like jennifer talked about, Those 44%, 44% of those 91 passed within those first seven days of being in
custody due to what you're seeing. Of the 30% that died of the substance toxicity or Combined acute issues,
and then 25 from natural causes. So if you combine those together, That's a huge amount of those individuals that are coming into our jail already sick and
needing some type of medical help. And then you compound it with some type of a detox, Then it even gets worse.
unfortunately, many of these individuals that are coming in with poor health conditions Aren't even aware that they have poor health conditions until they get to the gym.
so like, I was like, I was talking about before the vulnerabilities of those that are Coming through intake.
and of course, with that dual registration, I know earlier commissioner calvert had a Question and hopefully we'll be able to answer that later,
but that's the dual registration. Remember, they're sitting at the city for maybe 6 or 7 Hours or longer.
then they're coming over to us, having to go through that process, Which could take another.
I don't want to give a wrong time. The sheriff's here, So he can probably give a more accurate time, but I'm going to say eight. Continue on.
okay doctor greenfield let's go. And then we want to also mention that approximately 29% Of
those arrestees coming into our jail are sapd arrests.
and we also have about 5,050% that are booked through gia in 2025.
so we're looking at a large amount of individuals coming in and not only just coming in, Going through the process,
but also, like I said, many of them suffering some type of illnesses already.
and I'm going to turn it over to mr. Banos. And.
commissioner. I'm sorry. We can't hear you. Can't hear you.
just for clarification, that was 5000 individuals who came through gia, Not 50%.
got it. Commissioner. Welcome back. Thank you.
what I wanted to share a little bit of information. First of all, saying that any of the organizations that spoke earlier, I will tell you that my commitment is to make a schedule.
if you make an appointment or call me, I will meet with you because I want to know how we Can improve this.
and my commitment, my commitment to all of you, Is that we will we will improve the process.
and I will address this from a medical side. Now as doctor g presented, This is an issue where we talk about that initial medical crisis that's
going on from a background standpoint. We have 316 health care professionals in the jail.
as a comment was made earlier, we do not have a contract. This is the property tax ad valorem tax that is used with university health to provide the Services in the jail.
so we provide the services as part of our ad valorem. You can see the numbers and the medications and administration and others.
this is a very large facility. And I will say when I was when I became ceo, One of the first things I did was sit down with the jail staff and the
sheriff and others to talk about how we can improve the process. Everyone gets screening and I'll talk about gia in a in a few minutes.
but what everyone comes into the jail, gets a medical assessment and gets seen in the jail When they come in and when they
are processed through. And as was mentioned earlier, Many of these have chronic management disease.
we provide everything from the physical exams. We have psychiatrists, social workers. We provide buprenorphine for people that are Detoxing in there.
our staff have to go around out of the population of, You know, 4000.
we deliver medications to them individually, And we have to find them to live to deliver that.
we provide the services there. We have a dialysis unit, An infirmary.
the infirmary, when you think of it, is not an inpatient bed. It's an infirmary where treatments go on because of what's needed, Because of the acuteness.
but it is not a medical hospital bed where they're staying there.
we are providing care in the jail, but we are not a hospital in the jail.
many have not gotten their health care needs. Many need medications which we provide throughout the jail.
in a healthcare setting, you have call buttons. Again, if you're in a hospital and someone's in need, Someone's in crisis many times because of how the jail is situated and there's nothing,
it's a jail. They're going to be in their cell. But we can't react as quickly if we don't know what's going on.
we are not present everywhere as the jail is a large institution, And also we have limitations on how our staff can move through because of
security reasons that are known to make sure that nobody gets in inappropriate areas.
we are in conversations with the sheriff. Others are in the meetings.
we talked about those steps within the seven days.
many of those patients, when they come in, they might be on a substance.
they might go through the processing because in that high they're seeing, They're okay.
the issue really is a day, two days later, when they're going through withdrawals, If they aren't able to take those medications,
they or they start to detox along with their chronic medical illness, There can be problems.
our staff, along with the others, have worked with the sheriff on cohorting identified Detoxing individuals where we can cohort them together so we can
look to be the emergent response. We will be able to designate medically alert patients For inmates with chronic conditions,
so that we can identify those people and make sure that that can be dealing with.
and then we support the intake and process of, Of detainees in the sally port for a better further evaluation,
which many times they're not sharing all the information that they're able to.
so we will be able to try and get the best information as possible.
so when we look at the level of care for detoxing patients, Cohorting them in a male and female unit,
we will balance the medical acuity risks in the security risks, Making sure that we have appropriate safeguards there.
we will be able to. Now in the jail. We could not give advanced treatment like ivs and Others when they were throughout the whole
jail. Here by cohorting these units, we can now work with our doctors, Our nursing staff and others and be able to because many patients,
when they're detoxing go through withdrawals and these iv fluids and hydration needs would Be able to be addressed.
we are able to then visually see these people similar to a hospital where you can go hurt Them together.
we are we are committed to adding the nurses around the clock on this unit so that we can Provide this level of care.
and then the associated costs, we also know that there is the opportunity where when Someone is in a crisis,
they need to be transferred out quickly. So we've worked with acadian ambulance and we're Working on getting an emt permanently in the
facility when there is an issue going on. Many times an ambulance comes, But the jail is a very big place and how you can get to that person takes a lot of
time. This will speed up and deal with the advanced state of their condition much quicker,
and then we can get them onto a hospital. And then also, And then we're working with them to actually have a dedicated ambulance.
we're working with them right now. We don't have that final commitment, But we have the emt, but we're working on the acadian ambulance.
we also know because of double magistrates, there's people that come into the first part And they're addressed,
but we're not using the same technology or the same, I'm sorry, terminology in that area.
and then when there's a delay, eight, ten hours, They're coming over and we don't know the medical condition of them.
so we're standardizing the medical terminology, The how to alert our staff when they come over many times.
those people come over in groups of 10 or 12 because they've been there in, In, in c mag.
and so what we want to do is make sure we can manage those people when they come in, But also have them identified earlier in c mag and make sure that they're
addressed. And then all the protocols to see if, When they present, if they have a higher level of medical need,
we want to get them out of the jail into a facility where they can be treated so that they Don't go behind and into the jail.
we're looking at this strictly as a medical. We're not looking at this as they arrested What's the you know,
the the charges, the others, if there's a medical issue, They come to university hospital.
sheriff provides an officer to make sure that they get their treatments.
but we're looking at this just to say how we can address the medical needs.
faster, get them where they need to be and make sure that it's addressed.
and if it's before the jail, making sure that they get those services before they go into The jail.
we are working, as I mentioned closely with the county and the others and and the Facilities of the county to build a,
a better screening and intake support for people so that we can provide more advanced Medical care in the screening,
thinking of it like as an urgent care or assessment where we can see what's going on and Then try and identify these chronic problems that might be turning into something acute.
and then we want to maximize what we would talk about when our electronic medical record.
so when we come and see them down at the jail, If they do come to uhuh already has that in the intake and in the medical record so that
the emergency room or other locations would be able to know what's going on with them when They arrive.
I would like to take just a second to talk about we talked about gia and some of the other Earlier to just give a little history.
from 1995 to 2018, university health has been the provider of door to door for mental Health services in bexar county.
provide the services and c-mag until 2014, when chc assumed the responsibility.
and in 2018, when gia opened, chc staff moved over to the gia to continue their services That they moved from.
from there, I will tell you that we talk about working together, But I will tell you when you have two different
organizations working there. We were brought in when the issues were brought up a year ago About coordination.
everything in gia and I will tell you, our staff saw that it was there were delays in Required assessments,
notification processes that were inconsistent in communications paperwork between the two Organizations were getting lost and,
and under and not being able to be found causing delays in treatment, Lack of monitoring.
we had people that were being here sitting in gia, But because they weren't turned over to us yet,
they were still getting they were sitting there waiting for treatment. We certainly agree That people need to be diverted out or if possible,
in their charges, permit that. We also know that completing the 6 to 1620 twos were not Always completed and then were put on staff.
and we have the numbers to show that. And additionally, The overall process was very cumbersome when we took over the gia,
when we were asked by the county to take over gia, We put that now on one medical record.
we have all the staff coordination. When they're on mental health alerts, They go from the gia and transfer over to the mental health services that are in the jail
with our staff. We believe that this has improved the process.
if you look at the numbers over the last ten months, The number of patients that have been transferred out due to mental illness and others are
having crisis, they have dropped. We believe that one ehr, Electronic medical record has been a godsend to make
sure that all of this could be done, and we want to make sure that they can be diverted.
we support outpatient treatment programs, diversion programs, And we believe there's more in the community that needs to be done.
when we look at the comment made about ut health, They provide an excellent program that needs to be done.
what we all need together here is to commit. We want we do not want people in the jail That shouldn't be in the jail.
we want them to get the treatments that they need where they can get the treatment.
but when they're in the jail, we would like a coordinated effort where we can provide all Of these services in the 300 staff that are in that jail from university health,
I will tell you, they're angels. We might we get letters to talk about how the staff has Brightened their day from inmates and others.
now, I'm not saying that everybody's perfect, But I will tell you, the staff are providing care in that hospital.
stephanie. Stephanie, casey, denise, doctor jimenez are here behind me.
they're committed to making this better and working together with everyone else who can Make it better.
if they're in the jail, we're going to take care of them, And we will make sure that they get the best care possible.
and we certainly want them to be out of jail if they don't need to be in jail.
so I thank you. Thank you for the time to share the processes that we have.
okay, so like I said, when we were tasked to look at that research and look at the Different individuals,
how they died, you did the same thing as mr. Benos just said, And we found similar results.
they were passing within the first seven days of being in custody.
and also we agreed that medical needed to be moved up front.
so when you look at this chart compared to the other one that I showed earlier, Where it's highlighted in blue,
they will be receiving a medical screening sooner on than having to wait later on in the Time of being at gia.
so that is one of the enhancements that in the agreement with and, And the county.
is this mine or dan's? Thank you,
doctor g. So with that, with the data driving these recommendations and working with our Partners the sheriff's office facilities ocj
part of our proposals include a dedicated space for that comprehensive medical screening That we just outlined.
right now we, we want to bring that medical screening to the beginning of that process.
we've identified the sally port as an opportunity to build out modular facilities there, Including restrooms so that staff can
immediately upon arrival, pat down, we can get started on that process.
we'll continue to work with and with the sheriff's office to find out if there's any Additional opportunities that doesn't require a facility enhancement,
but we are committed to bringing medical stabilization to the start of the process.
so with that, staff is recommending the following judge with your approval.
approval of implementation of the bexar county enhanced medical screening and early Intervention initiative to support the early detection of acute medical conditions,
behavioral health crisis and substance withdrawal symptoms, And facilitate timely intervention among arrested persons before admission to the adult
detention center, including one authorizing necessary coordination with university health For the delivery of enhanced medical screening services.
two authorizing the procurement, delivery and installation of a modular medical screening Facility within the vehicle.
sallyport at the justice intake and assessment annex three, Finding that the modular facility and related improvements are necessary to
preserve and protect public health and safety, And granting the exemption from competitive bidding requirements pursuant to texas local
government code, section two two, 62.024, subsection a, Two and four, authorizing an appropriate budgetary transfer in the
amount of 250 000 with that judge staff's staff available for questions.
let me open a commissioner calvert. I go right back to you. Thank you.
the question of time for medical service and the question of of remote patient monitoring Are at the center of our
issue. I in analyzing the causes of death when seeing cardiac
issues have recommended that a watch or some device of remote patient
monitoring be be given to our folks coming through the the jail and or the city's intake Process
so that the medical staff at the university knows if someone's got a very high blood Pressure or a heart rate or
diabetes glucose issues. Because when you look at the quote unquote, Natural causes, I mean,
glucose, diabetes, deaths, monitoring glucose, Those things are tools that can be
can be administered and assist the medical staff in a faster response.
I think, doctor, you began your question with it could be six hours at the city of san Antonio's,
which is going to be the majority of people coming into the bexar county jail are coming Through the city of san antonio. And then the previous iteration of our medical
did what in terms of time and how long did it take in terms of getting to the previous Medical screening at uah before the change today?
commissioner with regard to the bracelets that you were just talking about, We're actually going through the process of looking at vendors right now to,
to start testing them that in addition to. And so we're looking at probably in about, We're shooting for about 150 of those that will be put.
right now, the target demographic will be for the folks that are going through Detoxification.
in addition to that, we've got some of the folks that are a little more severely are Dealing with more severe medical issues.
and right now, those are the folks that are in our jail cells, In the cells that have the radar technology in the in the cell itself that remotely
monitors vitals. And then those are monitored on a screen just like this one that the Deputies can see.
so we'll have two type two different types of, Of medical monitor, remote medical monitoring on different folks within the jail.
will that include glucose? Yes, I believe so. Just some of some of those have glucose monitoring as well.
yes, that will be that will be one of the monitor vitals. So my, my back of the napkin analysis is that you're probably going to need more than 150.
I know you've got an acute medical group and you've got folks on detox, But in light of the,
you know, just kind of the, the general population, Health issues that you mentioned, you probably need a pretty robust monitoring system for
heart rate, at least glucose is a totally different issue. You can you don't need that, but for, for heart rate, And that's not invasive, that's not a violation of anyone's rights.
and, you know, maybe there's a legal entity that might argue that, But we'll work through that as we as we deal with that.
so I just want to express my support for that. So to answer the question, in the previous iteration of our health services, Again, it was six hours potentially before transfer to you and the jail.
how long in the previous iteration might someone be in the jail from sapd before they get The medical screening?
chief, do you know the answer? So there's two phases to the medical screening.
once they initially come in, they do what they call kind of like a pre screen, Something you would see like at a hospital,
a triage. And then from there they would go through some of the process.
and then they go into the general seating area. And then you're looking at probably about another six hours depending on the population in The booking area.
so I got to this analysis, just looking at the medical examiner's causes of death and Seeing,
and you're hearing your input about some folks who may be arrested for drugs, May ingest those drugs,
and you don't know that they've ingested those drugs. They're not going to tell you they ingested those drugs because they're in the system and They're afraid that they're going to be more charges, and then their heart rate goes, and
then they die, right? Because they've ingested meth or cocaine or whatever it is that they Or heroin or whatever it is that they've had.
so again, that is why I want to explain this to the public of why the wristbands can be a Lifesaver or whatever remote patient
monitoring device that you're going to do, but the time is the key.
so we anticipate now still. Let me ask you a question about this new agreement.
the slide that said a pap is the city of san antonio.
are they agreeing to get the medical use our medical screening earlier?
are they have they agreed to that as well? I don't I don't believe there's an agreement From the city just yet.
however, I can tell you that we've been talking to them about various topics, This one being one,
the the elimination of double registration. And I can tell you, The city has become they're very open minded about these sorts of things.
and of course, while I can't speak for them, What I can tell you is we've seen some very positive movement forward with all of these
things that we're discussing with the city. So I have no reason to doubt that they'd be Standing in the way of progress. Well, the biggest you know, the biggest thing putting my
ben crump hat on is liability to the city for those health care screening delays.
and y'all know what I'm saying when I'm saying put my ben crump hat on. I think unless the city wants to deal with that, They should collaborate with us on this reunification of this process so that
we don't have these these kinds of deaths. Commissioner, If I could just add one point when we made that recommendation in the sally port and how
we would build that out, it's with the intent and the understanding of what that chain Looks like from freo.
so that is why we are recommending what we are recommending in terms of the facility Enhancements,
thinking at any given time, that chain will show up and we need to be prepared for that.
so I thought I'd just make that point for you. Also, My, my, for the record, in our assessment and research,
all the medical evidence comes from the medical examiner. So these are professional opinions that have been rendered by the expert.
let me put on the record that we've also found out that people have died at the city Magistrate,
although it's been registered as a bexar county jail death. Correct, sheriff. Yes, sir. If they've already been remanded to our custody on paper.
yes, sir. Although they're physically located over at the city. Correct? Absolutely. Yes, sir. Ultimately, what we need to do is eliminate the double Magistrate process.
yeah. There's things in the works for that. We've we've got a whole lot of work that's Been done and a lot of positive feedback from the city thus far.
this this this this presentation, this illumination should move us into a different Direction.
and I think a lot of the council can take more leadership in trying to work with the Police chief,
you know, to to make that a reality. So to the point of time, Right.
so we know that in the city of san antonio, if you call an ambulance, It's 7 to 10 minutes on average that they want to be able to respond.
how much time from our beginning intake with this new process that we're going to Implement,
will someone how much time will it take them to get a medical screening?
approximately approximately. So I'm sorry, commissioner, What was the question with the new requested motion
and the new system of medical intake? How much time will it take for the average bexar County inmate to
see or get to the medical intake immediately. That's what the whole proposal is about. Everything's going to be up in the front end. Are The inmates care is going to be number one priority.
okay. Let me put on the record as to what we have found are reported to me.
if we get cooperation of the city, we can do this up front at the time they are officially Processed,
but we are not there yet. Commissioner these are ongoing conversations.
this process is not a solution turnkey. We have many, Many more steps to go and many more processes,
including the diversion at toward after they're in the jail or in the courts.
so. Commissioner, I'm just letting you know, I'm letting the court know we still got a lot of work to do,
and there's going to be more reports coming back from this group and other groups, Including commissioner rodriguez's group.
so I will use my political relationships at the city to get their council members to move The city in the right
direction. The right direction is our consolidation and having one intake process in the Interim.
of course, I think there's a solution for this medical check in to be done immediately With the collaboration somehow.
I mean, if you're doing that, then you might as well just keep them in the bexar county Jail.
but, you know, we don't know what'll happen, But that should happen.
and I just want to, you know, try to make this obvious to the public if you're following This.
as I just conclude my comments. Thank you to all the citizens and all the organizations, All the staff,
everyone who has contributed, all the agencies. Thank you. I want to thank commissioner moody because I think his leadership in I can't Think of the,
the, the, the adjective, but, you know what you stirred was a good thing and we needed to Do
that. I have sympathized with commissioner simmons in tarrant county.
she's been trying to highlight some of the deaths in the jail issues as well. And she's gotten a lot of pushback to bexar county's credit.
this kind of collaboration is more productive than what they're going through in tarrant County.
but it wouldn't have happened. But for your leadership, Commissioner, and I thank you.
and I know a lot of people will thank you in the future for being an adjutant for change.
so it's not all bad. We need we need to have different perspectives. We need to have a little push. And, and my, my push is now to make sure these remote Patient monitoring get on the
bodies of these folks because it's going to save a lot of lives and it's going to let your Medical staff at us be able to respond a heck of a lot sooner.
so I think that's it for me for now. But thank you all for your effort, I appreciate it.
commissioner clay-flores. Thank you for being here. I know we've been working on this for a while.
I know, sheriff, we've talked about this repeatedly. Doctor norma, we've met several times. I want to thank your team for getting all the Numbers together over the years.
and sheriff, we've repeatedly talked about dual registration since.
since I've been here, since I'm sure way before I got here.
and we couldn't do anything about it because it's my understanding that the city was Hesitant.
so what's the difference now so that we can make sure it actually happens.
we have some of our community activists who are still here from earlier who spoke, Which I which I thank you all for being here.
as you all know, I consider myself a community activist. So I'm wondering if we need to you need to ask for their assistance so they can, You know,
give a push to the people because we've been talking about this for years. So what's the Difference now that all of a sudden now it's finally going to happen, which I hope it
does. I can tell you what what I what I believe one of the big changes was, Is before we were just asking them to come to.
we were continuing to ask them to just come along to south tower, Knowing that I know full well that the.
that the cities had reservations about south tower and the space availability and certain Facilities or lack thereof that they see there,
because they had those same reservations when I used to work for the city. So I've known what the what the issues are now though we've been able to identify an Actual facility that I believe would,
would, would, we could be used, brought to bear on this issue. We, you know, as you know, commissioner, you've seen the two dues facility right up the Street right now.
it's been pressed into service as a training academy, Kind of a makeshift training academy.
but I see, in my estimation, the highest and best use to borrow a real estate term, The highest and best use for that facility would be to,
with some modifications, turn it into a booking facility where we could then bring Everybody,
sapd included, could start using that as a as a as a booking facility.
eliminate the need for 401 south frio. Drop them off there to us at the at the at the new To the to dos building,
they'd be able to get more immediate medical care, Medical screening and diversion deflection away from the from the jail system if need be.
but it'd be that right there in and of itself would eliminate. Now the. The only thing standing in the way of that obviously, Is the city saying yes, which they've already been taking tours of it,
and I can't again, I can't speak for them, but I have heard no objections from the city.
so we're proceeding as if it's probably going to happen at some point. I've just got to find a suitable training facility to move my cadets to.
but the short absence of those two things, I think that we're, We're, it should be a pretty clear path forward to eliminate that registration process.
so we know that people can say yes, but until it goes to the city or commissioners court To get passed,
it doesn't really mean anything. Correct. So I just need to make sure that we work with The city or our staff,
coordinate with their counterparts to make sure it gets to council to get passed so that We're not just talking about dual magistrate,
but we no longer have it. Absolutely. And the whole point of that, As you all know, I have repeatedly talked about that every person in jail isn't just a
number. We talk about these deaths. They're not just numbers, But they are people's relatives.
they are people's fathers and mothers and sisters. So they are all human beings and we need to treat them accordingly.
and with that, a lot of our a lot of the people are getting arrested.
and we know that they have underlying chronic health conditions. So I applaud that we are finally moving this to the front end.
doctor norm, I know that's something we had talked about previously, So I'm excited about that. And I thank your staff for being here.
they already have hard work. I don't know if there's anything you all want to add.
I mean, I don't believe in people just coming to stand to to decorate the commissioners Court.
but if there's anything that us staff want to want to add for this, May I add that we pass all the comments and then we'll come back to you are part of my
questions still? Go ahead real quick, though, Before they do that, commissioner, I just want to I know that constituent earlier talked
about the other counties do not have this issue. Taryn terrace, travis they do not have dual registration either.
so I just wanted to make that point too. Okay.
thank you. I mean, that wasn't part of my. But so can I go back to staff?
sure. So is there anything did you want to add any of your staff who are here since you're Taking time out of your busy day?
doctor jimenez, medical director at the detention center. Commissioners. Again, every day I go to work, I'm proud to again help our patients and give them the best health care that we can.
I think since I've been there, we extended a lot of things.
we added a map program, right? So we're adding addiction treatment for our patients.
we detox them provide close medical treatment for them.
right. And again, it's, it's a tough environment, But I think we do the best we can and provide the best healthcare that
we can to them. Well, I will say from first hand experience talking to constituents in my Own care,
being at us and different constituents who call our offices with children and siblings who Are in and out of jail or other care facilities.
when I was working with the migrant center, you guys are testament that you honestly treat Each individual as individuals and not as a number.
so I just applaud editor and your staff because the leadership starts from the top down. So thank you so much for that. I also just so thank you so much.
I also want to recognize this is not a conversation that just started. Maybe it just got on the agenda. But there have been lots of meetings over the years, Lots of things we've been trying to push for,
and now we're starting to see the fruition of some of that. As the only woman on the court, I'm talking about women in leadership.
I have to recognize a couple of former women elected officials.
I believe the former sheriff is here. If you want to wave. It's good to see you. Thank you for being here.
and also commissioner devery, my former colleague, My first year commissioner.
you can attest to the fact that we got some good things done that first year, Even if we didn't always agree on things,
we always worked together. So it's good to see that we are finally moving things forward.
we still have a lot of work to do. So I applaud all the staff who are here today.
and with that, I'd like to make a motion for approval. Second motion by commissioner Clay-flores, second by commissioner rodriguez,
commissioner moody. Thank you, judge. Several things I'd just like to to walk through Here.
first of all, I just want to appreciate commissioner calvert kind words and comments.
this is obviously something I've been leaning on and pushing on for, For some time.
some of these task force meetings that I pulled together last fall.
but I'm glad we're here. I think these are important steps to take going forward in the Right direction.
as the judge said, I don't think this doesn't end today.
we have other areas. And actually our next agenda item is going to touch on you know, Double magistrate.
and then we have another item to talk about some of the other areas and studies we've done That identify other opportunities to improve the process at the jail,
address some of the other constraints that we have when it comes to facilities. And so I Think there's there's a lot of work still to be done in this this area.
but I applaud the the the level of detail here and thought when it comes to the modular Facility up front and trying to streamline
the medical screening process, I think it makes sense to me and I'm excited that we're Moving forward with it.
well, let me just mention the wearables. That makes a lot of sense as well.
the devices that can monitor individuals that are incarcerated, Their blood sugar, heart rate,
blood pressure, whatever the case may be identifying those individuals and then being able To make sure that maybe we can have that higher standard of care.
that makes a lot of sense to me as well. I think commissioner calvert hit the, The nail on the head when it comes
to and the whole discussion about double registration because let's just be clear.
you can say that we are going to now have initial medical screening within minutes.
but as it stands today, as it stands tomorrow, If we have what was the percentage of of individuals coming through sapd
60 sorry. 49. Okay. So half those
individuals may have five, six, seven, nine hours before they have any medical screening.
I don't, I don't know sapd policy at that other facility. I don't know what's in place today, but it wouldn't be what we're talking about.
correct. Can anybody speak to that really quickly about what sapd currently has today at Their other facility?
so the see. I'm stephanie. Stephanie. I'm the vice president of detention for university Health.
speak up. So at the magistrate court, we provide medical services.
however, we do not screen 100% of those individuals coming in.
we screen those that request services and we screen those that have been in like a motor Vehicle accident,
have seat belt marks, certain things like that. So it's not 100%. To answer your question, there would still not be 100% screening, Nor is it the exact same screening because when they're coming into the jail,
the receiving screening is very lengthy. It goes into previous medications and everything Else.
it is more of a triage screening that is done at the magistrate currently.
okay. Appreciate the detail there. And I think there's alignment generally here about Eliminating double magistrate being the right path.
however, if in the meantime, we cannot do that or that takes some period of time.
I think we should look at what else we can do to ensure that those individuals come in Through sapd,
have that screening moved up as well, and thinking about how we could do that or increase The level of screening for those individuals until we can get this solved when it comes to
double registration. As we're talking about this, And I know obviously there's, there's a reason we
have this double magistrate situation today. I don't fully I can't articulate every reason And whether
that, what comes from sapd, what comes through political channels, But I do think like, let's,
let's work together to find a way through it. And if there are other asks when it comes to our jail facility and the gia that we need to Consider
in order to broker a deal and get this thing finally done.
then let's do that. Let's, let's put those things on the table. Because a lot of times we talk about the problem, We talk about the problem, we talk about the problem. We know what we want to do. On the
other side of that, there's there's arguments that are being made that oppose that.
but how can we actually get to yes, how can we address those issues and make progress Forward?
and I hope we we can enter those conversations in a way that tries to be constructive and Solve it.
so just to be clear, the 250 k that we're talking about today is for the modular facility For the upfront screening,
correct? Correct. Okay. Those other costs is planning to to bear.
that's correct inside the facility. Correct. Okay.
I think there was a lot of there were several slides there and that you kind of walked Through when it comes to proposed enhancements in terms of the treatment and
monitoring individuals within the jail post screening. Right. So a question for the sheriff. So have all those proposed enhancements agreed
to in practice or generally, or where are we in that we can propose enhancements, But obviously we need to make sure that there's a path to implementation.
anything that my partners standing up here with me propose as being the, The best idea moving forward to save lives,
to save lives I'm in favor of. And we will not. We at the sheriff's office will not be the reason any of this gets delayed.
I've promised them that. I'm promising you that I'd swear it on a stack of bibles and I'd Shout it from the rooftops.
okay, that's good to hear. Appreciate the commitment.
I guess as we take these next steps forward, Trying to figure out what the priorities are,
what the plans look like for those implementations, Because it sounds like there's universal agreement that they make sense.
I do think that we'll have to consider, you know, What are the modifications or renovations that may be required when you're talking about
the additional care, the ability to have direct line of sight, The ability for, you know,
rapid response within the jail, like what will that ultimately mean for this court in Terms of modifications or renovations on,
on the current facility? And I don't think there's an answer to that right now. I just Think that that's something we're going to have to look at carefully,
and I'm just going to use that to circle back to what we'll talk about in the meadows Study here shortly or after lunch.
but this modular screening facility makes sense from a add on to the gia, But when we're talking
about mid long term treatment within the facility and we get a response back about what That's going to cost and the renovations required
in order to actually see all those proposed enhancements versus the discussion within Meadows about a medical annex or that
included mental health services as well at the jail. Right. So those may be different price points that that can be considered, But that was one of the recommendations.
obviously, it ties in with what we're talking about. It's just a question of what level of increased monitoring and care within these proposed Enhancements and what the cost would be versus additional
facility and construction that's required to meet that level of care going forward.
so I think I touched on all my comments thus far for for this item, But obviously there's,
there's more work to be done here. I'm excited about these steps going forward. And fully support. Thank you, mr. Rodriguez. Thank you.
judge. I'm not going to go through the whole gamut.
again, this is obviously important for a number of reasons. What I would say is you know, I'm at least encouraged that there is a number of folks at The table because I know that
when I first got on the court 2019, we were talking about consolidating registration.
I'm sure it predates me. I think the commissioner calvert was the only one on the court Before me.
so this has been a conversation that I feel like in some instances has been like running In circles.
so I'm hopeful. Sheriff. I know we, we, we toured to do's recently.
I know there's some you know, capital investment that's going to be required, But you know,
I, my sense is there's finally some momentum and it makes sense to actually make this Happen.
and so thank you for your commitment on that. I also want to just also acknowledge former commissioner deberry because she also worked On this.
and I remember in case you can't come back after lunch commish she's also working on the Ad hoc committee and we're talking about our pilot diversion
program. So thanks for your work. Real quick, I guess the only thing I wanted to clarify in my mind is I
get the process of moving the screening to the front end.
that makes complete sense. There is some reference to remote patient monitoring.
I need somebody to help understand. So what happens after that initial screening?
if the first seven days or ten days are the most critical, I'm trying to comprehend how if we don't have that in place now,
how is that individual monitored for any progression of their medical condition?
if it's not diagnosed at the front end or there's maybe signs of something, How I guess in other words,
the continuum of care or just oversight? How is that done in the, In the process of the intake?
but also, you know, without, you know, throughout the next few days. Sure. Well, commissioner the, the wearables that we're talking about work, Much like what the radar technology that we have in the jail now,
right now in some of the areas of the jail, certainly in the infirmary area, We've got some technology it's not really it's not in use in any other major jails in the
state of texas, I might add. There's a sensor in the corner of the upper corner of the Ceiling that's not accessible to the inmate readily,
but it's monitoring his or her vitals remotely. And then a deputy is sitting at a workstation and has a screen in front of them.
and it's got literally a little square for each inmate that's being monitored. They're all Green.
should somebody start presenting some sort of issues with regard to their their vitals That are monitored,
that that screen is going to turn, that portion of the screen is going to turn red, And he's going to be able to let medical know,
like, I don't know why, but this guy's heart rate just spiked or went down or breathing Is,
is affected. And then medical can then rush in and handle whatever needs to be handled.
the wearable devices that we're talking about would do, In essence, the same thing.
right now, we're looking at various vendors that we're going through the process of Looking at vendors that supply those to see what's better and what's not as far as
actually monitoring whatever condition it is. It's not going to tell me, well, you know, their cancer got worse or their whatever Medical condition got worse.
they're just going to tell me their vitals are off and we don't know why. Let's get medical in here to figure out the why.
okay. So so currently you have access to the technology to monitor vitals, I guess
in just in certain units. Or is that throughout the jail that's in the infirmary area?
but those people are in individual cells with that technology. The, one of the areas that we're talking about and.
commissioner moody, you made mention of some of the some of the modifications already Being made. We've already consolidated certain parts of the of the jail in anticipation of
what one of the things that us asked us to do. So with regard to, to the, the, the inmates that are detoxing, Actively going through detoxification,
one of the things that that us identified as they needed to be the ability to do with These folks is keep them on an iv almost constantly.
dehydration is one of the big things with. With regard to detoxification.
it's harder for them to do that when these inmates that are detoxifying. Going through the detoxification are scattered throughout the jail. So they asked us to Consolidate those folks into one area to make it easier for them to to monitor and to keep
those iv drips on. We have done that. We've we've consolidated we identified the areas That we were going to be using.
we moved all the inmates that aren't affected. We're preparing for it. Now. One of the Things that us has to do now is staff up on their end to be able to monitor those folks,
but we made it happen on our end. Those are the folks because they're not going to be in An individual,
individual cell where I can put a radar unit in the corner and monitor their, Their, their vitals,
I'm going to have to put something wearable on them. So that's where they'll be. And then it'll be. My understanding of it is it'll be Basically the same setup.
somebody will be sitting with a monitor in front of them with little boxes and it will be Monitoring each of the each of the folks that are wearing those devices.
okay. So I appreciate that, sheriff. I think short of whatever investment we're going to Have to make,
I know we keep going back to central registration because I think that is significant Here.
so I don't want to gloss over that. But having seen to dos, It's not plug and play.
it's going to require some level of investment. And so I hope that we continue the conversation with the city on processes even before we Have a facility ready to go.
I mean, I know that's a key component, but it also is about collaboration and what's in The best interest of the community.
and so I know you're having those conversations. We are as well, but whatever the court can do to support that really, The quicker we can get to that central
processing, the better it's going to be for our community. Yes, sir. If you can, you can keep us posted on those discussions.
absolutely. And just real quick from the onset, I know that the the city's what they told me was their big concern was getting their
troops back on the street quickly. They didn't want them stacking up in a in a sally port.
I knew what those concerns were heard those concerns to do's, I believe checks off all the boxes or once the modifications are made,
we'll check off all those boxes and we'll. We'll absolutely get their people back out onto The streets sooner.
I can assure you all I'm doing the best sales job I've ever done in my life to get them Through there and get them,
get them convinced that this is the way moving forward. As I mentioned, I've got nothing but good positive feedback from those at the city that I've shown it to,
and I'm going to continue to work on it until we get you, Come back to you and say, okay, we're ready to go. Okay. Thank you. Sheriff. Last question. Thomas.
you know, I think it's important that we obviously move forward today, But that we have to grade our paper at some point.
yes, sir. What? What kind of measuring stick? Data. Can you provide maybe on a regular basis, Back to the court so that we know these changing changes are making a difference?
I mean, is that is that something you can commit to or have the right folks report back to Us how this is making a difference?
yes, sir. We'll continue to work with you, and we'll come up with those measurements, And we'll bring those back to this court on a regular basis.
yes, sir. Thank you. Judge. Any further comments or questions?
I'll call for a vote. All those in favor of the motion signify by saying aye.
aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion carries.
let me conclude with this conversation. Today's action is the culmination of the work from The first of the year.
and you've heard an initial report as what has been stated. It's just the beginning of continuous improvement.
the commissioners, the sheriff us have relied on data and process analysis.
their experience, institutional knowledge to guide us on this decision today.
this is the product of many months of collaboration and hopefully much more collaboration With other stakeholders.
I'm going to say that again because it's important. This is the product of many months of deliberate collaboration that we know will improve Medical screening and improve outcomes.
the commissioners court can't operate the jail, But we can lead, ask hard questions, support accountability,
and invest in better solutions. Let's get the job done and let's provide a safer and more Dignified jail for all those that are involved.
thank you very much. Thank you. Yes. We got two more agenda items.
I'm signaling. I know we're running late on lunch, But let us know.
commissioner rodriguez I'm going to a specific item that is still germane to this Conversation,
and that is 97. I'm going to 97. And the first action we must take discuss appropriate Action related to
granting an exception to administrative policy. 1.2 to authorize the consideration of following late fall agenda item 97 aye.
is there a motion? So moved. Moved by commissioner rodriguez, Second by commissioner clay-flores.
all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion carries.
let us now take up 97 a discussion. Appropriate action regarding directing staff to Develop a bexar county adult detention center public
dashboard to provide accessible information about the detention system.
agency responsibilities and relevant operational outcome. Commissioner. Do you want to make a motion and open the floor?
yeah. To make a motion to approve. Judge. Second. Motion by commissioner rodriguez. Second by commissioner clay-flores. And I'll be brief.
I know this has been the topic of plenty of discussion. We've been kind of working on this in the background a little bit.
I think my staff's put up some sample type of dashboard, But this item essentially is we know key to
really any government operation is transparency and a better understanding in this Instance of how the jail system works.
and so right now, the information about the jail is maintained by several different Agencies available through separate sources.
so this item is about bringing reliable information together in one place, Clearly explaining who is responsible for what and creating a consistent way to report on
operations, outcomes and the work underway to improve the system.
specifically, the study recommended a centralized public information system, Including an online portal where the public can find consistent and accurate information.
the dashboard will bring together information about jail operations, Health care, deaths in custody,
agency responsibilities, oversight outcomes, And system improvement improvements.
it will also help provide definitions and answers to common questions, So the public can understand how the different parts of the system fit together.
so this item does not necessarily dictate every data point or assume that all information Can be published.
but what I'd like to do is direct staff to determine what information is available, Reliable and legally appropriate and useful to the public while protecting privacy,
security and active investigation. So this has been in the works. I'd like to ask if staff finds it feasible to no later than october 1st provide a proposed Framework and an initial mock up
of the information. Thomas, is that you think a consistent timeline and one that is Reachable?
yes, sir. We'll continue to work with our information technology department as well as ocj And looking at some of the examples your office has already
provided to us. We think we can have something ready to show around that time frame.
happy to answer any questions, judge, but I think there's been a motion and would like to Move forward.
question. Commissioner. Clay-flores. Yeah, no, I just want to commend my colleague for making sure we got this.
make sure we're getting this done because a lot of times constituents will call our office And then we have to dig to find out answers to help them.
so this should be a shortcut and to should be more helpful for our constituents. So thank you. Commissioner moody commissioner calvert, I support this motion to commissioner rogers.
thank you for bringing up. I appreciate that even though it's late filed, It is something that was very germane and is included in today's conversation.
I will call for a vote. All those in favor of the motion by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion carried.
let us take up for the last time. We'll break for lunch and come back. Commissioner moody for a time. Certain on 1030.
but for now ten. 15%. Presentation, discussion of an update by the bexar county criminal District attorney regarding prosecutorial review and related criminal justice
processes occurring between the city of san antonio processing center, Located at 401 south rio and the bexar county justice intake and assessment annex,
located at 200 north comal street, including the sequencing and timing of arrest, Review,
charging, registration, bond and diversion related processes, The transfer of arrested persons,
case information between the facilities, the respective responsibilities of the Participating governmental entities and opportunities to reduce unnecessary
duplication or delay and improve intergovernmental coordination case processing.
good morning or good afternoon? Good afternoon judge. I know everyone is ready to go to lunch and I'm sure commissioners. Canez. So I'll make This brief.
my commentary is going to be quick, but I think it's important for you all to hear.
since the beginning of my administration, when I walked in january 29th, We've been dealing with the dual registration issue.
and I think it is rare, if not unique to texas. And I do think that we are moving the ball down the field.
I hope that we're making some significant progress. I heard for the first time last night about this produce.
I'm sorry, the two deuce building project. I'm excited about what that would bring.
but but I think, as commissioner moody mentioned a minute ago, We're not the ones that will make the decision about eliminating the dual
registration issue. It's got to be a collaboration. It's got to be us with sapd because our experience is sapd are the largest customers at The bexar county district attorney's office.
they filed the most cases that we see here. So it's important that we work hand in hand With sapd.
I will tell you that I have a good relationship with acting chief salomé, And I hope to continue to work with him in the five months that I have left.
we certainly have been talking about this. I think it's going to take sitting down and Coming up with solutions.
but the reality is we have dual registration because the city magistrates.
well, first of all, the law requires that an arresting agency bring an arrested person Before a magistrate without unreasonable delay.
so that happened at the city side. They they bring them in front of a city magistrate, But the city magistrate will only determine probable cause and
inform the detainee of his or her rights. Does not set a bond that does not happen until That person is brought over to the county side to the jail
facility. So because of that, we see the average delay of six hours, As doctor testa has already identified on the average.
so the solution to this is to be able to figure out a way to reduce or eliminate that that Delay.
if we're not going to be able to convince sapd and chief solomon, Those that are with the city to not use the facility,
maybe there's a way that we can figure out a way to have bonds set while those individuals Are still over at frio,
maybe closed circuit tv, maybe we bring the county magistrates over to that facility, But there's got to be a way to reduce the amount of delay from the city to the
county. So I'm here to tell you that I'm all in favor of being a.
partner to this I'm I'm willing to to push, to pull back or to
phase out the prosecutors that we have over at the frio facility to make the elimination a Reality.
but we have to be careful how we do that. Again, It has to be a collaboration of the da's office along with sapd.
so again, I'm here to say that I'm in support of the elimination of the dual registration.
I've been an advocate of that since the beginning of my term, Rather the beginning of my administration.
I will continue to work with sapd to hope to to make that a reality.
I certainly am willing to continue, although, As I mentioned, I only have five months to go.
I'm willing to continue to to be part of whatever committee to to talk about the, The elimination of this dual
registration as a private citizen. But again, I wanted you all to, to know my position.
I do hope that we can some day return to the, To the days of single registration as occurred before the giant facility.
that's all I have. Any questions or comments on the das report for today in regards to the Double registration.
all right. Thank you joe. We'll be asking you back. Let me also announce that I believe the media has asked for a briefing on this particular Issue.
I will stay in the courtroom. I will invite all commissioners, The da and the sheriff, or any other electeds who wish to remain.
we will have a briefing in here, but I will now call a recess.
give us about 45 minutes for lunch. But we also have a briefing that we're trying to get Done.
so at this time, the court is in recess for lunch, But we have a briefing and you all are so notified also those that are involved,
ed thomas you all need to remain for the briefing.
so at this time, court's in recess media. Monica, Please help the media set up and we will talk.
yeah. Awesome. Man. Are we gonna eat? All right.
court's going to call in recess. I believe commissioner clay-flores is on her way, But we'll start up let us continue time certain from 10:30 a.m.
discussion on those issues related to jail population, Facilities related programs to include one,
two, three, four and five. Commissioner moody, I believe this is yours.
let me just yield the floor to you, and you take up those that you wish to take up.
okay. Thank you judge. We had a robust discussion this morning with regard to some of the Medical
facilities, medical treatment screening process at the jail.
this item was designed and was originally going to be brought last month but was tabled.
we are going to touch on some of the studies that are the other issues that we have Identified surrounding the jail as well as some of the
the committees and getting updates on some of the other factors that are impacting the Jail,
as we've kind of discussed so far. So the first thing I wanted to do was provide a quick Update on laurel ridge
the laurel ridge treatment center. So I did get a quick update from strack. Unfortunately, both eric epperly and jordan couldn't be with us today.
they're actually up in austin with chief kidd, But their notes said, you know, effective loss of 330 beds.
they have a small number of charity care beds open right now that are mostly walk ins.
this is required for them to get their center for medicare and medicaid services back and A certain number of patients in the hospital.
but of those beds, 22 were contract beds for unfunded patients that were simply Redistributed to the other psych facilities so that 300,
330 total bed loss is actually 40% of the psych inpatient market here in san antonio and Bexar county,
40%. So we've lost almost half. When laurel ridge was shut down, 102 pediatric beds,
which is 50% of the pediatric psych inpatient market.
now, there are only 156 beds for children and adolescents in a county with a population of 440,000 between the ages of three and
17. So again, this is coming from from strack.
eric eppley, we're already seeing funded patients having to leave san antonio for Inpatient treatment to austin and houston markets.
the impact of the loss of laurel ridge will be mainly felt by funded patients.
and the jail population is largely unfunded. The laurel ridge ceo notified us that they Received notification from the center for medicare and medicaid
services of the acceptance of their reapplication to cms.
so that is the first step in a long journey back.
experts state that it's normally a 12 month or longer process.
united health systems continues to state their commitment to try to return back into the Market as soon as possible.
so I just thought this was was important. This had occurred a few months ago, And obviously mental health and our mental health beds,
both on the forensic side with regard to the jail and civil side, Whether it relates to diversion or otherwise.
this is a big, big factor. We talk about the need for additional mental health beds, And yet we're actually seeing right now nearly half of our
inpatient psych beds be eliminated, hopefully temporarily, But but still for the time being eliminated.
so I think it was important that, that we highlight that and we continue to stay on top of This and monitor it with the help of strack as we kind of go forward here.
the next item. Any any questions from the court?
okay. Thank you. The next item was just a update on the jail diversion ad hoc committee, Which we did hear
from councilwoman terry castillo, staff member earlier.
but mr. Rodriguez, if you want to provide a county, I'm happy to give just a quick, high level summary of what's happened so far.
so this is the joint city county ad hoc committee co-chaired by councilwoman castillo and Myself that was established back in late
2025. The purpose is to develop a more coordinated diversion and recovery system that Connects eligible individuals with behavioral health
treatment as opposed to being put in the jail.
so so far, we've met three times. And we've brought together a number of stakeholders City,
county, health care professionals, law enforcement, They've been very productive meetings.
we're working through some longer term solutions with respect to infrastructure, Staffing procedural issues,
funding, etc. And as part of that effort, the.
engaged doctor testa. I know doctor testa is here who's been a great resource to do a Feasibility study for a standalone joint
diversion center. So that study is examining the population that can be served treatment Bed capacity,
operational and financial considerations. I think the timeline on that is probably closer To the end of the year.
is that right, doctor testa? Yes. He's shaking his head. Yes. But in the meantime the work Group is,
is currently working on a shorter term pilot program.
so that has been very productive. And the pilot planning currently involves again, Developing the criteria for those that are eligible.
the screening and referral process, where to, Where to locate it.
certainly right now they're not treating the pilot as a an alternative to the feasibility Study,
but they're working in unison. And so it'll give us an opportunity to act in the near term While doctor testa finishes the work on the longer term
solution. It sounds as if there is some consensus on.
I think procedurally who will be involved in the pilot program.
I think we're exploring some bed space with chc over off josephine street.
we're also talking with. And doctor aye has been very helpful. Doctor a's here on. You know, what happens in terms of after that initial intercept, What kind of continuum of care
those individuals need? And we've talked to a couple of different nonprofits and groups, Including ut health for that.
so I don't want to artificially say that this is going to happen tomorrow, But my hope is and the councilwoman and I
have talked about. If we can figure out in really in the next few weeks what the pilot Program may look like,
both the city and county putting something in our respective budgets here over the course Of the next 6 to 7 weeks to help put that pilot program in
place. And so I know we've got another meeting scheduled at the end of this month in August.
and I think it sounds like at least the pilot program may be coming to a head with some Recommendation for both the city and county to consider for funding and
probably university health and other parties in jilin's also mentioned that she's reached Out to the private sector on some private funding as well.
so it's been great working group, a lot of good progress, And I'm hopeful that we will have a pilot program to launch here
in the next couple of months. Any questions? Yes. Just want. I just want to mention one thing. Dan barrett, Chair of chc, came to me many years ago and talked about the fact that the northeast has
the most substance use, and it's got the least centers for substance use.
so the josephine is a good central location. That's a good centralized location, Probably will help us a lot with our homeless and other inner city issues.
but there's and I don't want to overgeneralize it often can be an older user, But a lot of your younger users are a little
further north in the county. So I looked with ed at the locations of our current mental Health locations.
and they're kind of pretty western. So any consideration we can get for that, Northeast and east and southeast would be really helpful.
yeah, I think it's a good point. I think when it came to the pilot.
right. Obviously that's a launching pad for hopefully a longer term solution.
the talk was about focusing on the central I guess sapd central zone or whatever you However you refer to it.
so there wanted to be some proximity to, to that in terms of getting folks over there.
but again, these are low level nonviolent offenses. That, that will be eligible for some kind of immediate diversion, But good point.
well taken. Commissioner. Did I miss anything good, Doctor.
aye. Okay. That was try to sum it up in two minutes or less.
appreciate it. Thank you for the update on the diversion committee. Commissioner rodriguez. I did have one question for staff, Though, because and there's a lot of support for for diversion.
and I think it's a a necessary but not sufficient for solving our issues.
but as we're going through this morning, is there a stat on the percentage of inmates who Are eligible for diversion?
I don't know if I've seen some slides and some numbers at some point. I think we're working through some of the eligibility numbers because you know, Obviously I think the natural reaction when we've been talking about
jail deaths is the assumption is they somehow could have been avoided if there was Diversion.
the reality is a lot of, or some of the folks in the jail that that ended up in fatalities Were there on felony and other more serious cases.
so I don't think we're approaching it as this is going to solve that issue, But it certainly a part of the puzzle.
I don't know the number. I don't know if staff has that number, But I think we're working.
that was one of the things we've been working through. Doctor gee, Do you have something or. It's normally about 25%.
about 1200 people have eligible charges. It doesn't take into consideration their criminal History or
anything like that. Okay. No, I knew it was ballpark somewhere in that range.
commissioner. Commissioner. Let me add a comment made at the public forum last week, The lulac,
for which they made a citizens to be heard. Henry rodriguez, Judge rangel put on the record.
and I want on the record that in regards to the diversion and as a pathway to get people Out of the jail,
there are laws that have been passed through the governor's office and through the state Legislature.
in the past, two legislatures that have restricted our court system, Both the district court and county court laws that prohibit
the diversion of prisoners through what we call pr bonds.
and so, because they may have an act of violence, Somewhere in their lifetime will rule them ineligible for
diversion. And that is something that I, as a former district court judge, Will work with our judges.
and I believe I want to give credit and and appreciation to our current judges who work Very hard on the jail population.
but this tells you that it is a multifaceted. It is a complex process, and it requires other stakeholders.
what we've done today is basically get some immediate solutions that will help alleviate The jail,
but more importantly, recognize the needs of the people that are coming into the jail, Especially those that are medically fragile or have medical issues and have difficulties
getting the services they need at the front end. And I think you heard some real great solutions.
and with the sheriff commitment and his staff commitment, I believe we will have we'll see positive impacts as a result of today's action.
but I just wanted to put that on the record, Commissioner, that as a commissioners court,
we're an extension of the state of texas, and those laws that get passed may not have the Support of the court,
but that's just those are the rules we live by. And when we can't let people out of jail, then we need our legislators and our to come up With solutions that will help us at the local level.
I'd like to put that on the record. No appreciate judge. And yeah, that is clearly the case. And we can agree to disagree on on whether we support The laws or not at the
state level. My only point in highlighting this is just, Again, the again, the necessary but not sufficient.
like this is a piece of the puzzle when it comes to diversion. But as we heard, only roughly 25% of individuals taken into the jail are even eligible for Diversion.
right. So there's there's still a large population that that is not a solution for.
and I just want to make sure everybody's level set on that.
so the other three items c, d and e, we were going to doctor norma greenfield board if you Could come up and
we were going to revisit the studies that we have previously paid for as a court I believe About $250,000 this court has has put
into meadows study. Doctor testa study who's here with us today.
and then also I know dan curry you'll, you'll finish things out with kind of the sash Reuse discussion that we had previously looked at maybe 18 months ago here in
this courtroom. But just again, to to highlight the issues beyond the medical intake Screening
process. We've talked about capacity issues with the current jail and housing inmates out At a cost,
which we aren't today, fortunately. But that comes and goes, And we know that the mental health beds,
both civil and forensic. And then as it relates to kind of these medical enhancements and Or facilities and what that looks like as well
at the current jail going forward. So I think a lot of these things get touched on within These studies.
and so I'll just turn it over to you to kind of walk us through it. Okay. So I'm going to go ahead and start with the study, Study doctor testa.
so when he came over and did his study, he also made some recommendations.
and so that's what you see here on this slide, Were the recommendations that he made for us to include enhance whatever it may be.
so I want to go through them because I'm proud to say that just about all of them have Been completed.
and I'll give you an update on the ones that have not. So the applewhite we, I know we've can you hold on one second?
can we get the slides up? There we go. Thank you.
because we don't have it. We don't have it physically. So can we get full screen? Sorry. Yeah. So we can actually read with with as we go to the Control booth,
to the control booth. Can we get full screen on that for the court? Thank you. I'm sorry Doctor,
go ahead. There we go. Got it. Okay. So for applewhite we had met with chief jarvis.
and so I think they've already have moved 138 from applewhite.
okay. 129 have been moved into that area that we that the court invested in for Applewhite.
so that's up and running and helping with the moving people out of the jail into either Ddr or isf or
safe p and let me just highlight that again. How many did you say? 129. 129 individuals because of the actions of this court?
yes, sir. Back in april and the discussion that we drove around this, We were able to connect the dots on that.
and there was a gap. And this court helped provide that support when it came to Prescriptions through us to ensure that that those beds could be filled and utilized.
I think that's a win for this court and we should highlight it. Yes, Absolutely.
and then we had the creation of the gel based competency restoration program.
and that's with chc. We completed an mou with oc and bcso to work on that program.
and that that's where they screen individuals that have mental health issues or that can't Go before court because they're incompetent.
so they work with those individuals. And so it's 128, Right?
is that correct? That have been screened. The other thing was the chc restoration center, Which would
provide 16 beds for crisis extended observation and 28 beds for residential detox.
and that has been completed as well. There was the contract with strack to provide eight Psychiatric facility high acuity
beds for adults and children. And that was funded by arpa funding.
we had a contract with sober living houses to provide beds.
oh. I'm sorry. Am I reading the right? I'm sorry. I was like, Okay, reading the wrong one here.
sorry, sir. That's the next slide. All right. So don't move it though. So the other one was electronic tracking for detainees.
bcso was looking into potential vendor vendors, Which they're still looking for those.
cross-agency communication meeting with gia director and gia stakeholders.
that's been completed. Tony caceres heads that and he meets with the stakeholders, Which includes da sheriff's department and any other parties that
work in the gia. Well, the dual registration, Which we've discussed earlier with there's not a resolution,
but we're hoping to get there sooner. The computer hardware, Wi-fi, we had some problems in there,
but that has been fixed and there are no issues with that any longer.
the pre-match case review, the process, the process is being identified and discussed in Gm monthly meetings.
and those are the meetings that are with the cross agency communications that are Happening pretrial financial interviews and risk assessments and intake
that continues to happen in gia and the transition to for mental health assessments and From chcs
that is happening or we're working on getting that.
and then the integration of mental health and idd services under unified division.
and that's when we moved over with and acog. And we're looking for those contracts and
to establish, to expedite position and so for discharge.
expediters hired as part of a team which that's something else that us is doing.
not this has nothing to do with the medical enhancements. This is something else. And the Social needs screener,
doctor testa felt that we needed someone in the gia to give social needs screening.
we are doing that. We're only doing it 9 to 5 right now. And we hope in future budgets to try to come back and get so that we can have 24 over Seven.
that has been completed though. Doctor laborde, Could you explain more of what is the expediter position at jag
tony. So the expediter position, the
role is when someone has been cleared for release from the gia, And they have any necessary or appropriate referrals in their hand.
instead of having a social worker or a clinician be the person to kind of process all of That paperwork.
an expediter is someone whose role is just to make it happen that much faster, And expediting,
expediting a release and making sure they're checking for understanding and that they have The appropriate referrals when they're released. I just want to go back
to this. Was the meadow study correct? No, this is this is this is doctor testa study.
the electronic tracking of detainees. Is that the wearables that we're talking about this Morning for sure.
no, that was something else. Tony is tony. No, Sir.
that's actually something to identify the individuals as they're going through the Process. At this point, I know that the sheriff's office has been looking at multiple vendors to See which one they believe would work best for the facility.
so is it from a medical or just knowing how long they've been there and where they're Sitting?
correct. More where they've been to, what sections have been completed and where they're At in the process.
okay. Got it. Thank you. It's like an ankle monitor kind of thing.
they were looking at bracelets. But again maybe there's a way to combine the medical and Tracking device.
all right. And I did. And the one that's still in all of these have been completed. The ones where there's two in progress, the ones that tony just talked about and then the Electronic bonds.
we have been working on that and there was some issues. And so it's going to set us back a little bit.
but we're working on that to expedite that. Let me make it clear, I want that done before the end of the year.
yes. Or else I'll be checking on it every meeting. All right. Yes, sir. So you let everybody know.
judge sakai wants it done. That's what I'm telling you. All right. Thank you. Okay, let's see now. Let's go to the meadows.
okay. Now back to the meadows, which I accidentally started on first.
so this one let me. I'm going to go with the complete ones and then then in progress we Probably will have to bring doctor a back up to discuss
those. So like I said, the jbc, which is the gel based competency restoration that has Been completed.
and, and we continue to work through that. And that's, Like I said earlier, if you if you want a little bit more detail of that,
I can have antonio come up and give that detail. If not, we'll move on to the next one. It's up to you.
okay. We're good. Okay. So. So we have like I said, The
we've completed also, we talked about apple pie. We completed that and the restoration center to provide the 16 beds.
the contract with strack and the contract with sober living houses. I believe last commissioners court, the doctor aye and her team brought up for that those That contract for
crosspoint and center court. So that's for that sober living houses and then the hospital System.
okay. So we talked about strack or stick, which has been completed the contract with 12 Community substance users,
providers with opioid settlement fund funding that has been completed.
can we go back really quick? Sure, sure. The arpa multi-year funding for the psychiatric Beds.
how long does that go out into the future? And you know what my next question is going to Be?
yes. That I'll answer it before you can ask it. The psychiatric beds were arpa funded so that funding will end when arpa ends or did end In june.
I'm going to ask the county manager's office if they if that particular project was part Of the evaluation that was being conducted,
just to look at return on investment for for future funding. But no, those beds are no longer available. Okay.
thank you. Was that your question? Yes. Yes. So is there any
other questions you have or. Not here. You can go.
I think there's another slide that has some other recommendations. Unless there's questions from other members of court. Go ahead.
let me I would say this, one of the things that we we should consider is how we can use, How we can work with the sheriff's department
and other law enforcement agencies with their asset forfeiture money by being preventative With treatment and supporting capacity for
beds, we can invest in lower crime. Typically, Those agencies will use those dollars for training and for equipment.
but there is an argument to make that their work in the field of law enforcement will be Improved greatly by supporting some of these mental health
beds. So I think it's worth a conversation with the, You know, everybody from dea to sheriff's department about could we use some asset
forfeiture monies to support some of these treatment services? Yes. Just a thought. No, I agree. Go ahead. Well, Was there anything else?
go ahead. Continue. Well, this is what I was talking about earlier, The gel based competency restoration.
I don't know if you wanted us to go into detail on that. That's something that's happening at the gel. Like I said, We have an mou with chc and bcso to work with these individuals that are in custody to
help them restore for court so they can show up to court fully restored.
I can move on. Did you have the the slide that included the
I had it before this had the strategic recommendations for the adc and diversion.
let me see. There you go. Okay. All right. So these were the
recommendations I believe, that were brought at that april presentation.
so invest in new medical behavioral health facility on the current campus to improve Capacity for behavioral health medical services.
and I believe that's something you were talking about earlier. Commissioner moody and current mandated treatment settings expand capacity at various Locations for continued treatment outside of jail,
which applewhite will sash lifetime outpatient. And so that's one of the things that we have through contracts, Like I said earlier with seneca and crosspoint with doctor
a's team and then other, we're in negotiation right now with that rfp that went out for Outpatient services.
so we'll come back with those, those that have been selected. So we do have we're working on that. And then the last one, Explore potential for diversion center outside of the jail to serve as a step down from
jail in a pathway to continue to the community based care. So that we talked a little bit about that with revamping to deuce as the sheriff was Speaking about earlier.
we have also explored some areas with out in what's that area that we just went to mike And
walsh's. O off of providence, sir. Yes, the providence center.
we also have been touring that as possibly also a step down.
so in other words, if they're diverted from the jail, Assuming we have this perfect little weather they go to to deuce,
they're able to be diverted, then we're one of the places that we can divert them to is We're looking at this area for some something to look at in the future.
so that way we have a place for them and a bed for them. Once again, we're looking at low level those that can receive.
they're eligible for a pr bond. So we're looking at that right now.
we don't have anything. You know, I haven't even I know the county manager is looking at Me because that's something I haven't even really discussed with him. But we're looking at
some other options to come back to him and to you all and looking at other ways that we Can keep them.
once we divert them, where do we want to put them and, And give them ongoing services so that we don't see them come back?
yeah. And if, if I'm just looking at this slide and trying to simplify it for, For those that the court mandated treatment settings,
we've done a lot in that space. The diversion center, We're just talking about it.
commissioner rodriguez was talking about the ad hoc committee with the city of san antonio Potential pilot,
and then see where that leads down the road. The first item, Though, we haven't really given a lot of discussion to,
but it ties in with the medical screening to some extent.
but as I talked about this morning. There's the medical screening side, And then there's like the treatment and medical services and mental health ongoing,
right? So the screening I think is easier to solve for us.
I know we talked about some enhancements that ed banos had laid out this morning.
right. Having an ambulance on site being able to cohort individuals who have more health Needs so they can maybe
have more access. But I believe that ties in here in terms of discussion about like
what, what makes the most sense in terms of quality of service, Quality of care, and what the cost would be to the county or to us.
so those items, there was no price tag on them. I have no idea what the price tag would be. I also know that there's a staffing component To all of those things when we are ferrying those inmates,
as I'm sure the sheriff will mention later, we're ferrying those inmates back and forth to The hospital.
that's, you know, additional personnel. Additional hours, Overtime costs.
flsa. So I don't know what all those costs will look like, But I think we should get a better sense of what those
costs are and compare those to, you know, what? If we were able to build a new medical behavioral health annex that would have mental Health beds available,
as well as new military and military medical facilities on site that could reduce the Requirement for
staffing, provide for more immediate care. And, You know, at the end of the day, we don't even know what the cost comparison would be.
I also think because it would be a medical facility that we could have that conversation With us.
and this wouldn't necessarily all be borne by bexar county.
so I think that this is something we need to continue to, To explore in concert with the,
the sachse review study, which I know dan currie is on deck, But, you know, we haven't really given this a serious discussion,
in my opinion, by this court to think about these other facilities and what, What could be built that
you know, obviously we need the, the medical treatment and we need the, The mental health beds.
this is potentially something that, that is, You know, addresses both of those issues and could address,
you know, additional capacity needs over the coming decade or two.
because if you pull those inmates who have mental health you know, Medical issues out of the existing
towers, then that provides additional space there. So I think it's continued needs to be continued to, To explore and look at the cost comparison versus some of those enhancements we talked
about this morning. And then think about the trade offs in terms of care and timeliness of That care and what that looks like.
and we should look at that as a court, but open any questions or comments from the rest of The court.
okay. I think that you're correct in that in looking at that comparison, Because we're at a place right now,
right where we have to decide what are we going to invest in?
and do we want to? And yes, some of these things are very costly, I know, but we have to decide where do we want to put that cost?
do we want to put it up front to prevent other things that we're spending on?
and I'm glad that the court is looking at that, Because I think it's going to be an important decision to make in the future,
is where do we want to spend those dollars to get the best return on that investment for The future?
no, I agree. And, you know, I can't speak for anyone else on the court.
I don't know what concerns may be out there, Whether it's the total cost or whether it's just a question about the additional capacity
or whether it's because I'm talking about it.
but clearly this wasn't my idea. This was the meadows study idea.
and they put it on the presentation that we paid for. And I guess I would like some feedback from the court and from staff at some point about Like,
why, why we do not consider this as an option because it's obviously there on the page.
and I don't know if county staff. David thomas, Anyone else can speak to that?
or you? Well, we've certainly put effort and time into trying to get the sash beds Rehabilitated
and funded, but that didn't happen, as you know. But quite a bit of staff effort was spent trying to get that study ready so the Legislature could help fund it and we could bring funding decisions to
you. But that hasn't happened. The sash reuse study that you're talking about.
yep. And we're going to hear about that next. Right. So if it's a if it's a question of we think sash reuse is a lower cost way to get Mental health beds.
and that's the priority. Then that's a, you know, A, you know, a fair position to hold.
it doesn't check the box for the medical facilities on site.
I still think we need to see what the total costs are and what the implementation of some Of those enhancements we talked about this morning are.
but. Again, there's not a lot of feedback in terms of.
we talk about mental health beds. Everybody wants to talk about this being a crisis and an Issue.
well, then what are we going to do about it? And this is one option that meadows presented To this court two years ago,
three years ago. Sachse reuse is something county staff worked on, Presented to this court 18 months ago.
we're going to hear about it again here in a second. If if sash reuse is something that we Believe is the best option going forward,
and there's feedback and alignment by the court, Then we can take that to austin.
we can't take anything to austin when we don't have a plan, And we don't even know what we're advocating for on that front.
so I hope that we can get alignment on what that is.
that would be helpful. All right. Go ahead. I was going to get to, I guess dance slide.
right. This one.
commissioners judge dan curry for the record. Director of facilities management. I'm not going to belabor this point, But as you guys know, we did a study to explore the opportunity of taking over some of the
buildings that were vacated by the state of texas when they built their new mental health Hospital and potentially leveraging those for county reuse.
we did this in november 2024. We identified seven existing buildings, What they call the plaza buildings,
and they use some of them for geriatric care now, But those would be potentially be available.
I know this is probably old news to you guys, But again, we did a study to see what it would take to increase capacity and to renovate
those buildings to be compliant with current mental health treatment standards. It broke down to about $8 million per building seven of those buildings are not being Used.
and again, we got. So we got far down the road. As david said, We negotiated many, many times with the state of texas, couldn't come to terms on an
operational agreement. And I know that those things will come up again if the court Chooses to add that to the legislative agenda.
you know, that's the court's discretion. But we do know that that those buildings can be Repurposed for acute medical or mental health care.
now, the study studied everything from soup to nuts, Like from community reintegration, work studies,
all those things. This was specifically concentrated on acute mental health beds to lessen The jail population.
so happy to answer any questions. So are all these these beds are they existing?
like have the forensic civil, like flexibility or.
so we strictly looked at it from a lens from acute detention beds.
this is high custody, not a mix, because that was the critical population to try to Address and get out of our existing detention facilities.
so again, these buildings are currently being used for 20 to 24 people.
we believe you can renovate them to treat 48 with those with some renovations.
and so we're trying to maximize capacity of some of those buildings. We explored looking 1 or 2 buildings at a time.
a pilot program. And I know there's conversations with the state. I know melissa shannon's going to give you guys an update here shortly.
you guys can ask her those questions about kind of those legislative agendas.
but again, the hurdle for us in doing this project was getting the state on board with That operational plan.
so. First of all, I know kcs has said that hhs is also
considering a similar plan to renovate these buildings now.
so there may be some some competition in that regard. And if they they do it, then clearly they're going to maintain control of them.
what probably most people don't know is lubbock county actually did a very interesting Legislative
effort last session. And they were able to get funding for a mix of forensic and civil Beds that they actually have control
over. And so I talked to the lubbock county judge about this seems like an innovative Approach.
I don't know, you know, what the, you know, whether it was seen as a pilot and whether There was an opportunity for us to do the same thing,
but it's definitely worth exploring further. I believe I mentioned this previously in a Court session probably last year,
but you know, both those two things we need to think about.
I think travis county also mentioned that they were exploring something similar as well.
but again, if this is a potential path forward and we think it makes sense, Then let's align around exactly what an ask is and take to the legislature.
this versus the mental health behavioral health annex at the jail.
like what are the trade offs like? Where do people stand on the court? Are we opposed to All these items?
I don't know. I'm just trying to bring it back and say, Hey, this is what was presented.
these this is the work that staff has done. Let's get some feedback and alignment around Where we stand,
what we want to try to do. If we agree this is a problem, And then we can actually go with an aligned plan up to austin and make the ask.
but we don't have that yet. So I'll turn it over to the rest of the court.
we also don't have a speaker from lubbock county on our side.
so that was a little helpful as well. But but no, I think it's a good conversation.
commissioner. And I think we've talked about it, I think with the urban county folks too,
about the regional approach, what lubbock, what lubbock county did I think was a good Model.
and I think it was a pilot program. But they did have some synergy and some help from the Speaker as well.
but, but I think as we, if we go with some kind of a plan with a reasonable ask, Then I think
we should start now and start working with our delegation. Absolutely. I appreciate the feedback. Commissioner.
yeah, so just a comment generally on all of this.
so I guess just because I may not bring something as an agenda item doesn't mean that I'm Speaking for myself?
I can't speak for the rest of commissioner. It doesn't mean that it's not something that I Have been working on continuously in 2022,
because I remember judge wolff was here and I was talking to we went to sash together and I was taking too long. And he was like, by rebeca,
I'll see you later after like, I think an hour and 45 minutes, I was like, okay, bye, judge.
and so I stayed there and I was talking to some of the patients and just really seeing how We can reuse this.
and so it looks like the sash concept appears to depend on legislative, Legislative authority in approximately $56 million.
so that is something frankie and I, my chief of staff, Have gone up to austin a few times,
and we have continuously, regardless of if it was because I was specifically there for Advocating for the esds or whatever it is I'm always
talking to them about. We need more mental health beds. That's been something I've been talking about and advocating for since day one. And so we Will continue to work with our bexar county delegation to make
sure that they know that that is a priority for us. But I do think that this having everything here in black and white.
doctor norma, the rest of the staff, doctor andrea, It's really has brought to light a lot of things.
say it's in progress. Complete working on contract feasibility study, Launch monthly meetings.
pilot location identified. So it does show the work that we have been doing talking about Enhancement and improvements.
so thank you for that. There's a lot of work to do when we talk about mental health.
I mean, even when we get a facility, I'm still going to be like, We need more.
you know, we're finally getting the us south side hospital built. I advocated to make sure there's a third floor, And that third floor is solely dedicated to mental health.
and it's wonderful. And I talked to us all the time about how excited I am, But I'm like,
we need more. You know, we're going to need more. We're going to need to build more on this and expand on this.
so it's never going to be sufficient because we are already behind. And of course, we don't just take in bexar county residents, But it's always you know, we also have to shoulder a lot of the burden from the rural
counties in the area. So we have a lot of work to do, But I know that our county staff, as we continue to meet doctor andrea,
doctor norma, we meet repeatedly on different things. And I'm always talking about this and I'll continue to push us as well.
but you know, frankie has already told me that in january we're going to be going up to Austin and we will continue to,
to work on things as well as other things that our constituents need. So thank you. Good.
thanks, commissioner. So I think the thing about so like commissioner clay-flores, This is in my precinct,
I've been working. I think I was probably the first one to come up with the idea about Using the land that's available and things to be renovated.
the issue is that we don't necessarily get a dedicated amount of spaces because as a state Forensic thing,
in large part, those priorities of whatever counties are in the region usurp us.
so we have more control over the first proposal of the tower, The 280 or whatever number,
$284 million thing. So that's I mean, we could put in a lot of I mean, It's needed, don't get me wrong.
and it should be a layup for the state to get this done in the next session. But in terms of our diversion, I'd be leaning more towards the first capital improvement.
I appreciate all the feedback and it's a great point, Right, to, to see the full value of this for bexar county or for our region,
then we have to get the, the lubbock deal, right. We have to have control over that asset and be able to fill those beds.
otherwise it's a state asset, which is, you know, Marginally beneficial to, to us being here,
but we don't get the same value out of it. So, I mean, it could also be a two pronged approach,
right? Where we can see if if we can get that control.
and if, if we don't get that control, then we still have to look at a bigger project that We can control.
so that's, that's just coming out of the discussion here. Maybe, maybe there's a near-term path. And if it produces fruit, Then then that's excellent.
and if it doesn't, then we have to pivot to a different option. I don't know, judge. Do you have any feedback? I want to just put on the record some Statements that have been made both by the public and by the court and by
staff today. And I'm asking staff to please verify that right now, I'm looking at our jail population.
as of today, we have a little over 4700 people that are in custodial jail population, Which is a significant
decrease from the last two years. We also, as I see, We have zero people housed out of
county. And I believe that's been that way for about a month now that we have nearly 400 Beds available.
although we have issues that are being discussed. I also want the public to understand that we have been working hard and the staff has been Working hard,
and obviously we need to come up with long term solutions.
but one of the things that has also come on, And I see mr.
curry, and I want on the record that we are going through a big renovation and upgrade of The jail at this time,
and that has taken away beds at this time. Is that a correct statement?
and it will continue for about the next year. And how many beds are currently offline as a result of your renovation and upgrades right Now,
about 128. That could rise to 300 in the coming new year.
and so within the year, we will probably have those beds come back online.
correct, correct. And so also would like to put on the record that this is a very complex Process in order because we
have, as I indicated earlier, commissioner moody, We have to have significant conversations with the judiciary,
our judges who help move the cases. We will have to have significant communication with Our district attorney's office.
our current district attorney has come up with helpful solutions in regards to the double Registration,
and I believe we will be able to hopefully resolve those issues by the end of the year.
but we also have a new day coming. And so I am cautiously optimistic that what we will Have is with staff working as hard as
they can with the expertise that we have been given.
that I hear your frustration, commissioner moody. But I want to give the staff a pat on the back, Because they work hard every day and they continue to work hard.
and I agree with you that we got to give them direction.
but I will draw a line as county judge until I leave at the end of the year.
we also have to be mindful that there is a capacity issue with the staff we have.
we don't necessarily have all the staff to do all the things that each of us want on this Court.
and that's just the reality, because if we were to do that, I would suggest to you we would work our employees into the ground.
and I don't think that's fair. And so I wanted to say thank you again to our employees, To our staff,
and to the professionals that have helped us get to this point. The report I just heard today through doctor greenfield is that we have completed much of The recommendations,
and the biggest recommendation is yet to be resolved at s double magistrate.
so I am cautiously optimistic that we have a very bright future.
but we do have tough decisions, commissioner rodriguez, About the positions and the budget and the tax rate we are going to have to impose,
and I'm going to put on record. I'm not going to personally support a property tax Increase.
you all decide what you all need to do. That's all I have to say today. Can I comment judge? So, you know, they built this new hospital and unfortunately the new Hospital has the same number of beds
of the old facility, which I think is ridiculous. Right. When you put all this money into a new hospital, Then let's build some more beds. Nonetheless, they didn't. We don't control the state, so
frankly, I don't care if this new facility that I've been talking about since day one that I got here.
if it's a county facility or if it's a state facility, We just need more beds.
so if the state's not going to do it, then we need to do it. But of course, the state is the one that has the funding.
and so we need to continue to advocate at the state level.
and we can't be reactionary in talking about, Well, the jail, they're going to have less people and all this.
that's why I continue to advocate for preventative. That's why I fought for the $20 million for more social workers in our schools.
that's why we spend millions of dollars on to support our nonprofits that we partner with For the recovery centers,
funding for courts. That's why I pushed for the clinic to have the third floor solely Dedicated to mental health services,
because this is about preventative. So if we help on the front end, Then we don't have to be so reactionary.
so that's just really important. Thank you. Well, We've had several hours of discussion on a lot of
topics related to the jail and criminal justice system today. I just want to say, I appreciate we we got some feedback here today on, On some of these items.
I don't think we got to any kind of conclusion or clear direction at this point, But it's a step in the right direction,
I think in terms of getting some feedback and thoughts going forward.
I'll commit to to reengaging with the lubbock county judge and trying to better understand The,
the solution that they have in place out there. And then I think ultimately we have to figure out if there's a specific ask for the Legislative session around this what does that look like?
and who tries to carry it going forward? But that is, I think all we had.
any closing thoughts on the item? All right. That's all I have.
all right. That concludes that particular agenda item. Let us now go to agenda item number six, filing for the record the following legal and Administrative documents and directing the criminal district attorney's office to take
action if necessary. A through o. Number seven approval of commissioner court minutes for Tuesday,
july 7th, 2026. Motion by commissioner calvert. Second by commissioner moody. All those in favor of the motion signify by saying aye.
aye. Any opposed? Any abstention? Motion carries. Let's get to citizens to be heard, and I. I know it's been a long day for all of us and For those that stuck it out.
thank you. I'm sure you have something very significant to say.
so the first one up will be kristi watts watson and then sue ann pemberton and belinda, You all are
following. Good afternoon. Thank you guys for giving us a moment to come and appreciate.
express our appreciation for your support. I represent project mend and we've been serving The community for 34 years.
we are the second largest medical refurbishment organization in the nation with 20 staff, And we are the first
largest in texas. So without your support, we would not be able to serve 85% of the Clients that we serve are in bexar county.
60% of those that we serve are 60 and over. And I'm very proud to announce that we have Recently received additional funding from tbc to
increase our services for veterans, their surviving spouses, And their dependents.
so we're actually able to provide that support statewide. So thank you to the court. And thank you to each of you individually for supporting Project mend.
I love project men. Thank you. Y'all have a good day. You too. Sue ann pemberton. And, belinda, you want to come up at the same time?
I believe y'all are my appointees to the bexar county historical commission. But what brings you? I think we're being served up for dessert. So you got three minutes.
belinda gavalas, chair of the bexar county historical commission and resident of precinct Number three.
we are here as representing the bexar county historical commission to inform you and to Make a request regarding the weakening of the national preservation act of
1966, section 106, and how it affects bexar county.
this is a national. Federal regulation that is very, Very important to bexar county because it is the most
historically dense county in the state. In a nutshell, Section 106 requires all federal agencies to consider the effects of
projects that that they carry out, whether that is to approve or in funding on historic Properties,
which include structures, open land, archeological sites and cultural resources.
the bexar county historical commission is charged by the state statute to review any and All projects having any federal dollars involved in its funding.
that is $1, two millions of dollars and a webinar.
last week, the national trust for historic preservation stated clearly that the national Preservation act is under threat.
bexar county historical commission was part of over 5000 attendees from across the united States.
that takes this watering down of the act very, Very seriously.
bexar county, the most historically dense county in the in the state.
our commission believes that our historical assets will be at risk.
and I am going to hand this over to my colleague, Sue ann pemberton, professor of architecture,
university of texas at san antonio. Good afternoon.
thank you, judge and commissioners. Yes, my name is sue ann pemberton. And section 106 has been part of the historic preservation act since 1966.
san antonio is actually in the crosshairs at that point, And the work that was done at hemisfair actually influenced section
106. As a result of that, 22 historic structures are preserved along with the acequia in That area and the advisory council for historic
preservation, which has a completely new makeup than it has in the past.
proposes changes to section 106 that will eviscerate the preservation of our shared civic And cultural heritage in the united states.
and part of our task, our assignment from you all to to be on the historic commission is To protect and represent bexar
county's historical heritage and watch over that. So currently it's the. It's being rewritten to make it easier for federally funded Projects to take place and to
eliminate the protections of our heritage at this time.
so the preservation of critical is critical to our national level and also at our bexar County level.
as belinda said, we have a very rich historic history, Which you all are all familiar with.
so the heritage will be threatened with the new language.
bexar county historical commission requests your support in opposing these changes because These changes eliminate local awareness.
in other words, we won't even get informed as to federal projects are taking place.
and it reduces our ability to protect our historic properties and our surroundings.
so historic preservation not only preserves what we what we have, But what we do who comes to see us.
it affects our economy drastically in this area.
and so given the opportunity to weigh in, please protect the review process that has Served us well since 1966.
so our ask at this point as a group from the bexar county historical commission is we Request your permission to make a statement
representing to our elected officials, state and federal. Write a letter to express our disapproval of these changes and the negative impact on Bexar county.
so we actually ask for your authorization today due to the very brief window for public Comment.
and just to clarify, that window was given to us just what, Last week at the webinar, during the webinar of the national trust for
historic preservation. And we have till the end of july. Is that correct? That we have we've already passed that. I'm sorry, Not the end of july. End of august,
end of august. To get our thoughts to our elected officials.
it was deliberately compressed our opportunity to offer any sort of thoughts on weakening This act was deliberately compressed.
so this is why we waited after our bexar county historical meeting yesterday.
we literally said we can't get on the agenda, But we'll sign up to be heard because it's that important.
judge, can I just have a point of personal privilege? Sure, Sure. Commissioner. So, miss pemberton,
good to see you. Thank you for your testimony. You said that they are proposing these Changes to.
who are they proposing these changes to? I mean, The federal government, the advisory council is proposing them to the secretary of the
interior, the department of the interior. Sorry for the for this law.
the section 106 is part of the preservation. I just went blank.
the the act. So they're wanting to change that act of 66 to become much easier to bypass.
have, have the commission historical commission been able to ascertain if congress gives This authority,
because there's a lot of federal overreach where the administration winds up getting sued Because they have no authority to do the things they're trying to do.
this this is why the, the, the national trust for historic preservation sent out the all Points bulletin to conservation societies,
to historical commissions to all preservationists and historians to please act quickly Because what they're going to do instead of,
for example, you want to build a cell phone tower out near mission san jose.
it protects the viewshed. It protects archeological finds. It protects cultural resources. Now, as the changes are going to be made, That verbiage is now going to be.
if you choose to ask the county historical commission or the powers that be in the county Of historic preservation,
you can. Or you don't have to. Yeah. But belinda, My question is still, do they have the authority in the law from congress to make this
change? Do you know? No. Only congress can make the change. And this is why we we're requesting authority and approval from this body to allow us to Write our.
our dissent of this change as a group. So, so because the bexar county historical Commission is a tiger with no fangs.
yeah. You know, so, I mean, I have no issue. It's not agendized.
we could agendize it in the next meeting. But this is an administration that only Understands a federal judge when it comes to these things.
and I submit to you that you might have better results talking with the conservation Society about suing over this in the
appropriate jurisdiction. They may not want to come to the fifth circuit, But they may want to look at a sister or historical in a more
favorable jurisdiction. So, you know, we can agendize it in the next meeting, But they tend to do what they want to do,
even if it's not legal. And you need to go the legal course in order to really stop it, Just like they did at in philadelphia,
where they removed all the information about slavery. It was a federal judge that said the administration didn't have the authority to do that.
our request. Can I comment? I'm sorry. Let me have commissioner rodriguez well, I would I was just going to mention and I don't think he's here today,
but I have appointed somebody jason vasquez to the historical commission today.
so you'll have a new member. Yeah, he's a good guy from the jefferson neighborhood Association.
so I wanted to mention that as to the other information. Thank you for for being here. I know we don't normally get into a back and forth. It's Your time to be heard,
but I think we'll have you know, some, some good dialog if there's something that we can Follow up on.
happy to visit with you afterwards. Thank you sir. Sure. Commissioner. Clay-flores. So we appoint your board.
so, larry, correct me if I'm wrong. As a board, You guys can agree to go against this and write a letter or what have you,
and you all sign it. Correct. Now, if you want, This is my thought, then larry can correct me.
so I would say y'all can do what y'all need to do. Now, if you want commissioners to sign, can you please send a draft letter to my office Specifically to my chief of staff,
and I will make sure that she reviews it. And then we can edit appropriately and then Individual commissioners can sign if they choose to.
okay. Can I have council to, to kind of guide us on this issue, I think.
commissioner. Clay-flores is accurately stated, But can you can you help our historical commission members?
well, so I don't know exactly if there's a change in the actual statute that's Congressional.
if there's a change in the rules from a an agency, There's typically a comment period where the federal agency.
that's just typical administrative process. So I'm not sure exactly what's going on.
the court could take no action today because it's not agendized. They've heard your comments. I guess I can look into it to see exactly what's happening.
there's either this is part of a comment period or it's part of a, A campaign to make congress aware.
I'm not sure which that is. I didn't see the bulletin. If you want to send it to me, I'd be glad to look at it for on behalf of the court.
commissioner clay-flores is probably correct. They're probably. It's probably a campaign to bring awareness and maybe we're asking for a Letter of support.
I'm not really sure. What specifically you're asking the court to do, But certainly we can have that conversation through maybe commissioner rodriguez's
appointee. We take care of the section 106 approvals or rejections.
sue ann takes care of that. She is the chair of historic sites and structures, And it is not with it is not my
practice to issue letters to entities representing the entire bexar county
historical commission without getting some guidance or approval from the judge.
then you should agendize that through the county manager's office and ask for that again, Because certainly what happened yesterday and just finding out that
we have a very limited window and there is a sense of urgency that needs to take place.
it was it was not within the window of time that we could agendize this. Therefore, we did wait all day so that we could bring it to their bring it to their Knowledge.
they need to know. Certainly no dispute there. Point of order. No action could be taken, judge.
I get it. Let me. Let me help y'all. Let me get it clear. Send a formal letter from either y'all individually you as a group, Which would mean you would need action at your board if that's what you want
to do, so that you send it to me and cc david smith, The manager, we will take it up.
we need to know exactly as you've heard. And so I'm trying to put clarity.
if you want individual letters from each commissioner or me, They can you can ask that you can make your request directly to them.
if you're asking for a resolution from the court, We will need to agendize it and put it on the 18th.
I will put on record that. I will approve it if it's late. I don't think it's late foul yet, but time is of the essence.
but you'll have to wait till august 18th. Right. August 18th for formal action, either for a resolution or if you're asking for the court To approve the
actions that the bexar county historical commission wish to take as a group.
I think the key distinction is do you wish to speak individually?
do you wish to speak as a board? And do you wish to speak to the court individually, Or do you wish for the court to speak as a group?
if it does, it takes formal action, which we cannot do today.
we cannot give you feedback to say as a group. But and I'll be honest with you, I need to do research.
I would be glad to discuss this with you one on one, Both of y'all.
and then that way I can give you my opinion as to what I think is the best course of Action.
thank you. I believe I believe each commissioner is free to decide whether or not they Wish to support this request.
does that make it clear? Thank you sir, I appreciate that very much. At a minimum, I would like to be able to submit something to our higher elected officials,
governor and federal legislators as a group and sanctioned by the bexar county historical Commission.
bear. Bear county commissioners court. Of course, Anyone can write whatever they want to write.
and that's why I'm. I'm putting guardrails. You cannot make any statement in regards to The court as a whole unless it is formally approved.
you can put each. If a commissioner wants to put their name to the letter, So be it.
commissioners, y'all can make your name. I will not lend my name till I have my staff.
and I'm looking at staff to do my research and to advise me, And then I will give you an immediate response.
perfect. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time. You're welcome. We just didn't want To blindside you or.
but we think that we really need to get ahead of this. I appreciate that as as as a county Judge and as behalf of commission and you as individuals.
sometimes I'll just say this. Sometimes we don't always get feedback from our board Appointees or from the boards we pick.
so this is. Thank you for what you're doing. Thank you. It is important. It is transparent. And it is.
it is appreciated. Thank you, thank you. Good to see you, Susan.
okay. We had a little civics lesson there. Okay.
is jermaine johnson from the city of sandy oaks still here?
are you here? Oh, my gosh, you're still here. Sandy oaks, I believe we approved your in consent, So I don't know if you're aware of that,
but thank you for staying. And you have three minutes and I believe you're a constituent Of precinct one.
so, mister johnson, you have the floor. Afternoon, Judge.
commissioners. Judge, I'd just like to appreciate yourself as well as commissioner Clay-flores for approving this this funding.
mayor michael martinez, the city council staff. And I want to personally thank you for the community development block grant.
commissioner. Clay-flores. The program. Your funding recommendation for the rochester Street project is a direct result of the partnership we have built with your office.
the funding of this project means a great deal to our community, And sandy oaks does not take it lightly.
we are grateful to have you in our corner. Thank you all. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thanks for staying with us all day. Thank you and good luck to The city of sandy oaks.
marianne votion. Are you still here? There you are.
good afternoon. You have something to hand out? Thank you. Good afternoon and good to see you today.
I'm marianne votion. I'm a mother and now a grandmother.
I'm a resident of president a precinct three and have been all my life.
I'm here today because of something very simple. I want my grandchild to make it safely across the street as he attends hidden forest Elementary every school day morning,
kids in this precinct walk and bike through the school zones where drivers are routinely Speeding through distracted rushing to where they need to
be. As a grandmother, that's not an abstract traffic statistic to me.
that's my grandchild standing on the curb. That's why I'm asking you to approve constable Vojvodich request for two motorcycles
dedicated to school zone enforcement. Motorcycles can get through the drop off traffic in Ways that police cars simply cannot,
and they're far more visible to drivers that visibility alone is what makes people slow Down.
and the evidence backs this up. When officer.
when officers maintain a steady presence in school zones, Citations drop dramatically from a thousand a month down to maybe
200 because drivers learn officers are actually there helping watch our children and keep Them safe.
this court has already approved the exact kind of request before for precinct one and on Today's own agenda,
precinct two. I'm simply asking for you to give precinct three children the same Protection you've given the other areas of the
county. This isn't a big ask. Two motorcycles.
but to grandma, who's called honey. It means everything.
please approve this before the first day of school. It's just around the corner. Thank you. Thank you.
antonio diaz. Diana rodriguez, I believe you spoke this.
you're back. Antonio. Diana.
and I'll give him the same commendation. They're just. They come as a group. What? I don't know. He signed up again.
good afternoon. Antonio. Diana. You have to talk to antonio.
you have the floor. I'll let you talk. Again?
I chose to speak twice because of the jail issue, Which is very, very concerning.
but so is this new proposed ice detention. I don't want to call it a sinner.
I is more of a prison. And we've seen we've participated in some of the actions out there,
but we've seen other, other actions one recently and it actually got some of the Participants arrested.
and that is what it's coming down to because our community really, Really opposes having this prison camp,
this concentration camp in our city and having ice agents already within the building
or fencing it in and protecting it when there's no one there yet.
I think it's just to instigate those people that choose to go out there and protest it.
and so we had an incident of arrests already this past friday.
and it's going to continue. I know that you all can't do anything, Such as much of what's being spoken today and the funding of certain issues.
if the feds don't want to give you the money, Or if the governor doesn't want to dispense it down to the counties,
you all can't do very much. And so I understand those logistics, But it's that we have to continue to raise our voices against what we against what we are,
against what we oppose. And we oppose our people being treated like animals.
we, we, we mexican americans have native roots that are being denied, Being denied by the colonization by spain,
and continue to be denied by the colonization of the texas republic and the anglos that Took over,
that displaced our people, murdered, hung, burned our villages and towns.
it continues today with these sorts of actions because we are the targeted, Even though we are the original people from here now,
the place they used to place a label of greasers of wetbacks on us to be able to Discriminate against us.
now we are the illegals. So everybody can turn their back on us and say, Well, they're illegal.
it's okay to shoot them. It's okay to incarcerate them. It's okay to put their children in prison because they are illegal.
well, once we were greasers, once we were mojados and wetbacks to be shot, Hung, burned out of our houses.
it continues and we are totally against it. And that is why I'm here, Basically to voice that out.
but in support of those ladies that were here. What will be attacked will be such Buildings that native americans built thousands of years ago.
we see it already with the caves out here in texas. Those are targeted by this, trying to do this to, To to, to section action 106.
so it's a priority. I hope you all look into it and whatever those ladies need for, For for you to support.
please do so. Thank you, thank you. Jacqueline.
rita. Diana. I'm sorry. Go ahead, go ahead. Sorry, Sorry.
apologize. I just want to say I hope you listen to these ladies, Too, because I live on the south side also
we buried some family members in the in the cemetery by espada and and.
we're still here. I have pictures to. From my dad burying his uncle there, You know?
and I mean, y'all are trying to develop. We're we're for it for development, But hey, leave our cemeteries alone.
the the coronado was a cemetery itself, and I've been attacking the city to not really Attacking,
attacking, but, you know, as an activist to try to get a swimming pool there and for our, Our children,
you know, and us, we don't have one and we have to go to other places to go swim.
but it's because they didn't remove the bodies.
they, they crushed the, the stones. There's headstones.
and that's just that's all they did. I was alive when that happened, You know, so I witnessed that.
so yeah. You know. I mean, you gotta leave the cemeteries alone and our historic
sites to one of my well, both of my my ancestors were there at the san jose mission.
I have pictures of them. And we have those dia de los muertos, You know.
and I go over there and I take my pictures. So please, You know, listen to them.
and I, I'm going to look and see if they help me out too, Because I want to be involved.
you know, there's a lot of stuff that y'all are getting rid of.
y'all going to make a h-e-b over there by 410.
well, that's where that cemetery is at. So, you know, Hey, and a lot of these meetings that y'all
put, y'all need to look into it too, because there was an ordinance on that, That we're not supposed to have meetings in the city because
of all these accidents and everything that's going on.
y'all need to remove them again. I know you're trying to stop people from going.
time has expired so that you could get there.
get get them to catch them. You know, but these medians are stopping a lot of people and Causing a lot of traffic.
thank you. Diana. Thank you. Muchas gracias. All right.
jacqueline. Rita. Jacqueline. Rita.
good afternoon, miss jackie. Good afternoon, Judge peter sakai and commissioners.
I just wanted to elaborate on how I'm a mother first, But I'm
also, it seems, the mother to the community. I have a with building brighter communities Nonprofit and we have thousands
of clients that we've assisted since two since the covid.
I've been doing this for over 15 years, helping people with mental illness and assisting Them,
getting them off the streets, helping them get to the point where they can live or take Care of themselves.
I think that building brighter communities needs to be on a seat or have a seat on Whatever board or whatever discussion,
because we are experts in it. We also have received the contract for relocating 300 Clients at the soap
factory, and we've done that with no incidents.
I just wanted to say, as far as mental health.
I have two sons. One is schizophrenic, the other one is bipolar schizophrenic.
my son is 30 years old. The other one is 35. My son was going to get medication at the ut Downtown.
I had had back surgery, so I couldn't take him. And in turn, an officer on the bike said he gave a cigarette to one of the minor children That was standing there.
but if long story short, if it hadn't been for an attorney that was sitting across the Street eating lunch,
my child would be still in prison. I just wanted to say they
they called everybody that was at that bus stop.
that lawyer went and got their information. I'm trying to keep from crying because it's Bringing back the memory.
but they arrested my child. They tortured him in jail.
at 35 years old, my son has to be coerced to come outside.
he was a student at saint philip's college. So yes, I know mental illness
and I know what some people prejudge. All the witnesses at the bus stop stated that my son Never
gave a cigarette to any children, and the case was dismissed.
but that doesn't negate from the fact that he was tortured.
so things like that, we all know, goes on in the prison and then in jail, But he wasn't able to discuss because of his
mental illness. Discussed the whole entirety. What happened? He was able just to say that I'm coming from the hospital getting my Medicine.
so that's one fact that people with mental illness and schizophrenia, They sometimes when their medicine is diluting from their system,
they're not able to comprehend like we would.
but I just wanted to say that and make sure that you guys know that building broader Communities.
I've done this free of charge, helping people in san antonio because I'm born and raised San antonio.
I've traveled the world, and I made a promise that I would come back because of where I Grew up.
I wanted to help other people time has expired, And I appreciate your time, and I hope you guys consider
our nonprofit. Thank you, miss jackie. All right. Let me give you the opportunity. Skyler jackson, If you're still here, you signed up for 9499.
we still have to go to executive and then come back out. Do you want to go ahead and I'll give you the opportunity to speak now and put your Statements on the record.
or do you want to continue to wait till we call up that matter? You want to say what you want to speak now? You have three minutes, Mr.
jackson. All I know it's been a long day, commissioners, So I'll make it worth your time.
I'm here today. I am skyler jackson. I come from the united homeowners improvement Association.
last month I just turned 24, but since before I was born, We have been promised rezoning and multiple changes surrounding that
frost center for. It's been decades. And also I was one of the first neighborhood voices To
publicly back the san antonio stock show and rodeo expansion plan in 2025.
we supported proposition a at the ballot box. We were we're, I'm here today because we believe this court is on the verge of delivering Exactly what you have already told the public you intend to deliver.
and we want to make sure our neighborhood is not left out of how that gets built.
you have already told us where this is headed. We're asking you to follow through. As of the may 26th commissioners court meeting Actually,
commissioner moody stated that this is a rodeo first plan and rodeo first commitment.
if there are things that have been put out there and other plans that complement the Vision of expanded programing at the rodeo,
they could be considered. But ultimately it has to mesh well. If it doesn't, then we can't have three different versions competing on the same piece of Ground that the county owns.
and what you describe, mr. Moody, is exactly what's happening right now in the interim.
we still have continued zoning for light industrial, For freight.
and what's ended up what's going to end up happening is over time, It's going to look more of the same if we allow that to happen.
calvert also you spoke on this. You say we put the the spurs first in the last 27 years.
and that meant in many ways the community came second.
if we don't put community first and the community will continue to continue to suffer and We will continue to have development as an island. I aye is asking this court to make the
statement true in practice, not just in principle, By giving our neighborhood association a real ongoing seat in this process,
because we have been a good steward of the east side for decades.
since my mother was born, this these changes have been promised.
so our requests and I'll, I'll try to speed this up. That item 94 grant and development agreement fully protect the rodeos, Parking, trailers,
staging, and year round operational needs before it is executed. Honoring the rodeo first standard that any broader master development agreement with hunt Development group,
lincoln property company, or any future partner keep genuine retail, Dining and housing in the plan,
not allow it to shrink into additional freighter warehouse capacity, Where our roads will continue to be distressed and have to be redone,
as was just done. We support a real mixed use district.
we oppose it becoming an industrial industrial buffer for against our homes.
and we also ask that the city's parallel rezoning case, Which is going to include a letter for you guys to reference a z 2025 10700157.
direct parcels along belgium lane, gambler road and frost bank center toward retail and Restaurant uses rather than additional freight or warehouses.
also a standing seat for the on the east side economic development advisory council and or The community arenas board and formal inclusion in any community
input process tied to this redevelopment for as long as the master plan remains under Negotiation either through the vice president alonso or president.
jackie. So basically there's two visions. Council we have the vision that currently Exists,
which is going to be more freight, more disconnection from the community, Or we have the opportunity to have something on the level of zilker park,
the stockyards in dallas and the cowboys stadium, Or I guess, the spurs all in one location,
which would truly make san antonio way better than those other cities. Am I right, guys? Come on, we got to be the best.
thank you so much for your time. Respectfully god bless you guys.
thank you, miss jackson. All right. I believe that concludes citizens to be heard.
citizens be heard any more. All right, we have to go back.
we still have one more matter out of consent. We will now take up agenda item number 12. Notification of payment to those employees who Have accumulated hours in effect in excess of the flsa
maximum level for an estimated amount of $1,391,815, And approval of the appropriate budget transfer in the amount of
330 $600,316. Offices and departments with employees approaching the maximum age
limits are encouraged to take appropriate action to reduce such balances.
those offices and departments that have already exceeded the limitations have been Notified that they need to immediately reduce the level of hours or pay the listed
employees below the flsa limit. Commissioner moody.
you pulled it. You have the floor. Thank you judge.
can we just I was just going to pull up the two graphs that I mentioned earlier.
yeah, that's not the case here, sir. It's the adc hours work for paid overtime and flsa Hours.
yeah.
are they trying to find it or.
that's. We'll start there. And then there's the one other slide.
the total adult detention center hours worked.
I can talk about it. They know where the other one is. Okay. That one. That's the second one. All right. So I don't want to belabor this.
and we're not going to solve it here today. I've probably let the last couple flsa Payments.
we've had a lot of work going on. And we had a lot of work going on today.
but can you go back to the previous slide.
so the first thing I was going to say is, you know, There's there's a positive here, but there's a negative that comes with it.
the positive is the vacancies at the jail. We have been able to a large extent to address Those.
and I think that's from right here from we went from 300 to 350 vacancies at the jail to Under
200, 150 for quite some time. And we're never going to get to zero.
and we know that. Right. So there was a lot of success in that.
but the part of the expectation was that by eliminating those vacancies, We should have
eliminated a significant amount of overtime. Now, I know nothing's ever going to always be apples to apples.
and things are always changing at the jail. And there's there's changing inmate population And changing,
you know, health situation and transportation and everything else. But go back to the other slide. But we have just seen a
tremendous continued growth over four years in terms of and this is a combined overtime in Flsa from around
50 to 75,000 hours to over 250,000 hours. So we've more than tripled.
so all I'm saying is the status quo in terms of, Of overtime or whatever management to address it just hasn't been
successful. I think as we go into the fall in the next time we see this, We need to think outside the box about
new ways to be able to manage it and try to set a clear goal target of trying to reduce That overtime over the next year and then over
the following year. And we continue to kind of work that down because.
and, and just in response to what what I'm sure some of the thoughts you have right now.
oh, you don't want to know. Yeah. Well, I'm sure that there were some of those issues in 2021 and 2022 as well.
right. And we had 50, 700 zero hours. And now we have 250,000 hours.
so I'll turn it over to you. Well, commissioner, Rest assured, the deputies aren't working all this overtime because they want to be. Rest
assured they're not there because I want them to be. And if the if if the fact of the fact remains that they are working a lot of hours in the Jail,
and they need to be compensated fairly for it, That's that's all we're saying. With that being said,
there's only two real ways to affect overtime in the jail, Reduce the number of inmates that are under roof,
or raise the number of deputies that are under roof.
we're trying to do both. Only only one of them is one that I can really affect.
I've got way too many inmates under roof that don't need to be there, Inmates that should be in a hospital somewhere,
inmates that should be in a mental health facility somewhere, Inmates that should be in a rehab center somewhere.
or inmates that should be at tdc that aren't because the jail is just way too slow or the State is way too slow in coming to pick them up.
I get that you're going to defend the state the way you typically do when we're up here Talking about this.
but the fact remains there's several hundred inmates that are there simply because the State is taking way too long to come pick them up.
but that hasn't changed in the last three years. No, that's been very much stable. Business as usual.
30 days. I get it. But again, though, I'm up here yet again and I still can't help but but Think that.
you seem to be one of those folks that that purports to support law enforcement until it's Time to pay the bill for it.
and, you know, respectfully, sir, there's only so much we can do to bring down that Overtime.
there's way too many inmates that are there because that that shouldn't be and we're doing Our very,
very best to mitigate those circumstances that lend themselves to overtime. But with that being said, there is only so much we can do to, To, to affect it.
well, I think there's more that we can do to affect it. I'd love to hear it, sir. Okay. Well, I will, I will dive into it.
I just know that I mean the data, I mean, short of not paying the bill when it comes due. No. And we'd be violating the contract. Personal call to because I've never not voted to Pay the bill.
and I do fully support law enforcement and I have. But that doesn't mean that we can't have honest conversations about accountability.
no, absolutely. And over years see 300% increases in paid overtime in flsa.
and and there's never an explanation for it. What do you think that they do there though.
the commissioner I mean they're not just standing around playing checkers. They're they're doing their job. And and we have to compensate them fairly when they do That.
I mean, yeah, we are working with some vacancies. We've had a positive effect on, On, on affecting those vacancies.
we moved them the right direction. But I'll be honest with you, There are some things that are probably going to make it worse before it gets better.
you know, right now, one of my concerns that I'm watching it's on the horizon is the, You know,
the city just got a contract in place and we're waiting on, On a contract for, for our union,
which I know there's a process that has to take place. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really worried about the fact that the city is going to
start poaching deputies from us very soon. And those vacancies on the law enforcement side And on the detention side are going to go up considerably if we don't do what we need to
do. And it's just going to make the problem worse. Well, I've I've laid out the data here. I think it speaks for itself.
I'm open to sitting down and discussing ways that we can try to address it. Sure. I'm not saying that they're not sitting in a seat and doing the work that they've Been asked to do.
but I'm also not sure that, you know, we we address a lot of the mandatory forced overtime Is my understanding.
and that was a big negative for detention officers. Right. But if you're talking about voluntary overtime, There's a lot of folks who, you know,
rather get 70,060 thousand rather get 80,070 thousand.
and I don't know what the monitoring, the management, The how we're monitoring those hours,
whether we're staffing positions more heavily than, Than we had in previous years.
I mean, there has to be an explanation for that level of increase. One of the ones that that increased dramatically is hospital hospital visits.
as I mentioned, we were about 110 average hospital visits, Inmates going to the hospital on a weekly basis,
around 110 just over the over the course of a couple of weeks, It skyrocketed to 200 a week.
every one of those 200 inmates that has to go to the hospital is a certain amount of Overtime that has to go into that.
and again, I know this is not what you're saying, But not taking people to the hospital is not going to be an option.
and even even slowing down on it and trying to save monies here and there might not taking People to the hospital,
unfortunately, we'll pay it out in other ways later on down the road through litigation. So that's just that's not an option. But again, That is one of those real numbers that there's no real way for me to control it,
but it continues to go up and absolutely not suggesting that that's of course, Of course.
right. Although it does play into our conversation on the previous item with regard to Medical facilities on site,
because that would have a real impact on overtime costs and that staffing with varying Inmates back and forth.
right. So as it relates to that other discussion and that decision, Then we do need to understand the cost in terms of
faring. But no, I mean, we'll continue to, to work on this, But I think, you know, we expected to see this break
and start to come back down. It hasn't, it's kind of at best plateaued or continued to Increase.
and, and I just think we, we have to figure it out because we're busting at the seams with Inmates.
15, 17, 20 million. Like where does it stop really?
we're going to have to, to we can't even budget because we don't necessarily know, Like how high the overtime costs are going to run.
but, you know, with that, as I always have done, Because we're going to pay the people who wear the uniform and sit there in the jail.
I'll move approval. We have a motion and a second discussion.
keep going. You finish it. Hearing none. All those in favor, Say aye.
aye. Any opposed? That motion carries. Thank you, Thank you. Thank you sir. Thank you. Sheriff. I believe that concludes all the matters from the Morning session.
the consent. I am asking without objection. So we go to the executive session.
at this time, and I will read into the record. The court will now convene into executive session executive items.
but we need a vote, commissioners, because there's going to be a need to vote before we go To executive pursuant to section 551071,
texas government code executive session will be held for consultation with the courts Attorney for advice regarding pending or contemplated litigation or settlement offers in
the matters of gaona versus bexar county, ford versus bexar county, Gregory versus bexar county.
garza versus bexar county. Martinez versus bexar county. Legal issues pertaining to the following matters in which the duty of the attorney for the Bexar county.
under the texas disciplinary rules of professional conduct and the state bar of texas Clearly conflicts with the open meetings act.
one. Legal issues related to the pending litigation. Litigation. The matters of the honorable nito.
presiding judge of 2025 thomas guevara, in his official capacity as deputy county manager David smith,
in his official capacity as budget director. County manager. Respondent's cause number 26ci16747. Resource allocation as it relates to the district Courts in any matters related thereto.
legal issues related to potential retention of outside counsel to bexar county in Intervening and pending litigation.
the request of bexar county appraisal district bcat, And a suit filed by bcat alleging a failure by certain housing finance corporations
operating bexar county to maintain tax exemptions as required by law.
legal issues related to stalled negotiations between bexar county and the city of san Antonio,
and a master interlocutory interlocal agreement. And the addendum for crime lab specifically as it relates to the current crime lab pricing Pursuant to 5510725 of the texas government code
to deliberate matters related to contract being negotiated. Specifically, one deliberate business and financial issues related to the negotiation, Development agreement or similar document proposed to be negotiated between bexar county,
texas political subdivision, the coliseum advisory board, And san antonio livestock exposition,
inc., a texas nonprofit corporation related to the redevelopment and revitalization of the Freeman coliseum complex.
ground and facilities so long as before the convening the closed meeting.
one the court votes unanimously. The deliberation and open meeting would have a Detrimental effect on the position of the commissioners court negotiations with third
persons and two. The attorney advising the court issues a written determination that the Deliberation and open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the court
in negotiations with third parties to deliberate business and financial issues related to Negotiating an agreement with the deputy sheriff's association of bexar county entered
into, pursuant to chapter 174 of the texas local government code, So long as.
before convening the closed meeting one the court votes unanimously that deliberation and Open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the commissioners court
negotiations with third persons and two. The attorney advising the court issues a written Determination that deliberation in open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the
position of the court in negotiations with third person. At this time, I'll ask for a motion that we go to executive session on those two items That require unanimous support motion by commissioner
rodriguez, second by commissioner calvert. Any further discussion?
all in favor? Signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstention? Motion unanimously. Carries will carry those matters into executive Session.
and at this time, the time is now. 3:42 p.m. Court is now in executive session.
I'll ask all those except for those that are required to be an executive, Whether it's county staff,
attorneys or other designated persons, please be excused.
staff, help clear the courtroom so that we can begin executive session, And we will come out to take action if necessary.
hello? Hello. All right. Okay. The time is 4:38 p.m..
the court has come out of executive session. I will call up item 90 for discussion.
all right. Is there a motion to dismiss on the item 94?
commissioner. Clay-flores. Is there a motion.
I'd like to make a motion for the authorization of approval for county judge to execute, Contingent upon approval and execution by calcium advisory board,
cab and san antonio rodeo, a grant and development agreement between bexar county, The cab board and the rodeo
regarding the proposed improvements to new and existing facilities and related Infrastructure.
the final executive executed agreement will be placed on the next available commissioners Court agenda following execution for eradication and record filing purposes.
second. Second by commissioner rodriguez. Is there any further discussion to be had?
hearing none. All those in favor of the motion signified by saying I, I any opposed any abstentions?
motion unanimously carries. Congratulations. I don't I just want to recognize cody is here From the rodeo and I don't think audrey's
here, is she? But I always recognize her because she worked so hard for us.
and karen also and then of course, our chair, Dick evans. So thank you for your time. And along those lines, The reason I'm standing here is to recognize,
especially kate and tony, who we couldn't have done it without them.
so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right.
cody, did you want to make any statement since you. I don't know if you've been here all day, but we have, So make it brief, please.
okay. Hold on. Get the mic up. Y'all here? Okay. There we go. I enjoy hanging around here all day.
thank you. All know on behalf of san antonio stock show and rodeo I want to recognize David and his staff.
I know it's been a lot of hard work back and forth. They've been great to work with, but thank you guys for your support in this first step.
it's the it's the first step. We've got a big one coming. But thank you guys. It's good to see us all working together like this. I appreciate it Very much. We all do over here. So thank you.
okay. Alrighty. Larry, do you want to take up the other matters out of executive that are Pertaining to you?
item 95 and 96 discussion. Appropriate action regarding settlement.
often a matter for mr. Burke county 24 c 1342.
and then immediately thereafter. Discussion item 96 discussion. Appropriate action regarding settlement offer in the matter of gregory versus bexar County.
24ci24548. Larry, dictate the terms of the settlement.
okay. Thank you. Judge on item 95 during executive. The court discussed a settlement offer in the matter of jocelyn forbes versus bexar county In the amount of 3000.
I'll need a motion on that one. So moved. Motion by commissioner rodriguez, Second by commissioner clay-flores.
any further discussion? All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstention? Motion carries.
before we go to the next item, can I recognize jane also, Who's been here most of the day.
thank you for your support, jay. Thank you. Jay. Megan. All right. Is there a motion on agenda item 96?
judge, during executive the court discussed the settlement offer in the matter of shannon Gregory versus bexar county in the amount of $75,000 and get a motion on that one as well.
motion by commissioner rodriguez, second. Second by commissioner clay-flores.
any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstention? Motion carries.
thank you judge. Okay, let's make sure we don't miss it. I go back up to item 91 discussion appropriate action regarding approval of amendment Amendment a to administrative policy.
8.1 purchase of goods and services a procurement of professional and personal services.
mr. Galloway, you've been here all day too. Sir. Yes, sir. Good afternoon, your honor. Commissioners.
I'll be very brief. I have slides, but I don't think I'll need them. We'll go pretty quickly. Just as a refresher for the court january 20th of 2026.
this year we presented to the court our bexar county purchasing department administrative Policy.
8.1. You accepted and adopted that policy. We're here to bring back some modifications, But I wanted to highlight that at that particular time when that was adopted.
there are certain subsections of provisions of the of the policy that hadn't been touched Or updated in over three decades.
I'm happy to present that I was the one and my staff and along with some individuals that I need to recognize two department heads,
specifically mr. Larry roberson of the da civil team instrumental in helping me put in the Legal framework reviews,
multiple reviews of the policy. So thank you, Sir. The other department head is miss renee watson of the small business entrepreneurship Department.
she's here. Want to thank her and her staff, Along with her advisory committee, which provided valuable input from the community level.
all right. Is there a motion? Move for approval. Motion by commissioner clay-flores. Second by commissioner rodriguez.
any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye.
aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion carries. Thank you. I just want to thank. Thank. Embassy said you said three decades.
all right. Thanks for getting it done. Item 92 discussion. Appropriate action regarding approval of request to modify the revision and effective Dates of administrative policy.
8.0 slovbe policy to align with recent updates made to administrative policy 8.1% policy.
miss renee watson, can I ask how you pronounce? That's lovbe now. S love b what's love be love b o small, Local and veterans.
okay, so we don't have any presentation. We're just asking for a ratification because we Had to move our implementation date to today to follow the
purchase and policy updates. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by commissioner rodriguez. Second by commissioner clay-flores. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in
favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion carries. We now believe to go to the final.
no. No no. 93% presentation. Discuss appropriate action regarding bexar county's Legislative program for the 90th texas legislature.
miss shannon, you have a really quick report, Don't you? Miss shannon, real quick, I am not going to go through my whole powerpoint.
what I will go through is we have been through an internal process that started back in January.
so every all of the timeline that we laid out that we said that we would go through, We have been through that.
so what I want to get to particularly is our initiatives.
so I'll go back very quickly. You know, we have policies. These are the items that guide us. Your testimony, My testimony, how we register in support or opposition of bills.
so these are our guiding principles on these particular items.
and in, in your backup you should have a draft agenda in your ac f backup that explains These items.
and what drives these policies. So what I do want to talk about very quickly on our Initiatives,
which are items where we seek a statute change funding opportunity at the state.
so we're looking for something. We're looking for a bill to go through the process.
so the only item that I currently have is in particular in commissioner calvert precinct.
we've been seeing a lot of solid waste issue.
so you remember back in the 85th, I think it was we got a bill through senator menendez And representative gervin
hawkins sb 1229 that allowed us to set up our solid waste program.
we went from a pilot program, a pilot to an actual program.
we are still staff is still running into issues.
and we need some assistance with some statute changes to help our environmental services Office alleviate some of these
issues. So in particularly commissioner calvert and representative gervin hawkins met and Talked about the issue.
and I attended this meeting with them where they're running what staff is running into Abandoned properties with absentee or unreachable,
unreachable owners. They're attracting squatters and dumping or even corporate real estate Investment trusts.
so reits out of state reits who have properties and people have gone in and just continue To dump what staff is running in or out in these out and out of state,
impossible to contact. So staff must go through a six step abatement process to get these Properties cleaned up.
so it's all lined out in statute. However, what happens is there's each step has a built In.
and I and I think it's an unintended step or an unintended clock reset.
so every time our staff goes through this process and at each step, If the property owner contacts us
back, says that they're going to take care of something, That clock resets.
and so we, we, we have to start the process over. So you can imagine how this clock gets reset at each step of the way and can be reset Multiple times.
so staff is telling me that this is a minimum of 45 days with full cooperation to get Through the abatement process.
6 to 9 months is typical, but sometimes it can take up to two plus years for the complex Issues to get through.
meanwhile, the constituents in the area have to drive by there.
it's devaluing their properties. So it's it's it's very onerous.
it's it's, it's just a bad situation for those who live in the area.
so we need some help with and that's what we're waiting for to see a bill draft out of Representative gervin hawkins office.
so that's why we're here this early in the year.
ledge council that that these drafts have to go through there.
they were at about 3 or 4 months behind. So to have any chance of getting anything across The finish line,
we really need to have it filed when pre filing begins in november.
that's that's in a in a perfect world. So we need to get a bill drafted sooner rather than Later.
so as soon as we have that bill draft, I can come back to your offices and give you more Details about what is in it.
but we just we really want to shorten the time timelines that staff has to go through, Modernize the notification requirements and
clarify our access controls. So it's what I see it as very minor issues, But until I can see the bill and tell you what's exactly in it,
I just I don't have a lot to tell you right now, But this is normal for this process.
we just need, I need authority to approve our agenda.
and at the moment, I only have this one initiative on our agenda. If we want to add others later, we're free to do that.
I know that there has been some talk, judge. I received some information from your office About forensic beds,
but I know a lot of the conversation that happened today. I'll I'll like I mentioned earlier, I'll fight for you.
I just need to know what I'm fighting for. So if we have a plan, I'm happy to fight on the forensic bed front.
I just need a plan. So, melissa, just so I understand, This is the framework for our legislative agenda.
obviously it's going to change as things come up. Specific bills are filed. I know you and I worked on with qc, The land use policy related to data centers.
is that something that we may need to come back and have the court adopt?
so for now, though, this gives you a starting point and that's what you're asking for.
yeah. And I will come back after the legislature starts. I'll come back on those tuesdays and I will report to you in open session what the big Issue of the of that week is,
and I'll get direction from you. I'll get whatever if we need letters written, Whatever.
but this. Yes. This gives us a starting point. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by commissioner rodriguez.
second by commissioner calvert. Commissioner moody. There's just a couple other things I.
just one here and one I don't know. I think it's on your radar, But I didn't see it written here.
when it comes to kind of initiatives and actual bills that will be filed, But one is under the land use the radius for municipal zoning
changes that I know was an issue out in d nine area.
and I, I know there's, there's support within the delegation on that front and I'm glad to See that that's included.
and then I know the esds are pushing a bill forward with regarding the voluntary Annexation
when those esds not the esds, the pds retire, That those individuals would have the same opportunity with current state
law in terms of deciding whether they're going to be annexed or not. So I know that that's another bill that's going to come forward, And the esds are fully supporting that.
they need clarity in terms of being able to plan for whether they're going to have to take On tens of thousands of new residents or not.
so I would hope that the court would support that as well.
just overall, there's I still have some questions here, So I'm not able to support this overall,
but the illegal dumping makes sense. And I just want to bring those other things to your Attention.
all right. There is a motion. All right. Just frankie's is working on some stuff.
melissa. So she'll be meeting with you to add to that. Perfect. Okay. Thanks. Yes, Ma'am. Thank you. Anything else? All right. All those in favor of the motion signify by
saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstention. Motion carries. I believe that concludes. Is there a motion to adjourn?
second. Mr. Rodriguez second by commissioner clay-flores. Commissioner. Clay-flores. I'd Like to adjourn in memory of phillip garcia.
commissioner rodriguez. Thank you. Judge, I'd like to adjourn in the name of the following Precinct two residents rosemary,
pina, edith tadeusz, simon salas, adolph albert e martinez, And former bexar county chief dennis casillas.
commissioner moody, I'd like to adjourn in the memory of betsy chappie, B bueller, resident of precinct three and beloved sapd chaplain.
judge, I'd like to adjourn in honor of a live oak city councilman aaron dahl.
eddie johnson, julian lee. Kid. Rodney. Kids. Mother. Walter. Martin. Kid. Rodney. Kids. Father.
jesse. Elmer. Miller. The second. Charles arthur sheed, Nettie lee brown, richard carrillo,
senior, richard carrillo jr, john joseph bradley jr, Byron head, connie rhoades
and karen dawn claiborne. Mueller also notes that
chaplain. Ministry. S volunteer chaplaincy program for nearly two decades and was founded As a member of the communications ministry at
community bible church. Adjourn on behalf of mary jean mary overland pace, A classical pianist who was also a proprietor of
art. And she had an iconic store, angelita, in la valletta for 52 years.
all those in favor of the motion to adjourn by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Motion carries.
meeting is adjourned and we made it five.