[0:10] Would like to call to order this meeting, this regularly scheduled meeting of the ellis county commissioners court. We do have a quorum present. This meeting has been posted. [0:21] legally posted pursuant to the texas open meetings act, which is found at texas government [0:25] code, chapter 551. Unless there is an objection, I will go ahead and officially declare [0:31] the meeting open. All right. And at this time, I would like to call on commissioner [0:37] precinct three, lewis ponder, to lead us in the invocation and pledge of allegiance. [0:42] please stand. Pray with me, please. Heavenly father, as we gather here today, we want to [0:52] thank you for your love and your grace. Father, we ask you to guide us in the decisions [0:57] that we make today. Help us, lord, to make those decisions in a way that protects all [1:02] parties and honors your glory. Lord, we ask that you defend and protect those that defend [1:06] and protect us both home and abroad. We ask this in your holy name. Amen. Amen. I pledge [1:15] allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it [1:20] stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Honor the [1:27] texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, texas. One state, under god, one and indivisible. [1:35] okay. Thank you all and welcome again. And today is saint patrick's day. So happy saint [1:40] patrick's day. I see a few of you out there who aren't wearing green, but that's okay [1:45] because I'm not wearing green either. So I'm right there with you. But anyway, welcome. I [1:51] want to remind everyone that we do have a process for public comments. We have a form that [1:57] is available out in the foyer. It's behind the doors to my right, which would be to your [2:04] left. And we would ask that if you want to comment on on an agenda item that you please [2:08] fill out the form. And then if you deliver it to our county clerk, crystal valdez, she will [2:14] get it to me and we will be sure to call upon you when your agenda item is up for [2:18] consideration. And we will now move into our proclamations, recognitions, and resolutions. [2:24] the first is r one, which is recognition of ellis county office of emergency management, [2:30] storm ready certification. And we have alex ming from the office of emergency management. [2:37] alex, if you want to come up, I will read this resolution. First off, do you have anything [2:41] you'd like to share with us about the certification? It just it's to prepare the and [2:48] save lives. For extreme weather events. Yeah. Very good. And those are seem to occur more [2:55] frequently. And we appreciate that you're prepared on behalf of all the citizens for the [2:59] county. So thank you. Thank you alex. I'll now read the resolution. The ellis county [3:05] commissioner's court proudly recognizes and commends ellis county for its achievement in [3:09] becoming storm ready certified through the national weather service fort worth office. This [3:15] designation reflects ellis county's ongoing commitment to severe weather preparedness, [3:19] public safety, and resilient emergency response operations. The storm ready program, [3:24] administered by the national weather service, establishes rigorous standards for for [3:29] hazard monitoring, emergency communications, public outreach, and coordinated response to [3:35] hazardous weather events. Through meeting these standards, ellis county has demonstrated [3:40] its dedication to strengthening local readiness, improving warning dissemination and [3:46] ensuring the safety of residents and visitors during severe weather. While the ellis [3:50] county office of emergency management served as the coordinating agency for this [3:54] effort, this accomplishment represents a truly collaborative effort across multiple public safety partners. The success of this initiative would not have been possible [4:03] without the strong partnership and operational support of the ellis county sheriff's office [4:08] and the ellis county fire marshal's office. These agencies play a critical role [4:12] in warning dissemination, field response, and the protection of lives and property during [4:17] hazardous weather events. Their professionalism, preparedness and commitment to service [4:23] continue to enhance the safety and resilience of ellis county. The ellis county commissioners [4:28] court proudly recognizes this important milestone and extends its appreciation to all [4:33] agencies and personnel whose dedication made this achievement possible. So thank [4:37] you, alex, on behalf of your department and thank you to the fire marshal's office and the [4:41] sheriff's office as well. And we're glad that you're looking out for our safety during [4:48] hazardous weather events. And commissioners, I don't know if you have anything to add, but [4:52] alex is going to pose with us for a picture. But we'll first take up the other resolution [4:57] and then we'll take a two group pictures. Thanks, alex. Thank you, I appreciate you. Okay. We [5:04] will now take up r two, which is a resolution supporting child abuse prevention month, [5:09] paint the town blue initiative. And I think we have a couple of community volunteers who serve [5:15] in the children's advocacy center and other groups that look out for our children's [5:21] welfare. If you ladies want to come on up, that would be great. I don't know if anyone has [5:32] anything you want to kind of share with us about the paint the town blue initiative, but [5:36] you're welcome to do that. Leslie's not here. Okay. Yes. How was it prepared? Yeah. Go [5:42] ahead. Yeah. Got it, got it. Yes. I'm sure leslie was held up doing something important, [5:47] but we'll we'll please tell her we're sorry we missed her. I'll go ahead and read the [5:52] resolution and then we'll we'll grab a picture to bring more awareness to the paint the town [5:57] blue initiative. Whereas child abuse and neglect remain serious issues affecting [6:02] thousands of children and families each year. And every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable and nurturing environment. And whereas the ellis county children's [6:11] advocacy center provides critical services to children who have experienced abuse, [6:15] offering coordinated investigations, advocacy and support to help children begin [6:20] the healing process. And whereas april is nationally recognized as child abuse [6:25] prevention month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging communities to [6:30] take action to protect children. And whereas, during the month of april, the ellis county [6:35] children's advocacy center leads the community initiative known as paint the town blue, a [6:40] visual movement designed to raise awareness for the thousands of children impacted [6:44] by abuse. And whereas, community awareness and involvement are essential in [6:50] preventing child abuse and ensuring that families have access to resources and support. [6:55] now, therefore, be it resolved that the ellis county commissioners court hereby supports and recognizes april as child abuse prevention month and encourages all residents, [7:06] businesses, schools and community organizations to participate in paint the town [7:10] blue by displaying blue ribbons, pinwheels and blue lights to serve as powerful reminders [7:15] that every child deserves to feel safe, protected, and loved throughout april. Thank you. [7:21] thank you all know she has a whole month of activities the cac does, so y'all will be [7:26] hearing lots about all the things that are coming up right. Support the kids during the [7:30] month of april. And I do believe several of the county buildings and departments are participating in paint the town blue. And I do think we are in fact, lighting the courthouse [7:38] lights in blue, at least for a portion of the month. So we're certainly proud and happy to [7:44] support that effort. Absolutely. We are representing the child welfare board who works with [7:48] them and supports the agency and other workers. Very good. We appreciate your efforts. I [7:57] know it couldn't happen without you. And if if you'll just hang on a minute, we'll take a [8:07] picture with you. And then alex, if you want to come back up, we'll get a picture with you as [8:12] well. Oh. Could you tell her? I'll let you go first. I'll squeeze you. I'll squeeze your. [9:21] do you even have to move for me? Okay. Thank you everyone, and we appreciate our visitors [9:35] today and the opportunity to recognize their good work in our community. And we'll now [9:40] move to our consent agenda, which is which consists of item items a1 through a19 and f-1 [9:47] through f3. Items on the consent agenda are considered routine and will be enacted by [9:53] one motion. However, any commissioner may ask to have any item on the consent agenda [9:59] pulled and discussed and considered separately. If there is no such request, I would [10:04] entertain a motion to approve items a1 through a19 and f1 through f3 motion to approve [10:11] consent as presented. We have a motion to approve the consent agenda from commissioner [10:15] greyson and a second from commissioner ponder. All those in favor, please say I I is [10:20] anyone opposed hearing no opposition. The consent agenda items a1 through a19 and f1 [10:25] through f3 passes unanimously. Okay, we'll now move to our regular agenda. We'll first [10:33] take up items from the department of development. And I would ask our director of [10:38] development, alberto morris, to come up and give us comments on these items. The first is item [10:46] 1.1, which is discussion, consideration and action on a replat of toledo addition lots [10:52] 14 r1 and 14 r2 block a. This is an approximately 10.29 acre site that is located [11:00] approximately five point. I'm sorry, approximately 595ft southwest of the intersection [11:06] of hunsaker road and palmyra road in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of red [11:11] oak road and bridge precinct number one alberto. Judge and commissioners. This is a [11:21] request to create an additional lot out of a previously planned property. The original plot was [11:28] approved back on november 18th of 1983. The city of roanoke has already approved this plot. [11:33] on february 4th, they are showing the right of dedication for. Hunsaker road has met all [11:39] the legal notice requirements. Ten certified notices were sent out. Staff does recommend [11:44] approval subject to two conditions. Okay. Motion to accept with conditions. Okay. [11:51] we have a we have a motion to approve item 1.1 with conditions from commissioner [11:57] stinson. We have a second from commissioner greyson. All those in favor, please say I. I. Is [12:02] anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition. The motion passes unanimously. We'll now take up [12:08] agenda item 1.2, which is discussion, consideration and action on a replat of summit [12:14] estates. Phase one lots 49 r and 50 r block two. This is an approximately 3.216 acre site [12:23] that is located at the intersection of val lane and denali way, loxahatchee road [12:28] and bridge. Precinct number four. Alberto. Yes, this is the. The initial plot was approved [12:35] back on november 24th of 2014. It has since been removed from the waxahachie etj about six [12:41] weeks ago on february 2nd. The request is to adjust the property lines between lots 49 [12:47] and 50. Once again, the legal notices were sent out in this paper on the website. We did [12:55] send out 55 notices within the subdivision. Staff does recommend approval subject to [13:01] five conditions. Most of them are technical in nature. Okay, commissioners, any questions or [13:07] comments? I'll make a motion under the. Yeah. Conditions. We have a motion. I'll second. We [13:15] have a motion to approve agenda item 1.2, subject to staff conditions from commissioner [13:20] butler and a second from commissioner ponder. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. [13:25] is anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition, the motion on item 1.2 passes. We'll now take up [13:32] and consider item 1.3, which is discussion, consideration and action to release supplemental [13:38] deposit for springside estates phase two. This is an approximately 106.68687 acre [13:47] site that is located approximately 3929 25ft west of the intersection of blackfoot [13:55] parkway and gibson road in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of waxahachie road [14:00] and bridge. Precinct number four, alberto. Yes. The applicant is requesting to [14:06] release the $15,000 supplemental deposit for the for the subdivision back on [14:12] september 30th. The court did release two bonds for this property. There's there was a [14:18] minor drainage deficiency that hadn't been corrected. So they decided to do a supplemental [14:23] bond for that. Since then, that has been corrected and staff recommends approval to release [14:28] that $15,000. So moved. Second, we have a motion to approve agenda item 1.3 from [14:34] commissioner butler and a second from commissioner ponder. All those in favor, please say I. I. Is anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition. Item 1.3 passes unanimously. All right. [14:45] thank you. Thank you alberto. Thank you. Thank you alberto. Okay. We'll now move on to the [14:51] purchasing portion of our agenda. And we will ask our director of purchasing, ajay harbin, to come offer comments on these items. The first is item 2.1, which is discussion, [15:02] consideration and action to award. Rfp 2020 6-005 grounds maintenance and landscape [15:10] services to harris sons quality lawn care, llc and authorization for the county [15:15] judge to execute the contract. Upon legal review. Ej good afternoon, judge commissioners. [15:22] rfp 2026 005 was released january 13th and advertised twice in the newspapers [15:29] required. In addition, pershing sent copies of the request for bid to our existing vendor [15:36] currently being used. The bids were opened on february 19th. We received eight responses [15:44] from companies that were interested in taking over our landscaping at. The county. [15:49] staff recommends award to harrison sons quality lawn care, llc of midlothian. Okay [15:57] commissioners, any questions or comments on on this item? Motion to approve. Thank you. [16:02] we have a motion to approve item 2.1 from commissioner greyson. Is there a second? [16:08] second, we have a second from commissioner ponder. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. [16:14] anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition. Item 2.1 passes unanimously. We will now take [16:20] up item 2.2, which is discussion, consideration and action to engage barry dunn for [16:26] the next phase. That being implementation services for the court management system, jury [16:32] management system and land and vital records management system, and the amount of $904,775 ej. [16:41] the future capability of the court case management system, jury selection system and land [16:46] and vital record system hinges on how well the implementation goes and how much time [16:52] implementation takes. Total implementation costs, as judge read out, is expected to be [17:02] $904,775, which includes all travel and incidentals. So it's ours. Installation plus travel [17:09] staff requests approval to engage barry dunn for implementation of the systems. [17:13] I did want to say dave wasson with barry dunn is here to provide some background on the [17:20] scheduling and kind of what to expect and to answer any questions that you may have. [17:25] come on up. Dave. Yeah. And dave, just to confirm, you're you're with barry dunn. You're [17:32] one of our. Yes, sir. Points of contact with barry dunn. Yeah. Please share with us whatever [17:38] you would like. Yes. Thank you judge commissioners good to see you all. Dave watson from barry [17:43] dunn here. We're here at a very critical point in this project. We as you know we've moved [17:48] through a couple of vendors so far. But in order to get the district court and county clerk [17:53] or district clerk and county clerk in the courts exactly what they need, we're right where we need to be. And it's taking a little bit, but we're here and we're ready to push [18:02] this next phase here. So the we just essentially wrapped up negotiations with tyler [18:09] yesterday. We had a big meeting. Everyone was involved on both sides to hash out the last [18:14] minute items. We're happy to report that barry dunn, along with with your staff, were able [18:19] to negotiate very favorable terms from tyler, which is not easy to do. We've got reduction [18:24] in price. We've got enhanced services from tyler to helpfully fill in some of the [18:29] issues we had with other vendors, and basically everything went well, and we're [18:35] about ready to sign the contract. It should be coming to you any moment now, because I believe you gave us you gave permission to negotiate and sign. So it's a 16 month [18:45] project plan starting april 1st, no later than april 1st, going for 16 months. And barry dunn [18:54] will be engaged as assisting the clerk's offices with configuration data services, [19:01] validation services, things that take a lot of time and detail to do that. It's very [19:07] difficult for a full time staff for both offices to do that. So that's why you brought us in [19:12] not only to negotiate good deals for you, but also to help with the implementations because of our experience. So as I said, happy to report, we're in a good position. We're [19:23] confident that tyler can pull off the time frame. And with barry dunn by your side, we [19:27] will get this project finished. Finally. Thank god, that's great and I appreciate your [19:33] commenting on the timeline. I know the county clerk is probably going to want me to ask that if you didn't volunteer that bit of information, but that that's [19:40] really good. And we're I know we're anxious to, to get there, get to the goal line. So that's [19:46] that's good to hear. Yes, commissioner. Anyone have any questions? Yes, sir. One thing [19:51] that gives me heartburn most of the time, sir, is when we end up with a migration challenge. [19:58] is we all in at 904? No. No migration concerns that whatever is existing. I know [20:04] there was a start stop. Yes. My concern would be, is there any is there any open here that [20:10] could could trip us up at a later date? Because this is a large sum of money. We. And by [20:15] the way, let me just interject. This crystal has been on point to get us righted in the right [20:21] direction, and I want to just publicly say thank you for that. You you came to us early and we [20:26] are here today to back you up and support you with this. And I'm very thankful for what you [20:31] had the time to spend to do. But that being said, yes, sir, I want to make sure that we [20:36] don't have a migration issue we have in the past because when somebody else starts something, [20:40] they have some sort of control and some sort of hanging over our head. Do you feel confident [20:46] that we're we're all in and we can do the full. That's a great point. Data migration is is a [20:52] pain point. As you know, this was one of the issues we just had. Yes, we're in great [20:57] position right now. And this will cover all those expenses. I'm buried on site. And also [21:03] we've incorporated more work from tyler on data migration in their price that you're paying. [21:10] so there shouldn't be any surprises with data migration. Tyler. As you know, as many [21:14] clients in texas, they've done this migration from lg's to tyler many times before. So [21:20] we're very confident this will be successful. And the advantage of tyler's experience, [21:26] not unlike not like what we had with the last vendor. So it wasn't our fault, but it was a [21:31] it was a question that we were surprised that ended up on our plate, that that migration [21:36] wasn't even included. And we ended up feeling like we paid a price for that. So that's the [21:41] reason I'm asking again today to make sure that we there's you feel confident that we're ready and we're all in it. 904 yeah, very confident and okay. And I think it's worth noting [21:50] that tyler is a texas based, in fact, dallas fort worth, yes. Company that we expect would [21:56] have much more familiar familiarity with texas records and systems. And to back up [22:01] what he said, that was our assumption in the past from the beginning. So we we kind of [22:07] thought, well, you know, that's what you're getting paid for was and it wasn't the case. So [22:11] just yes, we made sure believe me, we made sure this time that they understood we've had we [22:17] had several meetings directly to them. And I agree with the judge tyler is a well respected [22:23] in this state. I don't anticipate a problem there. We just needed to say it. Yes, sir. [22:27] yes, sir. Thank you, thank you. That's only happened like every time. I don't know why he would [22:34] ask that, but I appreciate you. Okay. So you're comfortable with this? You go with the move. [22:41] we're ready to get started. I make a motion second. All right, we have a motion to approve [22:45] item two from commissioner ponder. We have a second from commissioner greyson. All those [22:50] in favor, please say I, I does anyone opposed hearing? No. Opposition. Item 2.2 passes [22:58] unanimously. You being here. Thank you dave. Appreciate your time today. Thanks, jeff. Thank [23:03] you. We'll now take up item 2.3, which is discussion, consideration and action to [23:10] purchase a 2026 dura patcher, p3 truck mounted pothole patcher for road and bridge [23:16] precinct number four in the amount of $134,885 from texas patcher, llc. Ej using the [23:26] source. Using the sourcewell cooperative contract to purchase a similar truck [23:31] mounted der patcher provides a discount of $14,565 off of the standard price. Total price [23:40] includes mounting on the chassis for the precinct and then includes optional hocl [23:48] nozzle heater. I tell you, I'm tongue tied today. I know I'm. I'm commissioner butler, would [23:55] you like to talk about this one? I know I was going to say it's a doozy. Now this this is [24:02] actually the the unit, the pothole unit that's going to go in the truck that we purchased [24:08] last quarter. Right? That'll make a complete unit and it'll replace our old one. We'll be [24:14] ready to sell that one. Perfect. The other one did us justice. It was about 13, 14 years in [24:21] the works. So we'll be ready to patch some potholes. You ready to patch some potholes? I'll [24:26] make a motion to accept the patcher. I'll second that motion. Okay. We have a motion [24:31] to approve item 2.3 from commissioner butler and a second from commissioner ponder. [24:35] all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition. Item 2.3 [24:41] passes unanimously. Thank you. Thank you very much. Okay. We'll now move to the [24:47] administrative portion of our agenda. We'll take up first item 3.1, which is discussion, [24:54] consideration and action on a lease agreement for the rental of an ada express vote marking [25:00] device for mountain peak special utility utility district to use in conducting [25:04] the general election on april 25th, 2026. We have our elections administrator, jana [25:10] onion to speak with us about this item. Good afternoon. This is our standard lease agreement. [25:16] when an entity holds their own election, they need to be compliant to the election code. [25:21] and having an ada compliant machine out there will help them do that. And so they've [25:25] asked us to rent out a machine. So that's what we're doing today. Okay. Thank you. We have [25:31] a we have a motion to approve agenda item 3.1 from commissioner greyson and a second from commissioner ponder. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Does anyone opposed [25:41] hearing? No. Opposition? Item 3.1 passes unanimously. We'll now take up item 3.2, which is [25:48] discussion, consideration and action on a lease agreement for the rental of an ada express [25:53] vote marking device for mansfield isd to use in conducting the general election [25:58] on may 2nd, 2026. And we'll hear again from our administrator, jana onion. This [26:04] kind of sounds suspiciously similar to similar. Yes, exactly. Similar. Yes. They've [26:10] requested us to to rent an ada machine as well. So moved. Okay, we have a motion to approve [26:17] item 3.2 from commissioner greyson and a second from commissioner stinson. All those [26:21] in favor, please say I, I I. Is anyone opposed? Hearing? No. Opposition. Item 3.2 passes [26:29] unanimously. And lastly from jana, we'll hear from her on item 3.3 which will take up at [26:35] this time. That's discussion, consideration and action on an agreement for elect task [26:41] software for the elections office team to track and manage tasks for each election. Funds [26:47] would come from budget line 001-0210-508880. Jana, this is a vendor that we've actually [26:57] been using since 2023. And so this is a software that has been helping our office plan [27:03] for each election and be able to conduct things. So this is just it's already budgeted this [27:08] amount in our budget. It's just a renewal of their contract. And legal has already reviewed [27:14] it and approved it. And that our our line item doesn't tell us the total. Would you tell us [27:19] that? Sure. It's $5,269. So moved. Okay, we have a motion to approve agenda item 3.3 from [27:28] commissioner greyson and a second from commissioner ponder. All those in favor, please say [27:33] aye. Anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition. Item 3.3 passes unanimously. Thank you. Thank [27:39] you. Okay. We'll now move on to agenda item 3.4, which is discussion, consideration and [27:47] action to revise the rules of procedure, conduct and decorum of the ellis county [27:52] commissioners court meetings. Commissioners, this is there's nothing really substantive [27:58] going on here. There's two main things that are happening. One is just some some typographical [28:03] errors that are being fixed that. Leah martinec, our public information officer, picked up [28:09] on. So she's correcting a few typographical errors. And then secondarily, there was a [28:13] reference in the current policy about the posting of the agenda notices being 72 hours prior to [28:20] the meeting and of course, due to the change in the law that the legislature enacted last [28:26] session, we now post the agenda item three business days prior to the to the meeting. So that [28:33] changes is in here as well. Other than that, that's it. I don't know if anyone has any [28:38] questions. No questions. Okay. We have a motion to approve agenda item 3.4 from [28:44] commissioner greyson and a second, second from I think we got one from commissioner [28:48] butler earlier. Sorry you were so loud. I won't I won't buttons here. Oh. Are you am I [28:56] deaf today? I'm sorry if I'm missing some of your. Yeah. Clear your throat or something [29:01] if you'd like to. Anyway, we have a motion to approve agenda item 3.4 from commissioner [29:07] greyson and a second from commissioner butler. All those in favor, please say aye, I [29:12] does anyone opposed hearing? No. Opposition? Item 3.4 passes unanimously. We next have item [29:20] 3.5, which is discussion, consideration and possible action on the purchase of [29:25] property located at 1305 west jefferson and waxahatchee. I would like I would suggest [29:31] commissioners that we hold that item until after the executive session, which we will now. [29:36] I'll now read the executive session item, which is item 4.1 pursuant to texas government [29:42] code, section 551.072 to deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease or value of [29:49] real property where the deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect [29:54] on the position of the governmental body in negotiations with a third party, [29:59] specifically, the property located at 1305 west jefferson and waxahatchee. So [30:06] commissioners, if you'll take some time to deliberate that in executive session, we can then [30:11] recall item 3.5 as necessary. And at this time, I would like to take a motion to enter the [30:17] executive session on 4.1. We have a motion, a very loud motion from commissioner [30:24] stinson to enter the executive session, and I believe we had a second from commissioner ponder. [30:29] I think I was first, but I'll let him have it. Okay? Okay. All those in favor of entering [30:34] the executive session, please say I I. Is anyone opposed? Hearing no opposition, the [30:40] ellis county commissioners court will now stand in executive session. The time is d [30:53] himself for the contract that we were looking at today because of a conflict. So I [30:59] need at this time, it is now. 331, and I would like to reconvene after executive. Do I [31:09] have a motion to reconvene? A motion made by butler, seconded by ponder. All those in favor, [31:15] say aye. Last item for today is item. Three, item 3.5. And there will be no action taken [31:25] at this time. So with nothing else, unless there's any questions, if there's nothing else, do I have a motion to to end today's session? So moved by commissioner ponder and [31:36] seconded by commissioner butler. All those in favor, say aye. I we