The Polk County Commissioners Court will discuss and consider action related to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission Public Defender’s Office grant award for fiscal year 2026 during its regular meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. This includes accepting the grant in the amount of $760,607 for the establishment of a public defender’s office and approving a job description for the chief public defender.
A drought status update will be presented and the Court will consider any necessary action regarding extending the burn ban in the unincorporated areas of the county, if recommended.
A resolution authorizing payment of contractually obligated sums, contingent upon third-party verification of completed work, will be discussed and considered for approval.
The Court will consider action on capital purchases to be paid from the general fund balance and included on the fiscal year 2026 reimbursement resolution for the year-end issuance of legally authorized debt for the following: a reach-in refrigerator for the Polk County Jail, not to exceed $5,554; network equipment for the IT department, to be purchased from Southern Computer Warehouse in the amount of $58,506.71; and an agreement with Tyler Technologies for project accounting and contracts management modules with annual software fee in the amount of $4,202, to be paid from IT contracts (budgeted funds) and onetime fees in the amount of $5,470 to be included on the reimbursement resolution.
An agreement with Montgomery Technology Solutions LLC for jail technology maintenance, with an annual fee of $35,460 to be paid from IT contracts (budgeted funds), will be considered for approval.
The Court will consider approval to procure a grant administrator and professional engineer for the 2024 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Local Communities Program and appoint a rating committee.
A revised agreement with the City of Corrigan for animal control services provided by the sheriff ’s office will be considered for approval.
A sheriff ’s office request for an interlocal cooperation agreement with San Jacinto County for the housing of Polk County inmates will be discussed and considered for approval, as well as determining the method of funding.
The Court will ratify approval to advertise a request for proposals #2026-12 for jail resident banking software and commissary services, consider approval to advertise Bid #2026-13 for the purchase of a motor grader with trade in of one 12-hp VHP motor grader, to be paid from Precinct 4 Road and Bridge, and will consider action regarding Bid #2026-11 for the purchase of two new trucks by Precinct 2 Road and Bridge.
Changes to the county purchasing policy will be discussed and considered for approval.
The court will consider approval of the 2026 Polk County holiday schedule and will also consider rescheduling the Nov. 11 commissioners court meeting which falls on Veterans Day, a county holiday.
In personnel matters, the Court will consider approval of personnel action form requests submitted by department heads since the last meeting, review any authorized emergency hires, consider action related to the update of Personnel Management System Book 1, select a human resources advisory committee by random drawing and consider a request from County Clerk Schelana Hock for the payment of vacation time accrued by her chief deputy clerk.
Fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 budget revisions and amendments, as presented by the county auditor’s office, will be considered for approval.
During informational reports, the Court will present a proclamation recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Items on the consent agenda include:
•Approve minutes of the Sept. 23 meeting;
•Approve correction to the Sept. 9 minutes;
•Approve schedules of bills;
•Approve order designating surplus property;
•Receive and record personnel action forms submitted by elected officials since last meeting;
•Approve orders designating regular terms for county court at law and justice courts for fiscal year 2026;
•Approve order assigning space in county-owned buildings;
•Approve reassignment of office space in county-owned buildings;
•Approve interlocal agreements between Polk County and the Democratic and Republican parties for the county’s provision of election equipment and services for the March 3, 2026, primary election and (possible) run-off election, as recommended by the county clerk;
•Accept grant awarded to the Polk County Sheriff ’s Office by the Texas School Safety Center for Tobacco Enforcement Program (TEP) and approve interlocal agreement regulating the use of funds;
•Accept grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in the amount of $53,047.22 for evidence/procurement manager position; and
•Approve purchase of computers in the amount of $37,032.43 from CDW, to be paid from IT capital outlay-tech rotation (budgeted funds).
