Lavaca County

January 26, 2026

Executive Summary

Lavaca County Commissioners' Court will review budget amendments for courthouse security and exterior door restoration, totaling over $473,000. The court will also consider a resolution to support exempting Texas counties from the State Hotel Occupancy Tax, and approve a joint juvenile probation operations MOU with Gonzales and Colorado Counties. Routine items include accepting donations and approving various reports and agreements.

Key Topics

Constituent Highlights

Budget increases for courthouse security ($146,106) and exterior door restoration ($345,000) are up for approval.
The court will discuss supporting legislation to exempt Texas counties from the State Hotel Occupancy Tax.
Donations totaling $3,000 are being accepted for the Sheriff's Office and EMS.
Items related to subdivision exemptions and a change from a yield to a stop sign on a county road are on the agenda.

Official Highlights

Careful review of budget amendments for Funds 194 and 165 is required, with significant increases proposed.
The judge and auditor will present details on the courthouse restoration costs and security funding needs.
The court must review and approve inter-county MOUs for cooperative juvenile probation and equipment purchase.
Bond approvals for key election officials are on the agenda.

Resumen Ejecutivo

El Tribunal de Comisionados del Condado de Lavaca revisará las enmiendas presupuestarias para la seguridad del Palacio de Justicia y la restauración de puertas exteriores, por un total de más de $473,000. El tribunal también considerará una resolución para apoyar la exención de los condados de Texas del Impuesto Estatal sobre la Ocupación Hotelera y aprobará un Memorando de Entendimiento conjunto sobre operaciones de libertad vigilada para menores con los condados de Gonzales y Colorado. Los elementos de rutina incluyen la aceptación de donaciones y la aprobación de varios informes y acuerdos.

Temas Clave

Puntos Destacados

Se aprueban aumentos presupuestarios para la seguridad del Palacio de Justicia ($146,106) y la restauración de puertas exteriores ($345,000).
El tribunal discutirá el apoyo a la legislación para eximir a los condados de Texas del Impuesto Estatal sobre la Ocupación Hotelera.
Se aceptan donaciones por un total de $3,000 para la Oficina del Sheriff y el EMS.
Hay en la agenda elementos relacionados con exenciones de subdivisión y un cambio de una señal de ceder el paso a una señal de alto en un camino del condado.

Key Items

Items with direct public relevance

ID	Description	Cost	Impact	Tags
11	▶ Approve Juvenile Probation Operations MOU		notable	legal public-safety
	Discuss and/or approve MOU between Gonzales County, Colorado County, and Lavaca County for Cooperative Juvenile Probation Operations. Speaker: Judge
15	▶ Approve Need for County Funded Grant Writer		notable	budget economic-development
	Discuss and/or approve the need for a county-funded grant writer. Speaker: Judge
16	▶ Approve MOU for Belly Dump Trailer Purchase	$20,000.00	notable	budget transportation
	Discuss and/or approve MOU between Milam County and Lavaca County for Milam County to purchase a belly dump trailer in the amount of $20,000.
18	▶ Budget Amendment for Courthouse Exterior Door Restoration	$345,000.00	significant	budget infrastructure
	Discuss and/or approve budget amendment increasing the budget in Fund 194 Capital Improvement-Courthouse from $300,000.00 to $645,000.00 to accommodate the Courthouse Exterior Door Restoration. Speaker: Auditor
19	▶ Budget Amendment for Courthouse Security	$128,106.00	significant	budget public-safety
	Discuss and/or approve budget amendment increasing the budget in Fund 165 Courthouse Security from $18,000.00 to $146,106.00. Speaker: Auditor
20	▶ Resolution Supporting Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption		significant	budget legal
	Discuss and/or approve Resolution Supporting Legislation to Exempt Texas Counties from the State Hotel Occupancy Tax. Speaker: Judge
21	▶ Subdivision Exemption Request - Christensen		notable	land-use
	Discuss and/or approve exemption request from the Lavaca County Subdivision Regulations for Erik and Lisa Christensen. Speaker: Pct.3
22	▶ Subdivision Exemption Certificate - Don Spies		notable	land-use
	Discuss and/or approve Certificate of Exemption from Subdivision Requirements for Don Spies. Speaker: Pct.3
23	▶ Subdivision Exemption Certificate - Adamek		notable	land-use
	Discuss and/or approve Certificate of Exemption from Subdivision Requirements for David and Amy Adamek. Speaker: Pct.3
24	▶ Change Yield Sign to Stop Sign		notable	transportation
	Discuss and/or approve changing the yield sign located on county road 348 to a stop sign. Speaker: Pct.3 📍 county road 348

Routine Items (23 items — click to expand)

ID	Description	Cost	Tags
1	▶ Announcements / Public Comments
	Opportunity for announcements and public comments.
2	▶ Accept Donation to Sheriff's Office	$1,500.00	budget
	Accept a monetary donation of $1,500 from Capital Star Oil & Gas to the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office. Speaker: Sheriff
3	▶ Accept Donation to EMS	$1,500.00	budget
	Accept a monetary donation of $1,500 from Capital Star Oil & Gas to the Lavaca County EMS. Speaker: EMS Director
4	▶ Community Connections Program Update		health
	Community Connections program updates with the year-end report. Speaker: Community Connections Program Manager
5	▶ Approve Bond for Elections Administrator		personnel elections
	Discuss and/or approve Bond for Tenia Hudson, Elections Administrator. Speaker: Judge
6	▶ Approve Bond for Chief Deputy Elections Administrator		personnel elections
	Discuss and/or approve Bond for Brandy Stuckey, Chief Deputy Elections Administrator. Speaker: Judge
7	▶ Approve Bond for Administrative Assistant		personnel
	Discuss and/or approve Bond for Nailene Ruppert, Administrative Assistant to the County Judge and Commissioners Court. Speaker: Judge
8	▶ Approve Burn Ban Status		environment
	Discuss and/or approve burn ban status. Speaker: Judge
9	▶ Approve Concrete Slab Removal		infrastructure
	Discuss and/or approve the removal of a concrete slab located at 400 N. Texana Street. Speaker: Judge 📍 400 N. Texana Street
10	▶ Approve LGS Addendum for District Clerk		technology
	Discuss and/or approve Addendum 16 between Local Government Solutions, L.P. (LGS) and Lavaca County to include one additional user for the District Clerk's Office. Speaker: District Clerk
12	▶ Approve Racial Profiling Report - Pct. 4 Constable		public-safety transparency
	Discuss and/or approve Racial Profiling Reports for the years 2020-2026, submitted by Lavaca County Constable Precinct 4, filed with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Speaker: Pct. 4 Constable
13	▶ Approve Racial Profiling Report - Pct. 3 Constable		public-safety transparency
	Discuss and/or approve Racial Profiling Report submitted by Lavaca County Constable Precinct 3, filed with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Speaker: Pct. 3 Constable
14	▶ Approve Destruction of Old Law Books		legal
	Discuss and/or approve the County Attorney's Office to destroy invalid and/or expired law books located in the Law Library. Speaker: County Attorney
17	▶ Approve TAC HEBP Member Contact Designation		personnel health
	Discuss and/or approve TAC HEBP Member Contact Designation Change Form. Speaker: Auditor
25	▶ Acknowledge Courthouse Inspection Report		infrastructure
	Acknowledge letter from the Texas Historical Commission who conducted an onsite inspection at the Lavaca County Courthouse on December 17, 2025, stating it is in good standing. Speaker: Judge 📍 Lavaca County Courthouse
27	▶ Announce Next Meeting / Adjourn
	Announce the date of the next meeting and adjourn the current meeting. Speaker: Jucige
26.a	▶ Approve Meeting Minutes		transparency
	Approve the Meeting Minutes of the Commissioners Court Regular Called Meeting January 12, 2025.
26.b	▶ NCIC Correctional Communications Service Agreement Amendment		technology public-safety
	Approve NCIC Correctional Communications Service Agreement Contract Amendment.
26.c	▶ Temporary Waterline Permits		infrastructure utilities
	Approve Temporary Waterline Permits between Baytex/Eagle Ford and Lavaca County precincts 2 and 3, to include specific LCR numbers.
26.d	▶ Tax Assessor-Collector Report		budget transparency
	Approve Tax Assessor-Collector Report as per Section 31.10 of the Property Tax Code.
26.e	▶ Claims and/or Payroll Approval		budget personnel
	Approve claims and/or payroll.
26.f	▶ Budget Amendments Approval		budget
	Approve budget amendments, if any.
26.g	▶ County Officials Report Approval		transparency
	Approve County Officials Report.

Major Expenditures

Item	Amount	Description
18	$345,000.00	Budget amendment for Courthouse Exterior Door Restoration
19	$128,106.00	Budget amendment for Courthouse Security
16	$20,000.00	Purchase of a belly dump trailer by Milam County from Lavaca County

Total: $473,106.00

Glossary

MOU: Memorandum of Understanding; a document that outlines the agreement between two or more parties.
LCR: Likely refers to a specific county road or infrastructure designation (Local County Road or similar).
TAC HEBP: Texas Association of Counties Health Employee Benefit Pool, likely related to employee health insurance.
NCIC: National Crime Information Center, a system used by law enforcement agencies.
N. Texana Street: North Texana Street, indicating a specific location within the county.