Tammy Braudaway

The Commissioners Court discussed a request from the City of Kennedy Economic Development Corporation regarding significant safety issues at the intersection of FM 181 and Freeny Drive/Borham Street, citing five accidents since October 2025. Representatives from the City of Kennedy requested financial assistance to install a traffic light, estimating the cost at $561,383. The city proposed a one-third cost share, leaving approximately $187,000 for Karnes County, contingent on further cost estimates. Commissioners expressed strong support for improving safety, emphasizing the priceless nature of human life, even while noting concerns about setting precedents for funding other city infrastructure projects. The discussion also included details about proposed traffic flow improvements, such as turn lane widening and the relocation of an existing intersection associated with future development. The agenda item concluded with authorization for the County Attorney to draft a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Kennedy to financially assist with the capital road improvement on US 181.

The proceedings commenced with an invocation and the pledge of allegiance. A significant portion of the recorded content involved citizens being heard. One citizen provided extensive comments regarding recent public discourse, emphasizing the importance of the whole truth over half-truths and providing resources for obtaining factual information, specifically mentioning Judge Head and Judge Hickey's Facebook page. The citizen also used baseball analogies to describe the operation of the county and the expectations for elected officials. The speaker also referenced ethical considerations such as 'Let him cast the first stone' and the concept of avoiding judgment when there are past questionable issues.

Key discussions during the court session included a citizen complaint regarding a long-unresolved drainage issue on County Road 382, which has persisted for six years, causing water intrusion into the resident's garage despite previous expenditures on temporary fixes. Another public comment focused on concerns over the quality of food distributed via food bank programs, questioning the expenditure of approximately $3,000 monthly for supplies that result in rotten food. A speaker also addressed perceived issues with county leadership, financial management, and capital project closures, citing specific examples of lost funds and ongoing lawsuits related to building projects. The economic development manager for the city of Kennedy presented on a potential co-branding opportunity with a national food chain, which promises to create about 75 sustainable jobs, while also noting a significant dip in county sales tax revenue and requesting collaboration on associated infrastructure costs, particularly for traffic signal installation. The court subsequently took action to approve the management plan for maintaining existing private road signs across the county to aid emergency services and discussed necessary amendments to an RFP for the removal of steel framing from the Karnes County Archive Building to ensure compliance and contractor qualification standards. Additionally, the court acknowledged a $15,000 anonymous donation to the Runge Public Library and a $1,000 donation to K County EMS.

The meeting involved public comments concerning the need for a potential EMS facility in Runi, citing population density and service reliance. Another public comment addressed the request by the majority owner of a property to be deeded a portion of an unmaintained county road right-of-way. The court acknowledged an IT department employee for resolving an internet outage that impacted payroll processing. A decision was made to table the discussion regarding the replacement policy for private road signs until the following month to allow the engineer time to develop a formal policy. Approval was granted to convert a part-time position in the County Tax Assessor's office to a permanent full-time position due to increased workload, including higher account volumes and processing tasks. Finally, the court acknowledged the 2024-2025 statistics for the County Sheriff's Office and Jail, noting a 34.5% increase in dispatched calls for service and a 12.70% increase in total arrests compared to the previous year.

The meeting focused on several critical administrative and capital outlay items. Discussions included defining the duties and responsibilities of the County Judge and Commissioners. A significant portion of the meeting addressed the unresolved issues concerning the annex on the square, noting previous discussions on roof and drainage problems, and the status of the Thomas Edi contract. The committee also discussed the contractor walking away from the archives building project. Capital outlay proposals for Precinct 84 EMS satellite facility were debated, with concerns raised over the proposed $2 million expenditure versus starting with a more modest portable unit to expedite EMS coverage. The court approved a budget amendment to cover the increased bond expense for the County Judge, mandated by Senate Bill 387. Furthermore, the Memorandum of Understanding with Wilson County Cares regarding the homebound meals program support was approved. The court then addressed the proposed budget for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) surplus funds, detailing several key allocations including Starlink technology deployment for communications redundancy, a Radio over IP solution, funding for an all-terrain EMS unit, replacement of a law enforcement repeater, and expenditures for the new Emergency Operations Center equipment.