Commissioners to address school resource officers, polling locations

This week Hays County Commissioners will discuss ballot locations, inmate housing, and whether to staff two major school districts with additional school resource officers during Tuesday’s meeting.

As the county inches closer to the Nov. 8 General Election, Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff proposed an item establishing 40 voting locations in Hays County.

Fifteen of the proposed voting locations are in San Marcos, three of which — Hays County Government Center Conference Room, Christus Trinity Clinic, and the LBJ Student Center at Texas State University — are designated for early voting.

Commissioners will also discuss an Intergovernmental Inmate Housing Agreement between Hays County, Haskell County, and LaSalle Corrections West, LLC for the care and custody of overflow Hays County inmates and whether to amend the budget accordingly.

The item requests $218,500 for the remainder of FY22 to double the number of beds in the jail facility from 50 to 100, and $3,467,500 to guarantee 100 beds for FY23. A maximum $800k in funds will come from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and the rest will come from the county’s General Fund, according to the budget office.

ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery (SLFRF) funds may also be used to help fund three additional SROs for Hays CISD and one SRO for Dripping Springs ISD.

SLFRF funds would be applied to SROs payroll and covered benefits for two calendar years, with an overall goal of reducing the incidence of school violence in the wake of a global pandemic and the Uvalde shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.

The agreement between Hays County and Hays CISD would negotiate a 50/50 split of $51,992 per party, with a total annualized cost of $311,954 for three school quarters.

Other items on the docket include three separate hearings on installing safety signage around the new Sunbright Elementary School.

The possible improvements include a four-way stop location at the intersection of Vista Gardens and Parkrose Drive, a four-way stop at the intersection of Vista Gardens and Sunbright Drive, and a two-way stop location on Sunbright Blvd at the intersection with the school-entrance only drive, according to the agenda packet.

The traffic safety enhancements come at the request of Hays ISD as students return to the classroom Tuesday, Aug. 16.

The commissioners court meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Hays County Historic Courthouse located at 111 E. San Antonio St.

Those looking to participate in public comments can submit a public participation/witness form to the county clerk before 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

For those not attending the meeting but are still wishing to submit public comments to be read during commissioners court, visit the Hays County website to fill out and submit a PDF form

to publiccomments@co.hays.tx.us no later than 5 p.m. the evening prior to a commissioners court meeting.

To view the full meeting agenda or watch the commissioner court livestream, visit https://hayscountytx.com/commissioners-court/court-video.