Auditor Angela presented the 2026 jail commissary audit showing a commissary fund balance of $555,152 (as of 06/30/2026), closed accounts over $100 totaling about $29,205 across 118 inmate accounts, and smaller unclaimed accounts (1,540 accounts under $100 totaling $20,003.96) transferred to the treasurer; an NCIC phone escrow balance of $49,576 was identified and auditors recommended transparency for escrow purchases.

Sheriff Bobby Raider told commissioners that exhaust fans have been installed and two replacement fire doors are expected in November–December; camera installation remains delayed by ceiling work and about 30 cameras remain to be installed. The court accepted the report.

Liberty County Commissioners Court approved an agreed corrective-action implementation plan to bring the county jail into compliance with Texas jail minimum standards and tabled negotiations on RFP 2603 for a new jail after discovering computational scoring errors; the court met in executive session to review site-related matters.

Commissioners heard a detailed update on ongoing Liberty County Jail repairs, approved several related purchases and contracts, and authorized a nearly $1.0 million roof‑fan replacement after engineers described nonfunctional smoke/exhaust fans and extensive duct and wiring corrosion.

After a competitive sale, commissioners authorized issuing and selling up to $110 million in certificates of obligation to fund construction and acquisition of a new Liberty County jail; staff reported Wells Fargo placed the winning bid at an effective rate near 4.63%.

Liberty County authorized a $112,000 invoice payment to DRG Architects as the first billing under an $8.96 million contract for the new county jail (RFQ 2512); DRG described a phased 24-payment billing plan and a target GMP in August with construction to begin in September.

Commissioners approved a professional services agreement with DRG Architects for a planned 600‑bed Liberty County jail (with a 1,200‑capacity core master plan), accepted a $1,039,457.27 security upgrade proposal, and approved a $140,864 change order for security key cards as part of ongoing jail remediation.

On Nov. 5, 2025, the Liberty County Commissioners Court authorized purchasing to negotiate a project‑specific agreement with DRG, the highest‑scoring respondent to RFQ 25‑12 for architectural and engineering services for a new county jail, and approved solicitation of RFQ 2603 (CMAR) with a revised evaluation weighting scheme to guide selection.