The lawmaker told the committee that while replacing aging cutters and aircraft is overdue, the Coast Guard lacks the shoreside infrastructure to support new assets and must prioritize service members in technology adoption.

Committee questioning during the Franklin technical evaluation pointed to prior OIG due-diligence on PCN3, the contractor's low award score (133/250), and questions about owner's authorized representative oversight, fair-cost estimates and whether procurement sanctions or performance consequences should follow.

The consent agenda drew extended public comment and several recorded no-votes on items that include military equipment (item 54), a large cooperative procurement increase for recycling/trash (item 58), vehicle leasing (item 53) and numerous settlement payments; speakers raised concerns about transparency, militarization of police and contract escalation.

Directors pressed administration on how roughly $40 million in short-term charter-related savings and $6 million in contract reductions were computed, sought tighter procurement oversight, and raised alarms about cuts to alternative schools; administration pledged contract deep dives, a contracts task force and follow-up listening sessions for alternative schools before the budget vote.

The Commissioners Court approved multiple consent items including grant applications for the public-defender office, an appointment to a groundwater district, contract renewals, permitting for telecom and utility work, and several budget amendments; the court also discussed an amendment to purchasing policy for expanded-use credit cards after public concerns about oversight.

The board approved a roughly $4 million budget amendment that included state and federal increases and bus leases, voted to raise the micro-purchase threshold from $10,000 to $50,000 to align with state practice, and approved a desktop-lab software purchase after staff clarified it is not cloud-based.

External auditors presented Phase 1 of a forensic audit covering 145 county contracts (about $486 million) and identified patterns including emergency purchases, sole sourcing, and alleged steering of funds to businesses tied to District 1 leadership; they recommended standardized invoicing, stronger ethics rules and further review.

Several board members criticized the county clerk’s handling of election‑related contracts and ongoing litigation; concerns included Hart InterCivic renewals, a 40‑year moving‑company contract reported in the press, and legal fees paid to defend the clerk.

The Board of Estimates approved a consolidated locksmith services upset limit after DGS revised an overprojection downward, and approved an $11 million upset-limit agreement with Atkins to support DPW wastewater and consent-decree work. Officials emphasized tighter assumptions, interagency collaboration and building in-house capacity.

Council members pressed staff for procurement records and invoices after learning a previously approved downtown arch is reportedly complete in Mexico and awaiting delivery; members asked whether ARPA or other federal funds were used in a way consistent with program rules.