The Hill County Commissioners Court voted to update the county’s emergency operations plan during a meeting held Monday, November 10.
Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Jackson told the court that the county’s plan, which has not been looked at by an outside consultant for around 15 years, does not address a number of possible threats.
He said that the state is taking emergency management matters very seriously following the flooding in Kerr County, and he expects an unfunded mandate from the state soon to shift local emergency plans to the Emergency Support Function (ESF) framework.
This change will ensure that counties use the same planning structure as state and federal agencies during disasters. ESFs group responsibilities by functions like transportation, communications and public health to make it easier for different agencies to coordinate and share resources.
He said that the state is also likely to mandate county-wide emergency management to limit the number of people giving directions or information during a disaster. The county is already in negotiations with the City of Hillsboro about providing emergency management services in the city for a fee, and the same service could eventually be offered to other cities in the county, with a fee assessed based on population.
Jackson said that the office will need additional staff if this change is implemented. County Judge Shane Brassell said that this is not a new concept and pointed out that McLennan County also operates its emergency management on a county-wide basis.
The immediate issue on the table was selecting a company to update the county’s emergency plan, which lacks detail in multiple areas. Some of the threats not currently addressed in the plan include how to respond to flooding events and how to address issues with dams and other high-hazard locations. The plan also needs updated firefighting data and local, regional and state communications plans. There are many other areas of the plan that were reported to be inadequate.
TRC Environmental Consultants presented a bid in the amount of $99,800, and Emergency Management Partners submitted a bid of $83,451. TRC offered virtual planning services, while Emergency Management Partners offered site visits. The court voted to accept the bid from Emergency Management Partners.
Commissioners also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The agreement will allow the county to be reimbursed if its employees work in a disaster area outside of the county.
In other action, the court voted to add Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Hill County to the juror donation list. This will give jurors an additional option to donate their payment for jury service to a nonprofit organization.
Commissioners set public hearings for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 9 on proposals to implement 30 mile-per-hour speed limits on HCRs 1143 and 1146.
The court voted to divide its votes for Hill County Appraisal District board members among all of the members seeking reappointment for 2026-27. The votes will go to Don Ford, Eugene Fulton, John Sawyer, Roberta Skelton and Robert Tipton. Each taxing unit in the county receives a certain number of votes based on its total tax levy.
Commissioners also formally recognized John Crawson, the county’s new director of Development Services, as the designated representative for on-site sewage facility (OSSF) operations.
Commissioners convened in executive session to discuss ongoing litigation against ICE Construction regarding construction of the Hill County AgriLife Extension Office building. When open session resumed, the court voted to approve a contract for an analysis of the site’s drainage and an assessment of needed repairs.
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