Quick take
- The Commissioners Court was set to meet at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at the Bowie County Courthouse in New Boston, TXK Today reported.
- Item 5: a revised $657,000 contract with Harrison County for nine juvenile detention beds at the Willoughby Juvenile Center in Marshall. Bowie County would pay $200 a day per bed, $1,800 a day, whether the beds are used or not.
- Item 4: five years of audits from Emergency Services District No. 6 (DeKalb area), none finished on time, though all were clean. The 2025 audit for the Liberty-Eylau district (No. 2) was also late.
- Also listed: a $339,870 road grader for Precinct 3, a $24,343 three-year LeadsOnline subscription for the Sheriff’s Office and the 2027 holiday calendar.
Bowie County commissioners were set to vote Monday morning on a $657,000 contract that guarantees nine juvenile detention beds in Harrison County, and on five years of overdue audits from the fire district that serves the DeKalb area, TXK Today reported. The Commissioners Court was set to meet at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at the Bowie County Courthouse in New Boston.
Results to come: We’ll update this story with the court’s votes once they’re reported or posted.
Juvenile detention beds in Marshall
The revised agreement covers detention before and after a juvenile court hearing at the Willoughby Juvenile Center in Marshall, TXK Today reported. Bowie County would pay $200 a day for each of nine beds, or $1,800 a day, billed in quarterly payments of $164,250. The contract says the beds are paid for whether they’re filled or not. It runs from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2027, so it would cover a period that has already started.
The $200 rate doesn’t cover schooling, extra counseling or medical care, according to TXK Today. The county can end the contract without penalty if the money isn’t budgeted. Bowie County has contracted with Harrison County for beds since 2021. This version turns a pay-per-day deal into a guaranteed lease. A separate item would allow backup contracts with two other facilities that charge only for days a youth is actually held.
Late fire district audits
Emergency Services District No. 6, which serves the DeKalb area, turned in five annual audits covering October 2019 through September 2024. State law says each audit is due to the Commissioners Court by June 1 of the next year. None of the five was done on time, TXK Today found. The audits themselves are clean: the accounting firm gave the district unqualified opinions every year. The district’s audit for the year ending September 2025 isn’t in the packet.
Commissioners were also set to accept the 2025 audit for Emergency Services District No. 2 in the Liberty-Eylau area, which was also finished after the deadline. That district spent $528,089 on fire vehicles during the year, and its general fund balance fell from $208,811 to $38,751, TXK Today reported.
Also on the agenda
- Road grader: $339,870 for a John Deere motor grader for Precinct 3. The dealer’s quote listed an Oct. 23 expiration date, three days before the vote.
- Sheriff’s database: a three-year LeadsOnline subscription that helps investigators search pawn shop and scrap metal sales for stolen property. The first 11 months are free; the total is $24,343.
- Veterans: a mileage agreement with Cass County’s veterans service officer.
- 2027 holidays: 14 paid days off for county employees.
How to speak
Residents can speak for up to three minutes if they turn in a public participation form at least 15 minutes before the meeting starts, TXK Today reported. The county posts agendas on its Agenda Center.