What happened: The Midland County Commissioners Court met on Tuesday, May 19, and delayed a decision on whether to expand the already-approved replacement for the current Barbara Culver Juvenile Center from 24 to 40 beds, after the projected cost rose from about $24 million to roughly $41 million. County staff said they need more time to review the expanded proposal before bringing it back to the court.

The court also advanced a plan for a single alcohol-service vendor at the Horseshoe, approved several vehicle purchases, and adopted the county library’s first five-year strategic plan since 2019.

Key points:

  • Juvenile Justice Center: Commissioners tabled an amendment to the design contract for the new juvenile justice center, which the county planned to replace its existing facility. The county previously approved a 24-bed replacement design with an estimated cost of about $24 million.

The proposed amendment would expand that design to 40 beds and raise the projected cost to about $41 million. County staff said the original design met the county’s immediate needs while allowing for future expansion. However, after receiving direction from the county juvenile board, staff proposed building the expanded portion now rather than adding it later.

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Several commissioners noted that constructing the larger facility upfront could reduce long-term costs compared to expanding later. County Attorney Russell Malm said staff needed additional time to review the revised proposal and ensure it meets all legal requirements before moving forward.

  • Horseshoe alcohol service: Commissioners authorized the Horseshoe to begin a request-for-proposals process for a single alcohol-service vendor. The Horseshoe Director told commissioners the proposal addresses liability and revenue tracking.

Under the current system, multiple caterers can obtain separate alcohol permits for the same venue during the same weekend, making it more difficult to determine which license was active if an incident occurs. A single vendor would also provide the county with a point-of-sale system that the county could compare against Texas Comptroller records to verify sales reporting.

County Judge Terry Johnson said the county worked toward the change for about three years and said vendors’ reported purchases did not always match what they told the county they sold under the previous system.

  • Three vehicles purchased: The court approved the purchase of two replacement vehicles for the medical examiner’s office and one replacement vehicle for Precinct 4 Constable Jamie Hall’s office. The county will fund the medical examiner vehicles through the department’s budget using trade-in savings, and it has budgeted for the constable vehicle.
  • Library strategic plan: Commissioners adopted the Midland County Public Library’s 2026–2031 Long-Range Strategic Plan, the first five-year library plan since the previous plan expired in 2024. The Library Director told commissioners that the Texas State Library and Archives Commission requires a current five-year plan as a condition of state library funding. Without one, she said, the library would be on probation.
  • License-plate readers: Commissioners approved a subscription to a license plate reader platform for the county’s Texas Anti-Gang unit. Sheriff David Criner said the platform will allow investigators to access license plate reader data from other agencies during criminal investigations. The county will fund the subscription through TAG grants.
  • Sheriff body cameras: Commissioners approved an amendment to the sheriff’s existing Axon body-camera and dash-camera contract. Criner told commissioners that he and his deputy currently share a body camera. The amendment would allow each to have separate camera equipment and would also add dash cameras to a newly acquired vehicle. Criner said funding is available in his budget.