2026-01-13 Denton County Commissioners Court

EADS

Morning everyone. I want to welcome you all to the Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 meeting of the Denton County Commissioner's Court. We're glad to have so many people with us in attendance today and I would like to welcome all the people online that are watching us.

Thank you for tuning in from wherever you're watching. At this time I'd like to welcome Paul Tannis Ford. He's a member of our Denton County CERT and he's our chaplain and he is going to lead us in a moment of silence and an invocation.

If you'll please stand and I would like to remind everybody to please turn off your cell phones. Thank you.

FORD

Please pray with me. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we call upon your Holy Spirit today and invite you to be here with us and be with this courtroom and be with our judges and commissioners, Lord, that you may be honored here. Amen.

Amen. And if I can, I'd like to just say a couple words. For Brenda.

EADS

Speak into that microphone right there. There you go.

FORD

There are so many of us here today that are here to honor Brenda.

We're here to celebrate her life of service and commitment to the community, but there's also sadness and grief and mourning. So please can we pray again?

EADS

That's right.

FORD

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask that you guide us in our hearts and minds, Lord, to be open to your presence and your purpose to honor Brenda for her sacrificial love, Lord, and who she was for those around us or around her and in the community, Lord God. And Father, we just ask that you also help us in our grief. And Lord, finally, we just thank you for this great number of people here today that are here to honor Brenda.

You're a good and faithful servant. Amen.

EADS

Amen. Amen. All right.

It is Samantha Taylor, our director of emergency management, is going to lead us in our pledges.

TAYLOR

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Now the great state of Texas. On our Texas flag, I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.

EADS

Well, thank you, Paul. And thank you for all your volunteer efforts with our Denton County CERT as well. And thank you, Samantha, for leading us in our invocation.

At this time, I'd like to welcome forward Cindy Howard. Cindy, if you'll come forward. Cindy is with our Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce, and she has done such a great job with our leadership class over all these many years.

And so it's the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce County Leadership Day. So, Cindy, do you want to make some comments, please, ma'am?

HOWARD

Yes, I do. Thank you so much, Judge Eads and Commissioner. Thank you for having us today.

This is a very special day for us as we get to come and learn all about county government. And I want to just say a word about the leadership class. This is the 29th leadership class of the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce.

This is my 24th year to lead it. And the first year I was a student in and it was so great. And so many people have graduated through this program.

We believe over 500 have graduated over the years through it. And so I'm very grateful to be able to lead this group.

EADS

Well, Cindy, you've done a great job all these years, and it's such a delight to work with you to plan the day. And Commissioner Mitchell would like to send some greetings as well.

MITCHELL

Well, I just want to thank you, Cindy, and for all the Flower Mound leadership class members. Thank you all for wanting to participate in finding out how your government works. Not only the city and the county government, the state government, and also the LISDs.

It's great. I started out with Leadership Lewisville many, many years ago, one of the second in the second class of Leadership Lewisville, but I learned so much. You know, it's good to learn about your community and what we are doing to you and how we are governing you.

So I want to appreciate you being here this morning. Thank you for taking your time and effort because it is, it does take a lot of time to go through these classes. I don't know about now, but it's usually a day out of a month that you have to take off your job to go and do these classes.

So thank you for wanting to learn about your government, and hopefully we'll have some people that will come out of these classes that will be governing us one of these days when we're gone home to sit down in our rocking chair, then you all will be out. I ain't gonna sit in a rocking chair. I'm gonna rock the chair from the back.

So I hope every one of you all will have learned something when you leave here today in each and every stop that you have to make, that you will learn something and get involved, not just leadership Lewisville, but the county, state, and town and city government. Thank you.

EADS

Thank you, Commissioner. Yeah, we have a wonderful day planned for. I want to thank in advance all the elected officials and department heads for giving their time today.

So thank you, Cindy. Let's have the class stand up. Let's give them all a big hand.

All right. Very good. Thank you.

All right. Let's go to item one on our agenda is for public input for items not listed on the agenda, and we do have one registered speaker. We have Sheriff Murphree.

Good morning, sir.

MURPHREE

Good morning, Judge. Thank you, Commissioners. It was brought to my attention this morning of a article published by the Denton Record Chronicle.

It had to be brought to my attention because I don't read it. And in this article, they indicated that a longtime sheriff's administrator had been arrested for embezzling funds with a photograph that included the picture of a sheriff's office employee in uniform. This is not true, as you know.

EADS

Yeah

MURPHREE

this individual was worked for probation, did not work for the sheriff's office.

EADS

Correct.

MURPHREE

The individual in the photograph in the uniform has zero to do with it. Sheriff's office actually conducted the investigation that made the arrest, and I've asked for retraction. I'm not going to hold my breath, but it's important that they get things right.

And I'm a little upset about it, as you can tell, because the press release was very clear. Everything that we've given them is clear, and they've chosen to attack the sheriff's office. So I just want to take this opportunity to set that record straight, and hopefully they will do as they're asked.

But like I said, I'm not going to hold my breath, and I'm not going to read it to find out if they did anyway. So thank you.

EADS

Well, Sheriff, thank you for coming and clarifying that publicly on the record, and I want to also publicly thank you and your team for the diligence that y'all took to fully investigate the criminal activity. Y'all did a great job in a timely manner to bring the individual to justice. So thank you for all y'all's efforts. Y'all actually were part of the solution and not the problem.

All right, let's go to item number three, which is approval of a resolution recognizing Brenda Gormley's retirement in any appropriate action. And I'll tell you, last week, we had this agenda posted on Wednesday in compliance with the new state law.

And to celebrate Brenda's retirement today, and Thursday night, regrettably, Brenda passed away suddenly. And as I look around this crowded courtroom, I know so many of y'all are here today to honor Brenda's memory. We're not celebrating her retirement, but we're celebrating her life in this courtroom and in this county that Brenda loves so dearly.

And so I want to thank so many of y'all for being here. Robert, we're so sorry for your loss. And as many of us were with you last Thursday night, I could, it's clear to see the love that y'all had for one another for 40 years.

And I want to thank you for sharing her with us for all these many years. I'd like to have a few comments here that I would like to read for the record. And I think it's important we read these for the record. And I'd also extend an invitation to a few other people to speak as well.

Dedicated volunteer, thoughtful leader, caring friend, a mother to all, one of a kind, a true hero. These are a few of the many descriptions people have shared about our very own Brenda Gormley since learning of her passing on the evening of January the 8th.

In the many years that I have known her, I have never seen Brenda without a welcoming smile and arms wide open for a hug. With her quick wit and contagious smile, she would have you laughing in a minute, all the while wrapped in her warmth. If you did not know Brenda personally, you miss knowing someone quite special indeed.

For most of her life, she has made helping others her mission, whether volunteering at church as a youngster, serving as a hospital candy striper as a young woman, or working with the Lewisville Citizens Police Academy, Brenda believed in making a difference. Dan Leal shared that Brenda was instrumental in starting the Lewisville Battle of the Badge softball tournament that benefited the Children's Advocacy Center for many years. Brenda ran the race of life in service in a beautiful way.

May we all learn from her example of service. In 2005, she visited the Highland Village Fire Department where she first learned about the Community Emergency Response Team program, and it sparked what would become one of her greatest passions. From that day on, she began building what would one day become one of the strongest CERT programs in the nation, earning accolades from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, to the Governor's Office, all the way to the White House.

Along the way, Brenda never met a stranger, leaving a long trail of friendships throughout the county, region, and country. As Robin Vaughn recalled, quote, our friendship began in 2009 when Congressman Burgess initiated his annual emergency preparedness summit and fair. From the start, Brenda, from the start, Brenda, the Denton County CERT team, and Denton County were integral partners in the success of our office's public education event and our goal to prepare North Texas families to meet all hazards, natural and man-made.

As soon as I had a date and location determined, Brenda was the first person I called to enlist as a partner, presenter, and exhibitor. I learned so much from her by example and through her teaching in the field of emergency preparedness. I will dearly miss her, but her rich legacy of public service will endure, end quote.

Brenda believed in others in such a way that they could not help but believe in themselves. Many commented publicly about her mentorship, servant-hood, and how she helped many and had the heart to do so much. The Denton County Amateur Radio Service Group posted online saying, Brenda was one of those that truly embraced those that surrounded her.

She was considered the mom of the Office of Emergency Management, the volunteers of Denton County CERT, and many others that surrounded her. This was especially true of the AERS operators as she considered them part of her family. That extended well beyond the professional level as she took care of us every time we were involved in joint deployments.

The number of lives she touched cannot be counted, but her legacy lives on through all those who served with her, end quote. Though she met many people along her path, she never forgot a face. She would ask about loved ones and always left you feeling seen.

Michael Porter said it best, quote, we lost one of our own that truly touched so many of our lives, creating an impact that lives on through those she worked with, volunteered with, and trained. She was considered a mother figure for not only those in her office and volunteers, but all those who came in contact with her, end quote. Many have said that if there was a disaster anywhere in the region, Brenda was there.

She spent many nights, weekends, and quite a few holidays helping others deal with calamities, and she never complained. For her, it was just what people did to help each other in a time of need. Our Denton County Office of Emergency Management poured their hearts into a note about Brenda, quote, with the heaviest of hearts, we share the passing of our beloved teammate, mentor, and office mom, Brenda Gormley.

Brenda was the very definition of service. For decades, she poured her heart into this community, building, nurturing, and leading Denton County CERT from its earliest days into a nationally recognized program that has trained thousands of residents to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. What began in 2005 as a mission to help Hurricane Katrina evacuees became a lifelong calling that touched more lives than we could ever count.

To us, Brenda was more than a coordinator or volunteer leader. She was the steady hand, the reassuring voice, the first to celebrate your wins, and the first to show up when things were hard. She remembered birthdays, checked on families, encouraged growth, and deeply believed in people, often before they believed in themselves.

Our office won't be the same without her laugh, sass, and unwavering care. Brenda's legacy lives on in every CERT member she trained, every volunteer she mentored, and every neighbor who was safer because of her dedication. She showed us what it means to serve with humility, compassion, and purpose, and she did it all with grace.

We are heartbroken, but we are also profoundly grateful to have known and to have loved her. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brenda's family and all who were blessed by her presence. We will honor her by carrying forward the work she believed in so deeply."

Bob Martinez, the City of Denton Emergency Management Director who formerly worked with Denton County in our Public Health Division, wrote, I will always remember her service during our COVID response, especially during our shot clinics at TMS. A rock for Denton County Emergency Management. She leaves a legacy of one of the most active and well-trained CERT programs in the U.S., many new CERT programs she helped establish across the state, and as a master certification program for instructors she helped create, not to mention many other groups she worked with over the years. The North Central Texas Council of Government's Emerging Management Preparedness mentioned that Brenda played an important role in our region and was one of the current chairs of the North Central Texas Regional Community Preparedness Programs Working Group.

She contributed greatly towards the mission of the CPP to further citizen and community preparedness through regional collaborative efforts. It was always great to see her smiling face at our meetings or events and we always knew we could count on her. Our region is a better place because of her work, dedication, and service and we are thankful for not only her legacy she left behind, but the legacy she has set in motion for years to come.

The Denton County CERT team commented that Brenda wasn't just the person behind Denton County CERT, she was the heart of it. She developed the Denton County CERT program in 2005 to assist the Hurricane Katrina evacuees and through her dedication and vision she built what was one of the most respected CERT programs in Texas and across the nation. Because of Brenda, thousands of residents were trained, hundreds of volunteers found a place to serve, and our community is safer and more prepared.

Quote, every training, every activation, every new CERT class carries her fingerprint. Brenda believed deeply in this program and even more deeply about the people in it. She encouraged, protected, challenged, and celebrated you.

She remembered your families, your milestones, your struggles. CERT was never just a program, to her it was a family. Brenda's legacy lives on by continuing the mission she loved so much and by taking care of the CERT family she built.

Brenda also trained her replacement as she worked toward her own retirement that would have occurred in just a couple of weeks. Her co-worker Lauren Romero shared these heartfelt thoughts. Quote, I have learned so much from Brenda, especially what it truly means to serve people.

She taught me the heart behind this work. She showed me that CERT isn't about vests, radios, or checklists, it's about people. It's about showing up when things are hard.

It's about remembering names, families, and stories. It's about building confidence in others even when they don't see it yet in themselves. So much of what CERT is today exists because of Brenda and so much of what CERT will be will continue to be is because of what she taught, built, and believed in.

Today as we honor her memory, I hope each of us will walk away with a piece of what Brenda taught us over the years to care for each other, to make a difference where we can, and to take time to smile and to laugh along the way. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Brenda's family as well as her colleagues at our Office of Emergency Management and her many friends. As Gail Blackitor Wallace succinctly put, rest in peace, Brenda.

You did what we all are supposed to do. You made this world a much better place. She did indeed, and Brenda will be missed far more than she ever realized.

So at this time I'd like to welcome some comments from our County Administrator, Jody Gonzalez.

GONZALEZ

Thank you, Judge and Court Members. Wonderful comments that you guys have put together and I want to appreciate so much of your guys' work toward recognizing Brenda here today. I can tell you that everything that you said, Judge, is spot on about Brenda.

There's not a single thing that you said there that I can't think of and that really you missed, and she truly is a volunteer of volunteers, and I can tell you that, you know, I was thinking this morning on what to say this morning, and I want to first of all really say thank you to so many of the people that are here today. That's an attribute to who Brenda was and who she is. These are partners from across the region, members of the Denton County SIR team, members of the North Central Texas Council of Government's Emergency Preparedness Division.

There's all walks of life in this room that Brenda touched, and one of the things that I thought about this morning to say, you know, I really don't want to add to all the accolades you gave, and I could sit here and talk, tell stories for an hour because there's so many, but the time that I've known Brenda since 2005 when she came to work for Denton County as a volunteer is that after all of that time, 20 years of time together with Brenda, I come to realize that I am the one that's blessed.

I am the one that's blessed to have known Brenda and to have Brenda in my life for all these years, so it is truly a blessing that I count that I've had, and I know that these people behind me and in this room and those that couldn't be here today truly feel that they are blessed to have had Brenda in their life. Of all these pictures that you see up here, she's always hugging someone, and that was true. That was the true Brenda.

She would always lay a hand on somebody to make them feel comfortable, to make them feel welcome, to make them feel that they are part of a program, and that's what she always said. As Lauren said in her comments that you read, it's always about people, and she really felt that and believed that in her heart and in her soul. You know, when Brenda was a volunteer for so many years, I will tell one quick story.

She volunteered for over 12 years before she became a full-time county employee, and I talked to her probably so many times, you know, closer toward 2014 and 15, and I said, Brenda, I think it's time that you became a full-time employee. I said, I think the court's willing to put this on. We'll get it on the agenda.

No, I'm not ready to do that yet, and I said, well, why are you not ready to do that? I don't understand. She goes, well, I don't want to be held down.

I like my freedom. I said, well, okay, and then the next year came. I said, Brenda, I think it's time we're going to put this on the budget, put it before the commissioners.

I think we can do this. She goes, well, I don't know that it's time. That's a lot of commitment.

I said, Brenda, you're working 60 hours. If you go full-time, I have to send you home after 40. So then I think she finally realized, and then in 2017, the commissioners court made her a full-time treasurer, and I call that a full-time treasurer of the county, and she was just an amazing soul and touched so many lives that they're just unbelievable.

These pictures really cast a picture of what Brenda did in her response role, her mentoring role, her mothership. She was absolutely a mother, treated me like a son, and I appreciate that. You know, so many times that she could have put me in the corner or put me in timeout, she probably would have.

She loved so many, and with that, Judge, I appreciate your opportunity to let me speak. I'm going to keep it short to keep it from being too much emotion, retain my emotions here, because it is very sad to see Brenda pass on. I know she had so much in her time in her retirement with Robert.

You know, Robert's such a gem to the county as well. I mean, Robert's

EADS

very much a team effort.

GONZALEZ

Absolutely. It was a team approach. There was nothing that Brenda couldn't do without Robert, and I know Robert had a full-time job many of the years that Brenda volunteered with us, and one of the things that I saw that maybe he didn't was that anytime we were out in an event or an emergency situation or in a response, and we'd been there for hours, and Robert would get off work, he would come rolling up to the incident to help out, and there was a relief on Brenda when she saw that husband of 40 years roll up.

EADS

Yeah.

GONZALEZ

A relief came over here like, oh, I'm complete now. This emergency response is complete, and I can make this happen.

EADS

Yeah.

GONZALEZ

Loved you, Robert. She loved you with all of her heart, so I'm going to thank both of you, Robert, for your commitment and dedication to the county and Brenda for all of your years of service to the county. So on behalf of myself and so many members here in the court, thank you so much for your dedication.

EADS

Thank you, Jody. All right. This time, I'd like to call forward Robin Vaughn, the District Director for Congressman Brandon Gill, and I read some comments from Robin earlier.

She worked for Dr. Burgess for all those many years, all the years he was in Congress, and so Robin saw firsthand the partnership between the county and the congressional office and also directly from Brenda to Robin. So, Robin, thank you for being here.

VAUGHN

I have the privilege today to stand before you on behalf of Congressman Brandon Gill, who yesterday entered extended remarks into the congressional record where Brenda's legacy will be honored for posterity. In the honor of brevity, I'll just read the opening and closing remarks to that and have presented a copy already to the court and have a copy for Brenda's dearly beloved family as well as a U.S. flag from Congressman Gill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late Brenda Gormley and to honor her 24 years of distinguished public service to Denton County, Texas. Her commitment to emergency preparedness and volunteer training strengthened Denton County and North Texas, leaving a lasting legacy. And the final paragraph reads, Mr. Speaker, Brenda Gormley embodied the true spirit of public service and neighbors helping neighbors.

I request my colleagues to join me in honoring her extraordinary dedication and contributions to the safety and security of her neighbors in Denton County and across Texas.

Our sincere condolences go to her family, friends, and colleagues. Signed, Brandon Gill, member of Congress serving Texas's 26th congressional district. This was entered today into the record Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

EADS

Perfect, thank you. Thank you, Robin. Please extend our appreciation to Congressman Gill for making that happen.

At this time, I'd like to call forward Samantha Taylor, our current Director of Emergency Management.

TAYLOR

Good morning. We've been kind of at a loss for words. It's been hitting us slowly and more each day.

And, you know, Brenda was, I mean, a force to be reckoned with in our office. She was truly our office mom. She showed a lot of love, sometimes tough love, but it came from, you know, a place of leadership.

She was a true leader, not only to the county, but to every CERT member and every person she trained. And what made her such a special leader was the empathy and the heart that she had. And she can wrangle anyone to help, you know, get the job done right.

And she'll dearly be missed. And, you know, there's so many great comments we can go on for days like Jody said, but I've been blessed to know Brenda for 10 years and had the pleasure to work with her closely for two years. And she is the GOAT, you know, the greatest of all time.

She set the standard for Denton County. She was the second CERT team in Texas. And she started that from scratch with Jody.

And, you know, we're so blessed to be working with her and knowing her and having a piece of her to live on forever in each of our lives. And she's touched many of them. So I just want to thank everyone who helped stepped up and helped us in the office to get what we need to get this going and celebrate her properly.

You know, Mike Nelson giving us some, you know, creating the slides and everyone pitching in to help Robert and get that meal train going and making sure that he's checking, getting checked up on, eating and sleeping. Because Brenda and Robert were two peas in a pod and we didn't just get Brenda, we got Robert too, like Jody said. So, but we're so thankful and we're sad to celebrate, you know, we're trying to celebrate her retirement just seven days shy of it.

EADS

Yeah.

TAYLOR

So we do have plaques for her to, for her accolades here and her years of service. And for those that want to share their stories, we will have the HR training room downstairs with chaplains and we'll be talking about Brenda and then we'll talk more about the celebration of life. But I appreciate you guys giving me the time to talk.

EADS

Perfect. Great. Thank you so much.

Kate, did you want to say anything? Okay, you're fine. Okay.

We have Kate Linus from Judge Horn's office is here and she dealt with her for, for Brenda, with Brenda all those many years with Judge Horn and the Office of Emergency Management. So thank you for being here as well. You know, I want to say thank you to so many people for being here.

The morning of Brenda's death, I was having breakfast with Samantha and Mark and that was the first thing we talked about was this epic retirement party that we were going to plan for her. That was the first thing we talked about. And they said, I love what they both said.

This was the morning of her passing. They said, you know, we're giving her a big send off, but we know she's not going far, right? Because we know she was still going to be involved in a volunteer capacity.

So at this time, I'd like to open it up to the court members and members. Commissioner Mitchell, would you like to open up any comments?

MITCHELL

I don't have any more comments that's been given, but the Lord said, well done, my good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. Now come on up.

I'll make you rule over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord. Matthew 24, 45 and 47 said, who then is the faithful and wise servant who the master has put in charge of his household to give to the others their food and at the proper time?

Blessed is the servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Blessed is Brenda Gormley. She did a wonderful job here at the county.

She was not just a worker and a volunteer, but she was a friend. So I won't go into all the other things because I feel a preaching voice coming on. So I'm going to spare y'all all of that.

But I just want to thank Robert and the family for letting us have Brenda for all these years. And you know, the thing about it is that she volunteered before she was an employee of the county. All those years that she volunteered didn't get paid, but she gave and she gave.

And I just want to thank the Lord for his strengthening Brenda all these years. Thank the Lord that we have people in this county, in this nation that don't mind serving and don't mind volunteering. It's not all about the money and it's certainly not all about the title.

It's about what you do for the Lord. What will the Lord say when you leave? And I hope he says when I leave, well done, good and faithful servant.

You've been faithful of a few things. Come on up. I'm going to make you rule over many.

Thank you.

EADS

All right. Commissioner Falconer.

MITCHELL

Thank you.

FALCONER

Thank you, Judge.

EADS

You get to follow Bobby.

FALCONER

Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

EADS

I've been doing it for 20 years. Go right ahead.

FALCONER

Well, Bobby and others have said it all, but I love the faithful and wise servant because that's what she was. And I think that the volunteerism, all of that is just indicative that Brenda was all about others and serving others and putting others first.

And that's what makes her special and made her special. And we've got a big loss here and we're going to miss her. But we just want to celebrate where she is today and that we grieve that we no longer have her here.

EADS

Thank you, Commissioner Williams.

WILLIAMS

Thank you, Judge. It's kind of hard to add to all the wonderful things that have been said today. You know, I didn't have the I wasn't as fortunate as a lot of you to know her as long.

I've only been here five years, but but I got to meet her probably at one of the most difficult times in our country at the TMS vaccination clinic. And she was there and always had a happy attitude, even though she was she did a pretty good job of bossing people around, quite frankly. And I was I liked it, but she did a fabulous job.

And just to listen to everybody here, you know, the only I don't have a whole lot I can add other than she was a wonderful person. Obviously, anybody that serves the public to the extent that she did, there's something to be said about that, especially when people are doing it for for the reward she received was for herself and seeing how she was able to touch other people's lives, which was amazing. Most people look for a financial reward, but that's not what her her heart sent her to do.

And unfortunately, God decided he needed her more than we did. And that that was a choice that none of us have. And this is a perfect example of realizing that we're not guaranteed anything other than the moment that we're here.

And to make sure that you tell your loved ones how much you love them and how much you appreciate them and give them a hug. And all of us that have kids, that's probably the most difficult thing because we always worry about them no matter what. They don't understand it, but we always worry about them.

And now she she gets to look down on us and make sure that we're doing the best job we can in serving our our fellow citizens. And we were very fortunate to have her here. So, Judge, I really appreciate the opportunity to to have this today.

And we do we do we do need to celebrate the life that she had here on earth and what she did for everybody. Thank you.

EADS

Absolutely. Thank you, Commissioner. So, Robert, if you'll come forward, please, sir.

We I'm going to it's a great honor to get to read this resolution. And I'll tell you, like I tell all of our retirees, we give you the last word if you if you so choose. So, this is a resolution in remembrance of Brenda Gormley for her dedicated service to Denton County.

The Denton County Commissioners Court of Denton County, Texas, during a regular session on the 13th day of January 2026, considered the following resolution. Whereas Brenda Gormley was a loyal employee with the Denton County Office of Emergency Management until her death on January the 8th, 2026. She provided eight years of dedicated public service as the Denton County Community Emergency Response Team, the CERT coordinator, and more than two decades of volunteer and professional commitment to emergency preparedness and community resilience.

And whereas Brenda began volunteering with Denton County CERT in the early 2000s, contributing over 12 years of service before officially joining the Denton County Office of Emergency Management as a full-time staff member in 2018. And whereas Brenda played an instrumental role in building and leading the Denton County CERT program, which has trained thousands of residents to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters. And whereas under Brenda's leadership, the Denton County CERT program achieved national recognition, earning invitations to the White House in 2009 and 2011 as one of the top performing CERT programs in the United States.

And whereas Brenda's dedication and leadership strengthened Denton County's emergency management efforts, inspired community participation and preparedness and public safety, and exemplified a volunteer-driven emergency management model of service and excellence across Texas and the nation. Now therefore be it resolved the Denton County Commissioner's Court of Denton County, Texas does hereby extend to Brenda Gormley's family our sincere and grateful appreciation for her dedicated service to Denton County. We want to thank her husband Robert and her family for the many nights and weekends she dedicated to Denton County over the past years.

Done in open court this the 13th day of January 2026 upon a motion by the chair, seconded by Commissioner Mitchell. Robert, do you have any comments, sir? I totally understand.

I understand. Okay, hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Let's give this family a big hand.

Well, Robert, I want to give you as a token of our appreciation. Yeah, everybody come forward who wants to join in the picture here. Brenda would want everybody in the picture.

But Robert, it's a great honor on behalf of the Commissioner's Court and our Denton County work family to present this framed flag that flew over the Denton County Courthouse today. It's an American flag with Brenda's patches and challenge coins and a lovely picture here. And we also have her framed proclamation of which we just read in court.

So we would love to present this on behalf of Denton County. We're going to take a three minute recess.

EADS

All right, we have reconvened from our recess, returned to our agenda.

Let's go to thank everybody for tuning in. And I will say that Brenda's they were going to have a ceremony here at the courthouse on Friday, January 30th at 6 p.m. if you want to come by and attend. I think the family would appreciate that.

We will post some more information about that online. Okay, let's go to item 4a, which is a public hearing on January the 13th, 2026 for the approval of the Bois D'Arc Acres Replat, Block A, Lots 6R-AR and 6R-BR, Block A, Lot 11. This is 5.574 acres located in Commissioner Precinct 4. We have a motion to open a public hearing with motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Falconer. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. We are in a public hearing.

Is there anyone in attendance wishing to speak in favor of or opposed to the replat of the Bois D'Arc Acres? Anyone in attendance wishing to speak in favor of or opposed to the replat of the Bois D'Arc Acres? Hearing none, do we have a motion to close the public hearing?

Motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Falconer. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. We have a motion for approval.

Motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Falconer. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Our next public hearing is item 4b, which is a public hearing on January the 13th, 2026 for the approval of the Savannah Phase 1 replat.

This is Lots 1R, 2R, and 3R, Block 1, this is 9.519 acres. This is Commissioner Precinct 1.

Do we have a motion to open a public hearing?

Moved to open.

Motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Falconer. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. We are in a public hearing.

Is there anyone in attendance wishing to speak in favor of or opposed to the replat of the Savannah Phase 1? Anyone in attendance wish to speak in favor of or opposed to the replat of Savannah Phase 1? Hearing none, do we have a motion to close the public hearing?

WILLIAMS

Moved to close.

EADS

Motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Mitchell. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. We are in a, is there anyone, hello, is there a motion for approval of the item?

Motion of approval by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Falconer. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you.

Let's go back to item two, which is our consent agenda. Members, are there any items you'd like to pull off the consent agenda? We have a motion for approval as presented.

We have a motion by Commissioner Falconer, seconded by Commissioner Mitchell. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Our consent agenda today consists of item 2A, which is approval of order-making appointments, and item 2B is approval of payroll.

All right, next let's go to item 5A, approval of the bill report, payments from CSCD, Community Corrections, TAIP, Sheriff's Training, Sheriff's Forfeiture, VIT Interest, and DA Forfeiture funds are presented for recording purposes. Only Mr. May.

MAY

Thank you, Judge. I have no changes today. Recommend approval as presented.

EADS

All right, perfect. Thank you. Do we have a motion for approval?

Motion by Commissioner Mitchell, seconded by Commissioner Williams. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next is item 6A, approval of award for ITB #25-2879, Elections Moving Services, to Suddath Workplace Solutions, LLC.

Motion by Commissioner Falconer, seconded by Commissioner Mitchell. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next is item 6B, approval of specifications authority to advertise for ITB #25-2897, Fleet Vehicles.

Any appropriate action? Move to approve. Motion by Commissioner Williams, seconded by Commissioner Mitchell.

Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Any opposed?

Motion carries unanimously. Next is 6C, approval of renewal of RFP #21-2660, Temporary Services, as follows. Category 1, General Clerical, and Category 2, Light Industrial Labor, to Primary Agency, Abacus Corporation, and Secondary Agency, Lark LLC DBA OnTrack Staffing.

Category 3, Payroll Services, to Primary Agency, 22nd Century Technologies, Incorporated. Secondary Agency, Abacus Corporation, and Category 4, Medical, to Primary Agency, Abacus Corporation, Secondary Agency, 22nd Century Technologies, Incorporated. Motion by Commissioner Mitchell.

WILLIAMS

Second.

EADS

Second by Commissioner Williams. Any discussion?

All in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously.

Next is item 7A, report for miscellaneous equipment and software services presented for recording purposes only. All right, next let's go to item 7B, which is approval of Budget Amendment Request #2026-130, for public health clinical to transfer $9,500 from vaccines to capital equipment to fund the purchase of a replacement vaccine refrigerator. Motion by Commissioner Mitchell.

Second by Commissioner Falconer. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next is 8A, a report from Human Resources regarding hiring acts of elected officials is presented for recording purposes only.

Mr. Hernandez.

HERNANDEZ

Judge, Commissioners, good morning. We have one promotion in adult probation. We have one new hire in the district attorney's office.

One demotion in juvenile probation. One promotion in juvenile probation. One demotion in the sheriff's office.

Four new hires. Four new hires in the sheriff's office. Three of those have detention officer one.

That's it.

EADS

Thank you. Let's go to item 10A, approval of the Ponder Farms phase one final plat. 200 residential lots and eight open space lots.

This is 47.930 acres located. Commissioner Precinct 4.

WILLIAMS

Move to approve.

EADS

Second. Motion by Commissioner Williams. Second by Commissioner Falconer.

Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Any opposed?

Motion carries unanimously. Next is 10B, approve the Webster Meadows addition phase one final plat. This is 201 residential lots and five open space lots.

This is 45.415 acres located in Commissioner Precinct 4.

FALCONER

Move to approve.

EADS

Motion by Commissioner Falconer.

Second by Commissioner Mitchell. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next is 10C, approval of accepting the Legacy Ranch phase two into the Denton County Road maintenance.

This is Commissioner Precinct 4. Motion by Commissioner Mitchell. Chair was second.

Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Any opposed?

Motion carries unanimously. Next is item 12A, approval of the 287G task force model memorandum of agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE, a component of the Department of Homeland Security's DHS and Denton County Sheriff's Office. Move to approve.

Second. Motion by Commissioner Williams. Chair was second.

Any discussion?

WILLIAMS

Yes sir.

EADS

We do have the sheriff here.

WILLIAMS

Go ahead sheriff, I'm sorry.

MURPHREE

Good morning. Commissioner's judge, as you guys know, you have approved an MOU before with ICE. That is for the jail model, which we are currently participating in.

This is the task force model, which is a little bit different. It is going to give our officers, selected officers who will be trained by ICE, will be trained to actually detain, make arrests if necessary, and assist ICE in their mission to keep our country safer. I had the honor last week of having a meeting with the Border Czar Tom Homan where I assured him that his officers would be safe operating in Denton County, that they will have backup as they enforce federal law, and that this is a continuing partnership between us and our federal partners.

It is what we do, we enforce the law, and it is the law of the land. This will put us in full participation in 287G. We look forward to working with our partners and getting those officers trained to be able to keep our county safer and to make sure that the law is enforced.

EADS

Perfect. Thank you, sir. Any other comments?

WILLIAMS

Yeah, judge, if you don't mind. Sheriff, I really appreciate your stance on this, and I appreciate you putting forth the energy and effort. It's not always publicly in a lot of areas, it's not the thing that some people like, but that doesn't matter, and I don't care either.

I really appreciate you making sure to stand behind our federal agents and helping them uphold the law here within Denton County. I know that participating in things like this sometimes puts a little bit more of a strain on your department because we only have so many people. It's not like you've got new people with this added relationship, but as you know, this court here is to support you, and I think that if that becomes an issue and you need more, then you please come tell us.

I feel confident that this whole group here feels the same way, and I know our citizens, the majority of citizens I deal with, absolutely appreciate it, and you've got 110 % of my support. Thank you, judge. Commissioner Mitchell.

MITCHELL

Sheriff, I just want to thank you for the service that you provide for Denton County, and I pray that the officers that are going to be working with our Denton County agency will uphold the services and integrity that you have instilled in your officers here in Denton County. I know that it's not popular for the ICE group to come around into communities, but I'm trusting you to make sure that we do it the Denton County way and not abuse our privileges, abuse authority, but do what's right for the citizens and uphold the law of the United States of America.

MURPHREE

Yes, ma'am. I won't have it any other way, and if there's ever a question about that, I will make sure it's done correctly. If there's ever a question about that, then I will step away.

MITCHELL

Okay, thank you.

WILLIAMS

Good point, Commissioner.

EADS

Any other comments?

FALCONER

I just say that, yeah, thank you, and remember this is, we're just enforcing the law, and I'm confident that how you will handle that.

MURPHREE

Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate that. Appreciate your support. Thank you.

EADS

All right, any other questions? All in favor say aye. Aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next is 12B, approval of the purchase of a single duty weapon by Denton County Sheriff's Office Deputy Brian Nelson following his honorable retirement on January the 31st, 2026.

WILLIAMS

Moved to approve.

FALCONER

Second.

EADS

Motion by Commissioner Williams. Second by Commissioner Falconer.

Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries. Sheriff, can you come back?

I would like to reopen 12A. Does, so, what is your understanding of ICE? How do they come into the, their partnering, they could potentially extend this partnership with the county, but do they do that also with the cities in the county as well, or how does that work?

MURPHREE

I think they attempt to. I don't know.

EADS

Sir?

MURPHREE

They attempt to, I believe.

EADS

Okay.

MURPHREE

They've reached out. I've met with the head of ICE out of Dallas several times, and one thing clear, too, is this is at no cost to the county.

EADS

Right.

MURPHREE

And when our officers start handling some of these cases, they begin to be paid by the federal government, and so there's, you know, a lot of things to work out with that, but ICE is going to handle all the expense of training and of processing and those things, so I'll just make a point. It's at no cost to the county.

MITCHELL

And not all citizens, I mean, all cities participate.

WILLIAMS

No, and Judge, you make a great point, which is kind of tough sometimes, especially for our deputies in ICE themselves. If you have a city that doesn't really participate, it puts those officers in a tough spot that are in those cities that come to the aid of not only the ICE agents, but our deputies, too, that are acting as an ICE agent, because obviously their command staff doesn't always support that, but as an officer, you're going to go help out. You should, or you shouldn't be in law enforcement.

You're going to go help out any law enforcement agent that may be in trouble, but that is a tough thing, and I have no problem discussing it with any of the chiefs that the areas I'm responsible for, so if you're having issues with any of them, please let me know, and I'd be happy to advocate for you.

MURPHREE

Yeah, and, you know, an understanding, too, is that our chiefs are at the mercy of city councils and city managers, so it's not always, or seldom is it, the chief's stance on these things. I have no doubt that any department within Denton County will respond and help when help is needed, and I believe that to be true, and I hope I'm never proven wrong, but a lot of the police chiefs are under a tremendous amount of pressure, but I know them. I know their hearts, and not that they agree or disagree with the policies or the procedures, but one thing they do agree on is we have to make sure people are protected and their lives are protected, especially when it comes to police officers and federal agents.

MITCHELL

I don't think anybody has any problem with following the law. It's just how it's done, but those cities have a right to decide whether they want to be a part of the 287 agreement.

MURPHREE

They do, and as you know, or you may not know, the state legislature has passed a new law where sheriffs are required to participate in one of the three models of 287G, and really the third model is just being able to serve warrants in the jail, so with model one and two, three is included in two, so we're fully participating in 287G, and so I think you can talk, there's a lot of border sheriffs who may be on the opposite side of the coin as far as political party and political things, but every single one of them down there know the problem and know what's going on, and I applaud our legislature. It gives them an out, if you will, that, hey, we have to participate at some level doing this, so I think that was a good law. I think that most of those sheriffs would agree that, especially on the border, that it's an issue and things have to be done, and so we are going above and beyond the minimum requirement of that, and we will continue to help those guys and keep our community safe.

WILLIAMS

Well, that's one unfortunate part of politics, that either a police chief and or a sheriff has to not be able to do their job completely or be concerned about doing their job completely due to the fact that they may either not be re-elected and or lose their job because the city manager and the city council decide that they're not fit for their city, and quite frankly, if I was in that position, then I wouldn't be at the right city.

MURPHREE

Right. Chiefs of police are far more political than sheriffs.

WILLIAMS

I know, 100 percent.

MURPHREE

I'm elected, but they're at the mercy of a few elected and non-elected people, so and we'll, if we have to, a private handshake and a private nod to get some stuff done, I'll respect that just to get the job done. I'll make sure that happens.

WILLIAMS

Fair enough. Thank you. Thank you, Sheriff.

FALCONER

Thanks, Sheriff.

WILLIAMS

Thank you, Judge. That's an excellent point you bring up.

EADS

I wanted to bring that in. Let's go to 14A. Approval of 1, a software as a service addendum between Denton County and TechShare Local Government Corporation on behalf of the Collin County Juvenile Department pursuant is subject to the Master Interlocal Agreement for Stakeholder Participation in TechShare and 2, interlocal agreement between Denton County and the Collin County Juvenile Probation Department to provide TechShare juvenile services as recommended by Matt Marick, Director of Juvenile Probation, and Kevin Carr, Chief Information Officer. Motion by Commissioner Falconer.

Chair will second. Any discussion?

FALCONER

Just a quick comment, Judge. So, as you know, I'm on the TechShare board, and I just wanted to make a point because I don't know that the rest of you are as aware, but TechShare is doing really well. And so it is a great partner, I believe, for our software services, and they had some tough times a couple of years ago, but really coming through that, and it's going very well.

So I just want to make sure that we're aware that this is a great partner for us in software.

EADS

Perfect. Good. Thank you.

Thank you for your service on that. All right. Any other comments?

All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?

Motion carries unanimously. Next is 14B, approval of the master agreement for architectural services and design service for the Charlie J. Cole Building, RFSQ #25-2849 between Denton County, Texas, the owner and BKV Group architect, as recommended by the Denton County Purchasing Director.

FALCONER

Move to approve.

EADS

Motion by Commissioner Falconer. Chair will second.

Any discussion? All in favor, say aye. Aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Next, let's go to item 17, community updates.

We'll start with Commissioner Precinct 1.

WILLIAMS

Thank you, Judge. Unfortunately, I missed last week, so I want to tell the fire marshal's department congratulations on that wonderful award. And with that, I think it's imperative, I want to make sure that all the citizens, especially in Precinct 1, realize that I have tasked and asked, I should say, for the fire marshal's office to be a little more strict or a little more assertive on a lot of the buildings that we have in the unincorporated areas that aren't following the rules and haven't gone through the proper protocol to establish themselves as a business. A lot of them, and a lot of these are the wedding chapels in particular, and that the expectation is is they're going to get a visit.

They're going to get a violation of this is the things that need to be done, and you have a certain amount of time to get it handled, and if you don't, we're going to close you down. There's not going to be any more of this letting you take, you know, six months, eight months, a year to try to figure it out. This is a serious situation, and it's become more prevalent in Precinct 1, and so I want people and citizens to understand that we're going to start enforcing the law a little more strictly in Precinct 1 when it comes to those matters.

So, and I really appreciate the fire marshal's acceptance of those wishes that I have, and you're welcome to come if you have anything you want to say about it, Marshal.

FIRE MARSHAL

Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Judge. No, that's absolutely acceptable.

In the past, you know, we've, and this has become a problem, as you're saying, it's been about education, and that's one thing that we try to do across the board, and we continue to do that, but there does become an opportunity or a time when I would say you're given as much as you can, so your ask, absolutely, we can we can take care of that.

WILLIAMS

I appreciate it. Again, it's not that we're not going to be fair to citizens, because that's 100% what we're supposed to do, and I love the education side of it. Educate the individual, give them the opportunity, but it's not going to be a long, drawn-out process that maybe they've been accustomed to in the past, just because a lot of it has to do with how busy you are, but I do appreciate you and your office for the work you guys do.

FIRE MARSHAL

Absolutely.

WILLIAMS

Thank you, Judge. That's all I've got for today.

EADS

All right, Commissioner Falconer.

FALCONER

Thank you, Judge. I have a couple of things to recognize in Precinct 2. Carrollton Primary Branch ISD was recognized as a finalist in the Excellence in Education Award, sponsored by HEB, and only five school districts are selected as finalists, and so we wish them the best in becoming the ultimate winner there.

And then Metricrest Services, which you know is a really good partner with us for helping out with their non-profit that helps out with folks who have a lot of different kinds of needs, and our long-term CEO there, Tracy Eubanks, is retiring, and Gabe Madison is the new CEO there, Don Cobb, and Isabel and I met with Gabe and Tracy just recently, and we wish Tracy the best in his retirement, and we think really a lot of big shoes to fill there, but I think Gabe's up to the task.

And then last, I just wanted to mention a former Precinct 2 resident who is doing great things, and that's David Blau. He is, you might recognize, most recently was appointed offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders. He was a former Carrollton Creekview star quarterback and has played in the NFL and then has been coaching for several years, and he is a great Christian guy.

I know him quite well, and I'm super excited about him. I wish it wasn't with the Commanders, but hey, it's a great deal, and good to see a Denton County boy do well. And we, just a couple things, we have MLK coming up, and so Carrollton has their annual MLK parade on the 17th, and that'll be at 10 a.m., and it'll be a parade that starts at City Hall, and then they'll have an estate planning session on the 24th at 10:30 at the Hebron and Josie Library. Frisco has music in the chamber, and that is at the council chambers on January 23rd at 7:30 p.m., and then they have a Frisco Maker Faire, and that'll be at the Frisco Discovery Center on the 24th at 10, and then the Colony has Teen Night, and it's a hot cocoa bar that's on the 15th at 6 p.m. at the library, and that's all I have.

EADS

Thank you. Commissioner Mitchell.

MITCHELL

Good morning. We have the 32nd annual Martin Luther King Day celebration in Precinct 3 this year. Like last year, it's going to be held at the Marcus High Senior Auditorium on January 19th at 6 p.m., and this is a great event because the citizens, not the citizens, the kids get to draw pictures of what they think freedom is all about, about Martin Luther King participation in freedom, and they're judged by their peers and the committee that judges them, and so the judge and I will be handing out those certificates on Monday night, Monday the 19th. Also, the Lake City's Chamber Monthly Luncheon will be January 14th at Global Spheres. We have a State Benefit Assistant with Tarrant Area Food Bank on January 14th at the Lewisville Public Library.

Eating Healthy, and since we're beginning January 26th, Eating Healthy on a Budget, January 17th at 11 a.m. at the Lewisville Public Library. Also, we have the United Way Dancing with the Stars coming up, so if you didn't get in...

EADS

And we are not dancing, but we're going to watch and cheer them on.

MITCHELL

No, I'm not dancing.

EADS

They always ask us, but we just...

MITCHELL

No, we're not going to dance. We're going to let somebody that can do better than we can do dance, but that's always a great event, and I recognize the humanitarian award for people who have done so much for the community, and so that'll be a great idea, a great event. And for Precinct 4, we have the Citizen Science in Denton on January 17th, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Branch Library. Learn how to become a citizen scientist, and I don't know anything about that. I'm not a citizen scientist. Maybe.

Then we have the MLK Day Celebration also in Denton at the MLK Recreation Center, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., which includes a community march, a program, and a flag football tournament, and I don't know if Harold still does that, but one of our employees used to do that. We also have Gardening with Kitchen Scraps. That's January 31st in Denton at the Oakland Street Emily Fowler Library, and that's all I have for Precinct 3 and Precinct 4.

EADS

Thank you for the good report. Just real quick, want to give a shout out to congratulate Jack Waslowski. He's the first ever UIL 6A Speech and Debate Congress Champion from Flower Mound High School, so great.

Congrats on that. I want to remind everybody that in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our office will be closed on Monday the 19th. Just want to remind everybody we'll be reopening traditional hours the next day at 8 a.m. And let's see in our, I think that's it for now, and let's go to Executive Session. We have a couple items right here. Under 15A Texas Government Code 551.0745(a)(1), Personnel Matters Affecting the County Advisory Body, Closed Meeting to Deliberate the Appointment, Employment, Evaluation, Reassignment, Duties, Discipline, or Dismissal of a Member of an Advisory Body to the Emergency Services District Number 1, ESD Number 1. And 15B Texas Government Code 551.0745(a)(1), Personnel Matters Affecting the County Advisory Body, Closed Meeting to Deliberate the Appointment, Employment, Evaluation, Reassignment, Duties, Discipline, or Dismissal of a Member of an Advisory Body to the Emergency Services District Number 2.

And it is 10:26 and we are in Executive Session.

EADS

We are, Bobby are we on? Okay, we are reconvening, it's 11:39, we've reconvened, it's 11:39 and we've reconvened from Executive Session.

We will go back to our action agenda on 13A. Let me go over here, just a second. Go to 13A Approval of the Board Appointments to Emergency Services District Number 1, ESD Number 1.

Commissioner Mitchell has a motion.

MITCHELL

I move we reappoint Mark Pape and Jared Harwell to the Emergency Service District Number 1, ESD 1, Board for a two-year term.

EADS

All right, the Chair will second. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously.

I want to thank y'all for your service.

WILLIAMS

Yes.

EADS

Let's go to Item 13B is Approval of the Board Appointments to Emergency Services District Number 2, ESD Number 2.

MITCHELL

I move we reappoint Donna Welsh and Jeffrey Grubb and Jerry Kirby to the Emergency Service District Number 2, ESD 2, Board for a two-year term.

EADS

We have, the Chair will second. Any discussion? All in favor say aye.

Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously.

I want to thank y'all for your continued service. The ESD is in a great position, better than it ever has been. We, and it's due in large part not only to the rank and file members that have answered the call to public service but to the board members as well.

So thank y'all for what y'all do. All right, hearing no other action before the Court, we are adjourned. Thank you.